# gst: apropos of avoidance, packing of stiff rods on ellipsoids; the effects of self-avoidance

AA << study the effects of geometry and self-avoidance on the ordering of slender filaments inside nonisotropic containers, considering cortical microtubules in plant cells, and packing of genetic material inside viral capsids as concrete examples. >>

<< Within a mean-field approximation, (AA) show analytically how the shape of the container, together with self-avoidance, affects the ordering of the stiff rods. (They)  find that the strength of the self-avoiding interaction plays a significant role in the preferred packing orientation, leading to a first-order transition for oblate cells, where the preferred orientation changes from azimuthal, along the equator, to a polar one, when self-avoidance is strong enough. >>

<< While for prolate spheroids the ground state is always a polar-like order, strong self-avoidance results with a deep metastable state along the equator. >>

<< the critical behavior of this system is in fact related to the butterfly catastrophe model. >>

Doron Grossman, Eytan Katzav. Effects of self-avoidance on the packing of stiff rods on ellipsoids. Phys. Rev. E 109, 054111. May 9, 2024. 

https://journals.aps.org/pre/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevE.109.054111

Also: spheroids, self-assembly, in https://www.inkgmr.net/kwrds.html 

Keywords: gst, ellipsoids, spheroids,  oblate- prolate spheroids, avoidance, self-avoidance

# phyto: weird, jazzy Nature, the 'transference of sexuality', 'some sexual consequences of being a plant'.

<< Plants have characteristic features that affect the expression of sexual function, notably the existence of a haploid organism in the life cycle, and in their development, which is modular, iterative and environmentally reactive. For instance, primary selection (the first filtering of the products of meiosis) is via gametes in diplontic animals, but via gametophyte organisms in plants. Intragametophytic selfing produces double haploid sporophytes which is in effect a form of clonal reproduction mediated by sexual mechanisms. In homosporous plants, the diploid sporophyte is sexless, sex being only expressed in the haploid gametophyte. However, in seed plants, the timing and location of gamete production is determined by the sporophyte, which therefore has a sexual role, and in dioecious plants has genetic sex, while the seed plant gametophyte has lost genetic sex. This evolutionary transition is one that E.J.H. Corner called ‘the transference of sexuality’. The iterative development characteristic of plants can lead to a wide variety of patterns in the distribution of sexual function, and in dioecious plants poor canalization of reproductive development can lead to intrasexual mating and the production of YY supermales or WW superfemales. Finally, plant modes of asexual reproduction (agamospermy/apogamy) are also distinctive by subverting gametophytic processes. >>

Quentin Cronk. Some sexual consequences of being a plant. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. doi: 10.1098/ rstb.2021.0213. Mar 21, 2022. 

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2021.0213

Also

keyword 'phyto' | 'plant' in FonT

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

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

keywords: evol, evolution, phyto, plant, sex, sexuality

# evol: the hypothesis of quasi-stochastic 'jazzy' metamechanics of biological evolution (in Arabidopsis thaliana)

<< Mutations occur when DNA is damaged and left unrepaired, creating a new variation. The scientists wanted to know if mutation was purely random or something deeper. What they found was unexpected. >>️

<< We always thought of mutation as basically random across the genome, (..) It turns out that mutation is very non-random and it's non-random in a way that benefits the plant. It's a totally new way of thinking about mutation. >> Grey Monroe. ️

Study challenges evolutionary theory that DNA mutations are random. UC Davis. Jan 12, 2022.

https://phys.org/news/2022-01-evolutionary-theory-dna-mutations-random.html

Monroe JG, Srikant T, et al. Mutation bias reflects natural selection in Arabidopsis thaliana. Nature. doi: 10.1038/ s41586-021-04269-6. Jan 12, 2022.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04269-6

FonT 

for a long time I have developed the suspicion that the small plant cared for by grandmother on the windowsill could be a not trivial image of (r)evolution ... 

