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New Study Suggests Animal Life May Have Evolved 200 Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought

New Study Suggests Animal Life May Have Evolved 200 Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought

A new study led by the University of Oxford, published in Science Advances, suggests that the animal kingdom may have begun significantly earlier than indicated by the oldest undisputed animal fossils. Researchers propose that animals could have evolved between 800 and 700 million years ago, pushing back the estimated origin by up to 200 million years. This re-evaluation challenges the long-held belief that animal origins were tied to the Ediacaran Period, around 590 million years ago, based on the Weng'an Biota in southern China. The Oxford-led team re-examined the logic behind this timeline by studying the younger Kheseen Biota in Mongolia. Despite excellent preservation of microfossils, no animal remains were found there, even though animals were known to exist elsewhere at that time. This finding weakened the argument that the absence of animal fossils in the Weng'an Biota meant animals hadn't yet appeared. By recalibrating molecular clock analyses with older geological anchors from Norway, Australia, ...
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New Study Suggests Animals May Have Evolved 200 Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought

New Study Suggests Animals May Have Evolved 200 Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought

A new study led by the University of Oxford suggests that animals may have evolved up to 200 million years earlier than current fossil evidence indicates. Published in *Science Advances*, the research challenges the conventional understanding that animal life appeared relatively suddenly just before the Cambrian Period (539 to 487 million years ago). The study re-evaluates how scientists have used the fossil record to set a maximum age for the origin of animals. Previously, the 590-million-year-old Weng'an Biota in China, which preserves microscopic organisms but no definitive animals, led scientists to infer that animals originated after this period. However, the research team, including members from the University of California, Berkeley, ETH Zürich, and Yale University, conducted a comprehensive survey of microfossils from the Kheseen Biota in Mongolia. This biota is over 40 million years younger than Weng'an, and while it also shows exceptional preservation of microfossils, it lacks definitive animal f...
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Northwestern University Scientists Link Cannabinoids to Anxiety-Like Behavior in Mice Under Stress

Northwestern University Scientists Link Cannabinoids to Anxiety-Like Behavior in Mice Under Stress

Scientists at Northwestern University have identified a specific group of neurons in the central nucleus of the amygdala that appear to be connected to anxiety-like behavior induced by cannabinoids in stressful situations. The study, published on October 2 in the journal Nature Communications, involved experiments with mice. Researchers exposed mice to a threatening odor, derived from fox urine, after administering either a placebo or a synthetic cannabinoid drug. The mice that received the cannabinoid exhibited increased freezing behavior and reduced exploration of the odor source, indicating heightened anxiety. This behavioral response was correlated with elevated activity in the somatostatin neurons located within the central nucleus of the amygdala, a brain region known for its role in processing fear and stress. During the experiments, different doses of the cannabinoid drug were given to the mice, and their responses, including time spent near the odor, freezing, and escape behaviors, were meticulous...
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Scientists Discover Hidden Brain Channels Potentially Clearing Alzheimer's Proteins in Mice

Scientists Discover Hidden Brain Channels Potentially Clearing Alzheimer's Proteins in Mice

Researchers at University College London have identified a previously undocumented network of tiny channels within the brain that may play a crucial role in flushing out toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease. These channels, approximately 2 micrometers across, form an interconnected mesh extending along blood vessels into brain membranes and nerves. In experiments conducted on mice, fluorescently labeled tau and amyloid beta proteins were observed entering and traveling through these channels towards the brain's surface. The study also found the animals' own amyloid beta within these channels in mice modeling Alzheimer's, suggesting a role in transporting naturally produced proteins. Similar structures were observed in human brain tissue removed during surgery, indicating a potential shared clearance route. This research, currently a preprint and not yet peer-reviewed, aims to address the poorly understood pathways by which toxic proteins are removed from the brain, a critical knowledge gap in...
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Scientists just found a crocodile they never knew existed

Scientists just found a crocodile they never knew existed

A new species of extinct crocodile has been identified from fossils originally discovered in the same limestone used to build the Great Sphinx.
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American Deisseroth and Germans Hegemann and Nagel win 2026 Nobel medicine prize

American Deisseroth and Germans Hegemann and Nagel win 2026 Nobel medicine prize

STOCKHOLM, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Scientists Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for "discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics," the award-giving body said on Monday.
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US and German scientists win Nobel medicine prize for work on light and brain

US and German scientists win Nobel medicine prize for work on light and brain

By Johan Ahlander, Marie Mannes and Bhanvi Satija STOCKHOLM, Oct 5 (Reuters) - American Karl Deisseroth and Germans Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday for developing optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control individual nerve cells
ReutersReuters
German and US scientists win Nobel medicine prize for work on optogenetics

German and US scientists win Nobel medicine prize for work on optogenetics

STOCKHOLM, Oct 5 (Reuters) - American Karl Deisseroth and Germans Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday for their discoveries on light and optogenetics that have helped understand how the brain works.
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German and US scientists win Nobel medicine prize for work on light and brain

German and US scientists win Nobel medicine prize for work on light and brain

By Johan Ahlander, Marie Mannes and Bhanvi Satija STOCKHOLM, Oct 5 (Reuters) - American Karl Deisseroth and Germans Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday for developing optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control individual nerve cells
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California scientist wins a Nobel Prize, then makes school lunches for his kids

California scientist wins a Nobel Prize, then makes school lunches for his kids

Dr. Karl Deisseroth spent hours fielding congratulatory calls after learning that he had won a Nobel Prize for medicine for helping to open a new field of brain science called optogenetics