Daily Archives: February 28, 2017

February 28, 2017 Belemnoteuthis antiquus NHM OR25966, a 166 million year old exceptionally preserved extinct squid-relative was found near Bristol (Christian Malford). These ancient cephalopods with their large internal shell were not as fast as their recently evolved relatives, which survived until today's squid and cuttlefish. Credit: Jonathan Jackson and Zo Hughes, NHMUK

Octopus, cuttlefish and squid are well known in the invertebrate world. With their ink-squirting decoy technique, ability to change colour, bizarre body plan and remarkable intelligence they highlight that lacking a back-bone doesn't always mean lacking sophistication.

Examining their deep evolutionary past, researchers have been spoiled by their generous fossil record, as demonstrated by drawer after drawer of ammonites and belemnites in every natural history museum shop. But, the mostly shell-less modern cephalopods have been less easy to understand.

Now a new study, led by researchers from the University of Bristol, has found out how these remarkable creatures evolved by comparing their fossil records with the evolutionary history chronicled in their gene sequences to shed light on their origins.

Published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, it shows that the cephalopods diversified into the familiar modern octopuses, cuttlefish and squid during a time of great change in the marine world, known as the Mesozoic Marine Revolution, 160 to 100 million years in the past.

Lead author, Al Tanner, a PhD student at the University of Bristol's School of Biological Sciences, is a molecular biologist and bioinformatician at the Bristol Palaeobiology Research Groupa world leading evolutionary research group.

He said: "On land this was the time of the dinosaurs, but beneath the seas, ecologies were changing rapidly. Fish, squid and their predators were locked in evolutionary 'arms-races', leading to increasingly speedy and agile predators and prey.

"The cephalopods are now known to have also been caught up in this major transition, evolving to lose the shells of their ancestors and develop as dynamic and uniquely adapted marine animals."

The researchers used a technique called molecular clocks to investigate the timing of when the groups split from each other. Bristol co-author, Professor Davide Pisani, added: "Complex Bayesian models take all sorts of information into account to build a tree of evolutionary time.

"The key element of molecular clocks though is the fact that mutations steadily accumulate in genetic material over time - so by figuring out how many mutations per million years you find, and how it may vary between different groups, we can estimate evolutionary time."

Al Tanner said: "The molecular clock results can be compared to the fossil record. What we see is that while there is some uncertainty in molecular clock estimates, octopuses and squid appear during the Mesozoic Marine Revolution and the two lines of evidence come together to tell the tale of evolution".

Co-author Dr Jakob Vinther said: "By having a reduced internal skeleton compared to their ancient relatives, the modern squids and octopuses could compress their body and more efficiently jet away leaving a baffling cloud of ink with the attacking predator. Before the predator realises what has happened and gains clear view again, the squid is far out of sight."

Al Tanner added: "The research exemplifies why evolutionary biologists are increasingly seeking to understand deep history from the combined study of both living organisms and the geological record. Through this synoptic view, so called molecular palaeontologists are transforming our understanding of how life became so complex and diverse."

Explore further: Despite multicolor camouflage, cuttlefish, squid and octopus are colorblind

More information: Molecular clocks indicate turnover and diversification of modern coleoid cephalopods during the Mesozoic Marine Revolution, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/lookup/doi/10.1098/rspb.2016.2818

Researchers at The University of Queensland have established that colourful coastal cephalopods are actually colourblind but can still manage to blend beautifully with their surroundings.

(Phys.org)An international team of researchers has found a trove of marine fossils at a North American site that offers evidence of life bouncing back faster than thought after the most devastating mass extinction in Earth's ...

A study by researchers at the University of Toronto and the Royal Ontario Museum sheds new light on a previously unclassifiable 500 million-year-old squid-like carnivore known as Nectocaris pteryx.

A team of researchers from the University of Bristol studying the 'living fossil' Sphenodon - or tuatara - have identified a new way to measure the evolutionary rate of these enigmatic creatures, giving credence to Darwin's ...

A previously undiscovered species of an extinct primordial giant worm with terrifying snapping jaws has been identified by an international team of scientists.

The researchers from the Bristol Palaeobiology Group, part of the School of Earth Sciences, studied the best way to understand relationships of extinct animals to other extinct species as well as those alive today.

Intensive selective breeding over the past 200 years and high extinction rates among feral populations has greatly reduced the genetic diversity present in domestic goat breeds. The effect these pressures have had on Irish ...

Octopus, cuttlefish and squid are well known in the invertebrate world. With their ink-squirting decoy technique, ability to change colour, bizarre body plan and remarkable intelligence they highlight that lacking a back-bone ...

A University of Florida study shows that mollusk fossils provide a reliable measure of human-driven changes in marine ecosystems and shifts in ocean biodiversity across time and space.

