New analysis of ancient human protein could unlock secrets of evolution

[Frank Robert]

A skull of a new hominin species named Homo naledi, which was alive sometime between 335
and 236 thousand years ago. Photograph: Xinhua/Alamy​

The technique – known as proteomics – could bring new insights into the past two million years of humanity’s history

Tiny traces of protein lingering in the bones and teeth of ancient humans could soon transform scientists’ efforts to unravel the secrets of the evolution of our species.​

​

Researchers believe a technique known as proteomics – newly applied in the field of human fossils – could allow them to identify the proteins from which our predecessors’ bodies were constructed and bring new insights into the past 2 million years of humanity’s history.​

​

Analysis of these microscopic remnants could then help to solve major evolutionary mysteries such as the identity of the common ancestors of Homo sapiens and the Neanderthals.​

​

The ramifications of the technology would mirror the impact of the recently developed technology of ancient DNA analysis which, over the past 20 years, has helped uncover dramatic secrets about humanity’s past. These include the discovery that many modern humans possess Neanderthal genes and that the two species must have interbred at some point over the last 100,000 years....​

​

This latter advantage offers hopes of gaining new insights into several baffling newly discovered species. These include Homo naledi, a 300,000-year-old hominin that was found in South Africa in 2013. Specimens appear to be primitive although other evidence suggests they also have buried their dead. In addition, the origins of Homo floresiensis, a small archaic species of humans – nicknamed the hobbit folk – found on the island of Flores in Indonesia has also puzzled scientists. Conditions at both sites has meant no DNA has been found so far on fossils there, leaving scientists unsure about how these unusual versions of humankind evolved.​

And then there are the Denisovans. Although scientists have decoded their genomes, we still do not know what they looked like, nor much about how they behaved or how they hunted. “These are all really intriguing species and we only have a poor fix on how they relate to us,” said Stringer. “So proteomics could certainly help there.”​

​

Read More...​

 

[AV1611VET]

New analysis of ancient human protein could unlock secrets of evolution.

Evolution has secrets locked up, does it?

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

Evolution has secrets locked up, does it?

Can't recognise poetic language when you see it?

 

[AV1611VET]

Can't recognise poetic language when you see it?

Scientists using poetic language.

Imagine that!

Propaganda maybe?

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

Scientists using poetic language.

Imagine that!

Propaganda maybe?

No, scientists don't. But journalists do for sure.

And no, it's definitely not propaganda at all.

 

[AV1611VET]

No, scientists don't. But journalists do for sure.

And no, it's definitely not propaganda at all.

Nothing like scientists unlocking the secrets of the universe, is there?

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

Nothing like scientists unlocking the secrets of the universe, is there?

Yes, it's good to get more knowledge about things.

 

[Neutral Observer]

Nothing like scientists unlocking the secrets of the universe, is there?

I tend to categorize people on this site according to their style of reasoning and debating. Some people lean more toward being rational, some toward being delusional, some open to new ideas, and some extremely close minded, etc.

Many I simply choose not to interact with at all, because no good can possibly come from it. You're pretty much in that category.

But for what it's worth I've finally decided to put you in the rather harmless Court Jester slot.

 

[dlamberth]

Nothing like scientists unlocking the secrets of the universe, is there?

Knowledge gained as well as the wonders of the Universe opened up through the window of science unlocks how God operates within this Creation. We are so very blessed to have that available to us.

 

[AV1611VET]

Knowledge gained as well as the wonders of the Universe opened up through the window of science unlocks how God operates within this Creation. We are so very blessed to have that available to us.

I agree with what you said, while realizing though we're on two different planes of understanding.

 

[Diamond7]

Although scientists have decoded their genomes, we still do not know what they looked like, nor much about how they behaved or how they hunted. “

That is all in their DNA. They just have to unlock it .

 

[Frank Robert]

That is all in their DNA. They just have to unlock it .

Unlocking DNA will not tell us much about how they behaved or how they hunted. We can learn more how they behaved and hunted from artifacts at their burial sites.

 

[Diamond7]

Unlocking DNA will not tell us much about how they behaved or how they hunted. We can learn more how they behaved and hunted from artifacts at their burial sites.

We have the ability to store all the information on the internet in our atoms. I won a challenge on this a long time ago. Back when people said memory could not survive death and I showed that our memory could survive cremation. Of course, if you scatter your ashes to the wind only God can bring them back together again. But assuming you are intact, we could retain our memory on the atoms that make us up. If you want to get DNA involved in that, then memory can be inherited by the next generation.

