Ancient Apes Kissed, Moss Survives Space, Moon Formed Inner Solar System

Resources

Resources & Recommendations

Research & Studies

• "The evolutionary history of kissing in large apes" (Matilda Brindle et al. in Evolution and Human Behavior) - This study used phylogenetic analysis to trace the evolutionary history of kissing, defining it as non-aggressive mouth-to-mouth contact, and found evidence that kissing was present in the common ancestor of all large apes 21 million years ago, and likely practiced by Neanderthals.
• "Survival of bryophyte spores after 9 months in space: The potential for space-based conservation and planetary colonization" (Tomomichi Fujita et al. in iScience) - This paper details an experiment showing that over 80% of moss spores germinated after nine months in space, suggesting they could survive for about 15 years in space conditions and potentially aid in terraforming other planets.
• "The Origin of Earth's Water: Constraints from the Isotopic Composition of Theia" (Timo Hopp et al. in Science) - This paper investigates the composition of Theia, the object that collided with proto-Earth to form the moon, and suggests that Theia originated in the inner solar system, implying it likely did not deliver Earth's water.

People Mentioned

• Matilda Brindle (University of Oxford) - She led the research on the evolutionary history of kissing in large apes.
• Tomomichi Fujita (Hokkaido University) - He led the research on the survival of moss spores in space.
• Magdalena Bezanilla (Dartmouth) - A cell biologist whose lab studies the same moss used in the space experiment; she commented on the surprising results.
• Kelsey Pruss (Purdue University) - A geochemist who commented on the "planetary who done it" nature of the research on the moon's formation.
• Timo Hopp (Max Planck Institute) - He was the lead author of the study on the origin of Earth's water.