Organic additives found in road salt alternativessuch as those used in the commercial products GeoMelt and Magic Saltact as a fertilizer to aquatic ecosystems, promoting the growth of algae and organisms that eat algae, ...

The Zika virus taking hold of the inner organelles of human liver and neural stem cells has been captured via light and electron microscopy. In Cell Reports on February 28, researchers in Germany show how the African and ...

In the world of fungi, Aspergillus is an industrial superstar. Aspergillus niger, for example, has been used for decades to produce citric acida compound frequently added to foods and pharmaceuticals through fermentation ...

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Originally posted here:

Shedding new light on the evolution of the squid - Phys.Org

How protein misfolding may kickstart chemical evolution Science Daily Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is well-established -- organisms adapt over time in response to environmental changes. But theories about how life emerges -- the movement through a pre-Darwinian world to the Darwinian threshold ...

The rest is here:

How protein misfolding may kickstart chemical evolution - Science Daily

A reconstruction of Anchiornus, based on the new data. (Credit: Julius T. Csotonyi)

Firing lasers at fossils continues to be a winning strategy for paleontologists.

The new techniquebrings hidden details in fossils to the forefront, including remnants of soft tissue invisible to the naked eye. And a team of researchers from China is using the laser-assisted images to help piece together the evolutionary process that turned dinosaurs into the birds we know today.

In a paper published Tuesday inNature Communications, the team fixedits lasers onto a small feathered dinosaur calledAnchiornus to better understand its morphology. The technique, called laser-stimulated fluorescence (LSF), causes minerals within the bones to light up in different colors, betraying thesoft tissues they once were.

An arm of Anchiornus, imaged with laser-stimulated fluorescence. (Credit: Wang XL, Pittman M et al. 2017)

With the new perspective, the researchers spotted a host of bird-like traits inAnchiornus, revealing that avian characteristics were present in some dinosaurs even 160 million years ago.

They found that the dinosaur had drumstick legs, a thin tail and footpads that closely resemble those of modern chickens. In addition, Anchiornuspossessed a structure called a propatagium, found on the front edge of birds wings, which is crucial for flight. Under a microscope, these soft tissues remain hidden, but with the help of lasers, they stand out in psychedelic colors.

Two images showing the fossil under normal light (top) and LSF (bottom). The inset image shows the chicken-like footpads. (Credit: Wang XL, Pittman M et al. 2017)

Anchiornus dates to the late Jurassic Period, which is whenpaleontologists believe birds were just beginning to appear. Finding bird-like features in this dinosaur allows researchers to better track this transition, in addition to offering hints of how vertebrates first developed the ability to fly.

The propatagia they found in Anchiornus look very similar to those found in modern gliding birds, they say, giving them some clues to its function.It still isnt clear, though, if the feathery dinosaurs were able to get off the ground or if the structures merelyrepresent an intermediate step onthe path to flight.

See the original post:

Lasers Illuminate the Evolution of Flight - Discover Magazine (blog)

Weve known for some time now that Apple has an interest in Augmented Reality (AR). What is it, and why does the iPhone need it? Is AR just another gadget to keep us in an upgrade frame of mind? Or is it fundamental to the evolution of the device we call an iPhone?

I first came across AR when I was reviewing an iOS app called Sun Seeker. This is a fabulous app for surveyors, geologists, movie studios, home builders, navigators and amateur astronomers. It tells you everything about the Sun you need to know from an observational standpoint.

Screen shot from the Sun Seeker iOS app.

Notable is its use of AR to identify the location of the Sun, even if its hidden by clouds, trees or buildings. I bring this up because a fast computer in ones pocket that knows its location and has great optics can be a powerful tool when it comes to overlaying technical information on top of visual information.

The above is a simple example. AR can be much more sophisticated. Heres the definition from Wikipedia:

Augmented reality (AR) is a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented (or supplemented) by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data.

There are two important aspects of AR to explore. First, AR represents a natural evolutionary trend for a smartphone. With LTE-class communication, GPS, image processing and even future sensory data such as echo-location and/or range finding, its only natural for a strictly visual image on an iPhones display to be supplemented with everything thats applicable to that image.

This is why I insist that the iPhone and smartphones in general, as a concept, will continue to evolve technically. Sure, the Lightning port will go away. The display technology will improve. Communication speeds will get better. Materials science will get better. But the basic idea of having a fast, communicative device in your pocket (or worn or implanted) will never go away.

For more about this, see: Phil Schiller on iPhones Launch, How It Changed Apple, and Why It Will Keep Going for 50 Years. Quoting:

Schiller hopes that 50 years people will look back at this point and say, Wow, they didnt realize how much was to comein fact, others missed it because they were busy running around looking for other things. Everyone has their opinions at this point, but it could be that were only in the first minutes of the first quarter of the game, he says. I believe this product is so great that it has many years of innovation ahead.

