Page 28 - aruba-today-20180127

A28 SCIENCE
Saturday 27 January 2018
Fossil shows modern humans left Africa earlier than thought

By SETH BORENSTEIN He couldn't have made
AP Science Writer all of it. He must have had
WASHINGTON (AP) — A some friends."
fossil found in Israel indi- One of the interesting
cates modern humans things about the tools is
may have left Africa as that while they were used
much as 100,000 years on animal hides for meat
earlier than previously and skin use, they were
thought. more frequently used on
Scientists say that an an- vegetables, Weinstein-Ev-
cient upper jawbone and ron said.
associated stone tools Eric Delson, a paleoanthro-
could also mean that pologist at Lehman Col-
Homo sapiens — modern lege and the American
humans — arose in Africa Museum of Natural His-
far earlier than fossils now tory who wasn't part of the
show. And it may cause study, said in an email, "Mis-
rethinking about how we liya may be one of several
evolved and interacted 'out of Africa' migrations"
with now-extinct cousin and even though it is the
species, such as Neander- oldest modern human fos-
thals. This undated photo provided by researcher Gerhard Weber shows a portion of the upper left jaw sil, there may have been
"When they start moving and teeth from the Misliya-1 fossil. even earlier migrations.
out of Africa and what Associated Press He and others said the
geographical route they jawbone finding makes
choose to do it are the outside of Africa were ing their study. They say the "Now we have to write sense and is an exciting
two most important ques- somewhere from 90,000 to jaw belonged to a young another story," Weinstein- discovery. Israel Hershko-
tions in recent human evo- 120,000 years old, also in Is- adult of unknown gender. Evron said. "People were vitz, an anthropologist at
lution," said Tel Aviv Univer- rael. So given the range in The Science paper sug- moving all the time." the Tel Aviv University in Is-
sity anthropologist Israel both those estimates, the gests modern humans Scientists believe our spe- rael and the study's lead
Hershkovitz, lead author jawbone might be about could have left Africa cies dispersed from Africa author, said the ages of
of a study published in the 50,000 to 100,000 years 220,000 years ago, with more than once. the jaw and the tools sug-
journal Science . older. some of the authors saying The tool supply in the cave gest our species had left
The jawbone, complete The jaw was found in 2002 in maybe it was even earlier. and other evidence were Africa 200,000 years ago or
with several well-pre- the collapsed Misliya (miss- That's in part because the so complete it basically earlier. And that, he said,
served teeth, was found to LEE-uh) cave on the west- cave also contained about showed "industry" by the suggests we may have ap-
be somewhere between ern slope of Mount Carmel. 60,000 flint tools, mostly early modern humans, she peared in Africa as long
177,000 and 194,000 years Researchers spent the last blades and sharp points, said. "This guy or woman as 500,000 years ago. The
old. decade-and-a-half look- some of which are 250,000 would have been very oldest known fossils of our
Previously, the oldest fossils ing for more remains and years old, said study co-au- busy," she said. "He didn't species are about 300,000
of modern humans found other fossils before publish- thor Mina Weinstein-Evron. have enough time do this. years old.q

Study confirms flu increases

risk of heart attack in elderly

By MIKE STOBBE ous study that allows us to in that first week," said lead
AP Medical Writer make a much more specif- author Dr. Jeffrey Kwong
NEW YORK (AP) — As if the ic link between flu infection of the Institute for Clinical
flu wasn't bad enough al- and heart issues," said Rich- Evaluative Sciences in To-
ready: Researchers have ard Webby, a prominent ronto.
confirmed that flu sharply flu researcher at St. Jude How does flu — a respira-
increases the risk of heart Children's Research Hospi- tory ailment with a fever,
attack for older people. tal in Memphis. He was not cough and aches — trig-
Doctors have long known involved in the research. ger a heart attack?
that flu can trigger heart Results were published Flu can cause swelling or
This 1973 electron microscope image made available by the problems. It's one of the Wednesday in the New inflammation in the coro-
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows influenza reasons flu shots are rec- England Journal of Medi- nary arteries, which can
virus particles.
Associated Press ommended for nearly ev- cine. The researchers re- shake loose plaque and
eryone. A new Canadian viewed more than five cause blockages, cutting
study found that risk was years of hospital and lab off blood flow.
six times higher in the first records in Ontario. They "That's the main culprit,"
week after flu is diagnosed, found 332 mostly elderly said Dr. Mohammad Mad-
compared to the year be- people who had a positive jid, a cardiologist and flu
fore and after the bug hits. flu test and had suffered a researcher at Houston's
Unlike previous studies, the heart attack within a year. University of Texas Health
researchers used lab tests There was one strong pat- Science Center.
to make sure people sus- tern: 20 had a heart attack Adding to that is the strain
pected of having the flu within a week of getting that flu and other viral in-
really did. the flu. Six died. fections place on already-
"It's a much more rigor- "The increased risk was only weakened hearts.q