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Human Ancestors Were Walking on Two Feet Even More than 3.5 Million Years Ago (Study)

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two skeletons of a modern human and early human

Scientists took a closer look at the way in which our human ancestors walked 3 million years ago.

 

STATES CHRONICLE – Human ancestors were able to walk upright on two feet millions of years before they evolved larger brains and the higher state of consciousness that people enjoy today. Anthropologists say the ability to walk upright was a key factor that led to the advances in brain power.

That’s because walking on two feet meant the hands could be free to manipulate objects. This is believed to have eventually led to the development of tools and weapons. Walking upright also allowed our human ancestors to range far and wide. In turn, this enabled them to get better at finding food and supply for other existential needs.

 

How Walking on Two Feet Led to Where We are Today

 

A distant ancestor of modern humans was the Australopithecus. This likely first emerged about 3.6 million years ago. A partial skeleton of this species was first discovered by lime quarry workers in 1924 near Taung, South Africa.

Perhaps the most famous member of this long-extinct species is Lucy, found by paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson. Lucy’s skeleton was 40% complete. She was determined to have died some 3.2 million years ago.

Anthropologists got a big breakthrough in 1997 when a nearly complete Australopithecus skeleton was uncovered in a cave near Gauteng, South Africa. Having nearly all the bones, including foot bones, allowed scientist to run extensive tests on how these hominids walked.

The comparison between their footprints and those of modern-day humans revealed a surprisingly close match.
Scientists say watching one of these creatures walk would have looked “very human-like.”

This ability to walk with ease across flat surfaces meant no longer being dependent on trees. Namely, upright walking primates did not have to stay close to forested areas to seek shelter from predators because they could run or locate secure refuges in caves or other treeless locations.

Walking on two feet 3.6 million years ago provided the time needed for the painstaking evolutionary advances that led to the appearance of modern human beings.

The results of a study on the matter were presented in April during the American Association of Anatomists’ annual meeting. 

 

Image Source: Wikimedia

Is This Really Snow Seen in This GIF of the Rosetta Comet?

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rosetta comet

A recently created GIF shows what appears to be a ‘snowstorm’ on the Rosetta comet.

 

STATES CHRONICLE – Recently, an impressive GIF started circulating on the internet showing what was termed as being a “snowstorm” on Rosetta. While that is not really snow in the popular GIF of the Rosetta Comet, the short video should nonetheless still provide a spectacular view of what it would be like if you could stand on a comet.

How the “Snowstorm” on the Rosetta Comet was Created

A Twitter user under the ID: @landru79 created the image. He did so by using still images that were acquired from the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft. These show Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, better known as Rosetta. The $1.6 billion probe followed and observed for twelve years and at an astounding 356 million miles away from the Sun.

In 2016, the spacecraft was getting too far away to absorb enough solar energy to keep working. As such, it purposefully crashed into its prey, sending back readings which scientists are still analyzing today.

In the GIF, which only lasts a few seconds, we see a monochrome view of the comet’s surface. The camera shifts slightly, which allows the craggy cliff to its left to really feel three-dimensional. Everything looks white, while specks of white fly around in the air, giving the appearance of a snowy day.

Mark McCaughrean, a senior adviser for the European Space Agency, shared the tweet with his followers as well.

He also managed to identify the stars in the background as belonging to the constellation Canis Major.

Viewers will be mistaken if they think that that really is snow on the Rosetta Comet, but other than that, this gives a good impression of what it would be like to visit and stand in a place none of us are likely to ever go.

Image Source: Wikimedia

Volunteer-Based Mexican Studio Releases Sidescrolling Doom Clone

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Doom and MiniDoom 2

MiniDoom 2, the humorous Doom clone, is free to download and play.

If you’re having trouble finding something cool to play, then you should definitely try out Calavera Studio’s recently released Doom 2 clone. Dubbed MiniDoom, the two-parter promises the same trigger-frenzy action as the original game in addition to humorous cutscenes and epic boss battles.

Doom Clone Scheduled to Launch with Doom 4

According to Calavera Studio’s developers, MiniDoom was supposed to launch around the same date as big brother Doom 4, but the guys missed the scheduled due to financial issues. Once it was released the first MiniDoom was more of a flash game than a fully-fledged one, but the humorous cutscenes, rancid comments, and Metal Slug-interface made it enjoyable.

