New human ancestor identified after fossil find
The 13 teeth, found at the Ledi-Geraru archaeological site, belong to an early Homo species that lived alongside the hominin ancestor Australopithecus.
This discovery indicates that human evolution is not a linear progression but a more complex 'bushy tree' with multiple lineages existing simultaneously.
Researchers dated the specimens by analysing volcanic ash layers, which also helped reconstruct the ancient landscape as a vegetated area with rivers and shallow lakes.
The newly identified Homo species is yet to be named, with further fossil discoveries required for formal classification.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
Alien worlds may not necessarily need water, scientists find: ‘We just opened a Pandora's box'
Water may not be essential to support life, and an entirely different type of liquid could do the same in alien worlds, a new study claims. Until now, water has been considered a requirement for life on other worlds, with scientists defining the habitability of other planets based on its presence. However, a new lab experiment suggests salts existing in liquid form at lower temperatures in other worlds may host life, though unlike anything resembling Earth 's water-based beings. Such liquid-salts, called ionic liquids, can exist below about 100 degrees Celsius and remain stable enough in the fluid state at wider conditions to be a hospitable environment for life-signature molecules like proteins, say researchers from the Massachussets Institute of Technology. The study, published in the journal PNAS, theorises that even planets that are too warm, or those with atmospheres at pressures too low to host liquid water, could still support pockets of ionic liquid. 'We consider water to be required for life because that is what's needed for Earth life. But if we look at a more general definition, we see that what we need is a liquid in which metabolism for life can take place,' says Rachana Agrawal, an author of the study from MIT. 'Now if we include ionic liquid as a possibility, this can dramatically increase the habitability zone for all rocky worlds,' Dr Agrawal said. On Earth, such ionic liquids are mainly only made for industries, and do not occur naturally – except for one natural case. One liquid salt is generated from the mixing of venoms produced by two rival species of ants. In the new study, scientists sought to understand the broad conditions under which ionic liquids can be naturally produced, including the range of temperatures and pressures. They started by mixing sulphuric acid with 30 different nitrogen-containing organic compounds across several temperatures and pressures. Researchers then observed whether an ionic liquid formed when they evaporated away the sulphuric acid in various vials. This work was based on previous work suggesting that some of these chemicals, considered ingredients associated with life, are surprisingly stable in sulphuric acid. Scientists also mixed the ingredients onto basalt rocks, which are known to exist on the surface of many rocky planets. 'We were just astonished that the ionic liquid forms under so many different conditions,' says Sara Seager, another author of the study. 'If you put the sulphuric acid and the organic on a rock, the excess sulphuric acid seeps into the rock pores, but you're still left with a drop of ionic liquid on the rock. Whatever we tried, ionic liquid still formed,' Dr Seager says. Researchers found that their reactions produced ionic liquid at temperatures up to 180 degrees Celsius and at extremely low pressures – much lower than that of the Earth's atmosphere. The findings suggest ionic liquids can naturally form on other planets where liquid water cannot exist, under the right conditions. 'We're envisioning a planet warmer than Earth, that doesn't have water, and at some point in its past or currently, it has to have had sulphuric acid, formed from volcanic outgassing,' Dr Seager says. 'This sulphuric acid has to flow over a little pocket of organics. And organic deposits are extremely common in the solar system,' she explained. Scientists hope to conduct further studies to see what life-signature molecules might survive and thrive in ionic liquids. 'We just opened up a Pandora's box of new research. It's been a real journey,' Dr Seager said.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Scientists pinpoint how many hours' sleep will increase your risk of heart disease
We've long known that a lack of sleep is bad for the heart – but scientists are now starting to understand exactly how it causes harm. In a study from Uppsala University in Sweden, researchers found that just three nights of restricted sleep – around four hours a night – triggered changes in the blood linked to a higher risk of heart disease. The researchers looked at inflammatory proteins in the blood. These are molecules the body produces when it is under stress or fighting off illness. When these proteins stay high for a long time, they can damage blood vessels and raise the risk of problems like heart failure, coronary heart disease and atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat). The study involved 16 healthy young men who spent several days in a lab, where everything from their meals to their activity levels and light exposure was carefully controlled. The participants followed two routines: three nights of normal sleep (8.5 hours) and three night of sleep restriction (4.25 hours). After each sleep phase, the men completed a short, high-intensity cycling workout, and their blood was tested before and after. Researchers measured almost 90 different proteins in the blood samples. They found that sleep deprivation caused a clear rise in inflammatory markers linked to heart disease. And while exercise usually boosts healthy proteins such as interleukin-6 and BDNF (which support brain and heart health), these responses were weaker after poor sleep. Strikingly, the changes happened even in young, healthy adults, and after only a few nights of bad sleep. That's worrying given how common it is for adults to experience poor sleep from time to time – and around one in four people work shifts that disrupt sleep patterns. The researchers also discovered that the time of day blood was taken mattered: protein levels varied between morning and evening, and even more so when sleep was restricted. This suggests that sleep affects not only what's in your blood, but when those changes are most visible. Although modern life often encourages us to trade sleep for productivity, socialising or screen time, studies like this remind us that the body keeps score – quietly, chemically and without compromise. Annie Curtis is a Professor (Assoc) in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences (PBS) at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Urgent warning to vapers as scientists discover vape mouthpieces are SWARMING with fungi that harm airways
