Animals may have evolved hundreds of millions of years earlier than fossil evidence suggests

Amazing stuff!

"The earliest animals may have evolved hundreds of millions of years before their first unmistakable fossils appear in the fossil record, according to a new study led by the University of Oxford. The findings, published in Science Advances, suggest animals may have originated deep in the Neoproterozoic Era, even before some of the most extreme ice ages in Earth's history. ...

The research team ... carried out a comprehensive survey of exceptionally well-preserved microfossils from the Kheseen Biota in Mongolia. The Kheseen Biota is more than 40 million years younger than Weng'an, even though they share some species. By this time, animal fossils are known from sites elsewhere around the world, including Namibia and South China. ..."

From the abstract:

"Divergent models persist for the emergence of animals.
Lipid biomarkers suggest animals originated before 635 million years ago (Ma), but their
body fossil record extends to only 574 Ma.
Molecular clocks might differentiate between these records, but we demonstrate how their accuracy and precision hinge on maximum age calibrations.

We evaluate the Ediacaran Weng’an Biota (China) as a maximum calibration utilizing microfossils from the Kheseen Biota (Mongolia).

These two biotas have similar preservation and microfossil assemblages, containing no definitive animals.

The Kheseen Biota, deposited at a time (∼550–526 Ma) when animals were undoubtedly present, questions the validity of the Weng’an calibration. We discuss the uncertainty in maximum calibration strategies and propose multiple pre-Ediacaran deposits with favorable taphonomy, preserving both non-animal body fossils and biomarkers, as currently the most reliable calibrations.

Our analyses support a late Tonian to mid-Cryogenian (∼800–700 Ma) origin for Metazoa."

Animals may have evolved vastly earlier than fossil evidence suggests

Moving back the clock: Did animal life begin 200 million years earlier than we thought? (original news release)

Re-evaluating molecular clock maximum age calibrations revives pre-Ediacaran divergence estimates for animals (open access)

Fig. 4. Comparison of recovered animal divergence estimates with varying maximum calibrations.

Mongolia courts Kazakhstan, seeks path between China and Russia

Good news! Better relationships between Central Asian/Stan countries?

"For a country that sends nearly all of its exports to China and depends almost entirely on Russia for fuel imports, finding a third direction has never been straightforward, but Mongolia is looking west to Kazakhstan. ..."

Mongolia courts Kazakhstan, seeks path between China and Russia - Nikkei Asia (behind paywall) "President makes first state visit to Astana in 20 years, setting in motion raft of deals"

Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, right, met with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana last week, in the first state visit from a leader of the country to Kazakhstan in 20 years.

India to Train Mongolia’s Border Force and more | Outreach in China’s Backyard with Palki Sharma

Good news! India, a rising superpower!

Radiocarbon dating reveals Mongolia's earliest pottery predates previous estimates by 2,000 years to about 11,000 BCE

Amazing stuff!

"... prehistoric sites associated with the Early, Middle, and Late Paleolithic in Tsakhiurtyn Hundi … were discovered at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries  ... The site owes its name to the presence of numerous flint outcrops and an incalculable number of flint artifacts. It is one of the most extensive prehistoric sites in Central Asia. ...

The Baruun Khuree [paleolake] sites are therefore associated with one of the earliest securely dated episodes of the Holocene hunter-gatherers' activities in the Gobi desert. ...

Additionally, the dates provide new insights into the precise timing of the arrival of the pottery into Mongolia. ...

From previous research, it was believed that the earliest pottery reached Mongolia around 9,600 cal BP. However, the Baruun Khuree pottery, which was found in the immediate context of the hearths, is almost 2,000 years older than previously thought. ...

Chronologically, they correspond, for example, to early dates for pottery from northern China," ..."

From the abstract:

"We report a set of radiocarbon dating of prehistoric settlements located on the paleolake Baruun Khuree shores in the Gobi-Altai area, southern Mongolia. The obtained series of 11 AMS 14C measurements on charcoal and other charred plant macro-remains can be associated with one of the earliest episodes of the Holocene highly mobile desert-adapted hunter-gatherers activities from the Gobi desert (ca. 11,250–10,500 cal BP).

Exploiting a wide range of environments, including dune fields, they are characterized by pottery usage and microblade core technology with wedge-shaped cores as well as osteological materials. 

These preliminary results are part of a project analyzing the nature of long-lasting prehistoric occupation around Tsakhiurtyn Hundi (Eng. Flint Valley)—one of the most extensive early prehistoric sites of Central Asia owing its name to the presence of abundant flint outcrops, lithic workshops and their innumerable flint artifacts."

