Latest news with #2010
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Scientists SOLVE the mystery of the ‘Dragon Man': Ancient skull is first ever found from lost group of ancient humans that lived 217,000 years ago
It has baffled scientists since it was first discovered back in 2018. But the mystery of the 'Dragon Man' skull has finally been solved - as a new study reveals its true identity. Using DNA samples from plaque on the fossil's teeth, researchers have proven that the Dragon Man belonged to a lost group of ancient humans called the Denisovans. This species emerged around 217,000 years ago and passed on traces of DNA to modern humans before being lost to time. Denisovans were first discovered in 2010 when palaeontologists found a single finger of a girl who lived 66,000 years ago in the Denisova Cave in Siberia. But with only tiny fragments of bones to work with, palaeontologists couldn't learn anything more about our long-lost ancestors. Now, as the first confirmed Denisovan skull, the Dragon Man can provide scientists with an idead of what these ancient humans might have looked like. Dr Bence Viola, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Toronto in Canada who was not involved in the study, told MailOnline: 'This is very exciting. Since their discovery in 2010, we knew that there is this other group of humans out there that our ancestors interacted with, but we had no idea how they looked except for some of their teeth.' Scientists have finally solved the mystery of the 'Dragon Man' skull which belonged to an ancient human who lived 146,000 years ago Scientists have now confirmed that the skull is that of a Denisovan (artist's impression), an ancient species of human which emerged around 217,000 years ago The Dragon Man skull is believed to have been found by a Chinese railway worker in 1933 while the country was under Japanese occupation. Not knowing what the fossilised skull could be but suspecting it might be important, the labourer hid the skull at the bottom of the well near Harbin City. He only revealed its location shortly before his death, and his surviving family found it in 2018 and donated it to the Hebei GEO University. Scientists dubbed the skull 'Homo Longi' or 'Dragon Man' after the Heilongjiang near where it was found, which translates to black dragon river. The researchers knew that this skull didn't belong to either homo sapiens or Neanderthals but couldn't prove which other species it might be part of. In two papers, published in Cell and Science, researchers have now managed to gather enough DNA evidence to prove that Dragon Man was a Denisovan. Lead researcher Dr Qiaomei Fu, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, had previously tried to extract DNA from bones in the skull but had not been successful. To find DNA, Dr Fu had to take tiny samples of the plaque that had built up on Dragon Man's teeth. Previously, the only traces of Denisovans were small fragments of bone like these pieces found in Siberia which meant scientists didn't know what they might have looked like Who is Dragon Man? Dragon Man is the nickname for a skull found near Harbin City, China in 2018. Known officially as the Harbin Cranium, scientists determined that the skull did not belong to any known human ancestor species. Scientists gave it the titled Homo longi, meaning 'Dragon Man' after the Heilongjiang, or black dragon river, near where it was found. Scientists suspected that Dragon Man might have been a member of the Denisovan species of humans but could not confirm this. That was because the bones are so old that most traces of DNA have long since decayed. As plaque builds up it sometimes traps cells from the inside of the mouth, and so there could be traces of DNA left even after 146,000 years. When Dr Fu and her colleagues did manage to extract human DNA from the plaque, it was a match for samples of DNA taken from Denisovan fossils. For the first time, scientists now have a confirmed Denisovan skull which means they can work out what our lost ancestors actually looked like. The Dragon Man's skull has large eye sockets, a heavy brow and an exceptionally large and thick cranium. Scientists believe that Dragon Man, and therefore Denisovans, would have had a brain about seven per cent larger than a modern human. Reconstructions based on the skull show a face with heavy, flat cheeks, a wide mouth, and a large nose. However, the biggest implication of the Dragon Man skull's identification is that we now know Denisovans might have been much larger than modern humans. Dr Viola says: 'It emphasizes what we assumed from the teeth, that these are very large and robust people. This also confirms that Dragon Man was from an older lineage of Denisovans which dates back to the earliest records around 217,000 years ago, rather than from the late Denisovan line which branched off around 50,000 years ago 'Harbin [the Dragon Man skull] is one of, if not the largest human cranium we have anywhere in the fossil record.' However, scientists still have many questions about Denisovans that are yet to be answered. In particular, scientists don't yet know whether Dragon Man reflects the full range of diversity that could have existed within the Denisovan population. Dragon Man was probably a heavily-set, stocky hunter-gatherer built to survive the last Ice Age in northern China but Denisovan bones have been found in environments that weren't nearly as cold. Professor John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, told MailOnline: 'Harbin gives us a strong indication that some of them are large, with large skulls. 