And now, the developers announced that a sequel has just been made available, and this time they aim to please. MiniDoom 2 has 17 new levels, 14 exotic arms, ranging from the classic chainsaw to the BFG, five difficulty levels, and four gameplay modes.

Since this is not an official ID Software game and more of a parody, the team has decided to include a couple of weapons that don’s feature in the original release. With MiniDoom 2 released, the company is currently working on a new Sidescrolling title called Killumination.

What can you expect from MiniDoom 2? Well, apart from the undying character dubbed the Doom guy and Doom-inspired creatures such as the Hell Knight of the freaky robotic spider with a big brain, the game has everything need to satisfy both casual and hardcore gamers.

Conclusion

It’s up to you now to decide between a brisk walk through Hell’s park or gameplay that makes Dark Soul II look like it’s a kid’s game. The game can be downloaded from Calavera Studio’s website totally free of charge.

Since it’s a 2D Sidescroller, the game can be run on any machine, regardless of the specifications.

Image courtesy of Calavera Studio

Meet Flippy, World’s First Fast-Food Robotic Chef

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Flippy and the Burgers

Cali group to employ Flippy, a robotic fast-food chef, to aid kitchen personnel.

The next time you’ll be craving for a Caliburger dish, be prepared to have your meal cooked by a robot. John Miller, the company’s CEO, announced that Flippy, a $100,000 robot, will be employed to help the staff prepare the restaurant’s signature dishes.

Flippy Is an Impressive Piece of Equipment

Although Flippy’s main task is to flip those succulent burgers all day long, Miller declared that the robot is more than meets the eye. Designed and manufactured in collaboration with Miso robotics, Flippy is equipped with artificial intelligence which helps it learn, relearn, and improve.

The robot is also equipped with a 3D camera that helps him better understand and navigate the environment. However, at the moment, Flippy is still trying to get the hang of its job.

Miller declared that Flippy stepping into the kitchen is not a whim, but a necessity. The job Flippy was trained and programmed to do is one of the least paid and dirty ones in a fast-food restaurant, as Miller described it.

And since the job doesn’t pay much, hundreds of candidates resigned after just a few days spent in the kitchen, flipping burgers. But, as times are a changing, the robot is more than happy to cover himself in grease and flip them burgers from dusk till dawn.

At the moment, the robotic fast-food chef is capable of flipping 150 burgers per hour. Sadly, the robot still has much to learn and will, for the time being, stick to flipping burgers, making sure they’re cooked right.

Flippy will be supervised by a human handler whose job is to pass the burger patties and to add the rest of the ingredients. The robot will also be able to tell if the burgers are thoroughly cooked by analyzing the temperature with its built-in sensors.

Image source: Wikipedia

Houston Couple Makes Gruesome Discovery in Wall Space

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Houston Couple and Skeleton

Houston couple says the human remains found in their home belong to the former owner.

After moving into their newly-bought home, a Houston couple made a gruesome discovery. Wedge behind the walls, where the human remains of the home’s former owner. The authorities believe that the woman more than likely fell through the attic’s floor and got stuck in the space between the walls.

Houston Couple Said There Was Something Amiss with the House

On Tuesday, the authorities managed to conclude the Mary Stewart Cerruti case, the woman who vanished without a trace more than three years ago. The woman’s remains have been found inside the home she shared with her ten cats.

Cerruti’s neighbors declared that the woman lived like a hermit – she was rarely seen outside the house, save for a community meeting she attended in 2012, where she voted against a homing plan. The woman was so bent in shutting herself from the rest of the world that she covered all the house’s windows with wallpaper.

Her neighbors figured that something was wrong when they saw the correspondence piling in front of Cerruti’s front door, in addition to a broken window. More than three years have passed since the authorities failed to track down the missing woman.

The case seemed to have gone cold until a couple decided to move into Cerruti’s home. According to the new owners, they knew that something was amiss when they’ve begun discovering things resembling bones inside the home.

When the authorities arrived and searched the house, they’ve discovered what befell to the gentle 61-year-old hermit. While she was cleaning the attic, the woman slipped through one of the rotten floorboards, fell into the narrow space between the walls, where she passed away.

The authorities had a hard time identifying the remains, as the woman’s cats and mice that nestled in the home picked clean the woman’s body.

Image source: PxHere

Bogus 911 Call Leads to Death of Man in Alabama

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Fake 911 Call Ends in Tragedy

Alabama woman who made fake 911 call told the dispatcher that her daughter-in-law wanted to kill her children.