Radiocarbon dating reveals Mongolia's earliest pottery predates previous estimates by 2,000 years

The earliest Holocene wanderers through the Gobi Desert evidenced by the radiocarbon chronology of the lakeshore settlement near the Tsakhiurtyn Hondi, Mongolia (open access)

Figure 2. Aerial picture of the Baruun Khuree paleolake, with the location of sites FV133, FV134 and FV139 marked

Figure 4. Baruun Khuree. Trench FV 139 B—bottom of layer 1 (0–10 cm). Pottery from feature 3 (pit within the hearth), recorded 10 cm deeper

The climate crisis killed Thousands in Mongolia in their gers/yurts this winter. Really!

Another example of junk journalism by Johns Hopkins University!

How extreme was this winter in Mongolia really?

Is it not very unfortunate that so many Mongolians still live in gers/yurts?

"Some 7,000 people in Mongolia have died this winter due to air pollution, caused by the coal that provides 70% of the nation’s energy and warms most homes.

Raw coal smoke contains carcinogenic particles, and the briquettes introduced by Mongolia’s government can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.

Citizens regularly suffer from respiratory diseases, liver and lung cancers, asthma, and flu.

By February, there had been 811 deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning. 

The climate crisis has exacerbated Mongolia’s pollution problem, as extreme winters are killing off animals that have supported nomadic herding families, forcing them into cities. 

There they construct gers: circular tents with central stoves that feed out through a chimney in the roof. More than 50% of Mongolia’s population live in gers; each household burns ~50 pounds of coal daily in winter."

Global Health NOW: Deadly Risks in India’s Fireworks Factories; Keeping Warm Can Be Toxic in Mongolia; and An Extra Coat of Coolness in Cape Town

Japanese Drone Entrepreneur flies blood transfusion bags over heavily congested streets of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Recommendable! Life saving business, indeed!

Caveat: I did not watch the whole video.

The Man Who Nearly Conquered the World - Genghis Khan

Recommendable!

Putin arrives in Mongolia for a state visit despite ICC warrant for his arrest

Maybe one of the few countries the megalomaniac and war criminal Putin the Terrible can travel to without risking being arrested!

‘Northern frontier culture’: How China is erasing the Mongolian ethnic minority

Bad news! Horrible!

"Chinese authorities have launched a campaign to change the term that people use to refer to Mongolian culture and to the cultural and historical heritage of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR) in a move aimed at eroding Mongolian identity and sense of homeland.

The Chinese Communist Party’s new official term, bei jiang wenhua, meaning ‘northern frontier culture’, eliminates reference to Mongolians, one of China’s 56 officially recognised ethnic groups. Since July 2023, Inner Mongolia state media articles, official websites, party statements, party-organised children’s activities, and official social media posts have widely promoted the phrase. ...
The adoption of the term appears to be part of the CCP’s growing campaign to weaken Mongolian ethnic identity and instead push a Han-centric national identity through the elimination of Mongolian language education and other measures. ..."

‘Northern frontier culture’: How China is erasing ‘Mongolia’ from Mongolian culture | The Strategist

Mongolia’s has the highest cancer mortality rate in the world. Really!

Most likely a piece of junk journalism! They are trying to sell more cancer screening in Mongolia!

Mongolia is about the 24th largest country in the world with a very low population density of about 2 per square miles, lower than e.g. Canada at 4.

And what about the incidence of cancer in the population of Mongolia? Is it as high as in other countries or lower? The percentage of cancer cases per population in Mongolia (about 0.20%) is lower than in the US (0.71%) in 2022 (Data source, own calculations). Could it be underreporting of cancer in Mongolia or is life in largely rural Mongolia less cancerous?  

"... Mongolia has the highest cancer mortality rate in the world—a troubling trend national health officials are seeking to reverse through an ambitious new screening program that has now reached 40% of the country’s population. 

Behind the high rates: Mongolia’s cancer mortality rate is 194 per 100,000, compared with the global rate of 111.

The high death rate is driven by late diagnosis: ~30% of Mongolians lead a nomadic lifestyle herding cattle, with little access to preventative medical care. 

Improving early screening: The new screening program, which is in its second year, is available to all citizens and includes six different packages of tests depending on age.

Ongoing barriers: Most inpatient cancer treatments are only available in the nation’s capital Ulaanbaatar. ..."