'But we have some good reasons to suspect that Denisovans lived across quite a wide geographic range, from Siberia into Indonesia, and they may have been in many different environmental settings. 'I wouldn't be surprised if they are as variable in body size and shape as people living across the same range of geographies today.' THE DENISOVANS EXPLAINED Who were they? The Denisovans are an extinct species of human that appear to have lived in Siberia and even down as far as southeast Asia. The individuals belonged to a genetically distinct group of humans that were distantly related to Neanderthals but even more distantly related to us. Although remains of these mysterious early humans have mostly been discovered at the Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains in Siberia, DNA analysis has shown the ancient people were widespread across Asia. Scientists were able to analyse DNA from a tooth and from a finger bone excavated in the Denisova cave in southern Siberia. The discovery was described as 'nothing short of sensational.' In 2020, scientists reported Denisovan DNA in the Baishiya Karst Cave in Tibet. This discovery marked the first time Denisovan DNA had been recovered from a location that is outside Denisova Cave. How widespread were they? Researchers are now beginning to find out just how big a part they played in our history. DNA from these early humans has been found in the genomes of modern humans over a wide area of Asia, suggesting they once covered a vast range. They are thought to have been a sister species of the Neanderthals, who lived in western Asia and Europe at around the same time. The two species appear to have separated from a common ancestor around 200,000 years ago, while they split from the modern human Homo sapien lineage around 600,000 years ago. Last year researchers even claimed they could have been the first to reach Australia. Aboriginal people in Australia contain both Neanderthal DNA, as do most humans, and Denisovan DNA. This latter genetic trace is present in Aboriginal people at the present day in much greater quantities than any other people around the world. How advanced were they? Bone and ivory beads found in the Denisova Cave were discovered in the same sediment layers as the Denisovan fossils, leading to suggestions they had sophisticated tools and jewellery. Professor Chris Stringer, an anthropologist at the Natural History Museum in London, said: 'Layer 11 in the cave contained a Denisovan girl's fingerbone near the bottom but worked bone and ivory artefacts higher up, suggesting that the Denisovans could have made the kind of tools normally associated with modern humans. 'However, direct dating work by the Oxford Radiocarbon Unit reported at the ESHE meeting suggests the Denisovan fossil is more than 50,000 years old, while the oldest 'advanced' artefacts are about 45,000 years old, a date which matches the appearance of modern humans elsewhere in Siberia.' Did they breed with other species? Yes. Today, around 5 per cent of the DNA of some Australasians – particularly people from Papua New Guinea – is Denisovans. Now, researchers have found two distinct modern human genomes - one from Oceania and another from East Asia - both have distinct Denisovan ancestry. The genomes are also completely different, suggesting there were at least two separate waves of prehistoric intermingling between 200,000 and 50,000 years ago. Researchers already knew people living today on islands in the South Pacific have Denisovan ancestry.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Insane story behind world champion athlete set to be played by Sydney Sweeney in Hollywood movie
Almost 15 years have passed since the night she was stabbed repeatedly, shot in the torso and left for dead in a deranged attack by her abusive ex-husband. Yet for Christy Martin, the harrowing memory of November 23, 2010 will never fade. 'I was laying on the floor bleeding. I could hear my lung gurgling because it was punctured,' the women's boxing legend recalls in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gary Coleman's Ex-Wife Shannon Price to Take Lie Detector Test amid Suspicion Surrounding the Actor's 2010 Death
The new A&E series, Lie Detector: Truth or Deception, digs deeper into the circumstances surrounding Gary Coleman's 2010 death His ex-wife, Shannon Price, voluntarily completed a polygraph test for the show after years of public speculation about her involvement in the death The two-hour premiere airs Thursday, July 10 at 9 p.m. on A&EThe search for answers surrounding Gary Coleman's 2010 death is continuing. The new A&E series, Lie Detector: Truth or Deception, will put the late actor's ex-wife, Shannon Price, in the hot seat. The two-hour premiere, hosted by investigative journalist Tony Harry, is set to air on July 10, more than 15 years after Coleman died inside the Utah home that he and Price shared. 'Coleman's ex-wife Shannon Price agrees to take a polygraph test to address persistent public suspicion regarding her potential involvement in his death, even though she was never charged in connection with it,' the logline reads. 