By studying the way it has mutated and changed over time, scientists can trace human mitochondrial DNA — the DNA that is passed from mother to daughter — back to a single woman. Basically, everybody alive is descended from her. But that's not the same thing as saying that Mitochondrial Eve was once the only woman alive. In a very nice piece — with helpful illustrations — the Christian (but evolution-accepting) scientists at BioLogos explain what Mitochondrial Eve really means and why she can't be used as an argument for creationism. Whether or not you've ever found yourself arguing this point with a family member or friend, the piece is really useful for deepening your understanding of a pop-science concept that's often thrown around without a clear explanation behind it.
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11:41 am Thu
Feb 14, 2013
Getting to know "Mitochondrial Eve"
Albatrosses deployed to detect illegal fish vessels out at sea
With their massive wingspans and high speed, albatrosses fly across the seas in search of food. That’s why marine ornithologist Henri Weimerskirch of the French National Center for Scientific Research calls the birds the “sentinels of the sea” and is using them to survey the ocean for illegal fishing boats. Apparently, the operators of these […]
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Groundbreaking 1979 visualization of black hole
French physicist Jean-Pierre Luminet hand-plotted this image of a black hole in 1978, said to be the the first based on data rather than artistic speculation. From Wikipedia: 1979 – He created the first “image” of a black hole with an accretion disk using nothing but an early computer, lots of math and India ink, […]
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Albert Einstein's funny face is on the world's smallest gold coin
In Switzerland, the state-owned Swissmint says today that a 2.96-millimeter (0.12-inches) gold coin created with Albert Einstein’s face on it is the smallest in the world.
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Sleep better in 2020 with this ergonomic cooling pillow that was a Kickstarter hit
When it comes to conquering that resolution list and hitting all of your goals in 2020, nothing is more important than getting a great night’s sleep every night so you can wake up feeling refreshed and extra productive. The CarbonIce: 7-in-1 Bacteria Protection & Cooling Pillow will help you do just that, and right now […]
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Boost your project management skills (and your paycheck) with this expert Six Sigma training
It’s no secret that business leaders and project managers require a certain set of skills in order to outpace the competition and increase the overall efficiency of their company or team. The Lean Six Sigma Expert Training Bundle will take your managerial skills to the next level through training that will help you earn some […]
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Every tech brand should be using a .tech domain
In the early days of the web, everyone wanted a .com domain for their site. As a result, all the good ones got snapped up. But .com no longer has the cachet it once did. In fact, many new businesses and individuals are opting for other top-level domain extensions. One of the most memorable is […]