The three ways of the plastoquinone inside the photosystem II complex. May 23, 2017.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2017/05/s-phyto-three-ways-of-plastoquinone.html

Also

keyword 'evolution'  in FonT

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

keyword 'evolution' | 'evoluzione'  in Notes (quasi-stochastic poetry)

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

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

keyword 'jazz' in FonT

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

keyword 'jazz' in Notes (quasi-stochastic poetry):

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

keywords: evol, dna, mutations, randomness, quasi-stochasticity, jazz

# gst: modeling complex nanofibril-based (cell) walls to meet diverse (bio-physical) constraints.

<< A plant cell wall's unique ability to expand without weakening or breaking -- a quality required for plant growth -- is due to the movement of its cellulose skeleton >>️

<< The new model, (..) reveals that chains of cellulose bundle together within the cell wall, providing strength, and slide against each other when the cell is stretched, providing extensibility. >>

<< The new study, (..) presents a new concept of the plant cell wall, gives insights into plant cell growth, and could provide inspiration for the design of polymeric materials with new properties. >>

<< For a long time, the prevailing concept of a plant cell wall has been that of a gel that is reinforced by cellulose fibers, with the stiff cellulose rods acting like steel rebar in cement, (..) However, we determined that cellulose chains instead stick to each other to form a network of cellulose bundles, which provides a lot more mechanical strength than disconnected rods floating in a gel. And it's the cellulose chains, rather than other components, that limit cell wall expansion, sliding alongside each other like an extension ladder when the cell is stretched. >> Daniel Cosgrove. ️

️

What makes plant cell walls both strong and extensible? Penn State. May 13, 2021. 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210513142432.htm

Yao Zhang, Jingyi Yu, et al. Molecular insights into the complex mechanics of plant epidermal cell walls. Science. 

Vol. 372, Issue 6543, pp. 706-711

doi: 10.1126/ science.abf2824. May 14,  2021. 

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/372/6543/706

# life: cascading effects of noise on plants

<< Though noise may change moment by moment for humans, it has a more lasting effect on trees and plants. (..) human noise pollution affects the diversity of plant life in an ecosystem even after the noise has been removed. This is the first study that explores the long-term effects of noise on plant communities. >>

️

Cascading effects of noise on plants persist over long periods and after noise is removed. California Polytechnic State University. Apr 13, 2021. 

https://phys.org/news/2021-04-cascading-effects-noise-persist-periods.html

AA << found support for long-term negative effects of noise on tree seedling recruitment, evenness of woody plants and increasingly dissimilar vegetation communities with differences in noise levels. Furthermore, seedling recruitment and plant community composition did not recover following noise removal, possibly due in part to a lag in recovery among animals that disperse and pollinate plants. (They) results add to the limited evidence that noise has cascading ecological effects. Moreover, these effects may be long lasting and noise removal may not lead to immediate recovery. >>

️

Jennifer N. Phillips, Sarah E. Termondt, Clinton D. Francis.  Long-term noise pollution affects seedling recruitment and community composition, with negative effects persisting after removal. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. doi: 10.1098/ rspb.2020.2906. Apr 14, 2021.

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2020.2906

Also

keyword 'noise' in FonT

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

# zoo: Tatupa, a random genus name for fixing a rare species of tropical Heteroptera with long antennas

AA << has discovered a new genus and species of bug from the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It was named Tatupa grafei and classified as belonging to plant bugs (Miridae). >>

Miridae << are extremely rare in different collections. The fact is that in nature they live in the forest floor and have a cryptic lifestyle. >>

<< Most aspects of the behavior of the Tatupa grafei bugs are unknown due to the extremely small number of its representatives. These insects are often found on fungi growing on rotten wood. Because of this, it has been suggested that these bugs feed on fungi, but whether this is true remains to be explored. It is also possible that Tatupa grafei eats smaller insects, which feed on fungi. The third version is that the bug menu can be mixed and consist of both fungi and insects. >>

<< The genus name Tatupa is a random combination of letters. The scientists could not come up with a suitable name for it for a long time. It was important that no animal has the same name. Additionally, the scientists needed to find out if the word Tatupa exists in any languages and what it means. It turned out that there was only one hit on the Internet—in an episode of a Polish television game where its participants are busy coining new words. The species is named after the Brunei professor Ulmar Grafe, who had provided significant support to the scientists. >>

Entomologists discover a rare species of tropical Heteroptera with long antennae. St. Petersburg State University. Sep 22, 2020. 