Global Health NOW: Africa’s Growing Drug Resistance; Babies at the Center of Sepsis Crisis; and Expanding Screening in Mongolia

Mongolia’s ambitious programme to tackle cancer death rates reaches 40% of population "Screening project aims to reduce highest cancer mortality rate in the world, but nomadic way of life means many in rural areas are unaware of services"

Elite woman’s grave dates from before Genghis Khan's Mongolian Empire and the Great Wall of the Mongols

Amazing stuff!

Israeli archaeologists work in Mongolia!

"... Buried in the walls of the fortress is the grave of an elite woman who pre-dates the rise of the founder of the Mongolian Empire, Genghis Khan (also known as Chinggis Khan). The frontier fortress is about 1.4 km west of Khar Nuur lake in eastern Dornod province of Mongolia, only kilometres from the Chinese border.

Genghis Khan rose to prominence in 1206 CE. Before that, the Kitan-Liao Empire controlled great swaths of land between 916 and 1125 CE.

The period between these great dynasties is poorly understood as very few records survive. ...

The Khar Nuur fortress was part of a larger set of walls and fortresses stretching more than 4,000km. Khar Nuur’s walls and ditches alone make up about 737km. ...

Within its walls were found a wood coffin, various artefacts and the body of a 40 to 60-year-old woman. Hers is one of only 26 burials from the period found in Mongolia.

Radiocarbon dating shows the woman was buried between 1158 and 1214 CE.
She was buried wearing a yellow silk robe, a headdress and golden earrings. Her grave also contained a silver cup, bronze vessel, gold bracelet, and coral and glass beads. These finds point to her status as a member of the elite during this pre-Mongol period. ...

Many of the artefacts are of non-local origin, being sourced as far as hundreds of kilometres away. ..."

From the abstract:

"On the Mongolian plateau, the period between the collapse of the Kitan Empire (c. 1125 CE) and the rise of the Mongol empire (1206 CE) is still poorly understood. Although events leading up to the rise of Chinggis Khan's initial Mongol state are recorded in a number of historical sources, these accounts often look backwards over decades or even centuries from the perspective of a mature empire already made.  ... The eastern reaches of the Mongolian plateau is a region that can speak to these events based on the material record of archaeology. The Mongol-Israeli-American Archaeological Project has surveyed and excavated along Kitan frontier ‘long-walls’ in the northeast of Mongolia since 2018. One of our fortuitous discoveries was a well-furnished burial interred within the enclosure wall of a Kitan era frontier fortress. Analysis of this grave reveals that it likely postdates the use of the fortress and provides important information about local communities, their networks, and organization during the 12th century CE."

Elite woman’s grave dates from before Genghis Khan's Mongolian Empire

An elite grave of the pre-Mongol period, from Dornod Province, Mongolia (open access)

Fig. 1. Drone photo of Cluster 27 in northeastern Mongolia. A red circle marks the location of the excavated burial. The inset map shows the location of Cluster 27 in red and two other enclosure sites along the long wall (Clusters 23 and 24) in black.

Fig. 2. A plan of the excavated grave at Khar Nuur, Cluster 27 including a profile view and three elevation measurements (masl). The dotted lines show an approximate configuration of the coffin based on partial wood recovery and soil staining. Fragmentary pieces of bark originally used as a coffin cover are also shown overlying the context. The burial assemblage

Japan, Mongolia to agree on defense equipment cooperation at summit

Good news! Bravo Japan! Mongolia is surrounded or squeezed in by Russia and China! Not a great place to be in.

"Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh are expected to reach a broad agreement on the transfer of defense equipment and technology when they meet later this month in Ulaanbaatar, sources say.

The agreement would pave the way for Japanese defense exports to Mongolia. The countries plan to sign the deal as early as this fall, with specific exports to be decided through consultation.

Japan plans shipments to Mongolia later this fiscal year through its Official Security Assistance framework, which provides defense equipment for free to like-minded partners.

At a November 2022 summit, Kishida and Khurelsukh said they would promote defense-related transfers in order to upgrade the political and security cooperation between their countries. They outlined a basic action plan through 2031, including the creation of a legal framework for such transfers. ..."

Japan, Mongolia to agree on defense equipment cooperation at summit - Nikkei Asia "Ulaanbaatar pursues diverse tie-ups as China and Russia build up military"

Mongolia | Turning Towards the West?

Recommendable! Mongolia is a very interesting country!

Mongolei: Balance zwischen Russland und China

Empfehlenswert!

