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The last 8000 or so years of development of the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) has been broadly established, the so called hybrid hypothesis. Starts somewhere around Turkey then over 2000 years reaches the steppes.

1759295729327.png
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theconversation.com

Hindi, Greek and English all come from a single ancient language – here’s how we know

This now-extinct tongue was probably spoken somewhere in Eurasia as many as 8,000 years ago. But how do we know Proto-Indo-European must have existed?
theconversation.com theconversation.com
 
Congratulation to Prof Richard Robson of University of Melbourne for being a joint winner of the Nobel prize for chemisty. Always good when an Australian gets the silverware.
www.abc.net.au

Scientists win Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work in 'metal-organic frameworks'

Scientists Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi win the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for the development of metal-organic frameworks", the award-giving body announces.
www.abc.net.au www.abc.net.au
 
Article in the Conversation by a scientist who films snakes biting in extreme slow motion. Probably not for folks who have snake phobias
theconversation.com

High-tech cameras capture the secrets of venomous snake bites

A new study shows how different snake species have evolved very different strategies to deliver their deadly bites.
theconversation.com theconversation.com
Vipers strike their usual prey in <90ms 84% of the time, which is faster than most of their prey. Human reaction time is pretty slow at >200ms, Cats, Dogs and even Louie the Fly are quicker - it's why they are so hard to swat. I asked my silicon pal to list some animals:

Reaction Time Across the Animal Kingdom​

SpeciesAverage Reaction TimeNotes
Humans200–250 msVaries by age, fatigue, and training
Dogs100–150 msGuard breeds react faster than human blink
Cats20–70 msExceptional reflexes for hunting and evasion
Monkeys (e.g. macaques)~100 msFast visual-motor coordination
Flies (e.g. housefly)5–30 msBarrel-roll evasions filmed at 600 fps
Mantis Shrimp~8 msPunches with extreme speed and force
Dragonflies~30 msPrecision aerial hunting reflexes
Rabbits~100 msPrey reflexes tuned for escape
Deer~120 msHigh alertness and fast motor response
Zebras~150 msHerd prey with strong flight instincts
Snakes (e.g. vipers)50–90 msStrike speed varies by species
Mongooses~40 msKnown for lightning-fast snake evasion
Penguins~150 msSlower than most birds, but still quick


🧠 Why These Differences Exist​

  • Insects like flies and mantis shrimp have ultra-fast neural circuits and perceive time more slowly, giving them more “frames” to react.
  • Prey animals (rabbits, deer, zebras) evolved rapid reflexes to escape predators.
  • Predators (cats, snakes, mongooses) rely on split-second timing to catch or avoid prey.
  • Humans trade raw speed for complex cognition, though elite athletes can train down to ~150 ms.
The ai didn't really discuss the trick the Mantis Shrimp has. Like many crustaceans, it has a direct electrical synapses in the neuromuscular junction of the tail which work much, much faster than those chemical synapses most other animals depend on. Hence the 8ms response time, the speed of the response is part of the reasons these guys have the most powerful punch (per body weight) in nature. But that's another story.
 
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One of the algae involved in the terrible SA bloom has been identified as a species called Karenia cristata, a relatively rare Karenia that produces brevetoxins.

"The research found that Karenia cristata significantly contributed to the bloom, alongside other Karenia species already identified in the mix: K. mikimotoi, K. brevisulcata, K. longicanalis, and K. papilionacea."

www.abc.net.au

Scientists hopeful they have found source of SA algal bloom toxins

Scientists believe they have identified the species responsible for the toxins in South Australia's marine algal bloom that has killed millions of aquatic animals.
www.abc.net.au www.abc.net.au

"Professor Murray said respiratory symptoms in surfers near Victor Harbor in March had suggested the presence of a brevetoxin-producing species in addition to Karenia mikimotoi, which was the initial species identified within the bloom.

That suggestion was confirmed in early May when the South Australia Shellfish Quality Program confirmed that brevetoxins were present in South Australian waters."
 