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-entomologists-rare-species-tropical-heteroptera.html  

Veronica D. Tyts, Anna A. Namyatova, et al. Tatupa grafei, a new genus and species of Cylapinae (Heteroptera, Miridae) from Brunei Darussalam.  ZooKeys 946: 37-52. doi: 10.3897/ zookeys.946.51780. Jul 6, 2020. 

https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/51780/   

# life: oops! aprops of tsunami wave hazards, exposure to other 'Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant' accidents appear to exist ...

<< A major tsunami in the northern Arabian Sea could severely impact the coastlines of India and Pakistan, which are studded with sensitive installations including several nuclear plants, >>

<< Atomic power stations functioning along the Arabian Sea include Tarapur (1,400 megawatts) in India's Maharashtra state, Kaiga (being expanded to 2,200 megawatts) in Karnataka state and Karachi in Pakistan (also being expanded to 2,200 megawatts). A mega nuclear power plant coming up at Jaitapur, Maharashtra will generate 9,900 megawatts, while another project at Mithi Virdi in Gujarat may be shelved because of public opposition. >>

<< Nuclear power plants are located along coasts because their enormous cooling needs can be taken care of easily and cheaply by making using abundant seawater. >>

Nuclear plants in Arabian Sea face tsunami risk. SciDev.Net. Sep 21, 2020.

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-nuclear-arabian-sea-tsunami.html

Rajendran, C.P., Heidarzadeh, et al. The Orphan Tsunami of 1524 on the Konkan Coast, Western India, and Its Implications. Pure Appl. Geophys. doi: 10.1007/ s00024-020-02575-0. Sep 7, 2020. 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00024-020-02575-0

<< The earthquake had also generated a 14 m high tsunami that arrived shortly afterwards and swept over the plant's seawall and then flooded the lower parts of reactors 1–4. This caused the failure of the emergency generators and loss of power to the circulating pumps.(..) The resultant loss of reactor core cooling led to three nuclear meltdowns, three hydrogen explosions, and the release of radioactive contamination in Units 1, 2 and 3 between 12 and 15 March. >>

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.  Last edited Sep 25, 2020 by Dougsim.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster

Also

2157 - il pino di takata matsubara. Notes. Apr 01, 2011. (quasi-stochastic poetry)

https://inkpi.blogspot.com/2011/04/2157-il-pino-di-takata-matsubara.html

Also

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

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

Also

keyword 'wave' in Font

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

# gst: elastic instabilities, a morphing model to quickly trap anything (in 100msec), the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)

<< The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) takes only 100 milliseconds to trap its prey. Once their leaves, which have been transformed into snap traps, have closed, insects can no longer escape. >>

<< the trap of the carnivorous plant is under mechanical prestress. In addition, its three tissue layers of each lobe have to deform according to a special pattern. >>

<< In order to close correctly, the traps also had to consist of three layers of tissue: an inner which constricts, an outer which expands, and a neutral middle layer. >>

Albert Ludwigs. Biomechanical analyses and computer simulations reveal the Venus flytrap snapping mechanisms. University of Freiburg. Jun 23, 2020.

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-biomechanical-analyses-simulations-reveal-venus.html

Renate Sachse, Anna Westermeier, et al. Snapping mechanics of the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula). PNAS. doi: 10.1073/ pnas.2002707117. Jun 22, 2020. 

https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/06/19/2002707117

Also

Dionaea muscipula, with precision. FonT. Feb 2, 2016. 

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2016/02/rmx-s-phyto-dionaea-muscipula-with.html

# gst: a bizarre extension of the Jelly Roll approach, the morphogenesis of the leaves (plant Utricularia gibba)

AA << discovered that simple shifts in gene activity in the leaf bud provide a flexible mechanism for how leaves of all shapes and sizes are made. >>

<< We've discovered a general principle by which leaves from flat sheets to needle-like and curved shapes are formed,  (..) We found that the complex leaf shapes of carnivorous plants evolved from species with flat leaves through simple shifts in gene activity in the leaf bud. What surprised us is that how such a simple mechanism could underlie such a wide diversity of leaf shapes.  (..) If you want to understand why water boils at 100°C, look for situations in which it doesn't, like the top of Mount Everest where it boils at 70°C. From that we learn the general principle that boiling point depends on air pressure. Similarly, if you want to understand why most leaves are flat, you might study exceptions, like the leaves of some carnivorous plants which form pitchers to trap prey, >> Enrico Coen.

