science news 11.6.2019

Today's selection of science news. Links are normally to press releases on EurekAlert (at the bottom end I may also add a couple of newspaper stories). I include quotes from the summary (using quotation marks) in cases where the title alone doesn't reveal what the story is about. My own thoughts appear without quotation marks, if I have any.


astrobiology

New study dramatically narrows the search for advanced life in the universe
"... a buildup of toxic gases in the atmospheres of most planets makes them unfit for complex life as we know it."

Mass anomaly detected under the moon's largest crater
Wasn't that the place where Jeff Bezos wants to build his second home? A massive metal mine could be handy for that.


ecology

Past climate change pushed birds from the northern hemisphere to the tropics

Life in Antarctica's ice mirrors human disease
"Mapping tens of thousands of genes from a group of Antarctic fishes called notothenioids, a team of researchers has discovered that the massive amount of genetic change required for life in the Antarctic occurred long before the Antarctic cooled. These genetic changes not only have major implications for understanding the evolution of Antarctica's unusual animals, but also highlight that some key adaptations used by fishes mirror the genetics of human bone diseases such as osteoporosis."



Gobionotothen gibberifrons, a common Antarctic notothenioid fish.
Credit: A. Dornburg


scorpions

What's your poison? Scrupulous scorpions tailor venom to target

Stanford researchers synthesize healing compounds in scorpion venom


food and drink

Dramatic change in ancient nomad diets coincides with expansion of networks across Eurasia
"Strengthening of political networks coincided with the intensification of agricultural production, resulting in the widespread adoption of millet by populations across Eurasia."


Ancient DNA from Roman and medieval grape seeds reveal ancestry of wine making
"A grape variety still used in wine production in France today can be traced back 900 years to just one ancestral plant, scientists have discovered."

Structuring sweetness: What makes Stevia 200 times sweeter than sugar
"New research from Washington University in St. Louis reveals the molecular machinery behind the high-intensity sweetness of the stevia plant. The results could be used to engineer new non-caloric products without the aftertaste that many associate with sweetener marketed as Stevia."
Note though that it's not all that difficult to be 200 times sweeter than sugar, as sugar isn't a good ligand for the sweet taste receptor.


humans

The Neolithic precedents of gender inequality
"Inequality between men and women was not generally consolidated in Iberia during the Neolithic. However, situations progressively appeared that indicate dominance of men over women. Four important lines in which inequality between men and women can be investigated through successive historical periods are their access to funeral rites, the material conditions of their existence, the appearance of specific social roles for each of the genders and the growing association of men with violence."

Millennials are 'canaries in the coalmine' for toxic economic trends
"A new report by Stanford scholars lays out the problems US millennials face as a result of decades-long rising inequality. Problems they experience include rising mortality rates and increased poverty among those without college degrees."