And hes right. AR is proof of the opportunities, not a dreamed up fad.

The second aspect to explore is that onecan plainly see some of the opportunities for AR and Apple. First, remember that the smartphone, of which there are billions on the planet, is the modern technical standard. Not eyeglasses, such as the ill-fated Google Glass. So AR on the iPhone isnt a diversion from eyeglasses; its in its rightful, cultural place.

Next, as UBS analyst Steve Milunovich points out, a related technology, Virtual Reality (VR) requires tremendous computational resources and dorky headsets. That isolates people from reality, something the smartphone already does all too well.

AR, instead, connects people to reality. AR can give us additional insights about the settingwerein. For example, at a party, facial recognition can quickly tell you the name of your new boss across the room whose name you forgot. It looks like youre taking a party photo, but a callout on the iPhones display augments your own reality with a reminder.

Recently, Tim Cook was interviewed by The Independent and explained his feelings about AR. Notable:

I get excited because of the things that could be done that could improve a lot of lives. And be entertaining. I view AR like I view the silicon here in my iPhone, its not a product per se, its a core technology. I do think there can be a lot of things that really help people out in daily life, real-life things, thats why I get so excited about it.

One AR notion is that of better navigating indoors. Structural and content information broadcast to smartphones can go a long way towards helping people avoid tiresome searches in large buildings, stores or libraries. Construction and maintenance crews can have a much better visual idea about underground pipes and cables. There are opportunities for AR in education. See: How to Transform Your Classroom With Augmented Reality.

The possibilities are just about endless, and theyre all enabled by a device with 64-bit computational power, exceptional graphics power, a great display and very fast communications.

Even as the iPhone develops further, I think well spend many years exploring the possibilities when it comes to to Augmented Reality. There could even come a day when a mere voice phone call to another person will become so quaint, it will be slowly dropped from the smartphone feature set. But itll still be called a phone, just like we call a cable modem a modem when it isnt.

I dont know about Phil Schillers claim of 50 years, but this device we call an iPhone will be around for a long time. Were getting ARtechnology in the near future because its nowenabled by a confluence of other technologies, not because its just another cool thing to do.

Original post:

Augmented Reality is a Natural Part of the iPhone's Technical Evolution - The Mac Observer (blog)

What We Can Expect in 2017

This leads us back to 2017 and what we think Google has in store for us. The reins were loosened on backlinks thanks to Penguin 4.0, but we dont know for how long. Google has said they are not planning on announcing any new updates to their Penguin algorithm, but I would expect them to eventually tighten up the reins again. People in the SEO community will see how far they can test the limits, which will eventually lead Google towards placing more control on the issue.

We can certainly expect more updates that emphasize a positive mobile experience for Google users. I suspect its going to expand the use of AMP and place greater importance on those pages. Also, the growing trend is to enhance the search results page with search features that include carousels, rich cards, knowledge graphs, and answer boxes. With Google favoring these types of search results, this will place more emphasis on adding structured data. Google keeps adding more types of rich cards and if you have a website that applies, youll want to mark up your site. In 2017, your goal could be to rely less on ranking #1 and more on showing up in other search feature areas on page 1.

An example of rich cards for hotels.

Movie rich cards in the SERPs.

There has been a surge of fake news sites lately and Google had to remove 200 sitesfor promoting misrepresentative content from its ad network. Facebook is doing the same. Removing these publishers from the ad network is only the first step. If this continues,I would expect to see a new Panda update that targets fake news site as low quality websites.

The other side of the search algorithm is paid search advertising. Google AdWords now takes the top four spots, when it used to only be the top three spots, further pushingdown organic search results. At this rate, organic search results will soon be pushed to page two. Ok, Im being dramatic again, but if that ever happens I predict the end of Google and rise of Bing. I, for one, welcome our new search robot overlords.

4 spots are now dedicated to Adwords, pushing the organic results further down the page.

Being #1 on Google is now less visible, and we all will need to adapt or risk losing out on valuable organic traffic. Google will continue to add new features for their advertisers to entice the searcher to click on their ad, lessening the need for people to scroll down to find the organic search results. Google gets most its revenue from AdWords, so expect them to keep adding features and manipulating the search results page to do whats best to drive paid clicks.

Keeping up with Google sounds exhausting but if you keep at the fundamentals, your site will thrive. In the end, Google just wants to give the searcher what theyre looking for. Its just good business. This means creating quality content that searchers are looking for. This is the best advice I can give you on future-proofing your SEO because it all comes back to that. In all honesty, the only Google update Im really looking forward to is when that Google self-driving car comes out. I look forward to texting and not driving.

See the original post:

The Google Search Algorithm Evolution of 2017 - Vertical Measures (blog)