Large, broad Neanderthal noses evolved to regulate the cold, dry Ice Age air and to suck in enough oxygen to meet high energy demands, according to a series of computer simulations. They were so useful, researchers have found, that when Neanderthals passed on their noses to certain humans through inter-species reproduction, the gene lived on to today.It affects how “tall” the nose is, how long from top to bottom, and must have survived tens of thousands of years of natural selection to be de ...read more
This article was originally published on Nov. 16, 2022. The use of human voiceover work is ubiquitous across modern media platforms, from video games to television and movies. But increasingly, the voices you hear on-screen aren’t totally human-made; they’re the result of artificial intelligence.Respeecher, a voice cloning company founded in 2018 and based in Ukraine, is currently working with LucasFilm to provide voice services for the Star Wars projects. Respeecher’s speech-to-speech tec ...read more
The insect world is full of creatures who have practically raised the principles of disguise and concealment to an art form. For predators and prey alike, camouflage is a critical survival tool, with coloration, patterning and even physical shape all playing roles in helping insects to conceal themselves from their hunters — or aid the hunters in hiding from their unsuspecting prey until it’s time to strike.Many insects are particularly good not merely at blending in with one’s natural hab ...read more
Search the term “preventing dementia” online, and a list of possible precautions pop up. One story describes a new study that finds older Americans who used the Internet — but not too much — have a lower risk of dementia. Other stories suggest that taking vitamin D, getting a good night’s sleep or learning a second language are key to combating dementia.Scientists don’t fully understand what causes dementia, a degenerative neurological condition that impacts memory, speech and basi ...read more
A new breakthrough in egg cell creation has enabled a female mouse to give birth to babies carrying only the genes of two fathers.Scientists genetically engineered this by turning male XY chromosomes into female XX chromosomes and creating eggs from strictly male skin cells.“The mice look fine — they grew up to be adults, and the adult mice are also fertile,” says Katsuhiko Hayashi, a genome biologist at Osaka University in Japan.The achievement has huge implications for same-sex parenting ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