'The episode revisits the circumstances surrounding Coleman's passing and explores whether Price has been misjudged by public opinion — or whether the results raise new questions.' The Diff'rent Strokes star and Price got married in August 2007, but divorced the following year, although they continued living together. In May 2010, Coleman suffered an intracranial hemorrhage after falling in his kitchen, and two days after being placed in a medically-induced coma, Price removed him from life support. Many people have expressed concerns about her decision in the years since, including his former partner Anna Gray, who claimed in a Peacock documentary that Coleman 'had an advanced healthcare directive where he stated he wanted at least two weeks of care before any plugs were pulled." Price also participated in the special, which aired in February and was titled GARY. She stated that she was in bed when she asked Coleman, who was born with a congenial kidney defect, to make her food after he got home from dialysis. After hearing a 'big loud boom,' she explained that she found Coleman, who was 42 years old at the time, in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor. In a recording of her 911 call reporting the incident, Price could be heard refusing to listen to the operator's instructions to help her former husband. Price has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, saying in the documentary that she 'would never hurt my husband, ever.' In an interview later that month, Inside Edition Chief Correspondent Jim Moret asked Price why she didn't 'try to help Gary after he fell.' 'You know, I did help him,' Price replied. 'I actually had to run around looking for a towel because we didn't have any in the downstairs bathroom.' 'What people have to understand and realize is this is the first real traumatic situation I ever had to witness,' she added. In 2010, Santaquin Police Chief Dennis Howard told PEOPLE that 'there was absolutely nothing suspicious about [Coleman's] death' and 'there was 'no [criminal] investigation going on.' Coleman's death certificate also listed his manner of death as an 'accident.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Lie Detector: Truth or Deception premieres on Thursday, July 10 at 9 p.m. ET, followed by new episodes every Thursday at 10 p.m. ET beginning July 17. Read the original article on People
The Star
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Dr Wee lists seven proposals to tackle potential abuse in Mobile Phone Data initiative
KUALA LUMPUR: The government's Mobile Phone Data collection exercise is fraught with the potential for abuse, says MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong. He said the party stands firmly for data accountability and the people's privacy rights. 'MCA is not against technology... we are here to fight abuse,' he told reporters at party headquarters here on Friday (June 13). He said the party had seven proposals for the government to address the possible pitfalls of the exercise. ALSO READ: MCMC call data request from telcos to improve network, not invade privacy, says Fahmi They include transparent anonymisation protocols and the independent audit of such protocols, the implementation of consent mechanisms, and making public consultation mandatory. He also called for the reform of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) 2010 to cover government agencies. In addition, data deletion timelines must be enforced, an independent oversight mechanism has to be established, and digital intimidation should be stopped, he added. It was reported that the government had ordered telcos in Malaysia to hand over detailed records of phone calls and internet logs for the first three months of this year, supposedly for the government's 'Mobile Phone Data' project. ALSO READ: MCMC: Only eight data types required from telcos in Mobile Phone Data collection initiative The records must include information about call logs, IP call records, location, latitude and longitude. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has since explained that this move is to support evidence-based policymaking in two key sectors, namely information and communications technology (ICT) and tourism. MCMC also stressed that the data will be anonymised before submission and that no individual subscriber can be identified. However, Dr Wee questioned the need for the government to collect such data, warning that risks of misuse and abuse are present despite MCMC's assurances. As such, he urged that the move be called off. ALSO READ: 'Our data is not a plaything' 'The government says it's for statistics, but when you read the fine print, (it includes) location histories, device identification, call logs and internet access patterns. "It becomes crystal clear that this is not just data, it's surveillance,' he said. He added that MCA is committed to addressing the serious erosion of public trust that could follow this exercise. 'What is the purpose of collecting this data? They tried to explain the logic of it, but you know the explanation cannot hold water. 'Why does the government need to know who the person I'm calling is?' he added. ALSO READ: MCMC: User privacy not affected by govt collection of mobile phone data He said there had been instances where dissenting voices had been subjected to the actions of the authorities, citing the experiences by social media political commentator 'Lim Sian See' and MCA Youth leader Wong Siew Mun. Dr Wee said Lim's Facebook page was taken down without any official explanation, while Wong voiced out concerns about the data collection exercise by MCMC and was called up by the police. He also said MCMC should instead focus on more pressing issues such as cybersecurity and the scourge of online scams, as well as 5G network coverage in the country.
