Podcast reviews: Does baby brain exist? Do women who have children later live longer and do men really have higher sex drives?
As AI-generated images and Chinese whispers catch fire on social media, many of us accept that inherent biases challenge the objectivity of science and history. And also how evolving technology changes results. Take light. In 1801 physicist Thomas Young performed 'the double-slit experiment' which confirmed light's wave characteristic. But current research suggests dark photons may instead be at play, therefore busting centuries' worth of quantum physics.
This is one of the head-scratching subjects discussed in The World, The Universe and Us (Apple, Spotify), a new series co-hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet for New Scientist. Other heavy matter topics delivered with a light touch include an unsettling experiment of inserting bioelectronic devices into tadpoles, in a quest to further understand how early development of the human brain might work (hmmm?), and the dubious pros and common-sense cons of mining for platinum on the moon.
Is baby brain real? Do women who have children later live longer? Do queer couples share the housework more equally? Do men have higher libidos? These are among the questions asked by Melbourne-based sociologist Leah Ruppanner on MissPerceived (Acast, Apple, Spotify), which queries gender myths and received wisdom.
And regarding those aforementioned questions, the answers in a nutshell are: yes, hormonal changes absolutely disrupt cognitive functioning; genes are more likely to play a factor; yes, heterosexual men undeniably do the least domestic chores; it's complicated, but the latest study used masturbation as the end goal, which troubles Ruppanner in the first place – but I'd encourage you to listen to find out how she comes to those conclusions as she even-handedly compares empirical and anecdotal data.
Artificial intelligence is typically discussed in its most dystopian conclusions – robots replacing the human race. Journalist George Butler co-hosts with Internet Advertising Bureau's CSO James Chandler on AI Haven't a Clue (Apple, Spotify), to explore how AI affects our day-to-day life. 'The world is changing at a pretty crazy rate,' says Butler, 'and I don't really understand how and why. Luckily I've now got James and expert guests.'
These include Muhammad Lila, CNN war-zone correspondent turned AI entrepreneur, and Tobias Allen, CEO of influencer platform Fanvue, as they unpick current AI headlines.
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The Irish Sun
9 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Haunting ‘Dragon Man' skull is first ever found from lost human cousin ‘Denisovan' species that lived 217,000 years ago
THE face of humans' most mysterious ancestor has finally been uncovered after 217,000 years. The discovery proves that the 'Dragon Man' of China is indeed a Denisovan, a long lost ancestral species. Advertisement 4 The fossil, which is at least 146,000 years old, reveals Denisovan's had a prominent brow ridge and a brain as large as modern humans and Neanderthals Credit: Xijun Ni It is the first time a near-complete skull has been definitively linked to the extinct people. The fossil, which is at least 146,000 years old, reveals Denisovans had a prominent brow ridge and a brain as large as modern humans and Neanderthals. They even had more modern features, like delicate cheekbones. Their relatively flat lower face doesn't jut out like it does in other primates and more ancient hominins. Advertisement READ MORE ON ARCHAEOLOGY The massive size of the skull also suggests a very large body, which could have helped it survive brutal winters in northeastern China. "Having a well-preserved skull like this one allows us to compare the Denisovans to many more different specimens found in very different places," paleoanthropologist Bence Viola of the University of Toronto, who was not involved in the new study, told " This means we might be able to compare their body proportions and start thinking about their adaptations to climate, for example." Scientists have long speculated about the appearance of the mysterious Denisovans. Advertisement Most read in Science Exclusive Exclusive Other bones relating to the ancient ancestor have been discovered over the decades, such as a But none more intact than the 'Dragon Man' or 'Harbin skull'. Face of oldest direct human ancestor, which lived 3.8million years ago, revealed by scientists A finger bone found in Denisova Cave, Siberia, in 2010 was the first example of the elusive Denisovans - and where they got their unofficial name. "It's really exciting to finally have Denisovan DNA from a nearly complete cranium," Janet Kelso, a computational biologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, told Advertisement "We finally have some insights into the cranial morphology of the Denisovans." 4 Other bones relating to the ancient ancestor have been discovered over the decades, such as a robust jawbone found off the coast of Taiwan in the 2000s which was recently attributed to the Denisovans Credit: Yousuke Kaifu In 2021, a team of Chinese researchers made the controversial claim that a bizarre skull they had found could belong to a previously unknown species. They dubbed this unknown species Homo longi, nicknamed 'Dragon Man', inspired by the Long Jiang Dragon River region where the skull was found. Advertisement The fossil is believed to have been hidden by a Chinese labourer for 85 years, before the man's grandson handed the specimen to Qiang Ji, a palaeontologist at Hebei GEO University in Shijiazhuang in 2018. Ji, who co-authored the original Homo longi paper, suspects the man discovered the artefact himself but failed to report it to authorities. The grandson claimed the fossil was unearthed the fossil in 1933 during bridge-construction work over the Long Jiang river. The construction worker then supposedly buried it in an abandoned well, where it remained until a deathbed confession. Advertisement When Ji published his findings in 2021, Qiaomei Fu of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing - who worked on the very first Denisovan DNA from the Siberian finger bone - wanted to see if they shared any ancient molecules. Ji and Fu's team first attempted to extract ancient DNA from a part of the skull called the petrous bone in the inner ear - where DNA might survive after 146,000 years - and from an attached tooth. They didn't recover any genetic material. But what they did find was sequence fragments from 95 ancient proteins from the petrous samples. Advertisement One protein sequence from the Dragon Man fossil was identical to that of a protein from the Siberian finger bone, as well as Denisovan bones from Tibet and Taiwan, the experts reveal in two papers published in the journals and this week . This protein sequence differed from modern humans and Neanderthals - suggesting the man was likely a Denisovan. "After 15 years, we give the Denisovan a face," said Fu. "It's really a special feeling, I feel really happy." It is understood the new species will adopt the Homo longi name, like we humans are Homo sapiens. Advertisement 4 The massive size of the skull also suggests a very large body, which could have helped it survive brutal winters in northeastern China Credit: Chuang Zhao 4 It is understood the new species will adopt the Homo longi name, like we humans are Homo sapiens Credit: John Bavaro Fine Art / Science Photo Library
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
Podcast reviews: Does baby brain exist? Do women who have children later live longer and do men really have higher sex drives?
