Colin Barras http://colinbarras.co.uk Science Writer Thu, 17 May 2012 19:49:12 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Buried microbes exist at limit between life and death http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/05/17/buried-microbes-exist-at-limit-between-life-and-death/ http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/05/17/buried-microbes-exist-at-limit-between-life-and-death/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 19:40:58 +0000 Colin http://colinbarras.co.uk/?p=1942
  • Biology’s ‘dark matter’ hints at fourth domain of life
  • Ancient lakes show when eukaryotic life left the sea
  • Subterranean microbes revive tired old gas fields
    • ]]>

    Sediment 30 metres below the Pacific seafloor is so nutrient-poor that microbes barely fuel their cellular functions – yet they may be thousands of years old. Read more…

    Image: Hans Røy/Science/AAAS

    Related posts:

    1. Biology’s ‘dark matter’ hints at fourth domain of life
    2. Ancient lakes show when eukaryotic life left the sea
    3. Subterranean microbes revive tired old gas fields

    ]]>     http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/05/17/buried-microbes-exist-at-limit-between-life-and-death/feed/ 0     Will our technology kill humanity? http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/05/16/will-our-technology-kill-humanity/ http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/05/16/will-our-technology-kill-humanity/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 19:44:09 +0000 Colin http://colinbarras.co.uk/?p=1947
  • New antibiotics would silence bugs, not kill them
  • Innovation: Harnessing human nature to improve technology
  • CultureLab: The species that evaded extinction
    • ]]>     Fred Guterl tries to kill off humankind in a series of apocalyptic thought experiments in The Fate of the Species, but falls short of annihilation. Read more…

    Image: Razza Mathadsa

    Related posts:

    1. New antibiotics would silence bugs, not kill them
    2. Innovation: Harnessing human nature to improve technology
    3. CultureLab: The species that evaded extinction

    ]]>     http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/05/16/will-our-technology-kill-humanity/feed/ 0     The scars of size in Australopithecus http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/05/09/the-scars-of-size-in-australopithecus/ http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/05/09/the-scars-of-size-in-australopithecus/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 20:49:15 +0000 Colin http://colinbarras.co.uk/?p=1937
  • New bones suggest ‘hobbits’ were modern pygmies
  • Nanotube transistors shrink smaller than silicon size
  • Innovation: Award-winning product design of 2009
    • ]]>     Australopithecus africanus had a small brain, but a new finding suggests it might already have adopted some of the characteristics of the bigger-brained Homo genus. Read more…

    Image: M. Ponce de León and Ch. Zollikofer, University of Zurich

    Related posts:

    1. New bones suggest ‘hobbits’ were modern pygmies
    2. Nanotube transistors shrink smaller than silicon size
    3. Innovation: Award-winning product design of 2009

    ]]>     http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/05/09/the-scars-of-size-in-australopithecus/feed/ 0     Chimp beds hint how early humans ditched tree-sleeping http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/04/11/chimp-beds-hint-how-early-humans-ditched-tree-sleeping/ http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/04/11/chimp-beds-hint-how-early-humans-ditched-tree-sleeping/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:35:38 +0000 Colin http://colinbarras.co.uk/?p=1932
  • Fossil raindrops reveal Earth’s early atmosphere
  • Stone Age toe could redraw human family tree
  • Early birds may have dropped teeth to get airborne
    • ]]>     Evidence that some chimps routinely eschew the safety of treetops to sleep on the ground raises the possibility that some early hominins did too. Read more…

    Image: Martin Pettitt

    Related posts:

    1. Fossil raindrops reveal Earth’s early atmosphere
    2. Stone Age toe could redraw human family tree
    3. Early birds may have dropped teeth to get airborne

    ]]>     http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/04/11/chimp-beds-hint-how-early-humans-ditched-tree-sleeping/feed/ 0     Ash traces hint at cave cuisine 1 million years ago http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/04/02/ash-traces-hint-at-cave-cuisine-1-million-years-ago/ http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/04/02/ash-traces-hint-at-cave-cuisine-1-million-years-ago/#comments Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:09:35 +0000 Colin http://colinbarras.co.uk/?p=1921
  • Feathered dinosaur older than earliest bird
  • Earliest bats did not ‘see’ with sound
  • Exotic ceramic could halve microwave cooking bills
    • ]]>

    The record of our ancestors’ earliest fires has been pushed back, reigniting the debate over whether human anatomy was changed by cooking. Read more…

    Image: M. Chazan

    Related posts:

    1. Feathered dinosaur older than earliest bird
    2. Earliest bats did not ‘see’ with sound
    3. Exotic ceramic could halve microwave cooking bills