The Alabama authorities recently released the tragic details of a 911 bogus call in an attempt to show the public that making fake calls can be deadly. Following a call to the Alabama authorities, a man was mistaken with a robber by the authorities and shot dead. The caller was taken into custody and charged with abusing the emergency line.

Alabama Woman Makes Fake 911 Call on New Year’s Day

Dorothy Marie Gass, a 65-year-old Alabama resident, was taken into custody on Friday morning and charged with making a bogus 911 call. According to the authorities, the events that would inevitably lead to the death of an innocent man began to unfold in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

While alone at home, Marie Gass dialed 911 and told the emergency dispatcher that Amy Gass, her daughter-in-law, has gone crazy and threatened to kill her children and herself. Following the woman’s plea for help, the Alabama authorities rushed to the woman’s house in an attempt to save the children and Gass.

Once there, the authorities were greeted by an elderly gentleman, later identified as Mark Steven Parker, Amy Gass’ father, who was standing on the front lawn with a rifle in his hands. When the authorities asked the man to put away his weapon and surrender, Parker allegedly pointed the weapon at them.

The officers gunned down the suspect. Parker was later declared dead at the scene. Upon entering the house, the officers discovered a frightened Amy Gass, desperately trying to figure out what happened outside her house.

When the authorities told her about Parker and the call, the woman told her that her father heard noises outside the house and thought that someone might try to break inside the house. Marie Gass, the one who made the bogus 911 call was arrested and charged with misdemeanor false reporting.

Image source: MaxPixel

Future Astronauts Might Use “Happy Suits” to be More Stress-Free

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two robots in astronaut suits shaking hands

A team of scientists is working on happy suits for astronauts to use in future space missions.

STATES CHRONICLE – Astronauts in space face have to constantly face a number of difficult challenges. For example, they present a higher risk for mental illness because they expose themselves to twice as many dangerous challenges.

Students and researchers from the Florida Polytechnic University have recently begun working on what they have labeled as “happy suits.”

In future missions, this technology could get integrated within the astronomers’ spacesuits and clothing. This way, it might help put them in a better mindset during their space missions. At the same time, the astronauts would receive the maximum level of comfort and efficiency with these suits.

 

The Happy Suits, the Smart Skin

 

Endearingly termed happy suits for astronauts, the more technical term is Smart Sensory Skin. This was equipped with wireless sensors that can detect a broad range of physical deficiencies. As they recognize the need for adjustments, they will also automatically work their magic and complete them.

Whether in the spacecraft or the spacesuit, these adjustments will be made for better circumstances. Light exposure, temperature, light color, and oxygen levels are some of the possible modifications that could help improve the astronomers’ moods and mission.

In the final product, doctors on Earth will finally have an option to monitor pulse, blood pressure, and some of the other bodily functions of the men and women in space.

While the technology isn’t exactly groundbreaking, it does improve past ones. For example, current techniques reportedly feel uncomfortable, and astronomers have to collect the data first, and only later check it with a physician.

“It’s vital for astronauts to be mentally healthy during missions and right now there’s no active, real-time solution to help them when they feel stressed or anxious,” states Arman Sargolzaei, a Florida Polytechnic professor part of the study.

In contrast, the Smart Sensory Skin feels much lighter, and it has ergonomics twice as good. The innovation in the design has also meant that it integrates seamlessly with future space mission clothing.

It sounds like something intended more for pleasure, but in fact, this technology could help minimize the number of distractions men and women face in space. In doing so, it might also allow them to finish their tasks more safely and efficiently.

 

Image Source: MaxPixel

Can the Human Body Lay Chicken Eggs? Doctors Can’t Give a Straight Answer

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Chicken eggs

An Indonesia boy claims that he can lay chicken eggs.

What came first – the egg or the chicken? The age-long philosophical paradox seems to have found an answer to the questionable claims of a 14-year-old Indonesian boy. Akmal of Gowa, a town in the South Sulawesi region, says that for the past three years he has been laying chicken eggs at irregular intervals. The doctors are somewhat baffled by the boy’s claims but have yet found an opportunity to call BS on it.

Imam Father Says There’s No Voodoo in His Son Laying Chicken Eggs

Akmal’s father, who was one of the few individuals to bear witness to his son’s ‘abilities’ told the doctors and reporters that there isn’t anything fishy or rather chickeny behind this. The man, who’s also the spiritual leader of Akmal’s home village, declared that he only worships one God and there’s no ‘voodoo’ involved in this.

