2023

Southlakia epibionticum, a type of Patescibacteria, growing on the surface of much larger, orange microbes. (Image courtesy Yaxi Wang, Wai Pang Chan and Scott Braswell/University of Washington)

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An article published in the journal “Cell” reports the results of the use of genetic manipulation to study the behavior of some bacteria belonging to a large group called Patescibacteria. A team of researchers managed to manipulate the DNA of bacteria belonging to the phylum Saccharibacteria, which is part of that large group, which is considered microbial dark matter for the difficulties biologists had in studying them. These are bacteria discovered not many years ago that are now considered interesting for their metabolic characteristics, which for example, may include enzymes useful in biotechnological applications.

Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel

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The novel “Waking Gods” by Sylvain Neuvel was published for the first time in 2017. It’s the second book in the Themis Files trilogy and follows “Sleeping Giants”.

It’s been years since the parts of the robot of alien origin that was named Themis were reassembled. It is now possible to drive it but there are still many unanswered questions regarding how it works and much more. For example, nobody knows what happened to Rose Franklin. The Earth Defense Corps, formed to defend the Earth from potential alien threats, seems quite useless.

The situation changes radically when another robot appears on Earth, in the middle of London. British authorities aren’t the only ones concerned about the consequences of alien arrivals on Earth. All over the world, emotional reactions are running high and even the mysterious man who manipulated the world’s most powerful people is losing control.

Various views of the partial skull of Anadoluvius turkae

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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

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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)

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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.