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  Riley Black Science Correspondent Edited by - Amal Udawatta A reconstruction of adult and newly born Triassic ichthyosaurs  Shonisaurus   Gabriel Ugueto No one knew why so many immense reptiles were bunched together. In the middle of the Nevada desert, in rocks dating back over 225 million years, paleontologists uncovered the remains of at least seven immense marine reptiles called ichthyosaurs in one place. Explanations for the creatures’ death have run the gamut from a mass stranding on Triassic shores to a toxic algal bloom, but a new analysis published Monday in  Current Biology  offers a compelling theory of why they were together in the first place. The ichthyosaur pileup occurred in waters where the great saurians were gathering to give birth. Many bones and skeletons of the ichthyosaur  Shonisaurus  have been found in Nevada’s Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park over the course of more than a century, but most famous of all is what 20th-century paleontologist Charles Camp simply ca

 From The Guardian, Linda Geddes , Edited  by Amal Udawatta, Reconstructions of a Neanderthal man, left, and woman at the Neanderthal museum in Mettmann, Germany.  Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP If you thought  Neanderthals  survived on a diet of foraged berries and uncooked animal flesh, think again. Charred remnants of what appear be the world’s oldest cooked meal ever found have been unearthed in a cave complex in northern Iraq, prompting speculation that Neanderthals may have been foodies "Our findings are the first real indication of complex cooking – and thus of food culture – among Neanderthals,” said Chris Hunt, a professor of cultural paleoecology at  Liverpool John Moores University , who coordinated the excavation. A microscopic image of the charred remains of pulse-rich food from the Shanidar Cave Hunt and his colleagues have even tried to recreate one of the recipes, using seeds gathered from nearby the caves. “It made a sort of pancake-cum-flatbread which was really

          . Original written by Krishna Ramanujan,          Source  - Cornell University.          Edited by -  Amal Udawatta,       Source: Cornell University,      Edited by - Amal Udawatta                    DNA illustration (stock image).                  Credit: © ktsdesign / stock.adobe.com Viral DNA in human genomes, embedded there from ancient infections, serve as antivirals that protect human cells against certain present-day viruses, according to new research. The paper, "Evolution and Antiviral Activity of a Human Protein of Retroviral Origin," published Oct. 28 in   Science , provides proof of principle of this effect. Previous studies have shown that fragments of ancient viral DNA -- called endogenous retroviruses -- in the genomes of mice, chickens, cats and sheep provide immunity against modern viruses that originate outside the body by blocking them from entering host cells. Though this study was conducted with human cells in culture in the lab, it shows tha

  From  Science Daily, Edited by Amal Udawatta, For the first time, zinc isotope ratios in tooth enamel have been analysed with the aim of identifying the diet of a Neanderthal. The Neanderthal to whom the tooth belonged was probably a carnivore. Other chemical tracers indicate that this individual did not consume the blood of their prey, but ate the bone marrow without consuming the bones. A new study published on 2022 October 17 th 2  in the journal  PNAS , led by a CNRS researcher, has for the first time used zinc isotope analysis to determine the position of Neanderthals in the food chain. Their findings suggest that they were in fact carnivores. Were Neanderthals carnivores? Scientists have not yet settled the question. While some studies of the dental tartar of individuals from the Iberian Peninsula appear to show that they were major consumers of plants, other research carried out at sites outside Iberia seem to suggest that they consumed almost nothing but meat. Using n

  Hannah Devlin  Science correspondent  -The  Guardian Edited by - Amal Udawatta, Stone knives thought to have been produced by the last Neanderthals in France and northern Spain.  Photograph: Igor Djakovic, Leiden University/PA Modern humans lived alongside  Neanderthals  for more than 1,000 years in Europe, according to research that suggests the two species may have imitated each other’s jewellery and stone tools. Previously, it was known that humans and their ancient relatives existed at the same time on the European continent for more than 6,000 years and that the two species  interbred on several occasions . But the extent of their interactions remains the focus of scientific investigation. The latest paper suggests Homo sapiens may have coexisted with Neanderthals in France and northern Spain for 1,400-2,900 years before Neanderthals disappeared as a distinct species. Humans and Neanderthals 'co-existed in Europe for far longer than thought' Read more “In this region, th