The Sun
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
MCMC order to share phone data sparks concern
PETALING JAYA: A recent directive by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for telecommunications companies to share phone data has raised concerns over digital privacy, legal safeguards and potential misuse. While MCMC insists that the data is fully anonymised and used solely for national statistics, experts argue that the move raises serious legal and ethical questions. Technology, media, telecoms and data protection legal adviser Deepak Pillai said the key issues lie in how the data is anonymised and who handles that process. 'If the data is permanently anonymised before it is sent to MCMC, then it would not be considered personal data under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) 2010. 'MCMC has stated that mobile operators may either anonymise the data themselves or provide raw data for MCMC to anonymise. The specifics of this process are important.' He warned of the risk of re-identifying anonymised data. 'It is unclear whether MCMC has access to information that could be used to re-identify individuals. 'If the data can be used, alone or with other datasets, to identify someone, it falls under the PDPA and must be treated accordingly.' ALSO READ: Govt collecting phone data to boost network coverage He highlighted a major legal loophole, namely that the PDPA does not apply to federal or state government bodies. 'Phone data is generally treated as personal data under the PDPA. But government agencies are not legally bound by the same data protection rules because the PDPA does not apply to them,' he said. Pillai argued that statutory bodies should not be exempt from data protection obligations, especially when handling personal data in a commercial context. He pointed to shortcomings in the Data Sharing Act 2025, which focuses on sharing public sector data but lacks clear standards for collecting, storing or disposing it. He recommended extending legal protections to cover public sector data handling and establishing an independent data protection authority to oversee government and private-sector practices. International Islamic University Malaysia Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws senior lecturer Assoc Prof Dr Mahyuddin Daud echoed similar concerns. He said Malaysia lacks a clear legal definition of mass surveillance and proper oversight of how anonymised data is collected and used, even when it falls outside current privacy laws. 'While anonymised data may seem harmless, advances in data analytics make it increasingly possible to re-identify individuals. 'Modern analytics and the combination of datasets could heighten this risk. Laws and safeguards need to keep up.' He emphasised that there is a need for transparency in how such programmes are introduced and managed. 'People lose trust when policies are unclear and top-down. We need public engagement, clear explanations and independent checks on how data is anonymised. 'Even if data is used for policymaking, it must respect fundamental rights. Privacy is a constitutional right and should not be sacrificed for development.' He called for such initiatives to undergo parliamentary scrutiny and public consultation. 'Parliamentary oversight ensures that large-scale data collection, especially when it affects rights such as privacy or freedom of movement, is debated transparently. 'It also allows elected representatives to assess whether such measures are truly necessary and balanced. 'Public consultation allows experts to review and strengthen technical aspects, such as how data is anonymised or stored. This helps prevent missteps and builds public trust.' In response to public concern, MCMC clarified on Saturday that no personal data was accessed or shared, adding that phone data is fully anonymised and used solely to generate national statistics for policymaking. Its deputy managing director Datuk Zurkarnain Mohd Yasin on Monday said the data received is not considered personal as it cannot be used to identify or trace individuals.
