The Olduvai Gorge as a landmark for ancient human skill: how cells’ waste-disposal systems can help defend against infections
The Olduvai Gorge is one of the discoveries that are challenging the narrative. The region has a long history of fossil finds: specimens for the early hominin Homo habilis were discovered there in the 1960s, and researchers have found signs of bone tools in the area for years. Mary Leakey wrote about some of her findings, but only partially published them. Because bone tools were found outside their original contexts, they couldn’t be dated accurately.
A 1.5-million-year-old cache of animal-bone tools reveals that ancient humans systematically crafted with this material much earlier than previously thought. Researchers uncovered 27 bone artefacts in Tanzania honed into sharp tools almost 40 cm long. The discovery could help develop new kinds of technology, as it pushes back the manufacture of bone tools by a million years. The study author says that this raises a lot of interesting questions.
Evidence suggests deliberate production of bone tools happened much earlier than previously thought — plus, how cells’ waste-disposal systems could help defend against infection.
Cells in the body will cut down on the number of genes to make antimicrobial peptides to fight infections, according to new research. A team has found that a waste-disposal system called the proteasome helps shift the activity of potential peptides to get them out. One of the peptidess showed efficacy at protecting rodents from infections, suggesting that this molecule could one day be used for therapeutic purposes.
The look of water in the Milky Way from the next generation of Earth satellites – an update on the Moon mission and the Nature podcast
There is an update on the two missions heading to the Moon to look for water and why they may not be incorrect about the future of the ocean current.
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