The bone tools that were Earliest were created 1.5 million years ago
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Antimicrobial peptides may help protect against infection at Olduvai Gorge, South Africa: Lucy, a fossil of hominin Lucy
The finds at Olduvai Gorge are among discoveries challenging that narrative. The region has a long history of fossil finds: specimens for the early hominin Homo habilis were discovered there in the 1960s, and researchers have found signs of bone tools in the area for years. Famed palaeoanthropologist Mary Leakey wrote about some of these findings but only partially published her results. It’s part of it, because most bones were found outside their original context and so couldn’t be accurately dated.
A tradition among hominins is the use of tools. Members of the genus Australopithecus — which includes the famed fossil Lucy — were making stone tools at least 2.6 million years ago. There are sites in Europe and Asia that have bones around 400,000 years ago.
The production of bone tools has been linked to evidence that suggests it happened earlier than previously thought.
To help protect against infection, cells in the body will selectively cut proteins to produce molecules known as antimicrobial peptides, according to new research. The team has found that if you get the peptides out, the cells will shift the activity of the proteasome. In tests, one of these peptides showed efficacy at protecting mice from infection, indicating that these molecules could one day have therapeutic potential.
The Nature Podcast: Observing the Moon with Terrestrial and Near-Infrared Space Missions and Monitoring the Subsurface Surface of the Sun
There is an update on two missions headed to the moon to look for water, as well as how much the ocean current will change because of climate change.
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