Change the Parasitic Fungus Ants So Zombie

Researchers found four new species of fungus that can change into a zombie ant in the Amazon. The study, published in the journal PLoS One showed that Ophiocordyceps unliateralis parasitic fungus and can live in four species of ants (Camponotini sp.) in the Zona da Mata, Brazil.

Ants become infected when they come into contact with the fungal spores are released. Within a week, the ant will turn into a zombie. "ant behavior change. They hang on to biting the lower leaves foliage shrubs,"explained Professor David Hughes of the University of Pennsylvania who is also the lead researcher.

Hughes also explained the fungus will grow on the ant's head becomes like an antenna and release spores into the air. Spores that fall to the ground or carried by the rain so it can come into contact with other ants.

Findings fungus that makes ants so zombies are not the first time. In 2009, Hughes found the ant zombie in Indonesia. Zombie ants are dependent on the leaves as high as 25 cm above the ground in an environment with 95 percent humidity - perfect conditions for fungus to grow.

In species that are found in the Amazon, Hughes met the size and shape differences. Two species of fungi have spores that make them have two more chances to stick to the ants. This new fungus, according to Hughes, only have an effect on certain ant species.

8:40 AM | 0 komentar | Read More

Wide Legged Cricket Not Evolve

The researchers had found fossils of ancient insects 100 million years old in northern Brazil. The fossil is the ancestor of Schizodactylidae, wide-legged insects like crickets that are still found in South Asia, northern Indochina, and Africa.

The discovery of this fossil was published in the online journal that can be freely accessed ZooKeys. Although the characteristics are different from fossil Schizodactylidae living today, but generally almost the same characteristics. The similarity is proved that the static Schizodactylidae evolved over millions of years.

Evolution is a static event, where certain groups of organisms is only a slight genetic change in geological time span long enough. Sam Heads, insect expert at the University of Illinois, which involved the study said, Schizodactylidae static evolved since the early Cretaceous era, 100 million years ago.

Other studies also show that the environment where this ancestor lived insects like crickets are dry or seasonally dry. Heads say, "This shows, the selection of Schizodactylus habitat, the genus of crickets similar animal ancestors, has not changed for 100 million years as well.

Describe Schizodactylidae, Heads said, "This is a wide-legged crickets and large groups of insects which have kinship with the day-to-day cricket we know." Heads say, Schizodactylidae gets its name from a similar foot structure that helped him move a paddle in the sand and find prey.

8:38 AM | 0 komentar | Read More

Leave Tree Man 3.5 Million Years

Sebagian jenis hewan primata saat ini masih banyak yang menghabiskan waktunya di pohon seperti orangutan dan kera macaca. Namun, sebagian lainnya hidup di darat seperti gorila dan simpanse.

Manusia yang secara genetik punya banyak kemiripan dengan bangsa primata pun kini tak lagi hidup di pohon. Kalau dilihat dari jejak genetiknya, berdasarkan penelitian terbaru, nenek moyang manusia mungkin berhenti hidup di pohon sekitar 4,2 hingga 3,5 juta tahun yang lalu.

Menurut penelitian yang diterbitkan di Folia Primatologica, alasan perubahan gaya hidup itu bersamaan dengan perubahan habitat pada hutan, menurunnya temperatur, batas musim yang lebih tegas, serta pertumbuhan padang rumput.

"Dengan jarak pohon yang lebih jauh, mereka bisa menghemat energi dengan berjalan kaki," kata Gabriele Macho, pemimpin studi yang juga seorang paleoantropolog dari Catalan Institue of Paleontology, Barcelona.

Kesimpulan ini ditarik setelah Macho dan timnya menganalisis tulang pergelangan tangan dari dua hominid yang masih bersaudara, Australopithecus anamensis dan Australopithecus afarensis. Kedua hominid yang diperkirakan sebagai nenek moyang manusia itu memiliki jarak umur sekitar 600.000 tahun. Para peneliti juga menganalisis tulang pergelangan orangutan, gorila, simpanse, dan manusia sebagai perbandingan. Hominid adalah suku yang mencakup manusia dan makhluk mirip manusia yang sudah punah.

Berdasarkan hasil pemindaian CT beresolusi tinggi, para peneliti mendapati kalau spesies yang hidup di pohon, bergantungan dari pohon ke pohon, memiliki beban lebih banyak pada sisi luar, dekat dengan kelingking. Sementara, spesies yang hidup di darat memiliki beban lebih banyak di daerah sekitar ibu jari.

8:37 AM | 0 komentar | Read More

Bear Greatest of All Time

New champion has been born to bear the largest category and the worst way ever discovered. A bear prehistoric South America and weighs 1600 kilograms and standing height reached 3.4 meters to the champion, according to recent findings. Previously, North America with a giant bear the weight of 1134 pounds was recorded as the largest prehistoric bear. For modern bears, a record held by Alaskan polar bears with 998 kilograms.

Bear this in South America to explore the American continent about 500,000 to 2 million years ago. According to scientists, the bear is the largest and most powerful carnivores that exist in his day. "As a carnivore, no one approach might bear this in South America," said Blaine Schubert, paleontologists from the East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee.

Bear bones were found in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1935. Recently, the bones are examined again by Schubert and Leopoldo Soibelzon, a palaeontologist from Argentina who specializes in researching South American fossil bears. Researchers measure the upper arm bone is almost as big as arm of an elephant, so the rest of the bear body size can be estimated. The study also suggests that bears the old male suffered serious injuries during his life.

Size Very Important "" I do not know what to eat and how he ate, the question arises as to realize the bear was very different from his brother, the North American bears, "said Schubert. In comparison, the South American bear species grow and then shrink over time, unlike the North American bear species growing

8:36 AM | 0 komentar | Read More

Prehistoric Cave Not Protected 7

A total of seven prehistoric cave on the site Asera, Konawe North, Southeast Sulawesi, has yet to have a protection status of the district, provincial, or central. In fact, the caves were big archaeological store of wealth that could explain the origins of human life in the South East.

"Today, the caves were damaged because of threatened around the area there are various minerals mining business. In fact, the caves were not explored in depth from arkeologisnya aspect

To save the caves are also known to local people with the name of the skull cave, Ali said it was coordinating with the Institute for Preservation of Archaeological Heritage (BP3) Makassar to conduct studies in this zoning.

Zoning study is the first step to map archaeological sites before continuing to the technical studies that will explore further the values of the archaeological and related site development plan. "From there, just to be formal legal protection status and conservation plan. We hope this year could also have wide

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Ancient sculptures found in Goa East

Australian scientists find a sculpture from prehistoric cave wall while fossil hunting giant rats in Lene Hara Cave, East Timor. Scientists estimate sculpture came from the Pleistocene period, approximately 12,000 years ago.

Sculptures depict prehistoric human faces, one with a unique headdress that represents the sun. Sculptural type was the first and only one in East Timor from the Pleistocene period.

Ken Aplin of Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization (CSIRO), which involved the mission said that he found the sculpture by accident. When looking up, the flashlight on his head was suddenly illuminated sculpture that.

"Looking up from the cave floor, my head flashlight shining on something that looks like sculpture. I looked around my head with a flashlight and saw the entire panel of human faces carved on the walls of prehistoric caves," he said.

Aplin said: "Local people who worked with us fascinated by the discovery. They say that the faces have chosen this day to reveal themselves because they are proud of what we do."

Another cave art forms were also found and estimated age of 30,000 years. Last year, the CSIRO said that they had discovered ancient species of giant rat that is claimed to have a size of a small dog.

7:34 AM | 0 komentar | Read More