As AI-generated images and Chinese whispers catch fire on social media, many of us accept that inherent biases challenge the objectivity of science and history. And also how evolving technology changes results. Take light. In 1801 physicist Thomas Young performed 'the double-slit experiment' which confirmed light's wave characteristic. But current research suggests dark photons may instead be at play, therefore busting centuries' worth of quantum physics. This is one of the head-scratching subjects discussed in The World, The Universe and Us (Apple, Spotify), a new series co-hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet for New Scientist. Other heavy matter topics delivered with a light touch include an unsettling experiment of inserting bioelectronic devices into tadpoles, in a quest to further understand how early development of the human brain might work (hmmm?), and the dubious pros and common-sense cons of mining for platinum on the moon. Is baby brain real? Do women who have children later live longer? Do queer couples share the housework more equally? Do men have higher libidos? These are among the questions asked by Melbourne-based sociologist Leah Ruppanner on MissPerceived (Acast, Apple, Spotify), which queries gender myths and received wisdom. And regarding those aforementioned questions, the answers in a nutshell are: yes, hormonal changes absolutely disrupt cognitive functioning; genes are more likely to play a factor; yes, heterosexual men undeniably do the least domestic chores; it's complicated, but the latest study used masturbation as the end goal, which troubles Ruppanner in the first place – but I'd encourage you to listen to find out how she comes to those conclusions as she even-handedly compares empirical and anecdotal data. Artificial intelligence is typically discussed in its most dystopian conclusions – robots replacing the human race. Journalist George Butler co-hosts with Internet Advertising Bureau's CSO James Chandler on AI Haven't a Clue (Apple, Spotify), to explore how AI affects our day-to-day life. 'The world is changing at a pretty crazy rate,' says Butler, 'and I don't really understand how and why. Luckily I've now got James and expert guests.' These include Muhammad Lila, CNN war-zone correspondent turned AI entrepreneur, and Tobias Allen, CEO of influencer platform Fanvue, as they unpick current AI headlines.
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Scientists accuse Ireland and New Zealand of methane ‘accounting trick'
A group of 26 climate scientists from around the world have penned an open letter to New Zealand and Ireland criticising how the methane greenhouse gas is measured. In Ireland's case, it may be a reaction to the programme for government 2025 commitment to "recognise the distinct characteristics of biogenic methane, as described by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and advocate for the accounting of this greenhouse gas to be re-classified at EU and international level". The 26 scientists, in an open letter shared with the London-based Financial Times newspaper, said governments with large livestock sectors, including those of Ireland and New Zealand, are increasingly using a new method for calculating methane's effect on climate change which estimates its contribution to warming based on how emissions are changing relative to a baseline. They specifically accused politicians in New Zealand and Ireland of using an 'accounting trick' to back their sheep and cattle industries. It is believed they are referring to GWP*, a version of the Global Warming Potential formula devised by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Other climate researchers, at the University of Oxford, came up with GWP* about six years ago, as a better way for governments to set emissions targets for different greenhouse gases. They said the original GWP100 method did not reliably account for the different impacts of long-lived (such as carbon dioxide) and short-lived (such as methane) gases. They said different lifespans of emissions were crucial to understanding their potential to warm the earth's atmosphere. Carbon dioxide accumulates in the atmosphere, and even if its emissions ceases, the warming they caused would continues for centuries. But methane does not accumulate, being relatively rapidly removed naturally from the atmosphere. But GWP100 does not allow for this, according to the GWP* camp. Now, a different scientist at the University of Oxford, Paul Behrens, global professor of environmental change at the university, is one of the 26 whose open letter to the Financial Times warned some governments are misapplying GWP*, to justify allowing emissions to remain flat rather than decline. They warned this could set a precedent, allowing other countries to justify minimal reductions in methane emissions, and jeopardising commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement as well as the Global Methane Pledge launched in 2021. Myles Allen, professor of geosystem science at Oxford University's physics department, and one of the scientists behind GWP*, said governments, not scientists, must decide whether farmers should undo past warming from herd growth. He still supports separate targets for methane and carbon dioxide, saying GWP100 overstates the warming impact of constant methane emissions, and is slow to reflect the impact of emission changes. Read More Rise in low-emission slurry spreading puts Ireland on track for ammonia target
