# gst: shape-shifting dynamics; tiny evolutionary changes have turned a tongue into a fast elastic recoil mech (in salamanders)

<< relatively minor changes in the musculoskeletal morphology of the tongue apparatus and in the timing of muscle activation have, through evolutionary time, transformed a muscle-powered system with modest performance and high thermal sensitivity into a spring-powered system with extreme performance and thermal robustness, in parallel in both major groups of this largest family of salamanders. High performance and thermal robustness evolve together, indicating they are both properties of the same elastic-recoil, "bow-and-arrow" mechanism. Similar evolutionary patterns may be found in other ectothermic animals with extreme performance. >>

Stephen M. Deban, Jeffrey A. Scales, et al. Evolution of a high-performance and functionally robust musculoskeletal system in salamanders. PNAS. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1921807117. Apr 27, 2020.

https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/04/21/1921807117

Bob Yirka. Minor evolutionary changes helped transform the salamander tongue into a fast elastic recoil mechanism. Apr 28, 2020.

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-minor-evolutionary-salamander-tongue-fast.html

Also

keyword 'tiny' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=tiny

# life: At this point ... are you a pseudo naked mole-rat? Well, it would be useful ...

<< African naked mole-rats are sometimes referred to as animal superheroes. They resist cancer, tolerate pain, and live a remarkably long time. They're also known for their ability to handle high levels of carbon dioxide and can go for several minutes without oxygen. >>

AA << may have found the mole-rats' kryptonite: they need high levels of carbon dioxide to function. (..) the mole-rats don't just tolerate high levels of carbon dioxide in their crowded nests; it appears that they actually require it. When they reach the hot surface and start heat-induced hyperventilation in the fresh air, it sends them into seizures. >>

AA << found that this curious need for carbon dioxide is explained by the presence of a missense mutation in a gene that encodes the major neuronal chloride transporter known as KCC2. >>

Similarly, families of people << with a genetic predisposition for febrile seizures carry the very same genetic change. >>

<< The identification of the genetic polymorphism in the naked mole-rat KCC2 was a surprise, (..) Aside from a small subset of humans, naked mole-rats are now the only other mammals known to harbor this variant. >> Martin Puskarjov.

Naked mole-rats need carbon dioxide to avoid seizures and here's why. Cell Press. Apr 30, 2020. 

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-naked-mole-rats-carbon-dioxide-seizures.html

Michael Zions, Edward F. Meehan, et al. Nest Carbon Dioxide Masks GABA-Dependent Seizure Susceptibility in the Naked Mole-Rat. Curr Biol. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.03.071. Apr 30, 2020.

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(20)30478-4

Also 

the 'naked mole-rats paradox'

Scientists explain why naked mole-rats' longevity contradicts accepted aging theory. Missouri University of Science and Technology. Feb 10, 2020.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-scientists-naked-mole-rats-longevity-contradicts.html

Wenyun Zuo, Xiaolong Tang, Chen Hou. Why Naked Mole-Rats Have High Oxidative Damage but Live a Long Life: A Simple Explanation Based on the Oxidative Stress Theory of Aging. 

Adv Geriatr Med Res. 2(1): e200006. doi: 10.20900/agmr20200006. Jan 7, 2020. 

https://agmr.hapres.com/htmls/AGMR_1164_Detail.html

Also

keyword 'naked' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=naked

# evol: traces of proto harpist players, 40k year old evidence that Neanderthal's wove strings (three bundles of twisted fibres).

AA << show direct evidence of fibre technology in the form of a 3-ply cord fragment made from inner bark fibres on a stone tool recovered in situ from the same site (Abri du Maras Paleolithic site). Twisted fibres provide the basis for clothing, rope, bags, nets, mats, boats, etc. which, once discovered, would have become an indispensable part of daily life. Understanding and use of twisted fibres implies the use of complex multi-component technology as well as a mathematical understanding of pairs, sets, and numbers. Added to recent evidence of birch bark tar, art, and shell beads, the idea that Neanderthals were cognitively inferior to modern humans is becoming increasingly untenable. >>

B. L. Hardy, M.-H. Moncel, et al. 

Direct evidence of Neanderthal fibre technology and its cognitive and behavioral implications.  Sci Rep 10, 4889. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-61839-w. Apr 9, 2020.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-61839-w

40,000 year old evidence that Neanderthals wove string. CNRS. Apr 9, 2020.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200409110533.htm

FonT

non per essere frainteso sulla prima parte del titolo di questo post ('traces of proto harpist players'), ma quando approccio dissertazioni circa argomenti che trattano 'corde', per associazione (a senso unico) richiamo  in modo automatico, meccanico,  immagini relative alla musica (e al caos); ognuno ha i suoi limiti ...

