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Saturday, May 23, 2020

Last month, a study conducted by archæologist Dr Naomi Martisius and other researchers concluded Neanderthals living in Europe tens of thousands of years ago were more sophisticated than previously thought. The now-extinct species used to carefully select bones from a particular animal species to manufacture their bone tools, the research showed. The research was published on May 8 Nature’s Scientific Reports journal.

Dr Martisius and her team used five bone tools discovered from Neanderthals’ sites in southwest France for this research. Four of these bone tools were found in a site called Abri Peyrony and the other one was from Pech-de-l’Azé I. These tools were just a few centimetres in size and were about 50 thousand years old, Dr Martisius told Wikinews. Microscopy analysis of these bone tools called lissoirs (smoothers) indicated Neanderthals used these tools for working animal skin to leathers.

The study stated the fauna of the site was dominated by reindeer remains, almost 90%. Despite the overabundance of reindeer in that time, Neanderthals used ribs of large bovids for making lissoirs. Dr Martisius told Wikinews this was likely due to the physical characteristics of the bovid ribs, which were “thicker and stronger” as compared to the “thin and flimsy ribs” of reindeers. In order to check the origins of the bone tools, the researchers used a technology called non-destructive Zooarchæology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS).

Instead of damaging the bone artefacts in order to discover its origins, the researchers collected collagen from the plastic containers in which these artefacts were kept in. Collagen is a type of protein. These bone artefacts were kept in plastic containers: some were kept for about five years, some for just five months. During this time, the collagen proteins from bone tools were stuck to the walls of its plastic containers. The collagen samples collected from the walls of the containers are broken into smaller molecules called peptides by using a chemical enzyme called trypsin.

After the trypsin has broken collagen fibres into peptides, it is sent for analysis. Peptides are analysed using a technology called Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) Time-of-Flight mass spectrometer (ToF MS). Matrix is a coloured compound. The acidic peptide is mixed with matrix, which vapourises, and peptides are released in the air. They are positively-charged particles which travel across a vacuum tube in an electric field. Depending on the weight of peptides, these molecules reach the end of the vacuum tube at different instances of time, forming a spectra. These graphs are like unique fingerprints of a species: they are different for different species of animals. Looking at the database of such graphs, taxonomic identifications of the collagen proteins came be made.

All four bone tools from Abri Peyrony gave positive results and showed that the bones were made from large bovids, even though reindeer were more abundant during that time. One of the advantages of using bovid ribs over reindeer’s thin ribs was the bovid ribs would be more resistant to breaking during flexion, Dr Martisius said.

Dr Martisius said such non-destructive ZooMS analysis was previously conducted, but for tools no older than a few centuries. She said that such an analysis had never been previously conducted for artefacts so ancient.

Wikinews caught up with Dr Martisius to discuss this research in-depth.

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Wednesday, March 16, 2005

The United Kingdom Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Right Honourable Gordon Brown PC MP, in a speech to the British House of Commons today presented his ninth Budget, what is very likely to be his last Budget before the next UK General Election. This opened the parliamentary debate on the 2005 Finance Bill, and was followed by responses from the opposition parties.

In a 48 minute long speech, the Chancellor presented a Budget of “tax cuts that are reasonable, spending that is affordable, and [economic] stability that is paramount”, that was “the prudent course for Britain”. There were few surprises that had not already been indicated in his 2004 pre-Budget report. The increase in the threshold on stamp duty was greater than that forecast by commentators, as was the amount of the Council Tax rebate to households with pensioners.

Wednesday, March 9, 2005File:Plastic bag stock sized.jpg

They are cheap, useful, and very plentiful, and that is exactly the problem, according to researchers. A report issued on Feb. 23 by a cadre of environment and economics researchers suggested that Kenya should ban the common plastic bag that one gets at the checkout counter of grocery stores, and place a levy on other plastic bags, all to combat the country’s environmental problems stemming from the bags’ popularity.