Nature's secret recipe for making leaves. John Innes Centre. Nov 21, 2019. 

https://m.phys.org/news/2019-11-nature-secret-recipe.html

Christopher D. Whitewoods, Beatriz Goncalves, et al. Evolution of carnivorous traps from planar leaves through simple shifts in gene expression. Science. eaay5433 doi: 10.1126/science.aay5433. Nov 21, 2019

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2019/11/20/science.aay5433

Also

keyword "Jelly Roll" in Notes:

https://inkpi.blogspot.com/search?q=jelly+roll

keyword "Jazz" in Notes:

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

keyword "Jelly Roll" in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=jelly+roll

# evol: when the dinosaurs died, lichens thrived ...

AA << results imply that multiple historical events during the transition from Mesozoic to Cenozoic eras, including the K-Pg mass extinction event, impacted the evolutionary dynamics in lichen-forming fungi. >>

Jen-Pan Huang, Ekaphan Kraichak, et al.   Accelerated diversifications in three diverse families of morphologically complex lichen-forming fungi link to major historical events. Scientific Reports.  volume 9, Article number: 8518 (2019).   https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-44881-1  

<< We thought that lichens would be affected negatively, but in the three groups we looked at, they seized the chance and diversified rapidly, (..) Some lichens grow sophisticated 3D structures like plant leaves, and these ones filled the niches of plants that died out. >> Jen-Pang Huang.

When the dinosaurs died, lichens thrived. Mass extinction hurt land plants, but DNA shows that some fungus/plant combo organisms rose up. Field Museum, Academia Sinica, Taipei.  - ScienceDaily. Jun 28, 2019.   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190628120432.htm

K-Pg mass extinction event   https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretaceous%E2%80%93Paleogene_extinction_event

# gst phyto: how cheaters are favored

<< Our data show that natural selection favors cheating rhizobia, and support predictions that rhizobia can often subvert plant defenses and evolve to exploit hosts, >> Joel Sachs.

<< The study (..) is the first to uncover cheater strains in natural populations and show how natural selection favors them. >>

Study finds natural selection favors cheaters. University of California - Riverside. Mar 19, 2019.

https://m.phys.org/news/2019-03-natural-favors-cheaters.html

<< Legumes have mechanisms to defend against rhizobia that fail to fix sufficient nitrogen, but these data support predictions that rhizobia can subvert plant defenses and evolve to exploit hosts. >>

Kelsey A. Gano‐Cohen, Camille E. Wendlandt, et al. Interspecific conflict and the evolution of ineffective rhizobia. Ecology Letters. Mar 18, 2019 doi: 10.1111/ele.13247

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ele.13247

# gst phyto: an evidence for alternative transient states

AA << have discovered that plant communities follow different trajectories when they adapt to dryer conditions than when they adapt to more frequently flooded conditions. Further, in two side studies in the same experiment they found that flooding history of the vegetation alter the response of germinating seeds and of litter decomposition to the current conditions. >>

<< This is one of the most direct experimental evidence to date for alternative transient states, >> Judith Sarneel.

Plant communities do not take the same route from A to B as from B to A. Umea University. Feb 25, 2019.

https://m.phys.org/news/2019-02-route.html

Judith M. Sarneel  Maria Dolores Bejarano, et al. Local flooding history affects plant recruitment in riparian zones. Journal of Vegetation Science.
doi: 10.1111/jvs.12731 Feb 3, 2019

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jvs.12731

# phyto: the fussy pollination scheme of the Joshua tree

<<  the plants commonly known as Joshua trees include two distinct, sister-species of plant: Yucca brevifolia Engelm. and Yucca jaegeriana McKelvey, each pollinated by two sister-species of yucca moth Tegeticula synthetica Riley and Tegeticula antithetica Pellmyr, respectively. A number of studies have argued that the moths have coevolved with their hosts, producing a pattern of phenotype matching between moth ovipositor length and floral style length. >>

