Category Archives: Evolution

The recent FDA approval of darolutamide (Nubeqa) plus docetaxel and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) represents a promising improvement in survival without a significant increase in toxicity vs ADT and chemotherapy alone for patients with advanced disease, according to E. David Crawford, MD.1

The triplet combination was approved based on results from the phase 3 ARASENS trial (NCT02799602).2 The treatment combination was found to have a statistically significant and meaningful improvement in overall survival (OS) among those treated with darolutamide plus docetaxel vs chemotherapy (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.57-0.80; P <.0001). Median OS was not reached in the darolutamide arm at a median follow-up of 43.7 months and was 48.9 months in the chemotherapy arm. Patients also had a delay in time to pain progression in the darolutamide arm vs the chemotherapy arm (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.66-0.95; 1-sided P = .006).

Now weve got a triplet [regimen for mHSPC], so Im excited. I was seeing patients live 10 years or longer with doublets. Now, I expect that its going to get even better. I have some patients with advanced prostate cancer alive at 20 years. What we have here is a major step forward; we have a drug that is added onto ADT and chemotherapy that had an impact. Thats something that I think is a game changer, said Crawford.

CancerNetworkspoke with Crawford, editor-in-chief of Grand Rounds in Urology; professor of Urology at the University of California, San Diego; and an editorial board member of the journal ONCOLOGY about the approval and the body of research that led to the regulatory decision. Additionally, he highlighted how the new treatment option will impact patients with mCRPC and where future efforts need to be focused to help move the needle forward.

Crawford: It represents a significant step forward in our progress of trying to effectively treat this disease and maybe even get to the point where we make it a chronic disease. Like many of the other [cancer types] out there, people don't die from it; they die with it. [The approval of darolutamide plus docetaxel and ADT] fits very nicely with the evolution of whats happened in metastatic prostate cancer. [Treatment for prostate cancer] started out with single therapy back in the 1940s with estrogens and orchiectomy. One of the big changing points was the introduction of LHRH [luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone] agonist back in the mid-1980s.

We had an effective therapy that [patients] usually progressed on within a period of a couple of years. That led to a study that [I was involved in] with a doublet therapy and an anti-androgen agent called flutamide which was published in 1989 in the New England Journal of Medicine; that was the first doublet that was utilized extensively.3 It resulted in a 6-month improvement in survival rate. At that time, it was met with a lot of controversy and for the next decade, there were a lot of studies done with it and with other doublets. Then what happened with metastatic disease was that a new generation of drugs came along. We call them third-generation anti-androgens inhibitors, androgen biosynthesis inhibitors, and chemotherapy. What happened there was we were blessed with a bunch of riches [about] a decade ago with all these new drugs like chemotherapy, which were utilized in this study [along with other treatments like] docetaxel, androgen biosynthesis inhibitors, [and abiraterone acetate].

Then we had drugs that were much better than the one I studied in 1989. We had darolutamide that came along, as well as apalutamide [Erleada] and enzalutamide [Xtandi]. When these agents were added to standard [ADT], there was an improvement in outcomes, and that reflected what we had done years ago. In 2018 or 2019, [findings read out using] doublets. If you look at the utilization and studies that have been done going back to 2020, only about a quarter of clinicians add something like this onto ADTa doublet. Were starting to see that change a little bit by moving the needle here with therapeutic interventions and change, but development in prostate cancer [like many other cancers] has been slow.

The important thing is now we have a triplet that has been well studied, where you build on the foundation of ADT including a study that was done a number of years ago by Christopher J. Sweeney, MMBS, and the [Prostate Cancer Foundation] Cooperative Group. That was called the [phase 3] CHAARTER trial [NCT00309985].4 It showed when you add docetaxel to ADT, you had improvements in outcomes of almost 17 months, which is a long time compared with the study that we did back in 1989 when the survival rates were 28 months to 35 months of improvement.

Building on that was tough, and this was a risky trial to do in a way. The ARASENS trial built on the doublet of ADT and chemotherapy and then added darolutamide, which is a third-generation anti-androgen inhibitor. What happened here was an amazing almost 35% improvement in the survival rate, just by adding [darolutamide]. Then the question was, Okay, did we add a lot of toxicity? The answer was nothere was no added toxicity on top of chemotherapy with ADT. Theres no question that chemotherapy with ADT takes its toll on [patients] more than ADT alone, which has a significant [adverse] effect profile. The ones we worry about now are more cardiovascular and bone [related].

We always like to have a personalized medicine approach, focusing on a [single patient] rather than a large group. Weve got some of that information here, but I wouldnt jump to say that [you should] take the worst patients and treat them with this regimen. Thats what the bucket of chemotherapy fell into where the benefit seemed to be working with more advanced disease. Some of that had to do with people with lesser disease who lived longer in these trials, but we did not follow patients long enough to see that. That was sort of the same with the ARASENS trial in a way; when the end point of survival difference was reached and survival in the control arm passed 50%, the study was basically stopped and people weren't followed anymore. Therefore, we may never know the right answer for some of the [included] groups.

We do know, however, that theres an improvement in survival, delay in chemotherapy, and a delay in pain. We also know that the majority of toxicity during the initial therapy with the chemotherapy and that the addition of darolutamide didnt significantly change that. How do we decide who to use it on? Many people dont agree with me, but I think it applies across the board with advanced prostate cancer. We all know that cancer that is a collection of genetic changes; the longer its around them, the more genetic heterogeneity exists and less responsive it is to that therapy. When screening, were finding the disease early. In our study from 1989, we found that people with more minimal disease did lived longer, and it wasnt just lead time bias. Hitting this [disease] heavy up front as you do with a lot of [curable] cancers makes sense, and right now, its open to most patients, not just those who have more significant disease.

History remakes itself all the time in prostate cancer, and what we found out was that it used to be that drugs were studied with advanced disease, including hormone therapy and some of the anti-androgens. What happened was we were treating [patients] and then [treatment] would fail. Theyd have advanced diseases such as castration-resistant disease or hormone-refractory disease. Thats where a lot of the new drugs came in. We started studying the drugs in the [patients with] worse disease because they had a very minimal life expectancy. We were seeing with every one of these drugs like apalutamide and enzalutamide [being being used for] patients who were refractory to everything. Now its moving up to the adjuvant setting and even active surveillance. Whether we see progression or regression of these agents being moved to earlier [lines of therapy], I dont think were too far off from seeing this in the future. Were going to be able to treat patients earlier with triplet therapy like this. Maybe [they will] not continue it for the rest of their lives, but we dont do that with a lot of chemotherapies. Were going to evolve into that, but right now were looking at whats happened with the triplet drugs and celebrating the results. Were going to start moving it up [the lines of therapy].

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E. David Crawford, MD, Reviews the Evolution of Treatment for mHSPC Leading to the FDA Approval of Darolutamide, Chemo, and ADT - Cancer Network

The fossil record represents an amazing window into the endless forms of life that have existed across countless ages. By studying ancient species and ecosystems we can increase our understanding of what lived in the past and how the Earth was different compared to today. We can also use fossils to understand how evolution works and what is most likely to evolve under particular sets of circumstances.

This context is what makes Meraxes gigas, a newly named theropod dinosaur, so important for our understanding of dinosaur evolution and biodiversity.

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I was part of the international team of palaeontologists, led by Juan Canale of the Ernesto Bachmann Palaeontological Museum, that named and described Meraxes gigas. The specimen was collected between 2012 and 2014 near Villa El Chocn in Argentina, in rocks of the ~95 million year old Huincul Formation.

Meraxes is a large theropod, the group of bipedal, often meat-eating, dinosaurs which also includes birds, and a member of the Carcharodontosauridae family, making it a relative of dinosaurs like Carcharodontosaurus, Giganotosaurus and Acrocanthosaurus.

The discovered specimen is approximately 11 metres long, and its weight is estimated as approximately 4,200 kg. It has a proportionally large skull featuring a rather fearsome set of teeth, along with long legs and large clawed feet, a powerful tail, and small arms and hands.

Likely a top predator, it co-occurred with other large theropods like Skorpiovenator, alongside large herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs and smaller iguanadontian ornithopod dinosaurs.

Meraxes is particularly notable in what it tells us about the evolution of large size in dinosaurs. Its body plan a large head and small arms is very similar to that seen in tyrannosaurids like Tyrannosaurus rex, and abelisaurids like Carnotaurus.

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These three groups of theropod dinosaurs are all distant relatives. Each independently evolved both large body size and the combination of a large head and small arms.

We analyzed the evolution of these changes in these three groups by examining changes in arm size relative to other body measurements, such as leg and body size. We found that not only did each group experience similar changes through evolution, but there appears to be a lower limit for how small the arms can be relative to the rest of the body. This may represent a developmental or mechanical constraint: the arm can only get so small relative to the body, regardless of other evolutionary pressures in this context.

There are several potential explanations for the size of the arms; the forelimbs themselves may have retained some function despite their reduced size. Our data most directly support the idea that arm reduction in these dinosaur groups is more likely tracking other traits rather than being the subject of evolutionary selective pressure itself. In other words, as the relative size of the skull increased over evolution, the arms decreased proportionally in size as an evolutionary trade-off.

Another important thing Meraxes can tell us about dinosaur evolution concerns its growth and age. As a palaeontologist, one of my areas of expertise is in using bone microstructure to understand growth in extinct animals like dinosaurs. I also study how bone growth varies across individuals within and between species.

This involves cutting a bone in half (typically one of the long bones of the hind limb, like a femur or tibia), mounting a piece to a slide, and grinding that piece down to be thin enough that you can pass light through it and view the bone microstructure using a microscope.

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From here, changes in bone tissue can be observed, telling us about physiology and relative maturity. We can also see annual growth marks, similar to tree rings. By counting these growth marks, measuring their positions across the bone and analyzing them using statistical growth models, we can estimate not only how much an animal grew from year to year, but also how old it was when it died.

Using this approach to study Meraxes, we were able to determine that it was likely around 50 years old at death, and its skeleton had stopped growing about four years before it died. This would make it the oldest non-avian theropod dinosaur currently known, and one of the oldest known dinosaurs.

We also discovered that Meraxes, compared to other gigantic theropods like Tyrannosaurus, reached a large size through very different changes to their growth. Meraxes continued growing for a longer period of time when compared to its smaller relatives. Tyrannosaurus had a greater relative growth rate than smaller tyrannosaurid species, but reached adult size in a similar amount of time.

As a result, Meraxes and Tyrannosaurus provide a complex example of evolutionary convergence: they both reached very large size when compared to their relatives, and independently evolved the combination of large skulls and small arms. But they achieved this through very different modifications to their growth pattern through life.

As we continue to study Meraxes and other dinosaurs, well further increase our understanding of the amazing biodiversity and changes throughout the Earths history. And in doing so, well also gain a greater understanding of the mechanisms of evolution itself.

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Thomas Cullen, Postdoctoral Fellow, Earth Sciences, Carleton University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Also Read | Scientists have traced Earths path through the galaxy via tiny crystals in the crust

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A newly found gigantic dinosaur evolved akin to Tyrannosaurus rex - EastMojo

For Colin Reed, Ryman Hospitality Properties' CEO, diversity and inclusion as the company's north star isn't a new idea but rather integrating the values that he passed down to his sons.

Tennessee Voices: A conversation with Colin Reed

Colin Reed, chairman and CEO of Ryman Hospitality, spoke with Tennessean opinion editor David Plazas.

Nashville Tennessean

The Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville is full of complicated history that involves both Confederate imagery and also a long traditionof supporting civil rights.

Colin Reed, CEO of Ryman Hospitality Properties, and his team understand this contradiction and they have deliberately worked to do the right thing, learning lessons along the way.

The goal is to create an inclusive place that honors the Ryman's legacy and welcomes the future performers and fans of country music.

This is the second in a series of columns about how country music industry leaders are responding to the racial reckoning in America.

On awarm Friday evening in downtown Nashville, I walkdown Rep. John Lewis Waytoa Walker Hayes concert at the Ryman Auditorium.

I hearloud party buses, smell the odor of booze and watch woo girls take overthe streets.

Once inside the "Mother Church of Country Music"alongside my Tennessean colleague, Marcus K. Dowling, we move over the creaking hardwood floors as we takeour center balcony seats inthe hall's famous wooden pews.

I am a Tullahoma native and new fan to country music who is still trying to figure out my place as a Black man in this genre.

During the concert, Dowling, our country music columnist, points to the right side of the balcony section and tells me that's where the 1897 Confederate Gallery sign used to be.

I found myself shocked to learn that history among the music and cheering crowd.

In 1897, the sign was put up after thousands of Confederate soldiers came to the Ryman for their annual reunion. A plantation owner and Confederate general led the fundraising efforts to build the gallery, so the Ryman had enough space for the reunion.

In 2017, the Ryman decided to remove the banner from the balcony. Away from the venue's main hall, it is now locatedin their off-stage tour.

The sign represents the all-too-familiarcomplicated conversation surrounding race and history.

Hill: How Sony Music Nashville is stepping up as a leader in America's racial reckoning

Review: Allison Russell, Fisk Jubilee Singers seamlessly blend sacred, secular music at the Ryman

The truth is that in 130 years, there are bound to be dark parts of history. And therefore, you have to be committed and willing to address race.

For Reed, Ryman Hospitalitys CEO, having diversity and inclusion as the company's north star isn't a new idea but rather integrating the values into the company that he passed down to his sons.

The reality of race in America became apparent to Reed when his familymoved from London to Memphis. In a private school, his son was bullied by white classmates after befriending a Black soccer teammate.

"(My son) was completely and utterly mortified by this. He didn't understand the ridicule. (Tyrell) was his friend," said Reed, who is white.

Reed's wife went to the school to address the bullying. But unfortunately, the school's headmaster and teacher told them there was nothing they could do to stop it.

Reed compared that moment to the Heisman stiff arm. After that,he and his wife decided to take their sons out of that school.

That situation led Reed to understand that you might not have all the answers, but there's still something you can do.

The Ryman is dubbed "the soul of Nashville" for a reason. The Mother Church has been Music City's beacon since it was built in 1892.

Visiting the Mother Church in May, I discovered rich history. For instance, in 1961, TheRyman was host to "A Tribute To The Freedom Riders" benefit concert to aid Dr. Martin Luther King's civilrights work.

During the benefit's intermission, Dr. King awarded scholarships to college students who completed the Freedom Rides. One of those students was John Lewis.

It's also been home to Confederate reunions, but at the end of the day, it's Ryman history.

"In order for you to know where you're going, you've got toknow where youve been," Reed said. "You can learn a lot from history, good and bad."

Reed continued to speak about the Confederate Gallery banner, saying that keeping the sign in the building was about preserving the Ryman's history. "Knowing history is important and it's not validating history; it's just knowing what went on and why."

Reed's point of knowing history is a tough pill to swallow in our country.In Tennessee, teaching of Black and LGBTQ histories the unauthorized way may lead to the loss of school funding.

Reed also sees the business side as another way to move the diversity conversation forward.

He sets his business infrastructure on three staples:Consumers, employment practices and artists. He seeks to weavediversity into this framework.

"If you have a business that has positioned itself to (cater to consumers),those consumers are not all white men, those consumers are a very diverse group of people, " says Reed. "Your organization should haverepresentation that looks like your customer base."

With a net worth exceeding$4.7billion, Ryman Hospitality Properties is one of Nashville's economic powerhouses. The company's portfolioincludes the Ryman, Grand Ole Opry House, Gaylord Opryland Resort &Convention Center, Wildhorse Saloon, and the Broadway Honky Tonk Ole Red, a partnership with Country Artist Blake Shelton, all in Nashville, as well as several ventures in other cities.

Everyone, Black or white, is drawn to the magic that lives within the Ryman and the GrandOle Opry house. I stepped into both auditoriums and felt like I was back in my home church in Tullahoma.

What makes the GrandOle Opry house special is that it's a place where country music's past, present and history are constantly intertwined. For Dan Rogers,vice president and executive producer of the Grand Ole Opry, the beauty of that dynamic is not lost on him.

"It's an honor and a responsibility," said Rogers. "The honor speaks for itself for anybodywho comes to see a show (at the Opry House). The responsibility to me isto propel the music the Opry's been known for throughout its history but also the responsibility to get it right, to realize the Opry and country music has made mistakes along the way in a 96-year history. While you can't change history, we can make sure we're doing everything we can now to celebrate the parts that need to be celebrated and work toward an inclusive and enjoyable history."

Evolution of country music: Rissi Palmer empowers herself, other acclaimed artists rising from country music's margins

Inspiration: Adia Victoria, Lizzie No inspire Black female creativity by reconnecting to the blues

The Opry is frankly a majority white space. And with that comes a small margin of error when gaining a more diverse audience and artist lineup.

In January, the Opry drew criticism when Morgan Wallen, the country artist once caught on camera saying a racial slur in Nashville, made asurprise appearance at anERNEST performance at the venue.

During the interview I heldwith Ryman leaders, they confirmed they knewof Wallen's appearance 72 hours before the show show.

The criticism against the Opry is important, but it's also vital to examine their efforts.

Marty Stuart talks about the significance of playing at the Ryman

An excerpt from Ken Burns' documentary "Country Music" on PBS

Opry statistics highlight a rise in diversity.

For example, Opry statistics show a 9% increase in artists of color who've taken the Opry stage from 2017 to May 2022.

Beyond just a statistic, this increase shows that the Opry team sees inclusion as a part of their future.

Another bright spot for the Opryis creating in 2019 the Opry Next Stage program, where upcoming artists can showcase their talents. Next Stage seeks to help youngartists succeed by providing promotional support for their brand. This is where Ryman Hospitality can push its diversity efforts by ensuring each Next Stage class includes artists from many backgrounds.

Jordan Pettit, the director of artist relations and programming strategy forOpry Entertainment Group, believes the Opry is on the right track.

"The Opry is trying to offer country music credibility tobold artists with unique backgrounds and life experienceswhose originality comes to the forefront under the spotlight," Pettit said. "We're attempting to speak to a broader array of audiences about [country music's] vibrant, diverse futureacross the Opry Entertainment Suite brands."

Both the Grand Opry House and Ryman Auditorium aresynonymous with Nashville. They both brighten the beacon that attracts millions to come to Music City every year.

Not only do they attract visitors, but they house a generational spirit that artists get to embrace.

New Orleans native Joy Clarkperformed at the Ryman with Allison Russell and the Fisk Jubilee Singers on June 28 and felt compelled by the spirits housed at the Mother Church.

"It felt like a wall of protective Black sound, an army, a fortress of ancestors protecting us. I've never experienced joy like that,on that song," Clark said. "That level of spirituality is how the Ryman should feel, forever, for Black people singing out ancestry."

Country artist Rissi Palmer's recent performance at the Opry signified a full circle moment for her as she had the opportunity to invite long-time friend and fellow country artist Miko Marks to perform songs including The Judds' classic "Flies On The Butter."

The actbrought 2014 Country Music Hall of FamerRonnie Milsap's words about the Opry to life: I feel this is a family here, so kinda regardless of whatever happens in your life, you always can come home to the Grand Ole Opry, thank God.

Reed, Rogers and the rest of the Ryman Hospitality team have a passion for these famed venues and the artists who come through them.

And with that, the evolution of country music will continue.

LeBron Hill is an opinion columnist for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and the curator of theBlack Tennessee Voices newsletter. Feel free to contact him atLHill@gannett.comor 615-829-2384.Find him on Twitter at@hill_bronor Instagram at@antioniohill12.

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For the Ryman and Grand Ole Opry, country music's evolution takes center stage | Hill - Tennessean

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ABCC5 Antibody Market Trend | Predictable to Witness Sustainable Evolution Over 2030 Muleskinner - Muleskinner

Sony Group and Honda form a strategic partnership aimed at creating a new generation of mobility and services that are closely aligned with users and the environment.

In June, the companies established Sony Honda Mobility, which intends to sell high-end electric vehicles with advanced technology starting in 2025 and provide mobility services. The main markets it plans to serve include Japan, the U.S. and Europe.

"We are very pleased to sign this joint venture agreement, which represents the start line from which we embark on the major challenge of revolutionizing mobility and creating new value, says Yashuhide Mizuno, Sony Honda Mobility representative director, chairman, and CEO and senior managing officer of Honda.

We plan to fully leverage the technological assets the two companies possess in different fields, such as Sony's sensing technology and Honda's original mobility development capabilities, to realize mobility and services that inspire and excite our customers, he says.

Adds Izumi Kawanishi, Sony Honda Mobility representative director, president and COO and executive vice president of Sony: By combining the many strengths of Sony and Honda, we intend to accelerate development and lead the evolution of mobility by realizing mobility as an emotional space rooted in safety and security, and the related services.

Sony Honda Mobility is expected to plan, design, develop and sell the EVs but not own or operate the manufacturing facilities, the company says. Instead, Honda will manufacture the first EV model at its plant and Sony will develop the mobility service platform for the new company.

A Sony spokesperson says the company is in the early stages of determining advanced driver-assistance systems features planned for its vehicles as well as the sensors and processors that will be used.

The companies talks date back to the summer of 2021, when Honda proposed meeting with Sony to consider the future of mobility. Soon after, members of both organizations held a joint workshop to begin discussions and exchange ideas.

After top management from both organizations met, the companies announced in March that they signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint venture company focused on creating a new era of mobility and mobility services.

Both companies bring a unique perspective to the table:

Honda will share its knowledge of the environment and safety as well as technologies, including dynamics and packaging hardware. It is also expected to provide expertise in procurement and production related to the vehicle creation process.

Sonys initiatives, based on its vision to make the mobility space an emotional one, are centered around safety, entertainment and adaptability.

Sony showed Vision-S 02 concept with integrated PlayStation 5 console at CES 2022.

In terms of safety, the company will provide imaging devices and sensing technology, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors. Regarding entertainment, Sony will offer content and services in addition to video and audio technology.

To ensure adaptability and work toward the evolution of entertainment and safety-related function, Sony will also share its knowledge of communication and network technology, including 5G and cloud services.

Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony Group Corporation representative corporate executive officer, chairman, president and CEO, says the companies aim to contribute to the evolution of mobility by combining Honda's cutting-edge environmental and safety technologies, mobility development capabilities, vehicle body manufacturing technology and after-sales service management experience with Sonys expertise in imaging, sensing, telecommunication, network and entertainment technologies.

Toshihiro Mibe, Honda director, president, representative executive officer and CEO, says Honda continues to take on new challenges in environmental, safetyand other advanced fields to be a driving force for social change through mobility.

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Honda, Sony Partnership to Drive Evolution of Mobility - Ward's Auto

BARTLETT, Tenn. (WREG) Its no doubt the Memphis Tigers mens basketball team is gelling on and off the court.

We got a lot of guys thats just, you know, willing to learn, nobodys cocky, said Tigers forward Deandre Williams.

I was kind of surprised how easily we bonded, like it seemed like we are all from Memphis, Tigers forward Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu said. You know, we have different guys from all over the place and we just kind of got along.

Of course talent was important to Penny Hardaway when he hand picked this team, but he was more focused on the character of the player.

I feel like the coaches did a great job with doing that, said Tigers veteran guard Alex Lomax. This is probably going to be one of the closest teams that we have from one through 15.

Yes, that was Alex Lomax, who just announced his big decision to return for a fifth season.

Many wondered what the dynamic would be like between Lomax and the reigning AAC Player of the Year and new Tigers transfer Kendric Davis.

But according to them, its nothing but respect for one another.

We both got crazy love for each, Davis said. The last three years its been crazy battles on the court. We talked crazy to each other. You know, being a point guard it starts with you, but we just know were going to be on the floor a lot together. [Lomax is] my brother on and off the court, whatever he needs I got him.

Davis said Lomax was one of the first people he called when he made the decision to transfer to the U of M last April.

To hear that he was interested in having me to come back and play, it meant a lot to me to show how selfless he is and how selfless hes going to be all year long, said Lomax.

Now that the Tigers dont have to worry about chemistry and leaving egos at the door, they believe they can soar to greater heights.

I feel like we can do better than what we did last year. If everything just clicks together and we play the right way. I know thats something thats going to happen.

The Tigers open the 2022-23 season Oct. 23 against Christian Brothers University at FedEx Forum in an exhibition match up.

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Lomax, Davis evolution on the court from enemies to brothers - WREG NewsChannel 3

Photo credit: Carina Nebula, by James Webb Space Telescope via NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI.

Don Lincoln, a Fermilab scientist,addresses claims(reported on here) that infrared images from the James Webb Space Telescope cast doubt on the veracity of the Big Bang. He links to an article at Evolution News and seems confused as to the general view among intelligent design proponents on the subject. He writes:

Current theory suggests that the most ancient galaxies should be very small. Furthermore, they should be irregularly shaped. Over time, these tiny galaxies would slowly merge, eventually becoming much larger, like our own Milky Way. However,these infrared-visible galaxies seem to be far larger and more regularly shaped than what was predicted.

And this fact has resulted insome commentary, especially from people with a long hostility to the idea of the Big Bang. (One article cites ascholarly paper on the topic, whose title begins with the provocative word Panic!) One such individual is Eric Lerner, who penned the bookThe Big Bang Never Happened. Others who endorse either creationism orintelligent design are also using these reportsto claimthe same thing. [Emphasis added.]

The Webb images of ancient galaxies seem to be far larger and more regularly shaped than what was predicted. And ID proponents are on board with Eric Lerners marginal claim that the Big Bang Never Happened? If true (and its not), that would be quite surprising in light of the fact that, in philosopher of science Stephen Meyers most recent book,Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries That Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe, the observation that the universe had a beginning (aka the Big Bang) is given as one of three pillars supporting the case for a transcendent mind at work in nature.

In any event, Dr. Lincoln offers three reasonable hypotheses himself as to why the Webb images appear to show galaxies having formed too soon after the Big Bang (even at 180 million years):

So, what could be an explanation that doesnt require anyone to rewrite physics textbooks? One simple possibility is that there isdust between the distant galaxy and the JWST. As anyone who has watched a breathtaking sunset knows, dust preferentially scatters away blue light and lets red pass through. Perhaps the reports of distant galaxies are due to their light having shifted toward the red and infrared not only because of the expansion of the Universe, but also because of intervening dust.

Another very simple possibility is that, because the JWST has only been operating for a very short time,its online optics and electronics have not yet been properly calibrated. It could be that additional operational experience will lead the JWST technical staff to adjust the signal processing and algorithms, which could mean that these early claims could disappear.

Of course, it is also possible that the reports are true, and it turns out that early galaxies are larger and better formed than current theory predicts. However, this doesnt have anything to do with disproving the Big Bang; instead,it may require us to modify theories of how matter in the early Universe assembled into galaxies. This would require some tweaking, but thats a far cry from rejecting the Big Bang entirely.

Indeed. So, lets all calm down and stop falsely tarring proponents of intelligent design for things we dont believe and that would go against our most prominently articulated arguments.

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Calm Down: Yes, the Big Bang Happened - Discovery Institute

One of the most brilliant things about Hulus newly released Prey is how well it thrives in its simplicity. This is the fifth entry in an increasingly muddled Predator series, seventh if you count the two Alien vs. Predator spin-off movies, and yet references or winking acknowledgments to the previous movies feel like they are kept to a minimum. Theres no setting up an epic, interconnected Predator Cinematic Universe, no cameos, and no fan service; all we get is a prop that eagle-eyed fans will note relates to the second film and an iconic line from the first movie delivered by one of Preys main characters. Coming in at a little over 90 minutes, Prey is relatively self-contained, and engages for long enough without overstaying its welcome. The same cannot be said of many other contemporary franchise films.

The film is technically a prequel to the main Predator lore, taking place centuries before Arnold Schwarzenegger or Danny Glover battled the titular alien beast. In 1719, somewhere in the Great Plains, a young Comanche warrior named Naru (Amber Midthunder, best known for her role on Legion) is convinced there is a bigger threat facing her tribe than the typical wild animals they come across after she glances up at the Predators spaceship in the sky. Naru lives in the shadow of her older brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers), a skilled hunter who will eventually be appointed War Chief of the tribe. After an expedition didnt turn up much and left her injured, Naru, along with her loyal dog Sarii, still continues to seek out this mystery. She ends up encountering a Predator when she is confronted by a grizzly bear.

Naru is then captured by French fur traders and learns more about who and what the Predator believes is deserving of death. This is not as polished a Predator as weve seen in previous films, but it still remains menacing as ever. This Predator uses technology that looks more dated, perhaps owing to this being set centuries ago. Naru acquires knowledge, such as how to use a pistol and the Predators tendency to track its target using body heat, which will become helpful in her final confrontation with the beast. Its then time to outsmart this creature in the films climax, where Naru has to use her acquired skills and talent to kill the Predator once and for all.

Prey is masterfully told and effectively presented, a gripping adventure that keeps one at the edge of their seat. Credit has to be paid to Midthunder, who certainly rises to the occasion in the lead role. Also of note is how hard the film tries to be accurate to its Native American characters, there is an authenticity presented even down to the characters use of the Comanche language. A dub of the film in Comanche was released simultaneously on Hulu, making it the first Hollywood blockbuster for that to be the case. This franchise needed to be injected with a new perspective, something different and fresh, and it more than succeeds with Prey.

In fact, Prey feels like it shares the most in common with the first Predator movie and is perhaps second only to it in an overall ranking of the series. Released in 1987, Predator follows an elite mercenary squad containing the likes of two future governors, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jesse Ventura, alongside Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, Shane Black, and others. Schwarzenegger plays Dutch, the teams leader, and the films protagonist. Once he and his armed gang of mercenaries slaughter a camp of guerilla fighters in a fictional Central American country, they must try to survive the wrath of the deadly Predator as they are killed off one by one. Dutch, as the last man standing, must find a way to kill the beast by using both the natural jungle environment and an ingenious set of traps to his advantage.

Predator is a lot of fun, it is easily accessible spectacle that combines elements of action, sci-fi, and horror. This mashup of genres is one of the movies key strengths, as many have noted. But the movie has its tongue somewhat in its cheek, most apparent in now-iconic moments like Dutch and Carl Weathers Dillons opening handshake and lines like I aint got time to bleed and get to the choppa! Just a year after Predator, director John McTiernan would shake up the action-movie world yet again by releasing a little movie called Die Hard. I like to think that Predator was his testing ground for so much of what made Die Hard click.

Predators direct follow-up, 1990s Predator 2, moves the action from the jungle to the big city. In a Los Angeles in the not-too-distant future, Lieutenant Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover) discovers something else is a factor contributing to murders during a citywide gang-related turf war, eventually discovering the culprit to be a Predator. Predator 2 is a serviceable enough sequel, not nearly as memorable as its predecessor, but it doesnt squander its legacy either. Glovers casting in particular feels quietly revolutionary in comparison to the burly, muscled men in the first one. Predator 2 could almost pass for a Lethal Weapon sequel where Glovers Roger Murtagh tracks a Predator sans Mel Gibsons Martin Riggs. Overall, Predator 2 is mostly worthwhile, has some creative ideas, and moves the franchise forward in mostly positive ways, but cant help but feel like a runner-up compared to its predecessor.

The ending of Predator 2 teased that the Predator species hunt xenomorphs, the species featured in the Alien franchise. Soon enough, the Alien vs. Predator concept became a popular spin-off in the form of comic books and video games. Naturally, a movie of these two icons of sci-fi horror going at it had to be made. The first of these efforts, 2004s Alien vs. Predator, is decent enough, and when the focus is on the two extraterrestrial species going head-to-head, it can be a lot of schlocky fun. I watched the movie right after it came out when I was a teenager, and that feels like the perfect time to watch it. Its not concerned with plot or characters as much as living up to the potential of its title. Because of that, I didnt even bother with the sequel, 2007s Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.

The series tried switching it up a little with 2010s Predators, invoking the sequel is the title of the first movie, but plural idea that Aliens used way back in 1986. This time, the conceit is that some of Earths best soldiers, warriors, and mercenaries have been taken to an alien planet, where, as always, Predators hunt them down for sport. It features an all-star cast containing Adrian Brody, Lawrence Fishburne, Topher Grace, Walton Goggins, Alice Braga, Danny Trejo, and even future two-time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali in one of his first movie roles.

Its certainly a bold, different take on the material, which had gotten somewhat stale in the intervening decades since the first two movies. The cast mostly gels, and it felt like the most ambitious Predator movie up to that point. When Predators works, it can be compelling, held up by the intriguing nature of its premise. But it suffers from a lot of what burdened Predator 2: expanding the lore and universe while not being as memorable in its own right. New creatures are introduced to threaten our cast of characters, but they dont linger as much as the classic Predators do. It was a creative idea to flip expectations and have the humans on an alien world, but the result doesnt feel like it lives up to its potential.

And then theres 2018s The Predator, easily the low point of the entire series. Writer/director Shane Black, who already had cult hits like 2005s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and 2016s The Nice Guys, as well as Iron Man 3 under his belt, wanted to pay homage to his early role in the first movie by taking the reins of the franchise. The result is a befuddling, stupid mess of a movie. The mercenary characters featured in The Predator, in contrast to those in its direct predecessor, feel like stereotypes and have little in the way of personality. The humor is often unfunny and awkward. Even basic tenets of filmmaking, such as editing, seem to go out the window in this movie. Much as the case was in Iron Man 3, theres a little boy character whose precociousness ruins an otherwise adult-oriented action movie.

And dont get me started on the main drive of the film, that being that the Predator is trying to locate people with autism, believing them to be the next step in human evolution. Its as hokey and conceited as it sounds. The film is little more than an excuse to introduce new monsters into the Predator lore, like the massive Upgrade Predator that threatens the main characters. Its last scene even teases a new way to fight the Predators in a sequel that will thankfully never see the light of day. Watching The Predator was a frustrating experience, to say the least, and I had assumed the movie was an absolute nadir that the franchise would have a difficult time recovering from.

For cinephiles, tracking the evolution of this series over multiple decades is certainly worthwhile, and Prey most certainly both inherits and lives up to that legacy. This was a series started on a simple premise of a hostile extraterrestrial killing capable military men and their fight for survival. That turned into admirable efforts like Predator 2 and Predators that added to the mythology but didnt rise above their expectations. The franchise veered very shlock-heavy with the Alien vs. Predator movies at a time when many other franchises were being resurrected or rebooted.

That gave way to the absolute low point of The Predator, a movie that gleefully embraces every tired trope of the modern blockbuster era while offering nothing in return except for a tone-deaf plot about autism and a lack of any compelling characters.

Prey feels like it returns the series to its true form, getting back to the roots of what made the first one resonate so well by making us sympathize with a lone warrior up against a Goliath of an evil alien entity. Because of that, I hope that Prey has ended up breathing new life into a franchise and concept that I love.

If you're interested in writing for International Policy Digest - please send us an email via submissions@intpolicydigest.org

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'Prey' and the Evolution of the 'Predator' Franchise - International Policy Digest

Some 250 million years ago, during the conclusion of the Permian and the beginning of the Triassic, therate of evolution and diversity amongst reptiles began to soar, resulting in a bewildering array of skills, body types, and characteristics.

Artistic reconstruction of the reptile adaptive radiation in a terrestrial ecosystem during the warmest period in Earths history. Image depicts a massive, big-headed, carnivorous erythrosuchid (close relative to crocodiles and dinosaurs) and a tiny gliding reptile at about 240 million years ago. The erythrosuchid is chasing the gliding reptile and it is propelling itself using a fossilized skull of the extinct Dimetrodon (early mammalian ancestor) in a hot and dry river valley. Image Credit: Henry Sharpe

This development helped to clearly define both their extinct lineages and those still living today as one of the most diverse groups of animals the world has ever seen.

For a long time, the reason for this success was thought to be the extinction of their rivals during two of the planets largest mass extinction events, which occurred around 261 and 252 million years ago.

By reconstructing how the anatomy of ancient reptiles developed and comparing it with millions of years of climatic change, a new study conducted by Harvard has rewritten that theory.

Researchers led by Harvard paleontologist Stephanie Pierce found that the morphological diversification and evolution of early reptiles began not just years before these mass extinction events, but also as a direct result of the climate change that led to those events in the first place.

We are suggesting that we have two major factors at playnot just this open ecological opportunity that has always been thought by several scientistsbut also something that nobody had previously come up with, which is that climate change actually directly triggered the adaptive response of reptiles to help build this vast array of new body plans and the explosion of groups that we see in the Triassic.

Tiago R. Simes, Study Lead Author and Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University

Basically, [rising global temperatures] triggered all these different morphological experimentssome that worked quite well and survived for millions of years up to this day, and some others that basically vanished a few million years later, added Simes.

The researchers describe the extensive anatomical changes that occurred in many reptile groups, including the ancestors of crocodiles and dinosaurs, as a result of significant climate shifts that occurred between 260 and 230 million years ago in their paper, which was published on August 19th, 2022, in Science Advances.

The study offers a detailed examination of how a broad group of creatures evolved due to climate change, which is particularly important at this time given the steady increase in temperatures.

In fact, the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere today is around nine times greater than it was during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction, which occurred 252 million years ago and is considered to be the largest climate change-related mass extinction in history.

Major shifts in global temperature can have dramatic and varying impacts on biodiversity. Here we show that rising temperatures during the Permian-Triassic led to the extinction of many animals, including many of the ancestors of mammals, but also sparked the explosive evolution of others, especially the reptiles that went on to dominate the Triassic period.

Stephanie E. Pierce, Thomas D. Cabot Associate Professor, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University

Pierce is also a curator of vertebrate paleontology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Simes traveled to more than 20 countries and more than 50 different institutions to take scans and photographs of more than 1,000 reptile fossils for the project, which required close to eight years of data collecting.

With all of the data, the researchers produced a sizable dataset that was examined using cutting-edge statistical techniques to generate a diagram known as an evolutionary time tree. Time trees show the relationships between early reptiles, the beginning of their lineages, and the rate of evolution. They then merged it with prehistoric global temperature records.

It is evident that these alterations were not brought about by the Permian-Triassic extinction as previously believed because reptile body plans began to diversify roughly 30 million years before the catastrophe. However, the extinction events did contribute to getting them going.

The data also revealed that most reptile lineages underwent fast bodily modifications after increases in global temperatures, which began around 270 million years ago and persisted until at least 240 million years ago.

For instance, some of the larger cold-blooded species have evolved to grow smaller to make room for an easier cooling down, while others have evolved to live in water to achieve the same result.

A large, long-necked aquatic reptile, originally believed to be the Loch Ness monster, a tiny chameleon-like creature with a bird-like skull and beak, and a gliding reptile like a gecko with wings were all part of the latter group. Furthermore, it includes the ancestors of modern reptiles like turtles and crocodiles.

The ancestors of the first lizards and tuataras were smaller reptiles who followed a distinct evolutionary trajectory from that of their larger reptile cousins. The increasing temperatures caused their evolutionary rates to slow and stabilize.

According to the researchers, the reason is that smaller-bodied reptiles were already more acclimated to the increasing heat because they could dissipate heat from their bodies more readily than larger reptiles when temperatures rose rapidly all across Earth.

The researchers intend to build on this study by examining the effects of environmental disasters on the evolution of species with a great deal of modern diversity, such as the major lizard and snake groups.

Simes, T. R., et al. (2022) Successive climate crises in the deep past drove the early evolution and radiation of reptiles. Science Advances. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abq1898.

Source: https://www.harvard.edu/

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Rewritten Narrative on the Evolution and Diversity of Reptiles - AZoCleantech

The timing and intensity of the seasons shapes life all around us, including tool use by birds, the evolutionary diversification of giraffes, and the behaviour of our close primate relatives.

Some scientists suggest early humans and their ancestors also evolved due to rapid changes in their environment, but the physical evidence to test this idea has been elusive until now.

After more than a decade of work, weve developed an approach that leverages tooth chemistry and growth to extract information about seasonal rainfall patterns from the jaws of living and fossil primates.

We share our findings in a collaborative study just published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

During childhood our teeth grow in microscopic layers similar to the growth rings found in trees. Seasonal changes in the world around us, such as droughts and monsoons, influence our body chemistry. The evidence of such changes is recorded in our teeth.

Thats because the oxygen isotope composition of drinking water naturally varies with temperature and precipitation cycles. During warm or dry weather, surface waters accumulate more heavy isotopes of oxygen. During cool or wet periods, lighter isotopes become more common.

These temporal and climatic records remain locked inside fossilised tooth enamel, which can maintain chemical stability for millions of years. But the growth layers are generally so small that most chemical techniques cant measure them.

To get around this problem, we teamed up with geochemist Ian Williams at the Australian National University, who runs the world-leading Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP) facilities.

In our study, we collected detailed records of tooth formation and enamel chemistry from slices of more than two dozen wild primate teeth from equatorial Africa.

We also analysed two fossil molars from an unusual large-bodied ape called Afropithecus turkanensis that lived in Kenya 17 million years ago. Diverse groups of apes inhabited Africa during this period, roughly 10 million years before the evolution of our early ancestors, the hominins.

Several aspects of our research are helpful for understanding the link between environmental patterns and primate evolution.

First, we observe a direct relationship between historic African rainfall patterns and primate tooth chemistry. This is the first test of a highly influential idea in archaeological and earth sciences applied to wild primates: that teeth can record fine details of seasonal environmental change.

We are able to document annual west African rainy seasons and identify the end of east African droughts. In other words, we can see the storms and seasons that occur during an individuals early life.

And this leads into another important aspect. We provide the largest record of primate oxygen isotope measurements collected so far, from diverse environments in Africa that may have resembled those of ancestral hominins.

Lastly, weve been able to reconstruct annual and semi-annual climate cycles, and marked environmental variation, from information held within the teeth of the two fossil apes.

Our observations support the hypothesis that Afropithecus developed certain features to adapt to a seasonal climate and challenging landscape. For example, it had specialised dental traits for hard object feeding, as well as a longer period of molar growth compared with earlier apes and monkeys consistent with the idea that it consumed more seasonally varied foods.

We conclude our work by comparing data from Afropithecus to earlier studies of fossil hominins and monkeys from the same region in Kenya. Our detailed microsampling shows just how sensitive tooth chemistry is to fine-scale climate variation.

Previous studies of more than 100 fossil teeth have missed the most interesting part of oxygen isotope compositions in teeth: the huge seasonal variation on the landscape.

Read more: What teeth can tell about the lives and environments of ancient humans and Neanderthals

This novel research approach, coupled with our fossil ape findings and modern primate data, will be crucial for future studies of hominin evolution especially in Kenyas famous Turkana Basin.

For example, some researchers have suggested that seasonal differences in foraging and stone tool use helped hominins evolve and coexist in Africa. This idea has been hard to prove or disprove, in part because seasonal climatic processes have been hard to tease out of the fossil record.

Our approach could also be extended to animal remains from rural Australia to gain further insight into historic climate conditions, as well as the prehistoric environmental changes that shaped Australias unique modern landscapes.

Read more: Archaeology can help us prepare for climates ahead not just look back

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Revelations from 17-million-year-old ape teeth could lead to new insights on early human evolution - The Conversation Indonesia