    ]]>     http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/04/02/ash-traces-hint-at-cave-cuisine-1-million-years-ago/feed/ 0     Fossil raindrops reveal Earth’s early atmosphere http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/03/28/fossil-raindrops-reveal-earths-early-atmosphere/ http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/03/28/fossil-raindrops-reveal-earths-early-atmosphere/#comments Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:25:26 +0000 Colin http://colinbarras.co.uk/?p=1916
  • Myth of raindrop formation exploded
  • Tweaking taps for a constantly warm shower
  • Evidence of fossil bugs found in volcanic bubble
    • ]]>

    Analysis of a fossilised rain shower suggests air density on early Earth was similar to now, confounding explanations for the “faint sun paradox”. Read more…

    Image: John-Morgan

    Related posts:

    1. Myth of raindrop formation exploded
    2. Tweaking taps for a constantly warm shower
    3. Evidence of fossil bugs found in volcanic bubble

    ]]>     http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/03/28/fossil-raindrops-reveal-earths-early-atmosphere/feed/ 0     A potted history of human evolution http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/03/21/a-potted-history-of-human-evolution/ http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/03/21/a-potted-history-of-human-evolution/#comments Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:03:41 +0000 Colin http://colinbarras.co.uk/?p=1909
  • Jørn Hurum on Ida, media hype and primate evolution
  • Tests that show machines closing in on human abilities
  • Stone Age toe could redraw human family tree
    • ]]>     Ian Tattersall’s new book, Masters of the Planet, can be seen as a guide for the perplexed student through 7 million years of human prehistory. Read more…

    Image: Barras

    Related posts:

    1. Jørn Hurum on Ida, media hype and primate evolution
    2. Tests that show machines closing in on human abilities
    3. Stone Age toe could redraw human family tree

    ]]>     http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/03/21/a-potted-history-of-human-evolution/feed/ 0     Chinese human fossils unlike any known species http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/03/14/chinese-human-fossils-unlike-any-known-species-2/ http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/03/14/chinese-human-fossils-unlike-any-known-species-2/#comments Wed, 14 Mar 2012 07:40:33 +0000 Colin http://colinbarras.co.uk/?p=1900
  • Stone Age toe could redraw human family tree
  • Skull tells tale of the lost primates of the Caribbean
  • CultureLab: The species that evaded extinction
    • ]]>

    The newly described Red Deer Cave people show an unusual mixture of modern and primitive features. Where did they come from? Read more…

    Image: Darren Curnoe

    Related posts:

    1. Stone Age toe could redraw human family tree
    2. Skull tells tale of the lost primates of the Caribbean
    3. CultureLab: The species that evaded extinction

    ]]>     http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/03/14/chinese-human-fossils-unlike-any-known-species-2/feed/ 0     Giant fleas plagued feathered dinosaurs http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/02/29/giant-fleas-plagued-feathered-dinosaurs/ http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/02/29/giant-fleas-plagued-feathered-dinosaurs/#comments Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:36:31 +0000 Colin http://colinbarras.co.uk/?p=1906
  • Sabre-toothed squirrel scurried at dinosaurs’ feet
  • Feathered dinosaur older than earliest bird
  • Dino Gangs: Did dinosaurs hunt in packs?
    • ]]>     The oldest and largest flea ever discovered has turned up in Jurassic rocks in China. Warm-blooded animals have been itching to get rid of the pests ever. Read more…

    Image: Nature

    Related posts:

    1. Sabre-toothed squirrel scurried at dinosaurs’ feet
    2. Feathered dinosaur older than earliest bird
    3. Dino Gangs: Did dinosaurs hunt in packs?

    ]]>     http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/02/29/giant-fleas-plagued-feathered-dinosaurs/feed/ 0     Russian hot springs point to rocky origins for life http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/02/13/russian-hot-springs-point-to-rocky-origins-for-life/ http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/02/13/russian-hot-springs-point-to-rocky-origins-for-life/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:55:30 +0000 Colin http://colinbarras.co.uk/?p=1813
  • Ancient lakes show when eukaryotic life left the sea
  • Smart amoebas reveal origins of primitive intelligence
  • Most fish in the sea evolved in freshwater
    • ]]>

    New findings challenge the widespread view that it all kicked off in the oceans. Life may have begun on land instead – just as Darwin thought. Read more…

    Image: Anna S. Karyagina

    Related posts:

    1. Ancient lakes show when eukaryotic life left the sea
    2. Smart amoebas reveal origins of primitive intelligence
    3. Most fish in the sea evolved in freshwater

    ]]>     http://colinbarras.co.uk/2012/02/13/russian-hot-springs-point-to-rocky-origins-for-life/feed/ 0