W.S. Cole, Jr. A.S. James, C.I. Smith. First recorded observations of pollination and oviposition behavior in Tegeticula antithetica (Lepidoptera: Prodoxidae) suggest a functional basis for coevolution with Joshua tree (Yucca) hosts. Annals of the Entomological Society of America.  Vol.  110, July 2017, p. 390. doi: 10.1093/aesa/sax037.

https://academic.oup.com/aesa/article/110/4/390/3072239

<< To me [the flowers] smell kind of like mushrooms or ripe cantaloupe, >> Christopher Irwin Smith

Susan Milius. Shutdown aside, Joshua trees live an odd life. In the U.S. southwest, Joshua trees evolved a rare, fussy pollination scheme. Feb 6, 2019.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/shutdown-aside-joshua-trees-live-odd-life

Also

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=%23+phyto

# phys: the strange world of quantum mechanics

<< In the normal world, an object such as a baseball can only be in one place at one time. But in the quantum world, a particle such as an electron can occupy an infinite number of places at the same time, existing in what physicists call a superposition of multiple states. >>

<< in the quantum world, two individual particles, such as photons can be entangled, such that the mere act of sensing one photon with a detector instantaneously forces the other photon, no matter how far away, to assume a particular state. >>

<< evidence is mounting from the world of plant physiology that some biological processes that rely on quantum superposition occur at normal temperatures, raising the possibility that unimaginably strange world of quantum mechanics may indeed intrude into the every day workings of other biological systems, such as our nervous systems. >>

<< Evolution, in its relentless quest to engineer the most energy-efficient life forms, appears to have ignored physicists’ belief that useful quantum effects can’t happen in the warm, wet environments of biology. >>

Eric Haseltine. Why You Should Care About Quantum Neuroscience.
Hints of an incredibly exciting future. Dec 31, 2018

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/long-fuse-big-bang/201812/why-you-should-care-about-quantum-neuroscience

FonT

davanti a una immagine di "enzima allosterico" qualsiasi bravo scientist sa immediatamente con cosa avra' a che fare: avra' a che fare con il caos, vale a dire con oggetti che possono generare dinamiche senz'altro confinate purtuttavia bizzarre, jazz, funky, fuzzy; invece davanti a concetti quali i due citati sopra (superposition, entanglement), e gli ipotetici effetti immaginabili all'interno di strutture biologiche, neurobiologiche, informatiche, ho idea che chiunque potrebbe sentirsi vagamente disorientato (qui si sottolinea "vagamente") ...

# phyto: the benefits of being a plant in a patch (among Moricandia moricandioides)

<< Pollinators tend to be preferentially attracted to large floral displays that may comprise more than one plant in a patch. Attracting pollinators thus not only benefits individuals investing in advertising, but also other plants in a patch through a 'magnet' effect.  >>

Ruben Torices, Jose M. Gomez, John R. Pannell. Kin discrimination allows plants to modify investment towards pollinator attraction. Nature Comm.Volume 9, Article number 2018. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-04378-3. May 22, 2018.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-04378-3   

The social networks of flowers. CORDIS. Dec 11, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-12-social-networks.html 

# evol: adaptability by genome duplications (A. kamchatica)

<< "With these results, we have demonstrated on a molecular-genetic level that genome duplications can positively affect the adaptability of organisms," says plant scientist Timothy Paape. The multiple gene copies enable the plant to assume advantageous mutations while keeping an original copy of important genes. >>

Genome duplication drives evolution of species. University of Zurich. Sep 25, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-09-genome-duplication-evolution-species.html

Timothy Paape, Roman V. Briskine, et al. Patterns of polymorphism and selection in the subgenomes of the allopolyploid Arabidopsis kamchatica.
Nature Comm 9 3909 Sep 25, 2018

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-06108-1

# phyto: a molecular compass to coordinate growth

<< Using this protein [protein BASL: Breaking of Asymmetry in the Stomatal Lineage] to detect the polarity field is like switching a light on in each cell across the tissue. It allows us to see that these cells all have a compass, pointing in the same direction across the leaf >>

<< In this way we will find out if, as we suspect, this molecular compass is a conserved mechanism in the development of plant shapes across the plant kingdom which could be co-opted in different ways by different branches of evolution. >> Catherine Mansfield.

