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Scientists reveal origin of mammal evolution milestone: warm-bloodedness

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2 years ago

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  • Researchers study reduced size of inner ear in fossils of mammal forerunners.
  • Endothermy is defining feature of mammals including humans.
  • Mammalian lineage evolved from cold-blooded creatures.

WASHINGTON: Scientists have answered a longstanding question about mammalian evolution, examining ear anatomy of living and extinct mammals and their close relatives to determine when warm-bloodedness — a trait integral to the lineage’s success — first emerged.

Researchers said on Wednesday that the reduced size of inner ear structures called semicircular canals — small, fluid-filled tubes that help in keeping balance — in fossils of mammal forerunners showed that warm-bloodedness, called endothermy, arose roughly 233 million years ago during the Triassic Period.

These first creatures that attained this milestone, called mammaliamorph synapsids, are not formally classified as mammals, as the first true mammals appeared roughly 30 million years later. But they had begun to acquire traits associated with mammals.

Endothermy evolved at a time when important features of the mammal body plan were falling into place, including whiskers and fur, changes to the backbone related to gait, the presence of a diaphragm, and a more mammal-like jaw joint and hearing system.

“Endothermy is a defining feature of mammals, including us humans. Having a quasi-constant high body temperature regulates all our actions and behaviours, from food intake to cognition, from locomotion to the places where we live,” said palaeontologist Ricardo Araújo of the University of Lisbon’s Institute of Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion, co-lead author of the study published in the journal Nature.

The high metabolisms of mammal bodies maintain internal temperature independent of their surroundings. Cold-blooded animals like lizards adopt strategies like basking in the sun to warm up.

Mammalian endothermy arrived at an eventful evolutionary moment, with dinosaurs and flying reptiles called pterosaurs — creatures that long would dominate ecosystems — first appearing at about that time. Endothermy offered advantages.

“Run faster, run longer, be more active, be active through longer periods of the circadian cycle, be active through longer periods of the year, increase foraging area. The possibilities are endless. All this at a great cost, though. More energy requires more food, more foraging, and so on. It is a fine balance between the energy you spend and the energy you intake,” Araújo said.

The mammalian lineage evolved from cold-blooded creatures, some boasting exotic body plans like the sail-backed Dimetrodon, mixing reptile-like traits like splayed legs and mammal-like traits like the arrangement of certain jaw muscles.

Endothermy emerged relatively quickly, in perhaps less than a million years, rather than a longer, gradual process, said paleontologist and study co-lead author Romain David of the Natural History Museum in London.

An early example was a vaguely weasel-like species, Pseudotherium argentinus, in Argentina about 231 million years ago. The later true mammals were the ancestors of today’s three mammalian groups: placentals, marsupials and monotremes.

“Given how central endothermy is to so many aspects of the body plan, physiology and lifestyle of modern mammals, when it evolved in our ancient ancestors has been a really important unsolved question in paleontology,” said paleontologist and study co-author Ken Angielczyk of the Field Museum in Chicago.

Determining when endothermy originated through fossils has been tough. As Araújo noted: “We cannot stick thermometers in the armpit of your pet Dimetrodon, right?”

The inner ear provided a solution. The viscosity, or runniness, of inner ear fluid — and all fluid — changes with temperature. This fluid in cold-blooded animals is cooler and thicker, necessitating wider canals. Warm-blooded animals have less viscous ear fluid and smaller semicircular canals.

The researchers compared semicircular canals in 341 animals, 243 extant and 64 extinct. This showed endothermy arriving millions of years later than some prior estimates.

Mammals played secondary roles in ecosystems dominated by dinosaurs before taking over after the mass extinction event 66 million years ago. Among today’s animals, mammals and birds are warm-blooded.

“It is maybe too far-fetched, but interesting, to think that the onset of endothermy in our ancestors may have ultimately led to the construction of the Giza pyramids or the development of the smartphone,” Araújo said. “If our ancestors would have not become independent of environmental temperatures, these human achievements would probably not be possible.”

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China and Pakistan Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Launch AI-Powered Agricultural Equipment

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Through Chinese expertise, the arrangement, which was made possible by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), intends to increase Pakistan’s agricultural output.

The Punjab government and China’s “AI Force Tech” company have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to introduce advanced agricultural machinery during Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s visit to China.