Friday, May 1, 2009

At approximately 06:00 a.m. (00:30 GMT) Wednesday, between four and seven people were killed when an Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) passenger train crashed into a stationary freight train at Vyasarpadi Jeeva station, in Chennai, India. Between eleven and twenty persons were injured, and rushed to General Hospital in Chennai.

Officials are unsure of the number of persons aboard the passenger train, which was operated by an unknown person. “It is not clear who operated (it),” said S. Jayanth, acting general manager of Southern Railway. The operator of the EMU train was not in the train when it left 15 minutes to half an hour before the scheduled departure time. It is said some passengers did board the passenger train.

The EMU train ignored all signals, and drove about 7 kilometers (4 mi) at high speed, jumping tracks, before colliding with the goods train.

The driver of the goods train, Arumugam, has been confirmed as one of those who has died. The goods train was traveling between Arakkonam to Chennai. The motorman, guard and assistant jumped from the goods train sustaining fractures.

“We heard a loud noise and saw several compartments in flames. The smell emanating from bodies from the mangled coaches was nauseating,” said M.N. Selvi, a nearby resident.

The platforms at the Vyasarpadi Jeeva station were destroyed, and electrical cables were torn down. The EMU train caught fire in the collision destroying two compartments completely. The other compartments were thrown from the tracks. The freight train was loaded with oil tanks, however reports indicate that only the EMU train was set ablaze.

All train services were canceled for a time on one of the busiest rail lines of India. “Train services are disrupted due to the mishap but we hope to restore the services in two to three hours time,” an Indian Railways spokesperson.

Railways Minister Lalu Prasad announced that an inquiry will be held.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Half-a-million people have fled their homes in and around the Indian state of Orissa after Cyclone Phailin made landfall.

Wikinews interviewed specialists in meteorology about the devastation the cyclone has caused.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

In findings published Wednesday in Environmental Science and Technology, researchers from the University of Washington and Stanford University reported that premature deaths in the United States attributable to the pollution produced by power plants were disproportionately caused by coal; that race was a significant factor in who was affected; and that a substantial fraction of the deaths were from pollution crossing state lines.

The study focused on particulate matter, or PM2.5, specifically airborne particles under 2.5 micrometers in diameter. To track the movement of these particles across the United States, the research team established a reduced-complexity model, which can complete analyses faster than traditional models, so the team’s study could encompass nearly all the United States’ power plants.

Particulate matter in the air, like that produced at power plants, can cause lung problems, heart attacks and stroke, which then lead to premature death. In the United States alone, particulate matter is indirectly responsible for reportedly upwards of 100,000 deaths annually.

According to the study, in 2014 in the continental United States, roughly 16,000 premature deaths were attributable to power plants, an estimated 91% of those from coal. The researchers also found in 36 states most of the people who died were affected by pollution generated in another state. For example, 37% of the power plant pollution that reaches Ohio comes from plants in nearby Indiana.

The study’s lead author, doctoral candidate Maninder Thind, said, “We looked at emissions from different types of power plants — including coal, natural gas, diesel and oil power plants — and modeled how the pollutants would travel based on things like wind patterns or rain. We also consider how emissions can react in the atmosphere to form fine particle air pollution […] That gave us a map of pollution concentrations across the country. Then we overlaid that map with data from the census to get an estimate of where people live and how this pollution results in health impacts.”

Even after the researchers adjusted their data for economic factors, premature deaths from this type of pollution were stratified by race, with the highest likelihood for black Americans, at a rate of seven per 100,000 people. They were followed by non-Latino white Americans at six per 100,000; for all other racial groups in the country, there were only four premature deaths per 100,000. Income did affect people’s level of exposure but to a far less pronounced extent, a difference of one per 100,000 between annual incomes below US$10,000 versus above $200,000.

Another co-author, civil and environmental engineering professor Julian Marshall, said, “We’ve seen in our previous research that our society is more segregated by race than by income, and now it’s showing up again with air pollution from electricity generation emissions […] These results can help local, state or national governments make more informed decisions that will improve everyone’s air quality and quality of life.”

Marshall noted, “It’s especially relevant these days because of what the federal government is doing — or actually not doing — around air pollution and around these issues in general[.]”