Ancient Bone Tools and the Use of Proteins as Antimicrobial Peptide Molecules to Defend against Infection at Olduvai Gorge

The study shows that bone tools from 1.5 million years ago were found at Olduvai Gorge. The discovery joins other finds — such as a 1.4-million-year-old bone axe from Ethiopia — that suggest the human ancestor Homo erectus often used bones as tools.

“It is showing up in the archaeological record much earlier than anyone had thought possible”, says Michael Pante, who was not involved with the research. “It just speaks to this species having the ability to do things that no other species was able to do.” The findings were published in Nature.

Evidence suggests deliberate production of bone tools happened much earlier than previously thought — plus, how cells’ waste-disposal systems could help defend against infection.

To help protect against infection, cells in the body will selectively cut proteins to produce molecules known as antimicrobial peptides, according to new research. A team has found that many potential peptides appear to be locked up within proteins — to get them out, cells shift the activity of a waste-disposal system called the proteasome, known for its role in protein degradation and recycling. In tests, one of these peptides showed efficacy at protecting mice from infection, indicating that these molecules could one day have therapeutic potential.

The Nature Podcast: Searching for water and securing the Earth’s atmospheric environment in a global sea-level vacuum. Status and future plans

People are concerned that a crucial ocean-current system will collapse in the face of climate change but there is an update on two missions heading to the Moon to look for water.

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