The brain of LB1, Homo floresiensis

The brain of Homo floresiensis was assessed by comparing a virtual endocast from the type specimen (LB1) with endocasts from great apes, Homo erectus, Homo sapiens, a human pygmy, a human microcephalic, specimen number Sts 5 (Australopithecus africanus), and specimen number WT 17000 (Paranthropus aethiopicus). Morphometric, allometric, and shape data indicate that LB1 is not a microcephalic or pygmy. LB1's brain/body size ratio scales like that of an australopithecine, but its endocast shape resembles that of Homo erectus. LB1 has derived frontal and temporal lobes and a lunate sulcus in a derived position, which are consistent with capabilities for higher cognitive processing.     

Cerebral cortices of East african early hominids

An endocast of the frontal lobe of a reconstructed skull, which is approximately 2 million years old, from the Koobi Fora region of Kenya appears to represent the oldest human-like cortical sulcal pattern in the fossil record, while the endocast from another skull from the same region produces an endocast that appears apelike in its frontal lobe and similar to endocasts from earlier South African australopithecines. New analysis of paleoanatomical evidence thus indicates that at least two taxa of early hominids coexisted in East Africa.     

Australopithecus sediba hand demonstrates mosaic evolution of locomotor and manipulative abilities

Hand bones from a single individual with a clear taxonomic affiliation are scarce in the hominin fossil record, which has hampered understanding the evolution of manipulative abilities in hominins. Here we describe and analyze a nearly complete wrist and hand of an adult female [Malapa Hominin 2 (MH2)] Australopithecus sediba from Malapa, South Africa (1.977 million years ago). The hand presents a suite of Australopithecus-like features, such as a strong flexor apparatus associated with arboreal locomotion, and Homo-like features, such as a long thumb and short fingers associated with precision gripping and possibly stone tool production. Comparisons to other fossil hominins suggest that there were at least two distinct hand morphotypes around the Plio-Pleistocene transition. The MH2 fossils suggest that Au. sediba may represent a basal condition associated with early stone tool use and production.     

A role for the macaque anterior cingulate gyrus in social valuation

Complex human social interaction is disrupted when the frontal lobe is damaged in disease, and in extreme cases patients are described as having acquired sociopathy. We compared, in macaques, the effects of lesions in subdivisions of the anterior cingulate and the orbitofrontal cortices believed to be anatomically homologous to those damaged in such patients. We show that the anterior cingulate gyrus in male macaques is critical for normal patterns of social interest in other individual male or female macaques. Conversely, the orbitofrontal cortex lesion had a marked effect only on responses to mildly fear-inducing stimuli. These results suggest that damage to the anterior cingulate gyrus may be the cause of changes in social interaction seen after frontal lobe damage.     

云南山羊肾乳头和肾盂的解剖结构

 本研究利用云南本地山羊肾进行解剖,并做铸型标本和组织切片标本综合观察发现,云南山羊肾小叶的皮质部完全融合,髓质部的融合情况与部位有关。在肾的正中额切部位,锥体和乳头完全融合形成嵴状总乳头;而在其两侧部位,又有规律地分布多锥体结构,但多锥体的乳头部汇集于嵴状总乳头上开口。云南山羊既有肾盂,又有与肾盂连通的隐窝结构。而叶间动脉、静脉就在分开的锥体和隐窝结构之间通过。据观察,云南山羊的肾盂、肾乳头的解剖结构与新疆细毛羊的有关结构基本相似,但肾小叶的数目较少。     

Molecular Marker Assisted Selection for Yield-Enhancing Genes in the Progeny of Minghui63 × O.rufipogon

Two yield-enhancing genes (yldl.1 and yld2.1) are located on chromosomes 1 and 2 respectively in a weedy relative of cultivated rice, Oryza rufipogon. SSR markers RM9 and RM166 are closely linked with the two loci respectively. Minghui63 (MH63) has been a widely used restoration line in hybrid rice production in China during the past two decades. The F1 of cross "MH63 × O.rufipogon" was backcrossed with MH63 generation by generation. RM9 and RM166 were used to select the plants from the progeny of the backcross populations. The results were as follows: (1) In BC2F1 population, the percentage of the individuals which have RM9 and RM166 amplified bands simultaneously was 12.2%, while in the BC3F1 population, that was 16.3%. (2) Among 400individuals of BC3F1, four yield-promising plants were obtained, with yield being 30% more than that of MH63. (3) The products amplified by primer RM166 in O. rufipogon and MH63 were sequenced. It was found that the DNA fragment sequence amplified by RM166 from MH63 was 101 bp shorter than that from O. rufipogon. The 101 bp sequence is a part of an intron of the PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) gene.     

