Afarensis is a 3.5-2.8 million year old hominin from the Kada Hadar member of the Hadar formation in the Middle Awash, Ethiopia. He is approximately 41 inches tall, weighs approximately 60 pounds and has a cranial capacity of a whopping 410 cc (approximately). Afarensis is currently considered to be transitional between apes and humans and displays some traits of both. Since he spends a lot of time on the couch watching monster movies, some observers question whether he is an obligate biped (although no one has observed him climbing a tree). He also has a blog called 
Do cells that eventually for the base of the cranium, as well as connective tissue, originate via the neural crest as currently thought? According to an article that is supposed to be published in PNAS, the answer is no. Since the article has not appeared yet, I can't go into very much detail. PhysOrg.com has a write up of the research:
In the mouse embryo at eight days gestation, Weston and collaborators used high-resolution imaging and immunostaining techniques to identify and track the dispersal of cells known to jump start connective and skeletal tissue development. They were able to see clearly that these cells came from the non-neural layer of cells rather than from the neural crest. The same distinction also exists in chicken embryos during the first few days of gestation, Weston noted. "Looking at the right time is very important," he said.Weston argues that this non-neural epithelium is indeed distinct from the neural crest, because its cells contain characteristically different molecules. He and colleagues dispute suggestions that this non-neural structure is simply a sub-domain of the neural crest. "These cells emerge at a different time in development and disperse in the embryo before neural crest cells begin to migrate," Weston said.
PLoS Genetics has a paper that looks at human migration out of Africa from a new angle:
Genome-wide scans of genetic variation can potentially provide detailed information on how modern humans colonized the world but require new methods of analysis. We introduce a statistical approach that uses Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) data to identify sharing of chromosomal segments between populations and uses the pattern of sharing to reconstruct a detailed colonization scenario.
The results are quite interesting, but since the paper is open access you can read it for yourselves.
Finally, a new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution called Climate Change and Postglacial Human Dispersals in Southeast Asia takes another look at the dispersal of humans across the Pacific. From PhysOrg.com:
Martin Richards, the first Professor of Archaeogenetics at Leeds University, who led the interdisciplinary research team, said: 'I think the study results are going to be a big surprise for many archaeologists and linguists, on whose studies conventional migration theories are based. These population expansions had nothing to do with agriculture, but were most likely to have been driven by climate change, in particular global warming and the resulting sea-level rises at the end of the Ice Age between 15,000 to 7,000 years ago.'
Humanities & Social Science
Comments
From the paper:
The only reference I can find for Orcadians are the residents of Orkney, an island group north of Scotland and part of Scotland. Apparently the residents are still cognizant and proud of their Orcadian heritage, whatever that may be. I find it exceedingly fascinating that the Scots should be associated quite strongly with a Northern East Indian people.
What a strange connection..... Modern Yakuts are a long long way from Scotland...
Posted by: Oldfart | May 25, 2008 4:53 PM
Did ye nae know, that the rovin' dies hard?
http://www.tomstrong.org/public/misc/lyrics/the_rovin_dies_hard.txt
One of My Beloved and Darling Wife's favorite songs.
fusilier
Posted by: fusilier | May 26, 2008 9:40 AM
fusilier - Excellent!
Posted by: afarensis, FCD | May 26, 2008 9:56 AM
From Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland to Yakutsk, Russia is 3718 miles according to Google Earth. There should be a trail of little Scots leading in that general direction......
Posted by: Oldfart | May 26, 2008 11:16 AM