The 14-year-old’s story began in 2015 when according to his father he laid his first egg. To see if it’s indeed an egg, the man cracked it open, exposing a yellowish yolk. The following month, the boy laid a similar egg, which his father broke to see if it’s legit.

Since 2015, Akmal laid the impressive number of 20 chicken eggs, with the last two laid in the presence of doctors from the Syech Yusuf Hospital. The medics ran every test imaginable on the 14-year-old boy, but could not figure out how he does it.

From a medical standpoint, the human body cannot lay chicken eggs, but the boy seems to prove otherwise. Of course, with no medical ‘miracle’ being short on detractors, some of the doctors saying that the boy might be shoving the eggs up his rectum, only to lay them before gullible watchers.

Still, for the time being, and lacking enough evidence, Akmal remains the Indonesian boy who lays chicken eggs.

Image source: Pixnio

17-Year-old Student Comes Up with Life-Saving Door Locking Device

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Door locking device

A high school student invented a door locking device to prevent school shootings.

A 17-year-old student from Wisconsin’s Somerset High School has been praised by faculty and government for inventing an ingenious door locking mechanism that could potentially save tens of lives during a school shooting. The device, made from steel, is guaranteed to keep anyone out of the calls room during an emergency.

Life-Saving Door Locking Device Is Impervious to Bullets

Justin Rivard is a 17-year-old student, attending the Somerset High School’s classes. However, the student is better known for his ingenuity and for his passion for tinkering at his workshop.

Back in 2015, when he was just 15 years of age, Rivard came up with the design for a device that could potentially save students from a school shooter. Dubbed the JustinKase, the door locking device is foldable, taking the shape of an ordinary briefcase that can be stored anywhere.

As Rivard told the reporters, once a state of emergency ensues, the teacher or students would unfold the briefcase and place the steel sheet on the door. The door locking device is designed to cover the doorframe completely, making it impervious to brute force.

Furthermore, Rivard pointed out that locking the door in case of a school shooting has little effect, as the assailant would simply shoot down the locks and hinges. Completely covering the doorframe, JustinKase can survive even a mortar barrage and keep out the shooter.

At the moment, Justin just completed an order of 50 door locking devices, ordered placed by the high school he attends. More than that, it would appear that the high school was so impressed with Justin’s idea that it ordered 50 more devices and are working towards developing specific drills.

Rivard said that he would continue his work in order to improve the device so that it can prevent tragedies like the Florida shooting.

Image source: Pexels

Sea of Thieves Optimized for Low-End PCs

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Sea of Thieves.

Sea of Thieves will be compatible with low-end PCs.

Ted Timmins, the PC lead over at Lionhead Studios, announced that the upcoming March title Sea of Thieves would be optimized to run even on low-end machines. The official launch date for the new pirate title has been set for the 20th of March and will be available for Xbox One and Microsoft Windows.

Sea of Thieves Rumored to Revolutionize the Genre

The upcoming title, developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft is rumored to spearhead the genre’s revolution, despite its cartoonish-like aspect and seemingly family-friendly characters.

According to the game’s description, Sea of Thieves is a first-person perspective, MMORPG, whose story takes the player of the 18th-century Caribbean region where he or she will need to plunder and engage in naval battles against computer-generated foes or other players who wish to claim the title of sea lord.

With enhanced online mechanics and tons of stuff to do, Sea of Thieves is believed to be one of the interesting titles ever to have landed on consoles since Pirates of the Caribbean, the 2003 box-hit developed by Bethesda, Ubisoft, Disney Interactive, 1C Company, and TDK.

As far as gameplay is concerned, the game features a fully-explorable environment, filled with hidden treasure and deadly foes. Still, the main objective of the game is to put together a crackerjack crew and become the terror of the seven seas

Players will be able to construct massive fleets, customize their flagship with as many cannons and battle equipment they see fit, and, of course, plunder settlements and destroy fortifications.

Conclusion

Specs-wise, Timmins said that the game would be fully playable even on a low-end PC. To be able to run Sea of Thieves you’ll need an Iris Pro Graphics 6200 or Intel Iris 540 processor, Windows ten anniversary, 4GB RAM, 45GB of free space, and 1GB of video RAM.

Image source:  Flickr

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