Orrorin tugenensis femoral morphology and the evolution of hominin bipedalism

Bipedalism is a key human adaptation and a defining feature of the hominin clade. Fossil femora discovered in Kenya and attributed to Orrorin tugenensis, at 6 million years ago, purportedly provide the earliest postcranial evidence of hominin bipedalism, but their functional and phylogenetic affinities are controversial. We show that the O. tugenensis femur differs from those of apes and Homo and most strongly resembles those of Australopithecus and Paranthropus, indicating that O. tugenensis was bipedal but is not more closely related to Homo than to Australopithecus. Femoral morphology indicates that O. tugenensis shared distinctive hip biomechanics with australopiths, suggesting that this complex evolved early in human evolution and persisted for almost 4 million years until modifications of the hip appeared in the late Pliocene in early Homo.     

The involvement of the orbitofrontal cortex in the experience of regret

Facing the consequence of a decision we made can trigger emotions like satisfaction, relief, or regret, which reflect our assessment of what was gained as compared to what would have been gained by making a different decision. These emotions are mediated by a cognitive process known as counterfactual thinking. By manipulating a simple gambling task, we characterized a subject's choices in terms of their anticipated and actual emotional impact. Normal subjects reported emotional responses consistent with counterfactual thinking; they chose to minimize future regret and learned from their emotional experience. Patients with orbitofrontal cortical lesions, however, did not report regret or anticipate negative consequences of their choices. The orbitofrontal cortex has a fundamental role in mediating the experience of regret.     

Environment and behavior of 2.5-million-year-old Bouri hominids

The Hata Member of the Bouri Formation is defined for Pliocene sedimentary outcrops in the Middle Awash Valley, Ethiopia. The Hata Member is dated to 2.5 million years ago and has produced a new species of Australopithecus and hominid postcranial remains not currently assigned to species. Spatially associated zooarchaeological remains show that hominids acquired meat and marrow by 2.5 million years ago and that they are the near contemporary of Oldowan artifacts at nearby Gona. The combined evidence suggests that behavioral changes associated with lithic technology and enhanced carnivory may have been coincident with the emergence of the Homo clade from Australopithecus afarensis in eastern Africa.     

Simulated wind pollination and airflow around ovules of some early seed plants

Scale models of various early seed plant ovules and cupules were analyzed both for their characteristic air disturbance patterns and for the frequency of impact with airborne models of pollen (pseudopollen). The fossils on which the models were based had been arranged in an evolutionary sequence purporting to show the origin of the integument by the acropetal fusion and reduction in length of a subtending truss of lobes. Wind tunnel analyses of scale models showing the various stages in the consolidation of these preintegumentary lobes indicated that turbulent flow increases and becomes localized around the nucellar apex (salpinx) with the syngenesis and length reduction of those lobes. Similarly, the frequency of windborne pseudopollen impact increased. Thus, the transition from the megasporangium to the fully integumented ovule appears to favor increased wind-mediated pollination.     

Cognition. The holey grail of general intelligence

Exactly what is human intelligence and how should we measure it? Such questions have plagued us since the time of Plato, who first proposed that the seat of intelligence is in the brain. In a Perspective, Sternberg discusses new findings (Duncan et al.) that purport to show that the seat of general intelligence is located in the brain's frontal lobes. But, as Sternberg points out, measures of intelligence are only as good as the tests you use and the conclusions that you draw from them.     

Activation of extrastriate and frontal cortical areas by visual words and word-like stimuli

Visual presentation of words activates extrastriate regions of the occipital lobes of the brain. When analyzed by positron emission tomography (PET), certain areas in the left, medial extrastriate visual cortex were activated by visually presented pseudowords that obey English spelling rules, as well as by actual words. These areas were not activated by nonsense strings of letters or letter-like forms. Thus visual word form computations are based on learned distinctions between words and nonwords. In addition, during passive presentation of words, but not pseudowords, activation occurred in a left frontal area that is related to semantic processing. These findings support distinctions made in cognitive psychology and computational modeling between high-level visual and semantic computations on single words and describe the anatomy that may underlie these distinctions.     

The diets of early hominins

Diet changes are considered key events in human evolution. Most studies of early hominin diets focused on tooth size, shape, and craniomandibular morphology, as well as stone tools and butchered animal bones. However, in recent years, dental microwear and stable isotope analyses have hinted at unexpected diversity and complexity in early hominin diets. Some traditional ideas have held; others, such as an increasing reliance on hard-object feeding and a dichotomy between Australopithecus and Paranthropus, have been challenged. The first known evidence of C(4) plant (tropical grasses and sedges) and hard-object (e.g., seeds and nuts) consumption dates to millions of years after the appearance of the earliest probable hominins, and there are no consistent trends in diet change among these species through time.     

Australopithecus garhi: a new species of early hominid from Ethiopia

The lack of an adequate hominid fossil record in eastern Africa between 2 and 3 million years ago (Ma) has hampered investigations of early hominid phylogeny. Discovery of 2.5 Ma hominid cranial and dental remains from the Hata beds of Ethiopia's Middle Awash allows recognition of a new species of Australopithecus. This species is descended from Australopithecus afarensis and is a candidate ancestor for early Homo. Contemporary postcranial remains feature a derived humanlike humeral/femoral ratio and an apelike upper arm-to-lower arm ratio.     

