Category Archives: Evolution

The multibillion-dollar question right now is whether the Search Generative Experience (SGE) will blow up Googles Search business model. Based on early testing, Google CEO Sundar Pichai is confident that wont happen.

Its important to us to connect users with whats out on the web, and we are working deeply to make sure that continues to work well, Pichai told Steven Levy in a Q&A published on Wired.

Why we care. Google may be confident that the SGE experiment will continue to send people to websites, but were still finding it hard to trust Google at this point. They wont reveal any real data to us about whether AI answers are driving clicks to websites, click-through rate data, or advertising performance data on what we are calling CHERPs, or Chat Engine Results Pages. And we have no way to track this in Google Search Console, Google Ads or Google Analytics.

Ads vs. organic. Levy pointed out to Pichai that the AI-generated answers are different from a list of links, which could further add confusion about whether an SGE answer is sponsored or organic.

Helping people find information. Pichai pointed out that even though the way Google presents information has evolved greatly in 25 years but ultimately people are searching for information.

Like desktop to mobile? Pichai pointed out that people asked similar questions as Google shifted its focus from desktop to making everything mobile-first.

The search community was also extremely worried about Googles featured snippets stealing traffic. When Bard launched in February, there were no links. And SGE only finally added links to websites Aug. 30 after months of pressure by search marketers and publishers.

Bing burn. Did the new Bing, powered by ChatGPT, make Google dance. Pichai essentially dissed their efforts, comparing it to Alexa and Siri. Pichai also claimed:

Could that time in late 2022 coincide with OpenAI launching ChatGPT in late November? Generative AI exploded on the scene and supposedly triggered a code red within Google, leading to the return of Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

Pichai was also asked about the antitrust trial, but had little to say beyond throwing around the word innovation.

You can read the full interview here: Sundar Pichai on Googles AI, Microsofts AI, OpenAI, and Did We Mention AI?

Continued here:

Google CEO on SGE and Search evolution: 'We'll get it right' - Search Engine Land

From humble beginnings to a performance car icon, the Honda Civic has helped to shape the very foundations of the auto industry, with an influence that now spans over half a century.

Originally, the Honda Civic was launched as an exciting alternative to lazy, miserable, and generally uninspiring American-made offerings in the 1970s. From there on out, popularity exploded as Honda continued to bring value to their dedicated customers.

While the model never set out to break records, it did eventually end up doing just that, with the legendary Honda Civic Type-R. Join us as we venture back over the last eleven generations of Civic, discovering just how this hatchback ended up as the global icon we know and love today.

Information has been sourced from Honda, Ultimate Specs, and Edmunds, to bring you the history of the Honda Civic, from 1972 to today.

The first Honda Civic featured a transversely mounted 52 horsepower 1.2-liter engine, which offered not only considerably better economy than American peers in the day, but also a lively, enjoyable drive; optimistic economy cars were few and far between in the 1970s, and as such, the earliest Honda Civics were almost without any real competition.

By the mid-1970s, engineers at Honda had developed new systems within the Civic's engine that meant catalytic converters weren't needed, unlike anything else on offer at the time. This economy car had struck a chord with many Americans, announced as the EPA's most efficient car of 1977, just as Honda cracked the 100,000th sale in America.

As the 1970s progressed, subtle styling tweaks were introduced, such as larger safety bumpers front and rear, blacked-out front grills, and relocated indicators. In the top trim level, the now-1.5-liter Civic produced a hearty 63 horsepower.

Related: Honda Is Set To Unleash A Powerful New Type-R GT Race Car

For the second generation, the diminutive Civic grew in length by 2 inches, which saw the wheelbase swell up to 88.6 inches. Two powertrains were on offer, with both 1.3 and 1.5-liter engines available, most with 4-speed gearboxes, although the range-topping DX trims afforded a 5-speed. A 2-speed automatic gearbox was also available.

While it was clearly no Rolls-Royce, Honda did begin to introduce luxurious upgrades for the GL trim, such as a tachometer and clock, radial tires, plus a rear window wash and wiper.

Soon after, it was time to celebrate, as for the final year of this second generation (1983), Honda dropped the aforementioned GL model and introduced the S. This sporting hatch was equipped with firmer suspension, a rear stabilizer bar, and 13" 165/70 Michelin tires.

As 1984 dawned, so did the third-generation Honda Civic, which was now 5 inches longer than the previous model, with sedan and wagon models now sharing the same basic platform as the Accord and Prelude. The 1.5-liter unit was now standard across the range, apart from the base model 3-door hatch, which still made do with the old 1.3-liter engine.

Such was the success of Civic in America that production was moved to a facility in Ohio in 1986. Here, the first Civic Si was developed, alongside an all-wheel-drive Civic wagon.

Just 4 short years later, Honda dropped the fourth-generation Civic. Larger and more powerful still, this latest fourth generation did away with many of the sharp creases and jagged lines that so defined the previous generations.

Creature comforts such as power locks, windows, and mirrors were also introduced in the higher trim levels, in addition to intermittent wipers. Competition was fierce against the likes of Europe's Volkswagen Fox, but the Civic had enough of a fan base to continue battling it out into the 1990s.

The fifth generation was a global success and set the Civic up with so many of the bases that we still recognize today. The base model CX made do with a 70 horsepower 1.5-liter unit, whereas the VX gifted owners the use of a 92 horsepower 1.5-liter with variable valve timing, dubbed VTEC-E, which was optimized for fuel savings. Further up the food chain, the DX offered a 102 horsepower 1.5-liter engine, and the flagship Si sported a 125 horsepower VTEC engine.

In addition to the Del-Sol, the Civic coupe debuted in 1993, further broadening the customer base of this now-global icon. Airbags are now featured across the range too, Honda always has a keen eye on safety, in addition to value and economy.

Perhaps one of the more instantly recognizable Civics, the 1996 sixth-generation continued building upon the huge success of previous models. More tech was introduced, now in an aptly named 'value package', which bundled A/C, a CD player, an automatic transmission, and other sought-after options into a suitably priced bundle.

The ever-popular VTEC dual-overhead-cam B16 unit appeared for the first time in the Civic Si coupe, producing 160 horsepower, clearly defining the Civic as a sporting model. This engine could rev up to 8,500 rpm and enabled the coupe to hit 60 MPH from a standstill in just a shade over 7 seconds.

1997 also gave the world the first-ever Civic Type-R, the EK9, which yielded blistering results from an 182-horsepower VTEC unit. Sadly, the EK9 was never offered in America, although the seed for a true performance Civic was planted, and an icon was born.

Related: Here Are The Best And Worst Honda Civic Models Ever Made

The seventh and eighth generation Civics saw modern technology integrated with the humble Honda, with MP3 compatibility and a plethora of new driving aids added across the range. In addition, safety was continually improved, with greater focus on NCAP safety results, and additional airbags fitted as standard.

Honda got adventurous with the styling, in particular with the eighth generation, which also saw leather seats added as an option for the first time in the Civic's history.

