
-
Red Bull's Verstappen wins Japanese GP from Norris
-
US storms, 'severe' flooding death toll climbs to 16
-
Rain complicates recovery in quake-hit Myanmar as death toll rises
-
Explosions as Ukraine capital under missile attack
-
The scientist rewriting DNA, and the future of medicine
-
'Anxious': US farmers see tariffs threaten earnings
-
Nostalgia fuels UK boom in vintage video game repairs
-
Snappy birthday: Germany's Leica camera turns 100
-
Bucks clinch playoff berth as West battle tightens
-
Czech beer culture eyes UNESCO listing as pubs take hit
-
Explosions as Kyiv under missile attack, says mayor
-
Weary Boutier still alive in LPGA Match Play after 45-hole day
-
Artificial glaciers boost water supply in northern Pakistan
-
Brooksby upsets Paul to reach Houston final
-
Thomas, Bednarek hit jackpot at Grand Slam Track meet
-
Rodman on target as USA beat Brazil in Olympic rematch
-
'Hands Off!' Anti-Trump Americans flood Washington
-
Harman leads by three at Texas Open
-
Barcelona draw to increase Liga lead after Real Madrid stumble
-
Ecuador mounts anti-drug op overseen by Blackwater founder
-
Pegula rallies to reach Charleston final
-
Nick Rockett flies to victory in magical Mullins Grand National
-
Ovechkin on the brink of the 'impossible'
-
Anthony, Bird to enter basketball Hall of Fame
-
'Phenomenal' Munster edge O'Gara's La Rochelle to reach Champions Cup quarters
-
Munster edge O'Gara's La Rochelle to reach Champions Cup quarters
-
Rahul, Jaiswal fire as Delhi and Rajasthan register big IPL wins
-
Aston Villa beat Forest for seventh straight win ahead of PSG trip
-
Jaiswal, Archer help Rajasthan thrash Punjab in IPL
-
Inter's title charge stalls after throwing away points at Parma
-
Real Madrid stumble at home to Valencia in Liga
-
Leading garment producer Bangladesh holds crisis talks on US tariffs
-
PSG win 13th French title ahead of Aston Villa Champions League clash
-
Nick Rockett storms to victory in the 'Mullins' Grand National
-
Despair and sadness follow death of Malian musical great Amadou
-
Arsenal held by Everton, Wolves push Ipswich closer to relegation
-
Lions contender Prendergast fires Leinster to Champions Cup quarters
-
Nick Rockett wins the 'Mullins' Grand National for father and son
-
Last-gasp Buendia goal keeps Leverkusen's Bundesliga title hopes alive
-
Video shows last minutes before Gaza aid workers' deaths, Red Crescent says
-
Zverev 'mentally' affected by Australian Open defeat
-
Rahul guides Delhi to third straight IPL victory
-
Arsenal draw at Everton to edge Liverpool closer to Premier League title
-
Senate Republicans move forward with Trump tax cuts
-
Sinner regrets 'unfair' doping ban as he prepares return to courts
-
Isa hat-trick powers Toulon into Champions Cup quarters in Saracens thriller
-
'Hang tough, it won't be easy': Trump defiant on tariffs
-
Zelensky slams 'weak' US reply to Russian strike on his hometown
-
Musiala hamstring tear compounds Bayern's injury crisis
-
Selfies, goals and cheers at South Africa's grannies World Cup
RELX | -6.81% | 48.16 | $ | |
BCC | 0.85% | 95.44 | $ | |
RBGPF | 100% | 69.02 | $ | |
SCS | -0.56% | 10.68 | $ | |
NGG | -5.25% | 65.93 | $ | |
VOD | -10.24% | 8.5 | $ | |
RYCEF | -18.79% | 8.25 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.13% | 22.29 | $ | |
RIO | -6.88% | 54.67 | $ | |
JRI | -7.19% | 11.96 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.7% | 22.83 | $ | |
GSK | -6.79% | 36.53 | $ | |
BCE | 0.22% | 22.71 | $ | |
BTI | -5.17% | 39.86 | $ | |
AZN | -7.98% | 68.46 | $ | |
BP | -10.43% | 28.38 | $ |

Homo erectus, not sapiens, first humans to survive desert: study
Our ancestor Homo erectus was able to survive punishingly hot and dry desert more than a million years ago, according to a new study that casts doubt on the idea that Homo sapiens were the first humans capable of living in such hostile terrain.
The moment when the first members of the extended human family called hominins adapted to life in desert or tropical forests marks "a turning point in the history of human survival and expansion in extreme environments," lead study author Julio Mercader Florin of the University of Calgary told AFP.
Scientists have long thought that only Homo sapiens, who first appeared around 300,000 years ago, were capable of living sustainably in such inhospitable regions.
The first hominins to have split off from the other great apes were believed to be limited to less hostile ecosystems, such as forest, grasslands and wetlands.
One of the world's most important prehistoric sites, Olduvai Gorge in modern-day Tanzania, was thought to home to those easier types of landscapes.
But this steep ravine in East Africa's Great Rift Valley, which has played a key role in the understanding of human evolution, was actually a desert steppe, according to the study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment on Thursday.
After collecting archaeological, geological and palaeoclimatic data, the international team of researchers were able to reconstruct the gorge's ecosystem over the years.
Fossilised pollen of the Ephedra shrub -- which commonly lives in arid areas -- as well as traces of past wildfires and signs in the soil show there was an extreme drought in the area between one and 1.2 million years ago.
- Homo erectus: underestimated? -
Evidence collected from the Engaji Nanyori site in the gorge suggests that Homo erectus adapted to this hostile environment "by focusing on ecological focal points such as river confluences where water and food resources were more predictable", Mercader Florin said.
"Their ability to repeatedly exploit these focal points... and adapt their behaviours to extreme environments demonstrates a higher level of resilience and strategic planning than previously assumed."
Specialised tools found at the site, such as hand axes, scrapers and cleavers, showed that Homo erectus had also worked out how to process animal carcasses.
The bones of animals such as cows, hippopotamuses, crocodiles and antelopes also had cut marks, indicating they had been skinned and had their bone marrow extracted.
"This suggests they optimised their resource use to adapt to the challenges of arid environments, where resources were scarce and needed to be exploited fully," Mercader Florin said.
"Our findings show that Homo erectus was capable of surviving long term in extreme environments characterised by low density of food resources, navigational challenges, very low/very high plant life, temperature/humidity extremes, and the need for high mobility," he added.
"This adaptability expands Homo erectus's potential range into the Saharo-Sindian region across Africa and into similar environments in Asia."
F.Ramirez--AT