Science Tidbits #5

[RJDiogenes]

Well, yeah, I won't be going any time soon-- or ever-- but at least it's the beginning of an infrastructure. At some point, like the Internet, it will reach a critical mass and take on a life of its own.

[Lupine]

An article I came across about some of the year's discoveries in human origins.
The one about Little Foot isn't too much of a surprise as I've always thought that researchers have read too much into the fossil as it pertains to human evolution.
And actually the Neandertal art discoveries shouldn't be shocking either as I've yet to see any strong evidence that Neandertals were dramatically different intellectually from moderns. And there's even evidence of simply "art" among Homo Erectus.
"Denny" is an exciting discovery. And since I (and many others) have both Neandertal and Denisovan ancestry, Denny could very well be one of our direct ancestors.
And as for humans roaming out of Africa much earlier than suspected that is actually the culmination of years of evidence that supported earlier migrations (though I wonder if Neandertal critics will use it to discredit their art).

[RJDiogenes]

I don't know why the idea of earlier migrations out of Africa is controversial. We're talking about very long spans of time, and the farther back you go the less likely it is that evidence will still exist. Since humans and close relatives clearly have always had the wanderlust, it seems to me that constant waves of migration should be the assumption awaiting confirmation.

The idea of Neandertals and other human-like species making art is very exciting. I wonder if we'll ever have a large enough body of evidence to tease out indications of any psychological differences in the art itself. That would be amazing.

[Lupine]

I don't know why the idea of earlier migrations out of Africa is controversial. We're talking about very long spans of time, and the farther back you go the less likely it is that evidence will still exist. Since humans and close relatives clearly have always had the wanderlust, it seems to me that constant waves of migration should be the assumption awaiting confirmation.

It started in the early days of DNA testing and the so-called "molecular clock" in mtDNA. Each study and computer model kept pushing the dates for human/chimp divergence, the arrival of modern humans, and the migration out of Africa further up in time. And despite the fossil evidence coming into increased conflict with the stated dates the geneticists held their ground until things became untenable.

[Lupine]

NASA just discovered a giant bowling pin in space!

[RJDiogenes]

Obviously a remnant of a collision with Planet X. The only question is: Was it a strike or a spare?

So it's 21 miles long and spinning like a propeller. I wonder how fast it's spinning, and if it's enough to create any substantial pseudo-gravity in the lobes. Also, they don't seem to have specified if it's an asteroid or a comet remnant.

[Lupine]

Comet would be my guess being that far out. The most recent pictures make it look like a snowman gone wrong. Seems oddly lacking in craters.

[RJDiogenes]

Ooh, Frosty the Indeterminate Outer Solar System Object. A comet wannabe maybe. The lack of craters may be just the resolution of the picture, or maybe due to the fact that stuff is so far apart out there there are few collisions. I can't wait to see those higher-res photos that are coming.

And now I've also learned that I've been pronouncing Ultima Thule wrong.

[Lupine]

I've been pronouncing it "Thuly".

[Orpheus]

Ah, like that Savage Garden song "Thule, Madly, Deepspace"

[RJDiogenes]

I've been pronouncing it "Thuly".

Same here.

Ah, like that Savage Garden song "Thule, Madly, Deepspace"

That would be a good episode title for Orville.

[Lupine]

I've been pronouncing it "Thuly".

Same here.

I do believe that's the correct way.

[Lupine]

Meanwhile, there's now life on the Moon..

[RJDiogenes]

Wow, there's a terrarium on the Moon. What a great experiment. I wonder if the Chinese will release photos and videos of the plants and silkworms.

[Lupine]

TESS is finding new planets! The article describes the newest as a "sub-Neptune" but the description sounds rather like a Mega-Earth. A really hot one, so we're probably talking a Mega-Venus.