Adrian Galvin. Leaves possess a molecular compass. John Innes Centre. Aug 21, 2018

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-08-molecular-compass.html 

Catherine Mansfield, Jacob L. Newman, et al. Ectopic BASL Reveals Tissue Cell Polarity throughout Leaf Development in Arabidopsis thaliana. Current Biology. 28 (16): 2638-46.E4 Aug 20, 2018 doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.06.019

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)30810-8

# behav: the self-medication poultice by orang-utans (Pongo pygmaeus)

<< Animals self-medicate using a variety of plant and arthropod secondary metabolites by either ingesting them or anointing them to their fur or skin apparently to repel ectoparasites and treat skin diseases >>

AA << document self-medication in the only Asian great ape, orang-utans (Pongo pygmaeus), and for the first time, to our knowledge, the external application of an anti-inflammatory agent in animals. The use of leaf extracts from Dracaena cantleyi by orang-utan has been observed on several occasions; rubbing a foamy mixture of saliva and leaf onto specific parts of the body. Interestingly, the local indigenous human population also use a poultice of these leaves for the relief of body pains >>

Morrogh-Bernard HC, Foitova I, et al. Self-medication by orang-utans (Pongo pygmaeus) using bioactive properties of Dracaena cantleyi. Scientific Reports. 2017; 7: 16653.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-16621-w.
Nov 30, 2017.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-16621-w

Borneo Nature Foundation. Orangutans, like people, use medicinal plants to treat joint and muscle inflammation. Jan 10, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-01-orangutans-people-medicinal-joint-muscle.html

# evol-ethno: the fuzzy dispersal and interaction dynamics of ancient (early) nomads

AA << evaluate single versus multiple dispersal models and southern versus the northern dispersal routes across the Asian continent. They also review behavioral and environmental variability and how these may have affected modern human dispersals and interactions with indigenous populations >>

Christopher J. Bae, Katerina Douka, Michael D. Petraglia. On the origin of modern humans: Asian perspectives. Science. 2017; 358 (6368): eaai9067
doi: 10.1126/science.aai9067. Dec 8, 2017

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/358/6368/eaai9067

<< Homo sapiens reached distant parts of the Asian continent, as well as Near Oceania, much earlier than previously thought. Additionally, evidence that modern humans interbred with other hominins already present in Asia, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans, complicates the evolutionary history of our species >>

Revising the story of the dispersal of modern humans across Eurasia. Technological advances and multidisciplinary research teams are reshaping our understanding of when and how humans left Africa - and who they met along the way. Dec 7, 2017

http://www.shh.mpg.de/742617/human-dispersals-africa

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171207141724.htm

<< Climate is a key factor determining the types of vegetation that can grow in an ecosystem. By recreating the plant foods and habitat available at a given time, it is possible to learn about changes that occurred during important transitions in the evolution of humans >>

Marie DeNoia Aronsohn. The Way We Were: Climate and Human Evolution. Dec 1, 2017.

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-12-wereclimate-human-evolution.html 

http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2017/12/01/the-way-we-were-climate-and-human-evolution/

# evol: an ultra-rare survivor, the Malagasy striped whirligig beetle H. milloti

<< a whirligig beetle species, Heterogyrus milloti, inhabiting forest streams in southeastern Madagascar is the last survivor of a once dominant and widespread Mesozoic group. With a Late Triassic to Early Jurassic origin (226–187 Ma) it is the hitherto oldest dated endemic lineage of animal or plant on Madagascar >>

Grey T. Gustafson, Alexander A. Prokin, et al. Tip-dated phylogeny of whirligig beetles reveals ancient lineage surviving on Madagascar. Scientific Reports 2017; 7 (8619) doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-08403-1

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-08403-1

<< Even today, the ageless striped whirligig beetle keeps its own company, preferring to skitter atop the surface of out-of-the-way forest streams in southeastern Madagascar—not mixing with latecomers of the subfamily Gyrininae who have become the dominant whirligig beetles on Madagascar and abroad >>

Meet Madagascar's oldest animal lineage, a whirligig beetle with 206-million-year-old origins. Oct 4, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-10-madagascar-oldest-animal-lineage-whirligig.html