WWWeltanschauung

“They recount their earliest memories without any sympathy for the child they once were.” 

― Alice Miller, The Drama of the Gifted Child

Ancient DNA reveals history of horse domestication

15 DECEMBER 2014   REUTERS   SHARON BEGLEY

Speed, smarts, and the heart of a champion: using genomic analysis, scientists have identified DNA changes that helped turn ancient horses such as those in prehistoric cave art into today's Secretariats and Black Beautys, researchers reported Monday.

... Understanding the genetic changes involved in equine domestication, which earlier research traced to the wind-swept steppes of Eurasia 5,500 years ago, has long been high on the wish list of evolutionary geneticists because of the important role that taming wild horses played in the development of civilization. 

Once merchants, soldiers and explorers could gallop rather than just walk, it revolutionized trade, warfare, the movement of people and the transmission of ideas. It also enabled the development of continent-sized empires such as the Scythians 2,500 years ago in what is now Iran. 

It was all made possible by 125 genes, concluded the study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

... With no truly wild horses to study, Orlando's team examined DNA from 29 horse bones discovered in the Siberian permafrost and dating from 16,000 and 43,000 years ago, and compared it to DNA from five modern domesticated breeds. 

Some genes in today's horses were absent altogether from the ancient ones, showing they arose from recent mutations. Among them: a short-distance "speed gene" that propels every Kentucky Derby winner.  Read More

Japan is home to the cutest bug in the world, but they’re on the verge of extinction
16 DECEMBER 2014   ROCKET NEWS 24   AUDREY AKÇASU

... Because of the way they hover and their fuzzy bodies, these cute little fellas kind of look like a cross between a hummingbird and a bee. Their long mouth/noses resemble those of a nasty mosquito, but the fact that they are barely 10mm long (approximately the length of the first part of your pinkie finger) and harmless pollinators make them really people-friendly. Join us after the jump as we meet arguably the world’s most affable insect: the Tiger Bee Fly.

The “bee fly” refers not only to the appearance, but also to how they lay their eggs in the nest of Carpenter Bees, allowing the bee fly babies to hatch and eat the Carpenter Bee babies before maturity (we said they were cute and people-friendly). 

The bad news is that the Tiger Bee Flies are going extinct! Apparently, less than 100 are identified in one season. While other bee flies populate various areas of Eurasia, this specific type are mainly found in Okayama Prefecture’s Kurashiki, Tamano and Kasaoka Cities, although they have been seen in Kyushu and Kansai.  Read More