Three Developments In Mongolia Increasingly Worry Moscow – Analysis

Recommendable! Mongolia of all places! 😊

"On February 12, former Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbergdorj took to X (formerly Twitter) in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s propagandistic excuses for his “special military operation” against Ukraine. During a recent interview with US television personality Tucker Carlson, Putin asserted that Russia has a historical right to Ukrainian territory because it was once part of the Russian Empire.

In mocking Putin’s musings, Elbergdorj posted maps of the Mongol Empire and stated, “Don’t worry. We are a peaceful and free nation.” He implied that, by Putin’s reasoning, Mongolia would have a claim to Russia’s southern region. ...

Three recent developments have prompted Russian officials to focus more closely on Mongolia. These are the flight of Russian citizens from Siberia and the Far East to Mongolia to avoid being forced to fight in Ukraine, growing interest in the three Buddhist nations of the Russian Federation in expanding ties with Mongolia, and Ulaanbaatar’s plans to construct hydroelectric dams that will limit the flow of water to Lake Baikal and threaten its survival. Russia’s renewed attention to Mongolia comes at a time when Moscow is growing concerned that Ulaanbaatar is taking these steps to build support with China, a country the Putin regime wants to retain as Russia’s primary ally ..."

Three Developments In Mongolia Increasingly Worry Moscow – Analysis – Eurasia Review

China's President Xi Jinping, Russia's President Vladimir Putin with President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh. Look how small Putin the Terrible is! Little man with big ego and megalomania!

Die Adlerjägerin – junge Mongolinnen entdecken einen alten Brauch für sich

Empfehlenswert! Ein ungewöhnliches Leben. Hinweis: Hatte nicht die Zeit den ganzen Video anzusehen.

Girl power is helping shape Mongolia's digital future

Way to go!

Girl power is helping shape Mongolia's digital future - Nikkei Asia Coding boot camp reveals country's economic potential to diversify from mining

The members of team Future Programmer Girls proudly display the online game they developed during the Girls for Coding program in Ulaanbaatar. 

Mongolia: Rise and fall of an empire

Very recommendable! Did you know that Genghis Khan was also a famous lawgiver. E.g. freedom of religion across his empire.

Pope Francis: ‘Mongolia Is A Symbol Of Religious Freedom’

I know this is my third post on this trip. However, this is a highly unusual trip by a Pope. It is the first ever visit to Mongolia of all places.

There is a lot of symbolism in this visit!

"In an address to government authorities in Mongolia’s State Palace in Ulaanbaatar on Sept. 2, the pope asked that heaven may grant the “earth devastated by countless conflicts” a renewal and respect for international laws. 

“May the dark clouds of war be dispelled, swept away by the firm desire for a universal fraternity wherein tensions are resolved through encounter and dialogue, and the fundamental rights of all people are guaranteed,” the pope said in the speech to Mongolia’s democratic leaders and diplomatic corps. ...
The square is built on the spot where Damdin Sükhbaatar, a Mongolian revolutionary hero, declared Mongolia’s independence from China in 1921.
Catholic pilgrims from Hong Kong and mainland China were among the small crowd of a few hundred people who welcomed the pope to the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign country. Some of the visiting Catholics from China wore masks and sunglasses to shield their identities, a testament to the stark difference in religious freedom in the country on the other side of Mongolia’s southern border. ...

“Mongolia today, with its broad network of diplomatic relations … plays a significant role in the heart of the great Asian continent and on the international scene,” the pope said.

The Vatican’s diplomatic contacts with Mongolia date back nearly 800 years.

Pope Francis recalled how Friar John of Pian del Carpine visited the third Mongol emperor, Guyug, in 1246 as an envoy of the pope and presented to the Grand Khan an official missive from Pope Innocent IV.

The letter in response bearing the seal of the Grand Khan in traditional Mongol letters can be found in the Vatican Library today. Pope Francis presented a copy of this historic document as a gift to Mongolia’s leaders as a “sign of an ancient friendship that is growing and being renewed. ...”

Today Mongolia is home to about 1,450 Catholics, far fewer than 1% of the country’s 3.3. million people. ..."

Pope Francis: ‘Mongolia Is A Symbol Of Religious Freedom’ – Eurasia Review

Pope Francis receives a scarf as a gift from Choijiljav Dambajav, abbot of the Buddhists' Zuun Khuree Dashichoiling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, during an ecumenical and interreligious meeting at the city's Hun Theatre Sept. 3, 2023.

Pope Francis visits Buddhist-majority Mongolia

Bravo Pope Francis!