The ninth-generation Civic saw more conservative styling, a step back in terms of interior quality and, according to period reviews, lost some of its charm on the road too. Fortunately, Honda acted quickly to rectify this, and in 2013 stiffer suspension springs and beefed-up anti-roll bars helped to deliver the characterful handling once more.

The tenth generation was introduced in 2016, with a range of fizzy engines, including a 174 horsepower turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-4 and 158 horsepower 2.0-liter inline-4, both of which would please driving enthusiasts, with stick-shift options available through the model run.

Just one year later, Honda re-launched an Si model, which featured an enigmatic 205 horsepower version of the previously mentioned 1.5-liter turbo engine, and the all-important stick-shift six-speed transmission.

Apart from the 1997 Acura Integra Type-R, America has otherwise been denied a true sporting Honda, having had to make do with Si models for decades. The tenth-generation Civic Type-R changed all that, finally bringing a 306 horsepower, wide-bodied hot hatchback to dealerships, coated in splitters, spoilers, and an awesome triple exhaust pipe.

Way more than just a marketing gimmick, the Type-R set the lap record around the Nrburgring for a front-wheel-drive production car, setting a time of 7:43:80; that's almost 3.5 seconds quicker than the Golf GTI Clubsport.

Related: 10 Most Reliable Honda Civic Models To Buy Used

We are onto the eleventh generation of Honda Civic now, and Honda has continued to impress with this relatively new model, only introduced in 2022.

Ever looking forward, the Civic comes standard with a smart 7.0" touchscreen display, which sits proudly in the center of the dashboard. As you would expect, there's also a plethora of driver and safety aids, in addition to the more interesting infotainment features, such as a wireless charging pad, a BOSE premium surround sound system, and satellite navigation.

Keen to prove their sporting credentials, Honda once again offers consumers the choice of an Si and a Type-R with this latest Civic, both of which set new standards in performance; here's how they compare against each other.

Model

2023 Civic Si

2023 Civic Type R

0 to 60 MPH

6.6 seconds

4.9 seconds

Top Speed

137 MPH

169 MPH

Curb Weight

2,952 lbs

3,188 lbs

Power

200 horsepower

315 horsepower

Torque

192 lb-ft

310 lb-ft

Layout

Front-engine, front-wheel-drive

Front-engine, front-wheel-drive

Starting Price

$28,800

$43,990

There's a lot of speculation about what the future will look like for the Honda Civic. Many think Honda will continue to build upon the heritage of this gas-powered hatchback, whereas they could just as easily take a new direction with it like so many manufacturers have done with their long-standing models.

One thing is for sure, the legacy of the Honda Civic will continue either way, having shaped the auto industry for the better over the last five decades.

See more here:

The Honda Civic's Evolution In Photos, From 1972 To Today - HotCars

Even when in Nashville for business, Childers sometimes looks like he is ready to go walk the land at his farm. Work boots, Wrangler jeans, and a feed store cap. Some country stars pay stylists lots of money to dress them similarly, but they cant quite pull off the look; they dont know how to move realistically in clothes made for climbing hills and slipping between strands of barbed wire. But Childers has been doing such all of his life. One morning when we go to a coffee shop in Nashville for breakfast, he is wearing a sharply cut linen jacket, a crisp button-down, chinos, and a pair of brown leather Sabahs. Somehow he pulls off wearing these Turkish espadrilles, too, mostly because he seems comfortable in his own skin. There is no pretense about Childers. He is not easily defined.

Nor is the sound of his new album, Rustin in the Rain, which was released September 8. The title track of the seven-song record includes barn-burners that allow Childers incredibly tight band, The Food Stamps, plenty of room to show off their talents, as well as precise ballads that let Childers use his full vocal range, including on the lead single, In Your Love. After a euphonious piano intro, the song opens with Childers at the top of his vocal game, singing about a cosmic love before the song continues with a ghostly synthesizer effect. By the time he sings Honey, I will stand my ground, the listener is hooked on this extraordinary ballad that is bound to become a wedding staple.

I first heard the song on a long drive with Childers as we ambled over the glowing green Kentucky hills on an afternoon in early spring. We had been friends for a couple years but mutual admirers of each others work before that. He read my first novel, Clays Quilt, when he was in high school and has said it helped him better appreciate his heritage; hed later write an introduction for a reissue of the book. I have loved his music since the very beginning of his career. His wife, singer-songwriter Senora May, was one of my students at Berea College and used to bring me CDs shed burn of him picking and singing at home.

To me, In Your Love announced a fuller, richer sound. I knew right away the song would take his career in a whole new direction, but I was stunned when he asked me if Id be interested in writing a treatment for the video. Childers had only three suggestions: that Casey Campbell, an actor and musician who has appeared in all of his videos, show up in some way; that there be a scene that includes a mule; and, best of all, that it would be a gay love story. Childers has always been as close as brothers with a cousin who is gay, and he told me that he wanted his cousin to be able to see himself in a country music video.

I collaborated with my husband, Jason Kyle Howard, on the story of two coal miners who not only fall in love but also leave the toxic masculinity and industrial confines of the mines to live out an agrarian existence where they can control their own lives. I also wrote the treatment and served as the creative director on the shoot, orchestrated by director Bryan Schlam and starring Colton Haynes and James Scully, two gay actors who brought tremendous chemistry to the roles.

The video struck a nerve, racking up more than 1 million views in the first day. (As of this writing, it has more than 7.8 million global views.) The song has amassed 30 million combined streams across all platforms globally andbecame the highest-charting single of Childers career.

Childers knew he was making a statement, but most importantly, he wanted to make a piece of art.

More:

The Evolution of Tyler Childers THE BITTER SOUTHERNER - The Bitter Southerner

FLINT, Michigan On September 9, the Flint Institute of Arts (FIA) unveiled its newest exhibition,'American Realism: Visions of America.'The collection features a wide range of American realism through the lens of various paintings, drawings on paper, and sculptures to capture the maturation of Americas identity.

We hope to show the public the vast collection of American art that is held within the states museums but also educate the public on the history and themes found in American art during the early 20th century, said Phillip Krapohl, the communications and marketing manager at FIA.

This unique art collection is located in FIAs Hodge and Henry galleries and gives an overview of Ameria's history through paintings, sculptures, and works on paper. Krapohl expressed that visitors may feel a sense of nostalgia for the everyday scenes that are indicative of life in the United States.

The inspiration for the exhibit began in 2015 when the FIA, the Muskegon Museum of Art (MMA), and the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA) worked closely to design an exhibition titled 'Common Ground.'This exhibit intentionally highlighted artworks by African-American artists from all three institutions. According to Krapohl, this idea was a great way for three Michigan institutions to showcase the artworks in their collections.

After a positive experience of collaborating, Art Martin, the Muskegon Museum of Art Curator, reached out to FIA again, interested in collaborating on another project to spotlight diversity in experience and artwork.

We jumped at the opportunity, said Kraphol.The FIA, KIA, and MMA all have extensive American art collections so it was a great chance to work together again and show off the depth of artworks within Michigan.

