August 2023

Various views of the partial skull of Anadoluvius turkae

0

An article published in the journal “Communications Biology” reports the assignment of fossils discovered in Anatolia in 2015 to a new species and a new genus of primitive hominins which was named Anadoluvius turkae. A team of researchers examined these fossils that form a partial skull discovered at the Çorakyerler site dating back to about 8.7 million years ago, in the Miocene period, concluding that it’s an ancestor of humans and great apes. This indicates that hominins evolved in Europe diversifying across the continent for a few million years before migrating to Africa, where the various hominin species already known evolved.

Aftershocks by Marko Kloos

0

The novel “Aftershocks” by Marko Kloos was published for the first time in 2019. It is the first book in The Palladium Wars series.

Aden Robertson was a prisoner of war for five years on the planet Rhodia after participating in an interplanetary war as part of the planet Gretia’s elite military corps. When his sentence ends according to the terms of the peace treaty, Aden finds himself with many uncertainties about his future, also because he intends to stay away from his family.

Color Sergeant Idina Chaudhary leads a team on patrol duty on Gretia as part of the occupation force. For years, there have been no incidents when her team is attacked by someone who is very well equipped. Lieutenant Commander Dunstan Park is on patrol duty at Gretia’s fleet, which was seized and waiting for the Allies to decide how to split it, when an unknown spaceship is detected in the area. Solveig Ragnar is the daughter of a powerful Gretian industrialist who was underage when the treaty was signed that ousted Falk Ragnar from his industry and as a result, she can go to work as an executive in her father’s company.

Palaeopycnogonides gracilis fossil (Photo courtesy Dr Romain Sabroux)

0

An article published in the journal “Papers in Palaeontology” reports the results of an examination of rare fossils of so-called sea spiders dating back to about 160 million years ago, during the Jurassic period. A team of researchers examined these fossils of marine arthropods which technically belong to the class of Pycnogonids (Pycnogonida). Fossils of these arthropods are rare and among them are some of the so-called fauna of La Voulte-sur-Rhône, a deposit in southwestern France known for its excellent conservation and abundance of fossils. This study led to the identification of three species of sea spiders which were named Palaeopycnogonides gracilis, Colossopantopodus boissinensis, and Palaeoendeis elmii. Their resemblance to the current species of Pycnogonids leads to the conclusion that their diversification began right in the Jurassic.

Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky

0

The novel “Eyes of the Void” by Adrian Tchaikovsky was published for the first time in 2022. It’s the second book in The Final Architecture series and follows “Shards of Earth”.

The Architects are back and more destructive than ever because even the ancient artifacts that once repelled them don’t work anymore. Humanity had united in the war against the Architects fought forty years earlier but now it seems more divided than ever into factions and none of them can face the new invasion on its own.

Idris is the Intermediary who had brought humanity’s most important victory against the Architects and is the one who discovered some of their secrets. For some isolationist factions, he’s a tool to be used while he wants to continue investigating the enemy, and to do so he must travel through unspace again.

Silhouette by Justin Richards

0

The novel “Silhouette” by Justin Richards was published for the first time in 2014.

When the Tardis detects energy emissions that are truly out of the ordinary for Victorian London, the Twelfth Doctor and Clara go to investigate. In the city, they learn that strange murders happened that attracted the attention of Vastra, Jenny, and Strax.

The Carnival of Curiosities showcases unique people and may be hiding someone who works for more than just the visitors’ amusement. However, the investigations also seem to focus on the industrialist Orestes Milton, a situation that makes it more difficult to understand what’s happening.