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A28 SCIENCE
Friday 8 November 2019
Standing tall: Scientists find oldest example of upright ape

By FRANK JORDANS opposed to great apes,"
Associated Press Boehme said.
BERLIN (AP) — The remains Thanks to several well-pre-
of an ancient ape found in served bones, the scientists
a Bavarian clay pit suggest were able to reconstruct
that humans' ancestors be- how Danuvius moved, con-
gan standing upright mil- cluding that, while it would
lions of years earlier than have been able to hang
previously thought, scien- from branches by his arms,
tists said Wednesday. it could also straighten his
An international team of re- legs to walk upright.
searchers says the fossilized "This changes our view of
partial skeleton of a male early human evolution,
ape that lived almost 12 which is that it all hap-
million years ago in the hu- pened in Africa," Boehme
mid forests of what is now told The Associated Press in
southern Germany bears an interview.
a striking resemblance to Unlike humans, though,
modern human bones. In Danuvius had a powerful,
a paper published by the opposable big toe that
journal Nature, they con- would have allowed it to
cluded that the previously grab branches with its foot
unknown species — named A man holds bones of the previously unknown primate species Danuvius guggenmosi in his hand and safely walk through
Danuvius guggenmosi — in Tuebingen, Oct.17, 2019. Palaeontologists have discovered fossils in southern Germany that the treetops.
could walk on two legs but shed new light on the development of the upright corridor. Fred Spoor, a paleontolo-
also climb like an ape. Associated Press gist at the Natural History
The findings "raise funda- since Charles Darwin first ined more than 15,000 that lived 11.62 million years Museum in London, said
mental questions about argued that they were the bones recovered from a ago. The most complete, the fossil finds were excit-
our previous understand- ancestors of humans. Pre- trove of archaeological re- an adult male, likely stood ing but would likely be the
ing of the evolution of the vious fossil records of apes mains known as the Ham- about 1 meter (3 feet, 4 subject of much debate,
great apes and humans," with an upright gait — merschmiede, or Hammer inches) tall, weighed 31 ki- not least because it could
said Madelaine Boehme of found in Crete and Kenya Smithy, about 70 kilometers lograms (68 pounds) and challenge many existing
the University of Tuebingen, — dated only as far back (44 miles) west of the Ger- looked similar to modern- ideas about evolution.
Germany, who led the re- as 6 million years ago. many city of Munich. day bonobos, a species of "This is fantastic material,"
search. Boehme, along with re- Among the remains they chimpanzee. said Spoor, who wasn't in-
The question of when apes searchers from Bulgaria, were able to piece togeth- "It was astonishing for us to volved in the study. "There
evolved bipedal motion Germany, Canada and er were primate fossils be- realize how similar certain undoubtedly will be a lot
has fascinated scientists the United States, exam- longing to four individuals bones are to humans, as for people to analyze."q

Wine cellar in space: 12 bottles arrive for year of aging

By MARCIA DUNN Cargo Unlimited, a Luxem- station to more business
AP Aerospace Writer bourg startup. Winemaking opportunities like this and,
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. uses both yeast and bac- eventually, even private
(AP) — A dozen bottles of teria, and involves chemi- astronaut missions.
fine French wine arrived at cal processes, making The Cygnus capsule that
the space station Monday, wine ideal for space study, pulled up to the space
not for the astronauts, but said University of Erlangen- station on Monday con-
for science. Nuremberg's Michael Leb- tains multiple commercial
The red Bordeaux wine will ert, the experiment's scien- ventures. Also on board:
age for a year up there tific director, in a company an oven for baking choco-
before returning to Earth. video. The space-aged late chip cookies, as well
Researchers will study how wine will be compared to as samples of carbon fiber
weightlessness and space Bordeaux wine aged on used by Italy's Lamborghini
In this Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019 photo provided by Space Cargo radiation affect the aging Earth. What's left will go to in its sports cars.
Unlimited, researchers with Space Cargo Unlimited prepare
bottles of French red wine to be flown aboard a Northrop process. The goal is to de- those who helped pay for Budweiser has already sent
Grumman capsule from Wallops Island, Va., to the International velop new flavors and prop- the research, according to barley seeds to the station,
Space Station. erties for the food industry. a company spokeswoman. with an eye to becoming
Associated Press The bottles flew up aboard This is the first of six space the beverage of choice on
a Northrop Grumman cap- missions planned by the Mars. In 2015, a Japanese
sule that launched from company over the next company known for its
Virginia on Saturday and three years touching on whiskey and other alcohol-
arrived at the International the future of agriculture ic drinks sent up samples.
Space Station on Monday. given our changing world. Scotch also made a visit
Each bottle was packed in "This is a once-in-a-life- to space in another experi-
a metal canister to prevent time adventure," Nicolas ment. The space station's
breakage. Gaume, chief executive current crew includes three
Universities in Bordeaux, and co-founder of Space Americans, two Russians
France, and Bavaria, Ger- Cargo Unlimited, said in a and an Italian, who might
many, are taking part in statement. have preferred a good
the experiment from Space NASA is opening the space Chianti on board.q