Through the use of advanced robotic technology, the MoU seeks to transform Pakistan’s agricultural industry, guarantee economic growth, and boost farmers’ wealth with China’s assistance.

Through the partnership, Pakistan would also have the chance to absorb knowledge about China’s sophisticated farming methods.

In the meantime, plans have been revealed by the Federal Minister of Planning to send 1,000 agricultural experts to China to study contemporary farming methods.

A Chinese business and the Punjab government previously inked an agreement to introduce cutting-edge cancer treatment technologies to Punjab.

Maryam Nawaz signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hygea Medical Technologies while she was in China in order to introduce cutting-edge cancer treatment equipment and techniques to Punjab.

This equipment will make it feasible to treat cancer without the need for chemotherapy or surgery.

Following a meeting with Hygea Medical Technologies President Dr. Luo Fuliang, Maryam Nawaz said the organization has promised expert assistance for the establishment of the Nawaz Sharif Cancer Hospital.

She went on to say that the hospital will work with China to treat cancer patients utilizing the newest equipment and techniques following the agreement.

Maryam Nawaz and a high-level delegation are present. From December 8 to December 15, the chief minister will go to Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou.

CM Maryam Nawaz is expected to attend a number of conferences, events, and meetings with the goal of enhancing bilateral relations and looking into potential joint ventures in the areas of infrastructure development, technology, agriculture, and governance.

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ChatGPT by OpenAI experiences a significant outage!

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1 day ago

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Users were unable to use ChatGPT, the well-known AI chatbot, due to a major outage that occurred today.

The problem was initially noticed by users on outage-tracking websites and social media channels. The company that created ChatGPT, OpenAI, has acknowledged the outage and is attempting to fix it.

There is currently an outage affecting us. We have located the problem and are in the process of implementing a solution.

“We’re currently experiencing an outage,” the business wrote in a statement on X, the platform that was originally known as Twitter. We have located the problem and are in the process of implementing a solution. We apologise and will keep you informed.

ChatGPT Outage

Users are unable to access the chatbot and are presented with error messages suggesting that the service is offline; however, the precise cause of the outage is still unknown. Many users have been affected by this disruption, including researchers, students, enterprises, and individuals who depend on ChatGPT for a variety of purposes.

OpenAI has not yet given a projected timeline for the complete restoration of the service. It is recommended that users keep up with the most recent information via OpenAI’s official channels.

Earlier, late Friday night, thousands of users from all around the world, including Pakistan, experienced interruptions on Meta platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

Nearly 1,000 customers in Pakistan reported problems with Meta services at approximately 11 p.m., according to Downdetector.com, a real-time platform outage tracker. In the meantime, 2,259 complaints have been filed against WhatsApp since 10:52 p.m. In the same period, Instagram, which is also owned by Meta, received more than 1,200 reports of outages.

On the competing platform X, several Facebook and Instagram users reported running into issues with messages like “something went wrong.” In a succinct Facebook comment, Meta acknowledged the problem and said, “We’re working on getting this fixed as soon as we can.”

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How to avoid falling victim to scammers on WhatsApp groups

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Smartphone users occasionally find themselves in a difficult situation when they are part of multiple WhatsApp groups.

To his annoyance, a user is typically added to dozens of WhatsApp groups for friends, family, and the office. This is because his phone rings every other second from the constant barrage of forwarded messages.

But these days, scammers are busy in WhatsApp groups, coming up with novel ways to con people.

After joining a WhatsApp group, a man lost INR 16 lakh to scammers, according to a startling disclosure.

Reports from the Indian media state that the event took place in Mangaluru and that the victim was deceived into joining a WhatsApp group by an unidentified individual.

The victim clicked on a dubious link and was duped into downloading a malicious program after being seduced with promises of large rewards in share market investing.

Hoping for large rewards, the victim transferred INR 16.9 lakh to the scammer’s bank account.

The victim discovered he had been duped, however, when he attempted to withdraw the money and was unable.

A clear reminder of the dangers of believing unidentified links and promises made online is provided by this instance.

Advice for Guarding Against These Scams:

Be cautious of unknown links and apps.
Avoid unverified investments with promises of high returns.
Research before downloading apps.
Enable two-factor authentication for added security.

Report suspicious activities to the platform or local police.

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