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Scientists have discovered a new sun shaped microorganism, Solarion arienae, that belongs somewhere in the Eukaryote linage, as it has a nucleus and mitochondria.

www.sciencealert.com

Newly Discovered Organism Could Represent a Whole New Branch in The Tree of Life

It's not every day that biologists announce an entirely new branch of life, and this one has been hiding under their noses for years.
www.sciencealert.com www.sciencealert.com

The really interesting thing is, the mitochondrial DNA in this beasty has a gene that is not present in other mitochondria, a gene that probably belonged to the original organism that the mitochondria evolved in. The gene secA is involved in getting proteins across its membrane when the mitochondrial carrying organsim lived independently. This is extra evidence of endosymbiosis, an idea that started centuries ago and was promoted by Lyn Margulis in the 60's and for which she was treated very badly.
 
It's 1.00 am on a Friday night and an article (a very interesting one) about Penises seems appropriate. The gals should be glad us blokes don't still have spikes like some of our simian cousins.

theconversation.com

The surprising world of animal penises and what they reveal about humans

The evolutionary history of human penises is more romantic than you might think.
theconversation.com theconversation.com
 
CD Xbow said:
An interesting article about time. The solution to unifying general relativity and quantum mechanics may depend on understanding the true nature of time.

Click to expand...
Time is mans measure for the passing of events - and the use of passing indicates measurable moments ie this happened at this time

This is typically phrased as being in the direction of increasing entropy: our unwinding Universe, balls rolling downhill, ice cubes melting in a glass of water and so on.

In this example one could argue that the melted water can return to ice - so its multi-directional and not forward entropy

Anyway it does my head in thinking about it - I might lie down for a period of time determined by the period between wakefulness
 
I've always believed the world we are inventing as clever monkeys is not healthy.

"Human biology evolved for a world of movement, nature, and short bursts of stress—not the constant pressure of modern life. Industrial environments overstimulate our stress systems and erode both health and reproduction. Evidence ranging from global fertility declines to chronic inflammatory diseases shows the toll of this mismatch. Researchers say cultural and environmental redesign, especially nature-focused planning, is essential."

www.sciencedaily.com

Humans are built for nature not modern life

Human biology evolved for a world of movement, nature, and short bursts of stress—not the constant pressure of modern life. Industrial environments overstimulate our stress systems and erode both health and reproduction. Evidence ranging from global fertility declines to chronic inflammatory...
www.sciencedaily.com
 
The 3 peregrine falcon chicks in Melbourne's CBD have taken their first flight.

www.theguardian.com

We have lift-off! Melbourne’s skyscraper peregrine chicks take to the sky

Falcon fledglings’ inaugural flight watched by dedicated fans includes dramatic crash-landing
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

Apparently they will learn to hunt in the next few weeks, then they will leave for good and look for their own territory. Wikipedia tells me Falcon territories vary greatly but often span 20-30 square kilometers for breeding pairs, though home ranges can be much larger, from 100 to over 1500 km², depending on prey availability.

So these youngsters may find a home in the suburbs, but not close to the CBD.
 
I received an email from Melbourne Uni about Prof Robson and his Nobel prize in chemistry. Worth a read, it talks about him 'playing' with the original concepts and ultimately developing a whole new class of materials.

_______________________________________________________________________​

Celebrating our Nobel Laureate, Professor Richard Robson

Dear XXXXX

Today is a deeply proud day for the University community – Professor Richard Robson accepted his Nobel Prize in Chemistry during a formal ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall in Sweden in the early hours of this morning.

Presented his award by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in front of 1500 distinguished guests – including his former PhD students, colleagues and friends – Professor Robson, from the Faculty of Science, said “I’d like to thank my wife, my daughter, and my son for their love and support, and to my colleagues, Brendan Abrahams and the late Bernard Hoskins – who provided the real science and made my ideas possible.”

Professor Robson was recognised for his creation of a new class of molecular materials known as coordination polymers – now sometimes referred to as metal-organic frameworks. This groundbreaking work was carried out here at the School of Chemistry in the early 90s.

Metal-organic frameworks are a new class of solids being developed into gas and energy storage devices, catalytic reactors, and other potentially revolutionary products.

His discoveries laid the foundation for an entirely new field of chemistry and have since transformed research and industry practices around the world.

The idea all started with a request to build large wooden models of crystalline structures for teaching first year chemistry lectures in 1974. In doing so, Professor Robson came up with the idea to use molecules in place of balls and chemical bonds in place of rods.

