'Tis the season to rehearse the arrival of a small, unexpected gift. So let's talk about the latest microbe discovery: Solarion arienae. S. arienae is a single-celled eukaryote that was found living in sediment of the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Croatia. It is so named by Valt et al because it has a form which is reminiscent of the sun, a round central body with many protrusions in every direction that it uses for catching bacteria to eat. It turns out to be a distant relative of, well, nearly every other living … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Help from a Little Friend
phylogenetics
Science Corner: A Flock of Sea Scrolls
Before they were one of the most famous archaeological discoveries (and narratives), the Dead Sea Scrolls were so many unsuspecting sheep, goats, and cows. Sure, there are some important steps in between, but for today's purposes, the animals are key. Since the parchments are made of animal hide, they have DNA. And DNA can survive for the ~2,000 years since the scrolls were written, allowing researchers to extract DNA from tiny samples or crumbs to learn about the animals who gave their hide for the parchment. You can … [Read more...] about Science Corner: A Flock of Sea Scrolls
Science Corner: The Phylogenetic Trees of Lebanon
The conquest of Canaan has long been a controversial element of the Bible. Did God really command a genocide? If so, can we still describe God as just and loving? Such ethical and theological questions occur to many who read these stories. Then came archeological investigations whose results raised questions about the historical accuracy of the accounts. Was Jericho a major city when the Israelites arrived? Is there evidence it was destroyed? While there is some archeological corroboration for some features of Joshua … [Read more...] about Science Corner: The Phylogenetic Trees of Lebanon