I am not going into all the technical stuff right now, but there are articles written on this. There are 10 trillion gigabytes of digital data daily on the internet. We actually have 7 octillion atoms. An octillion is 1,000 trillions. A byte is zero or a one. My son is a computer engineer. He deal with bytes. There are 8 bytes in a bit. Or I have it on great authority from alexa that a byte is also past tense for a bit.

According to GPT, "byte" is not a past tense form of "bit." Byte and bit are both independent units of digital information and have different meanings and uses in computing. Of course alexa has a sense of humor.

Could all your digital photos be stored as DNA?

MIT biological engineers have demonstrated a way to easily retrieve data files stored as DNA. This could be a step toward using DNA archives to store enormous quantities of photos, images, and other digital content.

news.mit.edu

 

[Hans Blaster]

We have the ability to store all the information on the internet in our atoms. I won a challenge on this a long time ago. Back when people said memory could not survive death and I showed that our memory could survive cremation. Of course, if you scatter your ashes to the wind only God can bring them back together again. But assuming you are intact, we could retain our memory on the atoms that make us up. If you want to get DNA involved in that, then memory can be inherited by the next generation.

I have this nagging feeling I was in that challenge you "won"...

I am not going into all the technical stuff right now, but there are articles written on this. There are 10 trillion gigabytes of digital data daily on the internet. We actually have 7 octillion atoms. An octillion is 1,000 trillions. A byte is zero or a one. My son is a computer engineer. He deal with bytes. There are 8 bytes in a bit. Or I have it on great authority from alexa that a byte is also past tense for a bit.

1000 trillion is not an octillion, it is a quadrillion. I'll let you guess how to construct an octillion from that.

Every atom is *not* a useful storage unit for a "bit". They are all too busy doing other things.

According to GPT, "byte" is not a past tense form of "bit." Byte and bit are both independent units of digital information and have different meanings and uses in computing. Of course alexa has a sense of humor.

You may have mispelled "bite" when Alexa spoke to you. (but "bit" is also past tense form, "bite" is present tense.)

 

[Frank Robert]

We have the ability to store all the information on the internet in our atoms. I won a challenge on this a long time ago. Back when people said memory could not survive death and I showed that our memory could survive cremation.

When you make claims you should at least give a reference that supports them otherwise it is just your 2¢.

 

[Diamond7]

I have this nagging feeling I was in that challenge you "won"...

You maybe not have even been born yet. But the challenge was to prove that memory could survive death.

 

[Diamond7]

1000 trillion is not an octillion, it is a quadrillion. I'll let you guess how to construct an octillion from that.

You have the phd, you tell me. Or I can get chat bot to do it.

 

[Diamond7]

Every atom is *not* a useful storage unit for a "bit". They are all too busy doing other things.

Be careful my son is helping me with this. In the context of quantum computing it just may be possible.

1. "Quantum Computing with Individual Atoms" by J. I. Cirac and P. Zoller. This paper describes the use of individual atoms as qubits in quantum computing and the challenges involved in controlling and manipulating these atoms.

In quantum computing, information is stored and processed using "qubits", which can be represented by the quantum states of individual atoms or other subatomic particles.

So we can store more than just a bit or byte of information on one atom. This is something I have been waiting for them to figure out. We can possibly get up to 8 bits on three atoms with entanglement. To store information together.

A quantum computer can potentially store more information on an atom than a classical computer. This is because a quantum computer can use individual atoms or ions as qubits, which can be in a superposition of states and entangled with each other.

In certain types of trapped ion quantum computers, it is possible to store multiple qubits in a single ion by using different energy levels of the ion to represent different qubit states.

So now my son teaches me about maybe and possibly.

 

[Diamond7]

When you make claims you should at least give a reference that supports them otherwise it is just your 2¢.

Yes, I have to go look for them on google because GPT gives me links to articles that are no longer online. My son and I are doing the math on this. Along with the chatbot to save time. He came up with the number 700,000 times more storage but they are saying not all atoms can be used. When you compare 7 octillion to 10 trillion gigabytes. But I am sure different people will give you different numbers for how much information is stored on the internet.

 

[Hans Blaster]

You have the phd, you tell me. Or I can get chat bot to do it.

Let me help you with the sequence:

Million
Billion
Trillion
Quadrillion
...
Octillion

Do you know any Latin?