Navigation Links
Early human habitat was savanna, not forest
Date:5/27/2010

Pre-humans living in East Africa 4.4 million years ago inhabited savannas -- grassy plains dotted with trees and shrubs -- according to a team of researchers that includes earth science Naomi Levin of The Johns Hopkins University's Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

This conclusion is at odds with a theory which holds that these early beings lived in a mostly forested environment put forth by prominent University of California at Berkeley researcher Tim D. White and his team in a 2009 issue of the journal Science.

"Our team examined the data published by White and his colleagues last October and found that their data does not support their conclusion that Ardipithecus ramidus lived exclusively in woodlands and forest patches," said Levin, whose team published a commentary on the matter in today's issue of Science. "The White team's papers stress the wooded nature of A. ramidus's environment and say specifically that Ardi did not live in a savanna. Yet, the actual data they present are consistent with exactly that: a savanna environment with a mix of grasses and trees."

This criticism is important because the claim that the 4.4 million-year-old fossil nicknamed "Ardi" lived in woodlands and forest patches was used as an argument against a longstanding theory of human evolution known as the "savanna hypothesis." According to that premise, the expansion of savannas grassy plains dotted with trees and shrubs prompted our ape-like forebears to descend from trees and begin walking upright to find food more efficiently, or to reach other trees for resources or shelter.

Levin, an assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences at Johns Hopkins, was part of a team of eight geologists and anthropologists from seven universities led by Thure E. Cerling of the University of Utah. They used the White team's own data to draw very different conclusion about the environment inhabited by Ardi, an omnivorous, a
'/>"/>

