science – SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR)

China: Jurassic [Flightless] Bird Fossil Challenges Traditional Avian Evolutionary View! (16.10.2026)

16/10/2026 Adrian (釋大道)

The transition from land-dwelling dinosaurs to flying birds is one of the most remarkable events in the history of life, involving changes in the skeletal, muscular and nervous systems, skin-derived structures and behaviour, said Wang, the study’s corresponding author and a co-first author.

Macro-evolutionary models suggest that birds originated and began diversifying during the Jurassic Period. However, the scarcity of bird fossils from this critical period has left scientists with limited direct evidence of how the characteristic bird body plan emerged.

China: Scientists reveal mechanism behind evolution of brain folds regulated by ancient gene! (11.10.2026)

11/10/2026 Adrian (釋大道)

However, a research team led by Shi Lei, a researcher from the Kunming Institute of Zoology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, proposed an alternative possibility: certain ancient and highly conserved genes could also play a key role in human brain evolution by reshaping their expression levels through changes in regulatory elements.

The team compared transcriptomic data from different layers of the embryonic cerebral cortex of mice, tree shrews, marmosets, macaques and humans. They found that an ancient gene called “CCNB1IP1” was already expressed in the brain of the tree shrew, a close relative of primates, long before primates emerged but at relatively low expression levels.

The team further discovered that during the following course of evolution, the expression level of this ancient gene showed a clear stepwise increase among tree shrews, marmosets, macaques and humans, reaching its highest level in the human brain.

Analysts identified features of Beagle 2 in photos of Mars

UK: The Story of Mars-Probe – “Begale 2” – a Very British Story of Glorious Failure! (8.10.2026)

08/10/2026 Adrian (釋大道)

Professor Colin Pillinger was the driving force behind a mini “British Space Programme” that would have rivelled the Soviet imitative – and defied the US domination of the time (2003). We were staying with my parents in Torquay during the Xmas season of 2003 – and we kept the radio on through the night to listen to live coverage – to be part of the “British” probe landing on Mars! As Beagle 2 approached Mars all was fine – but as it came down to land – all suddenly went “silent”. For months afterwards there was speculation – but no answers. Then, in 2014, a US probe discovered a partly “landed” Beagle 2 – which seemed to have deployed – but only after trapping its only aerial (preventing all communication). Professor Colin Pillinger had passed-away just 8-months before his space-machine was discovered – and proven to have been mostly successful. Someone commented to me that this was like “Dunkirk” all-over again! We can take it.

La Trobe archaeologists have described 18 new hominin fossils including a second Homo erectus skull fragment confirming the species’ first appearance was in southern Africa 2.0 million years ago – 200,000 years earlier than traditionally thought.

South Africa: Fossils Confirm Homo Erectus Present 2 Million-Years Ago [200,000 Years Earlier Than Previously Thought]! (3.11.2026)

03/10/2026 Adrian (釋大道)

“Homo erectus is the first species of hominin that researchers broadly agree fits within our own genus Homo and is likely directly ancestral to us. Drimolen preserves evidence for the first appearance of this species 2 million years ago, however the original fossil, DNH 134, belonged to a child aged between two and four, and there was uncertainty about what the adult version may have looked like,” lead researcher Dr Jesse Martin said.

“This paper publishes a new adult fossil attributed to Homo erectus, DNH 127, providing further confirmation that this species first appeared in southern Africa 2 million years ago.”

The researchers have also been able to confirm that P. robustus underwent micro-evolution, and evolved larger teeth and chewing muscles between 2 million and 1.8 million years ago.

UK: Email – What Do I Think About the Balathal Skeleton? (22.9.2026)

22/09/2026 Adrian (釋大道)

Although 700 BCE is touted around the internet – the remains could be as late as the 4th century CE (well within the date for Yoga). The site is not Indian – the skeleton is Indian. My own view is that if this is a holy man – we are probably talking about the disciples of the Buddha who dwelled at the base of trees – a “root-dweller” no-less. Of course, this is just speculation on my part and I am running with the “meditating in isolation” angle. There is absolutely no evidence for the “holy man” interpretation except for the conveniently positioned hands and fingers (the academic authors of the second paper go out of their way to insert an elaborate Hindu origin for this). This seems unprofessional to me. There is no surrounding (qualifying) evidence for the holy man hypothesis. What should usually happen is that a note would be added that draws the reader’s attention to the fact that these remains, when viewed in a certain light, possess a passing similarity to certain well-known religious postures found within the practices of a number of religious and spiritual paths. Whatever the case, more evidence is needed and none has been forthcoming (these are not “new” digs).

Prime Minister calls on education authorities, teachers, parents, students and society as a whole to strengthen efforts to improve education quality!

Laos Buddhist-Socialist Republic: PM Calls for Strong Improvement in All Education Standards During New Academic Year! (22.9.2026)

22/09/2026 Adrian (釋大道)

He commended education administrators, teachers, students, local authorities and development partners for their contributions during the 2025–2026 academic year, particularly in improving school infrastructure, expanding school meals in remote areas, promoting non-formal education, increasing student allowances and reducing school dropout rates.

For the new academic year, he called for stronger measures to address teacher shortages, reduce dropout rates, improve vocational and higher education enrolment, and enhance teaching quality through modern techniques and technology.

The Prime Minister urged teachers to uphold professional ethics and continuously improve teaching methods, while encouraging parents to ensure their children remain in school through at least compulsory lower-secondary education.

1 2 3 … 68 »