Also

keyword 'Neanderthal' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=Neanderthal

# gst: how a virus could cause context-dependent manipulation in host social behavior

<< Honey bees that guard hive entrances are twice as likely to allow in trespassers from other hives if the intruders are infected with the Israeli acute paralysis virus, a deadly pathogen of bees, >>

<< It seems that the virus is changing how the bees smell, and perhaps the infected bees also are behaving in a way that is meant to appease the guards by engaging more in trophallaxis (a process by which honey bees exchange regurgitated food and other liquids), >> Adam Dolezal

Diana Yates. Virus-infected honey bees more likely to gain entrance to healthy hives. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. April 27, 2020.

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-virus-infected-honey-bees-gain-entrance.html

Amy C. Geffre, Tim Gernat, et al. Honey bee virus causes context-dependent changes in host social behavior. PNAS  doi: 10.1073/pnas.2002268117. Apr 27, 2020.

https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/04/21/2002268117

keyword 'trophallaxis' in Britannica

https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Trophallaxis

# life: chaotic visions, by Thomas (on the wave of 1or2 achoo from Wuhan)

<< On peut être certain d’une chose : les grands bouleversements politico-idéologiques ne font que commencer. >>

Thomas Piketty. Eviter le pire. 14 Avril, 2020.

https://www.lemonde.fr/blog/piketty

Un nuovo stato sociale per uscire dalla crisi. Le Monde. 26 aprile 2020.

https://www.internazionale.it/opinione/thomas-piketty/2020/04/26/crisi-nuovo-stato-sociale

Also:  the unmentionable GTTD - Great Tea Trolley Disaster, by Bristow

il grande disastro del carrello del the' per Egon. FonT. 13 Dic 2015. 

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2015/12/rmx-trade-il-grande-disastro-del.html

# gst: a view of multi-system self-assembly

<< a team of scientists in Turkey has demonstrated the fundamental principles of a universal self-assembly process acting on a range of materials-starting from a few atoms-large quantum dots up to nearly 100 trillion atoms-large human cells. >>

AA << not only demonstrated the self-assembly of simple as well as complex structures that are more than four orders of magnitude different in size and mass. They all come together following a sigmoid function, also known as the S-curve. Curiously, they also observed that the individual deviations from the S-curves follow the statistics of the Tracy-Widom distribution, which manifests in diverse, social, economic, and physical systems.>>

<< To initiate self-assembly, either you force the system to deliver a specific outcome, or you use its inner dynamics to your advantage for universal outcomes. We followed the second approach, >> Serim Ilday.

Scientists uncover principles of universal self-assembly. Bilkent University. Apr 20, 2020.

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-scientists-uncover-principles-universal-self-assembly.html

Ghaith Makey, Sezin Galioglu, et al. Universality of dissipative self-assembly from quantum dots to human cells. Nat. Phys. doi: 10.1038/s41567-020-0879-8. Apr 20, 2020.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-020-0879-8

Also

keyword 'self-assembly' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=self-assembly

keyword 'self' in Notes (quasi- stochastic poetry)

https://inkpi.blogspot.com/search?q=self

# ai: the dawn of 'Darwinian' self-programming machines, by Quoc Le (Google)

<< Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving-literally. Researchers have created software that borrows concepts from Darwinian evolution, including "survival of the fittest," to build AI programs that improve generation after generation without human input. The program replicated decades of AI research in a matter of days, and its designers think that one day, it could discover new approaches to AI. >>

<< So Quoc Le, a computer scientist at Google, and colleagues developed a program called AutoML-Zero that could develop AI programs with effectively zero human input, using only basic mathematical concepts a high school student would know. >>

<< Our ultimate goal is to actually develop novel machine learning concepts that even researchers could not find, >> Quoc Le.

Edd Gent. Artificial intelligence is evolving all by itself. Science. Technology. doi: 10.1126/ science.abc2274. Apr. 13, 2020.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/artificial-intelligence-evolving-all-itself

Esteban Real, Chen Liang, et al. AutoML-Zero: Evolving Machine Learning Algorithms From Scratch. arXiv:2003.03384v1 [cs.LG]. Mar 6, 2020.

https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.03384

David Nield. Google Engineers 'Mutate' AI to Make It Evolve Systems Faster Than We Can Code Them. Apr 17, 2020.

https://www.sciencealert.com/coders-mutate-ai-systems-to-make-them-evolve-faster-than-we-can-program-them    

Also 

keyword 'ai' in FonT 

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=ai

keyword 'ia' in Notes (quasi-stochastic poetry)

https://inkpi.blogspot.com/search?q=ia