When he took his idea to the bench almost a decade later to test, he created a crystal with diamond-like connectivity, but more than half of its content was liquid.

By replacing direct chemical bonds with molecular rods, Professor Robson had introduced something completely new into these crystalline structures – space – which meant a substance could flow through a framework and be chemically transformed on the way through.

Professor Robson described this time as a joy.

'I felt elation. All of this was play, it was enjoyable. From the late 80s to the 2000s when I retired, every day was terrific. Each morning, I couldn’t wait to come in.'

Professor Robson has been a lecturer and researcher at the University of Melbourne since 1966.

His dedication to teaching, its nexus with research and his commitment to mentoring budding scientists has been unwavering throughout his career – something that’s still evident today.

Just hours after receiving the news that he had received a Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Professor Robson – who is 88 – was back in the classroom teaching first year Bachelor of Science students.

It is our privilege to celebrate a member of our University community who has devoted his life to seeking, expanding, and sharing knowledge with his peers, students and the broader community.

As we reflect on this achievement, we are reminded that transformative ideas often start as questions with no clear answers. Fundamental research takes time, vision, and investment – but it is essential to creating the innovative technologies and practical solutions needed to address the world’s most pressing challenges.

Seven of Professor Robson’s PhD students from the 80s and 90s travelled to Stockholm to honour this incredible achievement.

Regards,

Professor Mark Cassidy
Deputy Vice Chancellor Research
University of Melbourne

Professor Moira O’Bryan
Dean, Faculty of Science
University of Melbourne
 

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I subscribe to the Great Southern Reef foundation, (https://greatsouthernreef.com/). If you like kelp forests these are the people for you. They send a monthly email and this months included a short summary of how things are going with the algal bloom - patchy but significant improvements. Fingers crossed the conditions don't turn strongly pro-bloom this summer.

Algal Bloom Update from SA
The algal bloom across South Australia remains highly variable. While state monitoring shows no or low Karenia levels at most metropolitan sites, parts of Kangaroo Island continue to record persistent impacts. Emu Bay remains the only coastal location consistently showing elevated bloom levels, with green water, foam accumulation and reduced visibility. Offshore fish mortalities continue to be observed, along with unusual dolphin movements. In contrast, many KI beaches remain in good condition, highlighting how localised and changeable the bloom continues to be.
mail
Clear conditions and healthy seagrass at Edithburgh this week
Elsewhere, divers have been reporting improving conditions on the Fleurieu and Yorke Peninsula, with clearer water, increasing fish diversity and very good visibility in some places. Encouraging sightings include young weedy seadragons, fiddler rays and breeding blue devils. However, scientists caution it is still too early to talk about recovery. The return of visible fish does not yet reflect broader ecosystem impacts or losses. Ongoing monitoring through summer remains essential to understand what is returning, what is missing, and how reefs across the region respond over time.
 
Very interesting work on memory, in fact the most interesting I have seen in my life time. Many implications. Note the 'funny names' in the quote are genes or gene complexes. eg Camtah1

www.sciencedaily.com

Why some memories last a lifetime while others fade fast

Scientists have uncovered a stepwise system that guides how the brain sorts and stabilizes lasting memories. By tracking brain activity during virtual reality learning tasks, researchers identified molecules that influence how long memories persist. Each molecule operates on a different...
www.sciencedaily.com

"According to the model, memory formation begins in the hippocampus. Camta1 and its downstream targets help keep that early memory intact. Over time, Tcf4 and its targets activate to strengthen cell adhesion and structural support. Finally, Ash1l promotes chromatin remodeling programs that reinforce memory stability.

Unless you promote memories onto these timers, we believe you're primed to forget it quickly,"
For the scholars - Thalamocortical transcriptional gates coordinate memory stabilization. Nature, 2025; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09774-6
 
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CD Xbow said:
Very interesting work on memory, in fact the most interesting I have seen in my life time. Many imlications. Note the 'funny names' in the quote are genes or gene complexes. eg Camtah1

www.sciencedaily.com

Why some memories last a lifetime while others fade fast

Scientists have uncovered a stepwise system that guides how the brain sorts and stabilizes lasting memories. By tracking brain activity during virtual reality learning tasks, researchers identified molecules that influence how long memories persist. Each molecule operates on a different...
www.sciencedaily.com

"According to the model, memory formation begins in the hippocampus. Camta1 and its downstream targets help keep that early memory intact. Over time, Tcf4 and its targets activate to strengthen cell adhesion and structural support. Finally, Ash1l promotes chromatin remodeling programs that reinforce memory stability.

Unless you promote memories onto these timers, we believe you're primed to forget it quickly,"
For the scholars - Thalamocortical transcriptional gates coordinate memory stabilization. Nature, 2025; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09774-6
Click to expand...
How much is new memory v rote memory? ie every new experience as a child should be stronger than going to the shop 3 times a day

Though even those are fading for me . Probably count on 2 hands how many memories before 6 . Another handful are nudged by photos or family gatherings. Teen memories are more prevalent - so does emotional turmoil play a part? Speaking of it seems my memories are clearer with emotional turmoil than mundane stuff

But I can still smell fritz and sauce sandwiches and go back 60 years in an instant
 
An Austrian cow named Veronika shows she knows how to use tools to scratch herself. A tool using cow, how about that! I think there is probably some significance to the fact she is a pet cow.

www.abc.net.au

Tool-using cow suggests cattle may be smarter than we think

A pet cow in Austria has been filmed picking up a tool and scratching herself. An Australian hobby farmer says she is not that surprised.
www.abc.net.au www.abc.net.au
 
CD Xbow said:
An Austrian cow named Veronika shows she knows how to use tools to scratch herself. A tool using cow, how about that! I think there is probably some significance to the fact she is a pet cow.

www.abc.net.au

Tool-using cow suggests cattle may be smarter than we think

A pet cow in Austria has been filmed picking up a tool and scratching herself. An Australian hobby farmer says she is not that surprised.
www.abc.net.au www.abc.net.au
Click to expand...
Cows are pretty intelligent. A farmer I met said he would leave a pregnant cow in a paddock with its mother and grandmother and he wouldn't have to go out and assist with the birth. They'd all figure it out and help the birthing mother.
 
Hand stencils in Sulawesi have been dated to 67,000 years old, the oldest in the world. Indonesia has become an incredible place for anthropology and paleontology.

www.abc.net.au

Hand stencils discovered in Indonesia are world's oldest-known rock art

Faint ochre outlines of hands thought to be at least 67,800 years old are the oldest rock art yet discovered. Archaeologists say the discovery of the Indonesian cave art backs up estimates of when humans first reached Australia.
www.abc.net.au www.abc.net.au
 

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The poo balls on Sydney beaches are upsetting folks. Just goes to show that a 19th century sewage treatment system just can't cut it nowadays. The description of the poo balls contents makes interesting reading

"It was first thought that the balls were tar, but analyses – including carbon-14 dating, mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, and microscopy techniques – revealed a much more disgusting composition. The balls contained traces of cooking oil, soap scum, hair, human fecal matter, veterinary drugs, blood pressure medication, PFAS (aka "forever chemicals"), and the psychoactive substances THC and methamphetamine."

To paraphrase Slim Pickens from Dr Strangelove - "sounds like a fellow could have a pretty good weekend in vegas with all that stuff."


Added - for those who don't know the scene here it is.
 
The Crown of Thorns is back with vengeance. Actually it never went away, it's been managed by 6 boats with divers cleaning them out. Unfortunately they are spreading again between Cairns and Lizard Island.

www.abc.net.au

Crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak on Great Barrier Reef could be worst in decades

Scientists are rushing to contain an emerging outbreak of coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish on the Great Barrier Reef, warning it could be one of the worst in 60 years.
www.abc.net.au www.abc.net.au
 
Smile, you're on candid camera. Meet the first shark seen in Antarctica, a Pacific sleeper shark! Note the skate in the bottom right of the picture.

1771536089244.webp

There is nothing much in the image to give a sense of scale to the beasty, so I was surprised to read it's about 4m.

"The photographed shark was maintaining a depth of around 500 meters (1,640 feet) along a seabed that sloped into much deeper water. The shark maintained that depth because that was the warmest layer of several water layers stacked upon each other to the surface, Jamieson said."

Loading…

phys.org

The wiki has a decent entry about the Pacific Sleeper Shark.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_sleeper_shark
 
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