Nov 30: Exploring the limits of human longevity, and more
Analyzing dino poop, robotic shorts, preventing shark attacks, and fossilized human footprints.
On this week's episode of Quirks & Quarks with Bob McDonald:
Bones aren't the only thing we can use to understand the dinosaurs. A new study of a rich trove of fossilized feces and vomit is telling the story of how dinosaurs diversified and came to dominate the planet starting 230 million years ago. Paleontologist Martin Qvarnström from Uppsala University in Sweden said it appears that the secret to dinosaurs' success is in their ability to adapt to their changing environment. Their research is published in the journal Nature.
Scientists have incorporated artificial tendons and electric motors into shorts to provide support and assistance to the hip flexor muscles that are critical for walking. In both young and old people, the shorts improved performance, and so could make a difference for those whose mobility has been compromised. Enrica Tricomi, a visiting researcher at the Technical University of Munich, co-developed this prototype. The study was published in the journal Nature.
Sharks attacks on humans are often a result of mistaken identity, when they mistake a swimming human or a surfboard for a seal or sea lion. Researchers have found that a bright patterns of LED lights can break up the visual pattern of a swimmer so that they look less like a shark's usual prey. Lucille Chapuis was part of the team that tested various patterns of lights in Seal Island, South Africa. Their research was published in Current Biology.
Preserved footprints near a lakeshore in Kenya show that two species of early humans, Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei, shared the same watering hole 1.5 million years ago. This is the first direct evidence of two species of hominids sharing the same space at the same time. Kevin Hatala, professor of Biology at Chatham University, and his team's findings are in the journal Science.
Human lifespans lengthened amazingly in the 20th century, thanks to reductions in infant mortality, improvements in public health, and successes against infectious disease. But according to a new study by S. Jay Olshansky, those gains have started to flatline in recent years. By looking at the countries with the longest lifespans, Olshansky and his colleagues found that we have traded childhood diseases for age-related diseases like cancers and Alzheimer's, and so we shouldn't expect to make many more gains in human lifespan using our current methods. Instead, he says, we should focus on improving the quality of the extra years we've gained so far. His work was published in the journal Nature Aging.
We also speak with William Mair, a Professor of Molecular Metabolism at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is part of a new field of study called Geroscience, which looks at slowing down the process of aging as a whole. In his lab he has been able to extend the lifespan of simpler creatures like nematode worms and mice, and says while we have no proof we can extend a human's maximum lifespan at this time, that doesn't mean it won't be possible in the future.