植物源农药防治烟草花叶病试验

为探寻防治烟草花叶病的理想药剂,经大量试验筛选,利用商陆、甘草、连翘等几种植物抽提配制而成的复配剂ＭＨ１１－４,对由Ｔｏｂａｃｃｏ ｍｏｓａｉｃ ｖｉｒｕｓ（ＴＭＶ）和Ｃｕｃｕｍｂｅｒ ｍａｓａｉｃ ｖｉｒｕｓ（ＣＭＶ）引起的烟草花叶病进行了室内和田间小区防治试验。室内盆栽试验结果表明,ＭＨ１１－４２００倍液对ＴＭＶ和ＣＭＶ的朱抑制率分别为６１．９％和５６．９％,体外钝化效果分别为８６．０２％和９     

Effects of Pesticide Applications on the Biochemical Properties of Transgenic cry 2A Rice and the Life History Parameters of Nilaparvata lugens Stål (Homptera: Delphacidae)

Effects of transgenic Bt rice on non-target pests following pesticide applications plays an important role in evaluating the ecological safety of transgenic rice. Changes of the life history parameters of laboratory population of Nilaparvata lugens feeding on transgenic Bt rice T2A-1 and its parental line cv. MH63 as the control, and the contents of oxalic acid and soluble sugar following three pesticides (triazophos, jinggangmycin and chlorantraniliprole) treatments were investigated in this paper. Results showed that the population parameters of N. lugens and the physiological and biochemical parameters of rice did not differ significantly between T2A-1 and MH63 without pesticide application. But, the emergence rate (ER), the nymphal number of next generation (NN), and the index of population trend (IP) on T2A-1 treated with 10 mg L^?1 of triazophos were significantly higher than those on MH63, respectively, while the hatchability (HB) on T2A-1 treated with the three pesticides were obviously lower than those on MH 63. Furthermore, the content of oxalic acid in MH63 treated with 20 mg L^?1 triazophos and, 40 and 80 mg L^?1 chlorantraniliprole was significantly higher than that in T2A-1, while the content of soluble sugar in T2A-1 treated with 400 mg L^?1 jinggangmycin was significantly higher than that in MH63. The results above indicated that triazophos in a low dose could cause a more favor of T2A-1 to population growth of N. lugens compared with MH 63.     

Spin transition zone in Earth's lower mantle

Mineral properties in Earth's lower mantle are affected by iron electronic states, but representative pressures and temperatures have not yet been probed. Spin states of iron in lower-mantle ferropericlase have been measured up to 95 gigapascals and 2000 kelvin with x-ray emission in a laser-heated diamond cell. A gradual spin transition of iron occurs over a pressure-temperature range extending from about 1000 kilometers in depth and 1900 kelvin to 2200 kilometers and 2300 kelvin in the lower mantle. Because low-spin ferropericlase exhibits higher density and faster sound velocities relative to the high-spin ferropericlase, the observed increase in low-spin (Mg,Fe)O at mid-lower mantle conditions would manifest seismically as a lower-mantle spin transition zone characterized by a steeper-than-normal density gradient.     

Chimpanzee bipedalism: cineradiographic analysis and implications for the evolution of gait

Bipedal chimpanzees reorient the pelvis to achieve an upright posture but retain the same pattern of femoral flexion and extension as in quadrupedal walking. Major differences from human gait are the abducted, relatively more flexed excursion of the femur and the timing of pelvic tilt, which raises during the swing phase. The femoral head morphology in the fossil hominid Australopithecus robustus is evidence of an approximately vertical excursion of the femur in contrast to the adducted pattern of modern man and the abducted pattern of chimpanzees.     

转cry1Ab抗虫水稻对褐飞虱取食及产卵选择行为的影响

通过室内试验研究了褐飞虱在转cry1Ab抗虫水稻(mf-MH3301-1)和非转基因水稻(MH3301)上的取食和产卵选择行为,并通过Y型嗅觉仪研究了褐飞虱对2种水稻的趋性反应.结果表明:转基因水稻mf-MH3301-1对褐飞虱成虫的取食选择行为有一定的影响,在接虫后2、4、8 h,雄成虫在Bt水稻上的着虫率显著低于对照MH3301,而雌成虫在接虫后4、8 h在Bt水稻上的着虫率显著低于对照MH3301.然而,Bt水稻对于褐飞虱的产卵选择性和趋性反应均无显著影响.     

二化螟对转CpTI基因水稻的抗性演变与风险评估

本文以转CpTI基因(单基因)的水稻明恢86(MH86CpTI)为对象,以明恢86(MH86)为对照,通过室内汰选等一系列试验,研究二化螟对MH86CpTI的抗性演变规律.结果表明,经过17代汰选的二化螟对MH86CpTI表现出一定的抗性特征,表现在喂食MH86CpTI稻秆的二化螟2龄幼虫校正死亡率由F0的(89.27±5.63)%到F16只有(58.34±9.0)%;对二化螟生长发育如幼虫体重、体长、蛹期、孵化率等指标的影响也逐代减小.表明经汰选后的二化螟对MH86CpTI的适合性逐代增强,进入早期抗性阶段.可预测出二化螟对转基因水稻存在一定的抗性风险.