Vaping is often sold as a cleaner, healthier alternative to smoking cigarettes. But a new study shows that vapers might be getting a lot more than a nicotine hit when they take a puff from an e-cigarette. Scientists from the University of Florida found that vape mouthpieces are swarming with harmful fungi. With their enclosed, plastic design and frequent warming from regular use, vapes are a perfect environment for fungi to develop. This is made much worse by the fact that the majority of users reported never cleaning their vapes. While very few vapes harbour bacteria, more than half of the disposable vapes tested by researchers were 'abundantly colonised' by fungi. Of these, over 80 per cent were capable of causing ill health, including pathogens which can cause lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis. The most common of these species is a fungus called Cystobasidium minutum, which can cause blood infections in people with weakened immune systems. E-cigarettes work by heating a battery-powered coil submerged in liquid containing nicotine, producing a vapour that users can inhale. Although vaping is generally regarded as safer than smoking tobacco, research into the long-term health effects is still in its infancy. Typically, previous research has focused on the toxicity of the e-liquids themselves and the effect that exposure to the vapour has on lung cells. For example, a study published last year found that the chemicals used to give e-liquids their sweet flavour could lead to lung damage. The study found that exposure to flavoured vapour harmed the defensive cells which patrol our lungs and keep them free of bacteria, leading to a higher risk of infection. However, scientists haven't paid much attention to the microbes that might be hitching a ride into your airways along with the nicotine vapour. To investigate this, researchers recruited 25 participants who used disposable vapes every day and took swabs of their e-cigarettes' mouthpieces. The scientists then cultured these samples, allowing them to grow on petri dishes, to see what microbes were lurking. This revealed that the mouthpiece of your vape is crawling with up to 35 different types of fungi, the vast majority of which have the capability to cause illness. The samples were also compared to cultures taken from the participants' mouths, which revealed that the pathogens weren't coming from the individuals themselves. That means the harmful fungi must be coming from somewhere else in the environment. Some of these fungi may come from the air, our hands, or the general dirt around us, but others might have already been in the vape liquids when they were purchased. Co-author Dr Jason Smith, of the Emerging Pathogens Institute, told New Scientist: 'The residues left behind inside the vape device may provide a food source for moulds to grow.' In their pre-print paper, the researchers argue that 'fungal contamination of e-cigarette devices' contributes to the development of Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This disease includes a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties, shortness of breath, and a persistent chesty cough. In the study, a third of participants involved said that they had respiratory symptoms such as coughing. To get a better understanding of how vaping these fungi might affect people's lungs, the researchers had mice inhale the most common pathogen, C. minutum. Lead author Dr Borna Mehrad says: 'We found that the fungus that was most prevalent in the vape samples caused features of chronic bronchitis in mice.' This condition is defined as inflammation of the airways, which leads to flu-like symptoms, and is one of the conditions which lead to COPD. The researchers urge vape users to clean their vape mouthpieces regularly to avoid the buildup of fungi. However, they stress that there currently isn't enough research to show that these fungi are in high enough numbers to cause illness in most users. What is an e-cigarette and how is it different to smoking tobacco? An electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) is a device that allows users to inhale nicotine by heating a vapour from a solution that contain nicotine, propylene and flavourings. As there is no burning involved, there is no smoke like a traditional cigarette. But while they have been branded as carrying a lower risk than cigarettes, an increasing swell of studies is showing health dangers. E-cigarettes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, but the vapor does contain some harmful chemicals. Nicotine is the highly addictive chemical which makes it difficult for smokers to quit. Nearly three million people in Britain use e-cigarettes, and more than nine million Americans. TYPES: 1. Standard e-cigarette Battery-powered device containing nicotine e-liquid. It vaporizes flavored nicotine liquid. 2. Juul Very similar to normal e-cigarettes but with sleeker design and, in the US, a higher concentration of nicotine. In the UK and EU limited to 20 mg/ml. Thanks to its 'nicotine salts', manufacturers claim one pod delivers the amount of nicotine as a pack of cigarettes. It is composed of an e-cigarette (battery and temperature control), and a pod of e-liquid which is inserted at the end. The liquid contains nicotine, chemicals and flavorings. Like other vaping devices, it vaporizes the e-liquid. 3. IQOS by Philip Morris Pen-shaped, charged like an iPod. Vaporizes tobacco. It is known as a 'heat not burn' smokeless device, heating tobacco but not burning it (at 350C compared to 600C as normal cigarettes do).
