Following the Science – or Not

Two parter today. Part one is all about an old human-ancestor skull. Old, as in REAL old – recent analysis suggests it is not only the oldest skull known, but that the human race is twice as old as previously thought, 1,300,000 years old. Gee, you’d think we’d have learned something useful by now.

The skull, known as Yunxian 2 (pictured above), was initially discovered in central China’s Hubei province in 1990. For decades, it remained difficult to classify because time had badly warped and crushed the bone. But new 3D scanning and digital reconstruction techniques allowed researchers to virtually “fix” the damage and see what the skull originally looked like.

This unique combination suggests the skull belongs to an early ancestor of the Denisovans, a mysterious group of ancient humans known mainly through DNA analysis. The Denisovans lived across Asia and occasionally interbred with both Neanderthals and early modern humans.

Perhaps most importantly, the skull’s age forces scientists to completely revise when human species first appeared. Previous research suggested that modern humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans all split from a common ancestor between 500,000 and 700,000 years ago.

The new analysis pushes these dates back dramatically. According to the researchers, Neanderthals branched off first around 1.38 million years ago, followed by the split between Denisovans and modern humans about 1.32 million years ago. This means our own species, Homo sapiens, can now be traced back over a million years — roughly double the previous estimate.

My first question, was can’t they just date it like other old stuff – like Carbon-14 dating? Found that Carbon-14 has a half-life of a tad under 6,000 years, and that it’s really only useful for dating things up to about 60,000 years old. I am guessing by 20 times that far, its usefulness is “limited”.

No word whether “You Denisovan” is going to replace Neanderthal is an insult for guys. I doubt it, just doesn’t have the right ring.

And in other science news – the CDC revised its website, now saying that studies showing links between autism and vaccinations have been ignored. Seemingly, no actual scientific or medical input from actual qualified people was used.

Career scientists at the agency responsible for information about vaccine safety and autism had no prior knowledge about the changes to the website and were not consulted, according to five agency officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Before the Wednesday update, the CDC webpage stated that studies have shown that there is “no link” between vaccines and developing autism, and that “no links” have been found between any vaccine ingredients and the disorder, according to archived webpages.

The current CDC page says that studies supporting a link between vaccines and autism “have been ignored by health authorities.”

I actually know someone who is a firm adherent to the old flat-earth idea. I ignore their input on such matters. Back to the CDC:

It states: “The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.”

The revisions show that the “CDC cannot currently be trusted as a scientific voice,” said Demetre Daskalakis, who formerly led the agency’s center responsible for respiratory viruses and immunizations. He was one of three senior leaders who resigned in August because of what they said was the politicization of science at the agency. “The weaponization of the CDC voice by validating false claims on official websites confirms what we have been saying,” he said.

The changes also prompted pushback from Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), a physician and chairman of the Senate’s health committee. Cassidy has been a vocal proponent for vaccination. But he set aside his misgivings about Kennedy to vote for his confirmation after receiving commitments, including to not remove language on the CDC website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism.

Well, guess that proves the RFK Jr. is a politician. Certainly is not a recognized scientist. Or doctor. Or even nurses’ aide, as far as I can tell.

The false claim that vaccines cause autism can be traced to a 1998 article that has since been retracted, but it has persisted for decades in anti-vaccine messaging that has repeatedly come up in conversations at pediatricians’ offices. The connection has been repeatedly disproved through dozens of studies examining hundreds of thousands of children around the world.  WaPo

As someone who has friends who had polio and other diseases now mostly eradicated, I sincerely hope that RFK and his ilk refuse any and all vaccinations for their entire families. Darwin smiles.

(Also old enough to remember the significance of this date. Lord, how the country – and that family – have fallen.)

Category: "Teh Stoopid", "Your Tax Dollars At Work", Health Care debate