Contact: Lisa DeNike
Lde@jhu.edu
443-287-9960
Johns Hopkins University
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. The making of a queen: Road to royalty begins early in paper wasps
2. NIH grants K-State researcher nearly $1.5 million to study antibiotic-resistant bacteria
3. Study finds protein that plays key role in early embryonic development
4. Federal report finds early births decline in most categories
5. First X-ray lasers early success brings approval for next-phase facility
6. Researchers find melanoma not caused by early UVA light exposure
7. A new biological explanation for sadness in early postpartum
8. UDs Zhuang wins NSF Early Career Award for research on how cells bypass damaged DNA
9. CNIC and Banco Santander set up research project on early cardiovascular risk factors
10. Early Earth absorbed more sunlight -- no extreme greenhouse needed to keep water wet
11. Traces of early Native Americans -- in sunflower genes
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:5/16/2013)... at MIT may someday eliminate the need for ... their blood-sugar levels and inject themselves with insulin. ... levels in the body and respond by secreting ... function of pancreatic islet cells, which are destroyed ... type of system could ensure that blood-sugar levels ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... so many sports players and athletes choose to wear ... to be published in Psychological Science , a ... it may have to do with their testosterone levels. ... Farrelly of the University of Sunderland and colleagues, demonstrated ... a competitive task had higher testosterone levels than other ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... million years old give unprecedented insight into the ... the most species-rich groups among the modern bony ... Reichenbacher from the Division of Paleontology and Geobiology ... at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich / Germany have ... they assign to the group of bony fishes ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Nanotechnology could help fight diabetes 2Nanotechnology could help fight diabetes 3High-testosterone competitors more likely to choose red 2Paleontology: The eloquence of the otoliths 2Paleontology: The eloquence of the otoliths 3
... better mental health than British Whites, new research from ... Anna Goodman, the report,s lead author from London ... into ethnic differences focuses on issues where minority ethnic ... it is also important to investigate areas where minority ...
... A new UC Davis study has found that minimum-wage employees ... higher wages, adding to growing evidence that being poor is ... a link that has been assumed but difficult to prove," ... in the UC Davis Center for Healthcare Policy and Research. ...
... is a major public health problem worldwide. Professor Zhao ... of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese ... After 20 years of innovative research, they have ... and have discovered the molecular mechanism behind the smoking ...
Cached Biology News:British Indian children have better mental health 2UC Davis study links obesity with lowest earnings 2A new effective strategy for treating tobacco addiction was developed by researchers from the CAS 2A new effective strategy for treating tobacco addiction was developed by researchers from the CAS 3A new effective strategy for treating tobacco addiction was developed by researchers from the CAS 4
(Date:5/16/2013)... DIEGO , May 16, 2013  The registration ... of Bioscience Financial Officers (ABFO) 2013 National Conference, the ... be held May 28-31 at the Hilton San Diego ... touches on this year,s conference and want to make ... to attend," said Brandi Roberts , ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... May 16, 2013 As the weather warms, ... their favorite Spring looks. While most make a statement with ... many women find the warmer weather mixes makeup and sweat ... with the onset of acne during warmer months, Adult ... acne treatment users the best ways to deter breakouts. ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... NEW YORK , May 16, ... a new market research report is ...   Competitor Analysis: ... Biosuperiors http://www.reportlinker.com/p01171947/Competitor-Analysis-Therapeutic-Proteins-–-Biosimilars-Biobetters--Biosuperiors.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Biopharmaceutical ...   The ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... 2013 BioInformatics LLC New Market Report ... Cell-Derived Cells: Current and Future Opportunities (13-004) , ... in the primary cells market continues to increase. In ... used most often, how satisfied scientists are with commercially ... anticipated growth rate. ,  , Additionally, terminally differentiated ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Registration Extended Until May 22 for Association of Bioscience Financial Officers (ABFO) 2013 National Conference -- San Diego 2Registration Extended Until May 22 for Association of Bioscience Financial Officers (ABFO) 2013 National Conference -- San Diego 3Registration Extended Until May 22 for Association of Bioscience Financial Officers (ABFO) 2013 National Conference -- San Diego 4Adult Acne Treatment, Probiotic Action Shares New Tips for Women on How to Fight Acne While Wearing Makeup 2Competitor Analysis: Therapeutic Proteins - Biosimilars, Biobetters & Biosuperiors 2Competitor Analysis: Therapeutic Proteins - Biosimilars, Biobetters & Biosuperiors 3Competitor Analysis: Therapeutic Proteins - Biosimilars, Biobetters & Biosuperiors 4Competitor Analysis: Therapeutic Proteins - Biosimilars, Biobetters & Biosuperiors 5Competitor Analysis: Therapeutic Proteins - Biosimilars, Biobetters & Biosuperiors 6Competitor Analysis: Therapeutic Proteins - Biosimilars, Biobetters & Biosuperiors 7Competitor Analysis: Therapeutic Proteins - Biosimilars, Biobetters & Biosuperiors 8BioInformatics LLC New Market Report – The Market for Primary Cells & Stem Cell-Derived Cells: Current and Future Opportunities (13-004) 2BioInformatics LLC New Market Report – The Market for Primary Cells & Stem Cell-Derived Cells: Current and Future Opportunities (13-004) 3
... the 10th in a series of articles on developing start-up ... Madison, Wis. - In Step 9 we ... focus specifically on the federal laws. , ,Any business ... and federal securities laws and regulations. Of equal importance are ...
... - As the adoption of healthcare information technology continues its slow ... are resolved. , ,The progress that has been made, and the ... Digital Healthcare Conference set for May 9 and 10 ... campus. , , Dr. Barry Chaiken Dr. Barry ...
... this time (actually it was April rather than May), we ... broke all the meeting records: total attendance, foreign attendance, total ... it, it was broken. But even new records are made ... about? Well, the BIO Annual International Convention , being ...
Cached Biology Technology:Early Stage 10: The nuances of federal laws 2Early Stage 10: The nuances of federal laws 3Early Stage 10: The nuances of federal laws 4Early Stage 10: The nuances of federal laws 5Digital Healthcare Conference 2007: Mounting obstacles for health IT 2Digital Healthcare Conference 2007: Mounting obstacles for health IT 3Olympics of biotechnology has international flavor 2Olympics of biotechnology has international flavor 3Olympics of biotechnology has international flavor 4Olympics of biotechnology has international flavor 5
For testing the AQUA technique on your MS instruments....
Our original highly-purified, robust Taq Polymerase which delivers consistently high yields and minimal background...
A formulation of our Biolase DNA Polymerase which contains a Red Loading Dye...
... assay (ELISA) test kits are qualitative ... the detection of drugs and/or their metabolites ... for forensic use only. It is recommended ... a quantitative method such as GC/MS. ...
Biology Products: