A deadly infection, a comet success, a climate-change breakthrough-these and other events highlight the year in science and technology as selected by the editors of Scientific American
The year saw many developments that will have far-reaching and long-lasting implications, both practically and intellectually. Start the countdown below, and go to the end to see some of the other important stories that didn't quite make the cut.
Image: Wim Lustenhouwer, VU University Amsterdam
Symbolic Thought Shown to Exist in Other Human SpeciesWhat distinguished Homo sapiens from other members of the human family and fueled our extraordinary success as a species? One popular notion holds that our propensity for symbolic thought, which underlies language, was key. But mounting evidence indicates that Neandertals shared this talent. And now comes news that an even older, more primitive human ancestor- Homo erectus from Asia-showed signs of symbolic thought, too.
Researchers have discovered a shell engraved with a geometric pattern at a H. erectus site known as Trinil, on the Indonesian island of Java, that dates to between 540,000 and 430,000 years ago. The find is at least 300,000 years older than the oldest previously known engravings, which come from South Africa.
Analysis of the engraving, made on a freshwater mussel shell, suggests that its maker used a shark tooth or another hard, pointed object to create the zigzag design. 'The engraving was probably made on a fresh shell specimen still retaining its brown [skin], which would have produced a striking pattern of white lines on a dark 'canvas,'' Josephine C. A. Joordens of Leiden University in the Netherlands and her colleagues surmise in their report, published online December 3 in Nature. ( Scientific American is part of Nature Publishing Group.)
The find hints that many more such items-300,000 years' worth, in fact-are out there awaiting discovery, and it raises the question of just how much farther back in the human lineage such behaviors might have originated.- Kate Wong
More:World's Oldest Engraving Upends Theory of Homo sapiens Uniqueness
Ancient Engraving Strengthens Case for Sophisticated Neandertals
When the Sea Saved Humanity [for subscribers]
Entities 0 Name: Homo Count: 2 1 Name: Indonesian Count: 1 2 Name: VU University Amsterdam Symbolic Count: 1 3 Name: Homo erectus Count: 1 4 Name: South Africa Count: 1 5 Name: Wim Lustenhouwer Count: 1 6 Name: Nature Publishing Group Count: 1 7 Name: Leiden University Count: 1 8 Name: Netherlands Count: 1 9 Name: Kate Wong Count: 1 10 Name: Sea Saved Humanity Count: 1 11 Name: Josephine C. A. Joordens Count: 1 12 Name: Trinil Count: 1 Related Keywords 0 Name: engraving Score: 52 1 Name: homo Score: 23 2 Name: erectus Score: 18 3 Name: sapiens Score: 17 4 Name: neandertals Score: 17 5 Name: symbolic Score: 16 6 Name: humanity Score: 16 7 Name: shell Score: 15 8 Name: oldest Score: 11 9 Name: 000 Score: 10 authors 0 Name: The Editors Url: http://ift.tt/1exuZwX Media Images 0
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