SciTech Briefs

Human – Neanderthal hybrid identified

Skeletal remains found in Riparo di Mezzena, a rock-shelter in northern Italy, may belong to the first known human-Neanderthal hybrid. Current studies focus on analyzing the jaw structure, which differs drastically between Neanderthals and modern humans. The structure of this jaw was a blend between a Neanderthal’s receding lower jaw and a modern human’s prominent lower jaw. The genetic analysis revealed that the remains contained mitochondrial DNA of a Neanderthal, suggesting that the individual would have been the descendant of a female Neanderthal and a male Homo sapien. This study indicates possible “ethnic cleansing” of the Neanderthals by sexual assault. Further research will reveal more information about Neanderthal and human interactions.

source: Discovery News

Shortcut to international space station

Last Thursday, two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut arrived at the International Space Station a mere five hours and 45 minutes after their launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. This express route resulted in a trip that was about 45 hours shorter than the traditional trips. Before this trip, the Russians had been exploring alternate routes over the past three years. This express route was tested during three unmanned cargo flights. The expedited route involves very precise steering and calculations, making space debris and any other potential problems even more threatening. The abridged travel time also allows astronauts to arrive at the space station before the onset of microgravity-induced sickness, which will allow the astronauts to better perform their experiments on the biological effects of microgravity.

Russian engineers are already working towards cutting the travel time further, aiming for less than two orbits.

source: Reuters

Robot ants simulate colony behavior

Last Thursday, two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut arrived at the International Space Station a mere five hours and 45 minutes after their launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. This express route resulted in a trip that was about 45 hours shorter than the traditional trips. Before this trip, the Russians had been exploring alternate routes over the past three years.

This express route was tested during three unmanned cargo flights. The expedited route involves very precise steering and calculations, making space debris and any other potential problems even more threatening. The abridged travel time also allows astronauts to arrive at the space station before the onset of microgravity-induced sickness.

source: ScienceDaily

Biological indications of criminal recidivism

The Mind Research Network in Albuquerque, New Mexico completed a study demonstrating that neuroimaging techniques can predict the likelihood of criminal recidivism after being released from prison. The study examined impulsive and antisocial behavior focused in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the brain’s regulatory center for behavior and impulsivity. It was determined that inmates with low ACC activity were twice as likely to reoffend than inmates with high ACC activity. People with damaged or inactive ACCs tend to have “changes in disinhibition, apathy, and aggressiveness” and are typically identified by “acquired psychopathic personality,” the study states.

source: ScienceDaily