Glenn O. Coleman, American, 1887 - 1932. Brooklyn Bridge, ca. 1930. Oil on canvas Framed: 29 3/4 x 41 1/2 in. 'American Realism' alsoaims to capture a transformative time in history by fully immersing visitors in the various experiences of artists navigating life from 1900 to 1950.

The art was curated collectively by the FIA, KIA, and MMA, all bringing together lists of their artworks by American artists that best fit the exhibition's theme. The three museums then worked together to pick the pieces featured in the exhibition.

Visitors can look forward to experiencing 85 artworks by 53 artists, emphasizing Black and female artists of the time who challenged the artistic status quo. Well-known artists from the exhibition include Robert Henri, John Sloan, Jacob Lawrence, Hughie Lee-Smith, Regional Marsh, Isabel Bishop, and Minna Citron.

My favorite thing about the exhibition is the vast amount of artworks on view. There is something for everyone, whether they are interested in industrial scenes, domestic scenes, or portraits, shared Krapohl.

The exhibition is on view at the FIA from September 9 through December 30, 2023. It will then travel to its final destination at the KIA from January 21April 14, 2024.

Entrance is always free to the FIA for Genesee County residents thanks to the Genesee County Arts Education and Cultural Enrichment Millage. Saturday is free, courtesy of Huntington Bank.

To learn more about FIAs newest exhibit and upcoming events, visit:flintarts.org

See the original post here:

New exhibit at FIA displays American realism and the evolution of ... - Flintside

Dartmouth researchers propose that the ability of humans to freely move their shoulders and elbows, aiding in activities like reaching or throwing, originated as a natural braking system for primate ancestors descending from trees. Through an analysis of climbing techniques and limb structures in chimps and mangabeys, they found that the unique limb flexibility in apes and early humans allowed them to descend safely, a trait that eventually facilitated evolutionary advancements in tool use and hunting techniques.

The mobility in human shoulders and the flexibility of our elbows, which enable actions like reaching high shelves or throwing a ball, may have originally developed as a safety mechanism for our primate ancestors descending from trees.

A study by Dartmouth researchers, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, suggests that apes and early humans likely developed these mobile joints to regulate their speed when descending from trees due to the pull of gravity on their weightier frames. As early humans transitioned from forests to savannas, these adaptable limbs proved crucial for tasks such as food collection and the use of tools for hunting and protection.

The researchers used sports-analysis and statistical software to compare videos and still-frames they took of chimpanzees and small monkeys called mangabeys climbing in the wild. They found that chimps and mangabeys scaled trees similarly, with shoulders and elbows mostly bent close to the body. When climbing down, however, chimpanzees extended their arms above their heads to hold onto branches like a person going down a ladder as their greater weight pulled them downward rump-first.

Luke Fannin, first author of the study and a graduate student in Dartmouths Ecology, Evolution, Environment, and Society program, said the findings are among the first to identify the significance of downclimbing in the evolution of apes and early humans, which are more genetically related to each other than to monkeys. Existing research has observed chimps ascending and navigating treesusually in experimental setupsbut the researchers extensive video from the wild allowed them to examine how the animals bodies adapted to climbing down, Fannin said.

Dartmouth researchers report that apes and early humans evolved more flexible shoulders and elbows than monkeys (above) to safely get out of trees. For early humans, these versatile appendages would have been essential for gathering food and deploying tools for hunting and defense. Credit: Luke Fannin, Dartmouth

Our study broaches the idea of downclimbing as an undervalued, yet incredibly important factor in the diverging anatomical differences between monkeys and apes that would eventually manifest in humans, Fannin said. Downclimbing represented such a significant physical challenge given the size of apes and early humans that their morphology would have responded through natural selection because of the risk of falls.

Our field has thought about apes climbing up trees for a long timewhat was essentially absent from the literature was any focus on them getting out of a tree. Weve been ignoring the second half of this behavior, said study co-authorJeremy DeSilva, professor and chair ofanthropologyat Dartmouth.

The first apes evolved 20 million years ago in the kind of dispersed forests where they would go up a tree to get their food, then come back down to move on to the next tree, DeSilva said.

Getting out of a tree presents all kinds of new challenges. Big apes cant afford to fall because it could kill or badly injure them. Natural selection would have favored those anatomies that allowed them to descend safely.

Flexible shoulders and elbows passed on from ancestral apes would have allowed early humans such asAustralopithecusto climb trees at night for safety and come down in the daylight unscathed, DeSilva said. OnceHomo erectuscould use fire to protect itself from nocturnal predators, the human form took on broader shoulders capable of a 90-degree angle thatcombined with free-moving shoulders and elbowsmade our ancestors excellent shots with a spear (apes cannot throw accurately).

Its that same early-ape anatomy with a couple of tweaks. Now you have something that can throw a spear or rocks to protect itself from being eaten or to kill things to eat for itself. Thats what evolution doesits a great tinkerer, DeSilva said.

Climbing down out of a tree set the anatomical stage for something that evolved millions of years later, he said. When an NFL quarterback throws a football, that movement is all thanks to our ape ancestors.

Despite chimps lack of grace, Fannin said, their arms have adapted to ensure the animals reach the ground safelyand their limbs are remarkably similar to those of modern humans.

Its the template that we came fromgoing down was probably far more of a challenge for our early ancestors, too, Fannin said. Even once humans became upright, the ability to ascend, then descend, a tree wouldve been incredibly useful for safety and nourishment, which is the name of the game when it comes to survival.Were modified, but the hallmarks of our ape ancestry remain in our modern skeletons.

The researchers used sports-analysis software to compare the climbing movements of chimpanzees and mangabeys (pictured). They found that chimps support their greater weight when climbing down by fully extending their arms above their heads thanks to shallow, rounded shoulder joints and shortened elbow bones that are similar to those in humans. Mangabeys, which are built more like cats or dogs, have less flexibility and position their shoulders and elbows roughly the same when climbing up or down. Credit: Luke Fannin, Dartmouth

The researchers also studied the anatomical structure of chimp and mangabey arms using skeletal collections at Harvard University and The Ohio State University, respectively. Like people, chimps have a shallow ball-and-socket shoulder thatwhile more easily dislocatedallows for a greater range of movement, Fannin said. And like humans, chimps can fully extend their arms thanks to the reduced length of the bone just behind the elbow known as the olecranon process.

Mangabeys and other monkeys are built more like quadrupedal animals such as cats and dogs, with deep pear-shaped shoulder sockets and elbows with a protruding olecranon process that makes the joint resemble the letter L. While these joints are more stable, they have a much more limited flexibility and range of movement.

The researchers analysis showed that the angle of a chimps shoulders was 14 degrees greater during descent than when climbing up. And their arm extended outward at the elbow 34 degrees more when coming down from a tree than going up. The angles at which mangabeys positioned their shoulders and elbows were only marginally different4 degrees or lesswhen they were ascending a tree versus downclimbing.

If cats could talk, they wouldtell you that climbing down is trickier than climbing up and many human rock climbers wouldagree. But the question is why is it so hard, said study co-authorNathaniel Dominy, the Charles Hansen Professor of Anthropology and Fannins adviser.

The reason is that youre not only resisting the pull of gravity, but you also have to decelerate, Dominy said. Our study is important for tackling a theoretical problem with formal measurements of how wild primatesclimb up and down. We found important differences between monkeys and chimpanzees that may explain why the shoulders and elbows of apes evolved greater flexibility.

Co-author Mary Joy, who led the study with Fannin for her undergraduate thesis and graduated from Dartmouth in 2021, was reviewing videos of chimps that DeSilva had filmed when she noticed the difference in how the animals descended trees than how they went up them.

It was very erratic, just crashing down, everythings flying. Its very much a controlled fall, Joy said. In the end, we concluded that the way chimps descend a tree is likely related to weight. Greater momentum potentially expends less energy and theyre much more likely to reach the ground safely than by making small, restricted movements.

But as a trail runner, Joy knew the pained feeling of inching down an incline in short clips instead of just hurtling down the path with the pull of gravity, her legs extended forward to catch her at the end of each stride.

When Im moving downhill, the slower Im going and restricting my movement, the more Im fatiguing. It catches up to me very quickly. No one would think the speed and abandon with which chimps climb down from trees would be the preferred method for a heavier primate, but my experience tells me its more energy efficient, she said.

Movement in humans is a masterpiece of evolutionary compromises, Joy said. This increased range of motion that began in apes ended up being pretty good for us. What would the advantage of losing that be? If evolution selected for people with less range of motion, what advantages would that confer? I cant see any advantage to losing that.

Reference: Downclimbing and the evolution of ape forelimb morphologies by Luke D. Fannin, Mary S. Joy, Nathaniel J. Dominy, W. Scott McGraw and Jeremy M. DeSilva, 6 September 2023, Royal Society Open Science. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230145

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Clare Garber Goodman Fund and the James O. Freedman Presidential Scholars Research Fund at Dartmouth, a Mamont Scholars Grant from The Explorers Club, the Leakey Foundation, and the Primate Society of Great Britain.

Original post:

Downclimbing The Hidden Evolutionary Force Behind Human ... - SciTechDaily

True, J. R. & Carroll, S. B. Gene co-option in physiological and morphological evolution. Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol. 18, 5380 (2002).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Murugesan, S. N. et al. Butterfly eyespots evolved via cooption of an ancestral gene-regulatory network that also patterns antennae, legs, and wings. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 119, e2108661119 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2108661119 (2022).

Glassford, W. J. et al. Co-option of an ancestral hox-regulated network underlies a recently evolved morphological novelty. Dev. Cell 34, 520531 (2015).

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Hu, N. & Castelli-Gair, J. Study of the posterior spiracles of Drosophila as a model to understand the genetic and cellular mechanisms controlling morphogenesis. Dev. Biol. 214, 197210 (1999).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Merabet, S., Hombria, J. C., Hu, N., Pradel, J. & Graba, Y. Hox-controlled reorganisation of intrasegmental patterning cues underlies Drosophila posterior spiracle organogenesis. Development 132, 30933102 (2005).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Lovegrove, B. et al. Coordinated control of cell adhesion, polarity, and cytoskeleton underlies Hox-induced organogenesis in Drosophila. Curr. Biol. 16, 22062216 (2006).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Frazee, S. R. & Masly, J. P. Multiple sexual selection pressures drive the rapid evolution of complex morphology in a male secondary genital structure. Ecol. Evol. 5, 44374450 (2015).

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

McQueen, E. & Rebeiz, M. On the specificity of gene regulatory networks: How does network co-option affect subsequent evolution? Curr. Top. Dev. Biol. 139, 375405 (2020).

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

DiNardo, S., Kuner, J. M., Theis, J. & OFarrell, P. H. Development of embryonic pattern in D. melanogaster as revealed by accumulation of the nuclear engrailed protein. Cell 43, 5969 (1985).

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Patel, N. H., Kornberg, T. B. & Goodman, C. S. Expression of engrailed during segmentation in grasshopper and crayfish. Development 107, 201212 (1989).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Damen, W. G. Parasegmental organization of the spider embryo implies that the parasegment is an evolutionary conserved entity in arthropod embryogenesis. Development 129, 12391250 (2002).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Prudhomme, B. et al. Arthropod-like expression patterns of engrailed and wingless in the annelid Platynereis dumerilii suggest a role in segment formation. Curr. Biol. 13, 18761881 (2003).

Article PubMed Google Scholar

Akam, M. The molecular basis for metameric pattern in the Drosophila embryo. Development 101, 122 (1987).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Ingham, P. W. Segment polarity genes and cell patterning within the Drosophila body segment. Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev. 1, 261267 (1991).

Article MathSciNet CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Sanson, B. Generating patterns from fields of cells. Examples from Drosophila segmentation. EMBO Rep. 2, 10831088 (2001).

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Monier, B., Pelissier-Monier, A., Brand, A. H. & Sanson, B. An actomyosin-based barrier inhibits cell mixing at compartmental boundaries in Drosophila embryos. Nat. Cell Biol. 12, 6069 (2010).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Blair, S. S. Engrailed expression in the anterior lineage compartment of the developing wing blade of Drosophila. Development 115, 2133 (1992).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Wiegmann, B. M. et al. Episodic radiations in the fly tree of life. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 108, 56905695 (2011).

Article ADS CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Cheng, Y. et al. Co-regulation of invected and engrailed by a complex array of regulatory sequences in Drosophila. Dev. Biol. 395, 131143 (2014).

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Hombria, J. C.-G., Sanchez-Higueras, C. & Sanchez-Herrero, E. In Organogenetic Gene Networks (eds. Castelli-Gair Hombra, J. & Bovolenta, P.) Ch. 12, 319373 (2016).

Castelli Gair Hombria, J., Rivas, M. L. & Sotillos, S. Genetic control of morphogenesisHox induced organogenesis of the posterior spiracles. Int. J. Dev. Biol. 53, 13491358 (2009).

Article PubMed Google Scholar

Rivas, M. L., Cobreros, L., Zeidler, M. P. & Hombria, J. C. Plasticity of Drosophila Stat DNA binding shows an evolutionary basis for Stat transcription factor preferences. EMBO Rep. 9, 11141120 (2008).

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Barrio, R., de Celis, J. F., Bolshakov, S. & Kafatos, F. C. Identification of regulatory regions driving the expression of the Drosophila spalt complex at different developmental stages. Dev. Biol. 215, 3347 (1999).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Lee, J. J., von Kessler, D. P., Parks, S. & Beachy, P. A. Secretion and localized transcription suggest a role in positional signaling for products of the segmentation gene hedgehog. Cell 71, 3350 (1992).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Delorenzi, M. & Bienz, M. Expression of Abdominal-B homeoproteins in Drosophila embryos. Development 108, 323329 (1990).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Casanova, J., Sanchez-Herrero, E. & Morata, G. Identification and characterization of a parasegment specific regulatory element of the abdominal-B gene of Drosophila. Cell 47, 627636 (1986).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Santel, A., Winhauer, T., Blumer, N. & Renkawitz-Pohl, R. The Drosophila don juan (dj) gene encodes a novel sperm specific protein component characterized by an unusual domain of a repetitive amino acid motif. Mech. Dev. 64, 1930 (1997).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Fuller, M. T. Spermatogenesis. In The Development of Drosophila melanogaster. (eds. Bate & Martinez Arias) 1, 71147 (Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory Press, 1993).

Leatherman, J. L. & Dinardo, S. Germline self-renewal requires cyst stem cells and stat regulates niche adhesion in Drosophila testes. Nat. Cell Biol. 12, 806811 (2010).

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Dubey, P., Shirolikar, S. & Ray, K. Localized, reactive F-actin dynamics prevents abnormal somatic cell penetration by mature spermatids. Dev. Cell 38, 507521 (2016).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Desai, B. S., Shirolikar, S. & Ray, K. F-actin-based extensions of the head cyst cell adhere to the maturing spermatids to maintain them in a tight bundle and prevent their premature release in Drosophila testis. BMC Biol. 7, 19 (2009).

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

DeFalco, T., Le Bras, S. & Van Doren, M. Abdominal-B is essential for proper sexually dimorphic development of the Drosophila gonad. Mech. Dev. 121, 13231333 (2004).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Papagiannouli, F., Schardt, L., Grajcarek, J., Ha, N. & Lohmann, I. The Hox gene Abd-B controls stem cell niche function in the Drosophila testis. Dev. Cell 28, 189202 (2014).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Zhang, S. et al. Repression of Abd-B by Polycomb is critical for cell identity maintenance in adult Drosophila testis. Sci. Rep. 7, 5101 (2017).

Article ADS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Bach, E. A. et al. GFP reporters detect the activation of the Drosophila JAK/STAT pathway in vivo. Gene Expr. Patterns 7, 323331 (2007).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Hombria, J. C. & Sotillos, S. JAK-STAT pathway in Drosophila morphogenesis: From organ selector to cell behavior regulator. JAKSTAT 2, e26089 (2013).

PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Pinto, P. B., Espinosa-Vazquez, J. M., Rivas, M. L. & Hombria, J. C. JAK/STAT and hox dynamic interactions in an organogenetic gene cascade. PLoS Genet. 11, e1005412 (2015).

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Ganfornina, M. D. & Sanchez, D. Generation of evolutionary novelty by functional shift. Bioessays 21, 432439 (1999).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Hu, Y. & Moczek, A. P. Wing serial homologues and the diversification of insect outgrowths: insights from the pupae of scarab beetles. Proc. Biol. Sci. 288, 20202828 (2021).

CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

DiFrisco, J., Wagner, G. P. & Love, A. C. Reframing research on evolutionary novelty and co-option: Character identity mechanisms versus deep homology. Semin. Cell Dev. Biol. 145:3-12 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.03.030 (2022).

Almud, I. & Pascual-Anaya, J. in Old Questions and Young Approaches to Animal Evolution (eds. Martn-Durn JM & Vellutini BC) Ch. 6, 107132 (Springer Nature, 2019).

Halder, G., Callaerts, P. & Gehring, W. J. Induction of ectopic eyes by targeted expression of the eyeless gene in Drosophila. Science 267, 17881792 (1995).

Article ADS CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Chen, R., Halder, G., Zhang, Z. & Mardon, G. Signaling by the TGF-beta homolog decapentaplegic functions reiteratively within the network of genes controlling retinal cell fate determination in Drosophila. Development 126, 935943 (1999).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Kango-Singh, M., Singh, A. & Henry Sun, Y. Eyeless collaborates with Hedgehog and Decapentaplegic signaling in Drosophila eye induction. Dev. Biol. 256, 4960 (2003).

Article PubMed Google Scholar

Brunetti, C. R. et al. The generation and diversification of butterfly eyespot color patterns. Curr. Biol. 11, 15781585 (2001).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Ahzhanov, A. & Kaufman, T. C. Evolution of distinct expression patterns for engrailed paralogues in higher crustaceans (Malacostraca). Dev. Genes Evol. 210, 493506 (2000).

Franke, F. A. & Mayer, G. Controversies surrounding segments and parasegments in onychophora: insights from the expression patterns of four segment polarity genes in the peripatopsid Euperipatoides rowelli. PLoS ONE 9, e114383 (2014).

Article ADS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Dufour, H. D., Koshikawa, S. & Finet, C. Temporal flexibility of gene regulatory network underlies a novel wing pattern in flies. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 117, 1158911596 (2020).

Article ADS CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Mellenthin, K. et al. Wingless signaling in a large insect, the blowfly Lucilia sericata: a beautiful example of evolutionary developmental biology. Dev. Dyn. 235, 347360 (2006).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Suksuwan, W., Cai, X., Ngernsiri, L. & Baumgartner, S. Segmentation gene expression patterns in Bactrocera dorsalis and related insects: regulation and shape of blastoderm and larval cuticle. Int. J. Dev. Biol. 61, 439450 (2017).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Hanna, L. & Popadic, A. A hemipteran insect reveals new genetic mechanisms and evolutionary insights into tracheal system development. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 117, 42524261 (2020).

Article ADS CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

de Miguel, C., Linsler, F., Casanova, J. & Franch-Marro, X. Genetic basis for the evolution of organ morphogenesis: the case of spalt and cut in the development of insect trachea. Development 143, 36153622 (2016).

PubMed Google Scholar

Lim, J. & Choe, C. P. Functional analysis of engrailed in Tribolium segmentation. Mech. Dev. 161, 103594 (2020).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Read more:

Interlocking of co-opted developmental gene networks in Drosophila ... - Nature.com

Developed in partnership with famous Italian coachbuilder Zagato, the TZ family spawned three distinct automotive masterpieces that deserve to be remembered.

Though modern models have lost some of their originality, being built with chassis and drivetrain combos borrowed from other carmakers, Alfa Romeo-badged cars have always been renowned for their impeccable driving manners.

This trait originated in an era when Alfa was an independent manufacturer that prioritized motorsport success over mass production of road cars.

While that philosophy ultimately contributed to its demise as an independent carmaker, leading to a Fiat takeover in the 1980s, it also gave birth to Alfa's most legendary models.

The most famous of those models remains the original 33 Stradale from the late 1960s, but very close behind in the hearts of many die-hard Alfisti is the Giulia TZ (Tubolare Zagato) range.

Photo: Bonhams

Called Giulia TI, the car was powered by a 106-hp, 1.6-liter version of the company's famous Bialbero twin-cam engine designed by the legendary Giuseppe Busso.

That year, the Bialbero (beefed up to 160 hp in race trim), along with other components from the Giulia TI, were used to develop a new Alfa contender for the popular Gran Turismo (GT) racing competitions.

Unveiled at the 1962 Turin Motor Show, the new GT was built on a lightweight nickel-chromium tubular spaceframe chassis with fully independent suspension and disc brakes.

On top of the chassis sat a beautifully sculptured, Zagato-designed aluminum body that contributed to the car's low weight and aerodynamic efficiency.

In total, the exquisite GT christened Giulia TZ weighed only 1,460 pounds (660 kg), and thanks to its state-of-the-art four-cylinder, it could reach a top speed of 134 mph (216 kph).

Alfa only built 112 units between 1962 and 1965. They were available in 160-hp (race) or 112-hp (road) configurations.

Photo: Alfa Romeo

At the 1964 Turin Motor Show, they introduced the redesigned Giulia TZ2, which featured a new fiberglass body that reduced weight by around 88 pounds (44 kg) and improved aerodynamics even further.

This new iteration was also powered by the 1.6 Bialbero, albeit with an all-new cylinder head that pushed output to 170 hp.

Unlike the first model, the TZ2 was exclusively developed for the track, with only 12 examples being built.

The car is famous for winning its class at the Targa Florio race in 1965 and 1966. During its short career, it also triumphed in the GT class at Monza, Sebring, and the Nrburgring.

Today, the TZ2 is considered Alfa's best GT race car, and, considering its low-volume production, the value of a surviving example exceeds the $3 million mark.

Those of us who aren't millionaires can enjoy driving the Alfa Romeo TZ2 in the Gran Turismo 7 video game.

Photo: Zagato

However, that wasn't the end of the TZ story. In 2011, Alfa decided to celebrate 100 years of motorsport involvement by developing a modern version of its legendary GT racer.

Called TZ3 Corsa (dropping the Giulia nameplate), it was initially a track-only one-off commissioned by German collector Martin Kapp, but unlike its predecessors, it was based on an existing Gillet Vertigo.5 race car chassis equipped with an F136 Ferrari-Maseratti V8.

Also fitted with a unique Zagato body and tipping the scales at 1,874 pounds (850 kg), it was in the same lightweight league as the classic TZs.

But, with its 4.2-liter V8 spitting out 420 hp, it sprinted to 60 mph (97 kph) in 3.5 seconds, reaching a top speed of 186 mph (300 kph).

Photo: Zagato

Though the bodywork was very similar to that of the Corsa, the Stradale was based on the Dodge Viper ACR-X chassis.

Of course, this angered a lot of Alfa Romeo purists, who argued that the Stradale wasn't a true Alfa, but for any objective supercar fan, the TZ3 was (and still is) an epic machine.

Combining the lightweight Zagato body with the ACR-X's race-proven chassis and monstrous 8.4-liter, 640-hp V10, the retro-inspired, coachbuilt masterpiece could accelerate to 60 mph (97 kph) from a standstill in 3.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 185 mph (297 kph).

Six decades after the first iteration was born, the TZ is still one of Alfa Romeo's most exquisite model ranges.

The lightweight construction and stunningly gorgeous Zagato bodies of each generation will continue to inspire and fascinate gearheads for generations to come.

Since the TZ2 is, without question, the most prestigious member of the family, I'll end this article by recommending that you watch the fantastic YouTube video below by RSRNurburg.

Read the original post:

Alfa Romeo TZ: The Evolution of the Italian Carmaker's Most ... - autoevolution

Pictured is a rock slab with the earliest evidence for deep-sea vertebrates. The fossil evidence consists of pits and trails produced by feeding fishes during Early Cretaceous times. The dish-like structures are approximately 4 cm wide. Credit: Andrea Baucon

Scientists discover missing evolution puzzle piece in 130-million-year-old rocks. The discovery is a result of an international collaboration, in which theFaculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon(Portugal) is involved.

Despite vertebrates being a dominant element in contemporary deep-sea ecosystems, there has been no fossil evidence of deep-sea fishes older than 50 million years. Now, the recent unearthing of exceptionally rare fossils provides the earliest known evidence of deep-sea fishes. This pushes back the timeline of deep-sea colonization by a staggering 80 million years.

The findings were recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

When I first found the fossils, I could not believe what I was seeing, says paleontologist Andrea Baucon, leader of this study, researcher at the University of Genova (Italy). It was he who discovered the fish fossils in the NW Apennines, close to Piacenza, Modena, and Livorno (Italy).

Red mullet producing a feeding pit in the shallow seafloor of the Ligurian Sea. The new study report identical structures from the Cretaceous deposits of the N Apennines, Italy. Results indicate that the fossil feeding pits are the earliest evidence for deep-sea vertebrates. Credit: Andrea Baucon

The reason for this astonishment is the remote age of the fossils, which predate any other evidence of deep-sea fish by million years. The newly discovered fossils date back to the Early Cretaceous (130 million years ago). The new fossils show the activity of fishes on a dinosaur-age seafloor that was thousands of meters deep, adds Andrea Baucon.

Using photogrammetry, scientists delivered a photo-textured height map of fossil feeding pits and trails. These represent the earliest evidence for deep-sea vertebrates. Credit: Girolamo Lo Russo

The newly discovered fossils are rare and unusual. They comprise bowl-shaped excavations produced by ancient feeding fishes, as well as the sinuous trail formed by the tail of a swimming fish, incising the muddy seafloor. These trace fossils do not comprise body fossils such as fish bones, but they record ancient behavior. As such, the Apennine fossils mark a critical point in space and time. It is the point at which fishes moved out of the continental shelf and colonized a new harsh environment, located far away from their original habitat.

Thousands of meters below the surface of the Tethys Ocean an ancient ocean that existed between 250 and 50 million years ago, a precursor of present-day Mediterranean Sea -, the earliest deep-sea fishes faced extreme environmental conditions relative to their shallow water origins: total darkness, near-freezing temperatures and enormous pressures challenged the survival of these pioneers of the abyss.

The video shows a chimera swimming over the sediment at the Kermadec Trench (depth: 1544 m) and then plunging its mouth into the sediment to feed. In the new study, scientists studied the behavior of modern fishes to understand the behaviors associated with the earliest fossils of deep-sea vertebrates. Credit: Thomas Linley, Alan Jamieson

Such extreme conditions required adaptations for deep-sea life that are evolutionary innovations as significant as those that allowed the colonization of the land and the air, such as wings and limbs, for example.

The newly discovered fossils represent not just the earliest deep-sea fishes but the earliest deep-sea vertebrates. The evolution of vertebrates backboned animals has been punctuated by habitat transitions from shallow marine origins to terrestrial, aerial, and deep-sea environments. Invasion of the deep sea is the least-understood habitat transition because of the low fossilization potential associated with the deep sea.

The new fossils shed light on an otherwise obscure chapter of the history of life on Earth, comments Carlos Neto de Carvalho, a researcher at Instituto Dom Luiz, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (Cincias ULisboa) (Portugal).

Height map of the rock slab above, preserving the earliest evidence for deep-sea vertebrates. Color coding is related to height, with the warmer colours at the higher elevations. Credit: Girolamo Lo Russo

The Apennine fossils force scientists to reconsider which factors might have triggered the vertebrate colonization of the deep sea. The authors propose that the trigger was the unprecedented input of organic matter that occurred between the Late Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous. The availability of food in the deep seas favored bottom-dwelling worms, which, in turn, attracted fishes that used specific behaviors to expose them.

In this study, researchers turned to present-day seas to understand fossil behavior, studying the behavior of modern fishes in their habitats. Scientists explored the depths of the Pacific Ocean to study chimeras, also known as ghost sharks, in their living environment.

The new fossils are identical to structures produced by modern fishes that feed by either scratching the seafloor or exposing their bottom-dwelling prey by suction. This is reminiscent of Neoteleostei, the group of vertebrates that includes modern jellynose fishes and lizard fishes.

Chimaera swimming over the sediment at the Kermadec Trench in the Pacific Ocean (depth: 1544 m). In the new study, scientists studied the behavior of modern deep-sea fishes to understand the formation mechanism of Cretaceous trace fossils. Results reveal the earliest evidence for deep-sea vertebrates. Credit: Thomas Linley, Alan Jamieson

Contrarily to the common belief, the deep-sea floor sediments are packed with fossil remains of ancient life, but normally from small organisms that dwell well above in the water column as phyto or zooplankton, explains Mrio Cacho, co-author of this study and researcher at Instituto Dom Luiz, Cincias ULisboa.

However, to discover and interpret direct evidences of organic activity of vertebrates imprinted and geologically preserved in such sediments, after being tectonically deformed and exposed as the Northern Apennine mountain range, emplaced mostly during the Miocene and Pliocene geological epochs that is, approximately the last 20 million years ago -, is a very, very, rare find indeed, adds Mrio Cacho.

The newly discovered fossils may represent the first major step in the origins of modern deep-sea vertebrate biodiversity. The roots of modern deep-sea ecosystems are in the Apennine fossils, witnessing a key habitat transition in the history of the oceans. Our fossil discoveries reassess the modeand tempo of the vertebrate colonization of the deep sea. The newly discovered fossils contain fundamental cluesabout the very beginningsof vertebrate evolution in the deep sea, having profound implications for both Earth and Life Sciences, summarizes Andrea Baucon.

Reference: The earliest evidence of deep-sea vertebrates by Andrea Baucon, Annalisa Ferretti, Chiara Fioroni, Luca Pandolfi, Enrico Serpagli, Armando Piccinini, Carlos Neto de Carvalho, Mrio Cacho, Thomas Linley, Fernando Muiz, Zain Belastegui, Alan Jamieson, Girolamo Lo Russo, Filippo Guerrini, Sara Ferrando and Imants Priede, 5 September 2023, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306164120

The study results from the collaboration of researchers affiliated to scientific institutions from Italy (Universities of Genova, Modena and Reggio Emilia, Padova, Pisa, Parma; Natural History Museum of Piacenza; Museum of Nature South Tyrol), Portugal (Naturtejo UNESCO Global Geopark; University of Lisbon), England (Newcastle University), Spain (Universities of Sevilla and Barcelona), Australia (University of Western Australia), Scotland (University of Aberdeen).

Go here to see the original:

I Could Not Believe What I Was Seeing Missing Evolution Puzzle ... - SciTechDaily

Welcome to Monday, September 18, 2023, and National Cheeseburger Day. That reminds me of this SNL sketch, modeled on Chicagos Billy Goat Tavern:

There are lots of deals on cheeseburgers today (see here), including McDonalds offering a double cheeseburger (no chips, fries) for only 50!

Its also Rice Krispies Treats Day (I love em!), First Love Day (Devan Powell, 6th grade), World Bamboo Day,National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day, and World Water Monitoring Day.

Readers are welcome to mark notable events, births, or deaths on this by consulting the September 18 Wikipedia page.

Da Nooz:

*Trump goofed up by denouncing Ron DeSantiss six-week abortion ban, implying that the time limit was not long enough. But of course it wont hurt Trump:

Former President Donald J. Trump, whose Supreme Court appointments led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, harshly criticized his top rival in the Republican presidential primary, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, for a six-week abortion ban that he called a terrible thing.

Mr. Trump issued his broadside which could turn off socially conservative Republican primary voters, especially in Iowa, where evangelicals are a crucial voting bloc during an interview with the new host of NBCs Meet the Press, Kristen Welker, that was broadcast on Sunday morning.

Asked whether Mr. DeSantis went too far by signing a six-week abortion ban, Mr. Trump replied: I think what he did is a terrible thing and a terrible mistake.

. . .In interview after interview since the repeal of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, Mr. Trump has ducked questions about whether he would support a federal ban on most abortions at 15 weeks the baseline position of many Republicans, including the leading anti-abortion group, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.

With Ms. Welker on Sunday, Mr. Trump again refused to clarify his position.

Whats going to happen is youre going to come up with a number of weeks or months, Mr. Trump said. Youre going to come up with a number thats going to make people happy.

But what will makeTrump happy is what GOP voters want to know. Theyll never know, but it doesnt matter. All they really want is a someone to run the country that has a narcissistic personality disorder.

*According to Reuters, new evidence has turned up that Pope Pius XII knew about the Nazi extermination of the Jews, despite the Vaticans denial:

Wartime Pope Pius XII knew details about the Nazi attempt to exterminate Jews in the Holocaust as early as 1942, according to a letter found in the Vatican archives that conflicts with the Holy Sees official position at the time that the information it had was vague and unverified.

The yellowed, typewritten letter, reproduced in Italys Corriere della Sera on Sunday, is highly significant because it was discovered by an in-house Vatican archivist and made public with the encouragement of Holy See officials.

The letter, dated Dec. 14, 1942, was written by Father Lother Koenig, a Jesuit who was in the anti-Nazi resistance in Germany, and addressed to the popes personal secretary at the Vatican, Father Robert Leiber, also a German.

Vatican archivist Giovanni Coco told the Corriere that the importance of the letter was enormous, a unique case because it showed the Vatican had information that labour camps were actually death factories.

In the letter, Koenig tells Leiber that sources had confirmed that about 6,000 Poles and Jews a day were being killed in SS-furnaces at the Belzec camp near Rava-Ruska, which was then part of German-occupied Poland and is now in western Ukraine.

The newness and importance of this document derives from a fact: now we have the certainty that the Catholic Church in Germany sent Pius XII exact and detailed news about the crimes that were being perpetrated against the Jews, Coco told the newspaper, whose article was headlined: Pius XII Knew.

. . .The letter made reference to two other Nazi camps Auschwitz and Dachau and suggested that there were other missives between Koenig and Leiber that either have gone missing or have not yet been found.

Supporters of Pius say he worked behind the scenes to help Jews and did not speak out in order to prevent worsening the situation for Catholics in Nazi-occupied Europe. His detractors say he lacked the courage to speak out on information he had despite pleas from Allied powers fighting Germany.

The detractors were right.

*A while back I posted about the cancellation of Carole Hooven, who taught human evolutionary biology at Harvard, and directed that program, but then got into big trouble for speaking the truth. (She recounts this all in an article in The Archives of Sexual Behavior.) A quote from her piece:

While people might have objected to just about anything I said, simply because I said it on Fox, heres the bit that got me in real trouble:

The facts are that there aretwo sexesthere are male and female, and those sexes are designated by the kinds of gametes we produceThe ideology seems to be that biology really isnt as important as how somebody feels about themselves or feels their sex to be, but we can treat people with respect and respect their gender identities and use their preferred pronouns, so understanding the facts about biology doesnt prevent us from treating people with respect (Harvard lecturer2021).

In response to my appearance, a graduate student tweeted out a thread, representing herself in her official capacity as director of my departments Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging task force. She said, among other things, that she was appalled by my transphobic and dangerous remarks which allegedly interfered with the task forces efforts to ensure that the department was a safe space for people of all gender identities and sexes (Levine,2021).

The trouble continued, and Hooven was more or less forced out of her department. Now, though, she has been offered a job by the American Enterprise Institute, a job that she and my colleague Brian Leiter announced in these tweets (h/t cesar). Be sure to read the entirety of Caroles second tweet:

Harvard treated her execrably, and Im ashamed of my alma mater. It was all due to wokeness, of course: her department didnt support her speaking simple but unpalatable biological truths. Best of luck to her.

*In about two weeks, students will have to start repaying their loans after Bidens suspension of repayments, and forgiveness of some debt, was overturned. Although I think that decision was fair, the WSJ points out a down side.

The restart of student-loan payments could divert up to $100 billion from Americans pockets over the coming year, leaving consumers squeezed and some of the nations largest retailers fearing a spending slowdown.

Starting Oct. 1, tens of millions of student-loan borrowers willneed to make paymentsaveraging between $200 and $300 each month. The payments will mark the first timethat borrowers have had to make good on their loanssince the Education Department instituted a pause in March 2020. In the interim, they spent the money on televisions, travel, new homes and thousands of other products. That spending is one reason the economy has remained resilient in recent years, despite a surge in interest rates.

. . .What the resumption of loan payments means for the broader economy, however, is up for debate, and at least two groups watching closely disagree. Target, Walmart and other retailers that depend on discretionary spendingare concerned. Economists, on the other hand, say the renewed payments are a relatively small problem for the more than $18 trillion in annual U.S. consumer spending.

Inside Americans homes, the debate doesnt matter. Borrowers say they are curtailing their spending in meaningful ways. Making the payments will add another financial obligation torising credit-card bills,gasoline pricesandother costs, and they say uncomfortable cuts will be necessary.

Im with the economists; it seems like the reduction in discretionary spending will be small. But what do I know? Im just a poor evolutionary biologist from the country.

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hilis having a good dream:

A: Are you asleep?

Hili: Yes, Im dreaming about better times.

In Polish:

Ja: pisz? Hili: Tak, ni o lepszych czasach.

*******************

From Divy, Kitten School (cartoonist not indicated):

Nice photo, but pity about the two incorrect apostrophes. . . .

From the Absurd Sign Project:

Masih notes the widespread protests across Iran on the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini:

Titania is tweeting again:

From Malcolm; look at the tummy (and face) on that kitten!

From Simon:

From the Auschwitz Memorial, two today. First, a girl murdered on arrival; she was only ten:

And a man who lived but nine days after arrival:

Tweets from Herr Doktor Professor Cobb. Snow leopards are still endangered by poaching and habitat loss; about 10,000 remain in the wilds of Asia.

I quote-tweeted this one sent by Matthew:

The comments take issu with Hemingways own claims: have a look. (I tend to believe Hem.)

See more here:

Monday: Hili dialogue Why Evolution Is True - Why Evolution Is True

Ladies, let's have a chat about vacation attire, specifically beachwear. How many times have we all searched high and low for that perfect bikini or a kaftan[1], only to be left disappointed by the limited options and uncomfortable fits? The call of the ocean waves is strong, but instead of feeling confident and carefree, we're plagued with worry and discomfort. I'm sure we can all relate to that frustrating experience.

But fear not, because CMGE Beach Club is here to revolutionize our beach fashion game! They've heard our pleas for better beachwear and are determined to empower us with their incredible collection. From bikinis that change colors[2] to trendy crop tops and everything in between, they offer a wide range of chic and comfortable options that cater to all body types and style preferences. Finally, a brand that truly understands the unique needs of every woman!

The days when beach fashion felt like a one-size-fits-all affair are a thing of the past. CMGE Beach Club embraces diversity and ensures that every woman feels fabulous in her own skin. Their selection of sarongs, kimono jackets, sarong dresses, and kaftans[3] is a celebration of elegance and style, allowing us to effortlessly express ourselves as we transition from the beach to the bar or explore local markets.

But it's not just about looks; CMGE Beach Club takes comfort seriously too. Each piece is crafted with premium materials that feel incredibly soft against our skin. So whether we're lounging by the poolside, catching waves in the surf, or simply basking in the warm sun rays, we can do it all with absolute comfort and confidence.

What truly sets CMGE Beach Club apart is its dedication to innovation. Their water-reactive and color-changing garments are nothing short of magical. Just imagine a bikini that transforms with every touch of water or a t-shirt that blossoms into vibrant colors under the warm rays - it's like fashion sorcery! Their goal is to empower us to shine bright and make a splash wherever we go!

As women, we deserve beachwear that complements our individuality, caters to our preferences, and allows us to fully embrace the beach lifestyle without compromising on style or comfort. CMGE Beach Club understands this perfectly, and they've created a haven of beach fashion that's as empowering as it is fashionable.

So as the sun beckons us to embark on our next beach adventure, let's do it with confidence and joy, knowing that CMGE Beach Club has got our backs. Let's celebrate our uniqueness and revel in the comfort of premium materials. Let's have fun with their color-changing magic and embrace the endless possibilities of stylish vacation wear[4].

From the corsets of yesteryears to today's liberating beachwear[5], the world of fashion has undergone a profound evolution. Modern women now seek a diverse and distinctive beachwear experience that celebrates their individuality while still being stylish and comfortable. We are warriors of change, demanding fashion that aligns with our dynamic lives. We crave a beachside wardrobe that empowers us to embrace our true selves.

It's time for us to reclaim control over our own beach fashion narrative and set sail into a world of empowerment and style. CMGE Beach Club is leading this charge, and we couldn't be more thrilled to be part of this fashion revolution. So let's dive headfirst into their treasure trove of amazing beachwear[6] wonders and rediscover the pure joy of being ourselves one fabulous outfit at a time!

Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same.

Updated: 18 Sep 2023, 06:23 PM IST

Continue reading here:

Evolution of Beachwear - CMGE Beach Club's Beachwear for ... - Mint