Malcolm Ritter, Author at Greenfield Recorder

In this photo provided by HHMI Tangled Bank Studios in October 2019, a storm rolls in towards Corral Bluffs, Colo, outside of Denver.

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Fossil trove shows life’s fast recovery after big extinction

by Malcolm Ritter Associated PressOctober 24, 2019

NEW YORK — A remarkable trove of fossils from Colorado has revealed details of how mammals grew larger and plants evolved after the cataclysm that killed off the dinosaurs.The thousands of specimens let scientists trace that history over a span of 1…

This undated photo provided by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in August 2019 shows a fossilized cranium of Australopithecus anamensis. The species is considered to be an ancestor of A. afarensis, represented by “Lucy” found in 1974. From 3.8 million years ago, the ancestral species is the oldest known member of Australopithecus, the grouping of creatures that preceded our own branch of the family tree, called Homo. (Dale Omori/Cleveland Museum of Natural History via AP)

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Ethiopian fossil reveals face for ancestor of famed ‘Lucy’

by Malcolm Ritter AP Science WriterAugust 28, 2019

This combination of images provided by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig shows two views of a virtual reconstruction of the Xiahe mandible. At right, the simulated parts are in gray. According to a report released on Wednesday, May 1, 2019, the bone is at least 160,000 years old, and recovered proteins led scientists to conclude the jaw came from a Denisovan, a relative of Neanderthals. (Jean-Jacques Hublin, MPI-EVA, Leipzig)

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Chinese fossil sheds light on mysterious Neanderthal kin

by Malcolm Ritter Associated PressMay 1, 2019

Two overweight women tour the World Trade Center in New York. A study published by the journal Cell, Thursday, suggests that a genetic test can identify newborns at heightened risk of becoming severely obese by middle age, possibly giving time to head off that fate.

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Study: Genetic test predicts middle-aged obesity risk

by Malcolm Ritter Associated PressApril 18, 2019

This combination of images provided by the Yale School of Medicine in April 2019 shows stained microscope photos of neurons, green; astrocytes, red, and cell nuclei, blue, from a pig brain left untreated for 10 hours after death, left, and another with a specially designed blood substitute pumped through it.

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Scientists spur some activity in brains of slaughtered pigs

by Malcolm Ritter Associated PressApril 17, 2019

Callao Cave on Luzon Island of the Philippines, where the fossils of Homo luzonensis were discovered.

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Bones from Philippines cave reveal a new human cousin

by Malcolm Ritter Associated PressApril 10, 2019

Shelley, an adopted cat, at its new home in Philadelphia. A study released on Thursday suggests house cats respond to the sound of their own names. Researchers said it’s the first experimental evidence that cats can distinguish between words people say.

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Meow hear this: Study says cats react to sound of their name

by Malcolm Ritter Associated PressApril 4, 2019

FILE - In this Friday, April 27, 2018 file photo, Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, who authorities suspect is the "Golden State Killer" responsible for at least a dozen murders and 50 rapes in the 1970s and 80s, is accompanied by Sacramento County Public Defender Diane Howard, right, during his arraignment in Sacramento County Superior Court in Sacramento, Calif. Authorities said they used a genetic genealogy website to connect some crime-scene DNA to DeAngelo. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

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DNA websites cast broad net to ID people

by Malcolm Ritter Associated PressOctober 11, 2018

This undated photo provided by Craig Foster in September 2018 shows a drawing made with ochre pigment on silcrete stone, found in the Blombos Cave east of Cape Town, South Africa. In a report released on Wednesday, scientists say this tiny 73,000-year-old sketch found in a South African cave is the oldest known drawing.

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#Ancient? Crisscrossed lines called world’s oldest drawing

by Malcolm Ritter Associated PressSeptember 12, 2018

Kendra Snyder, right, talks with patrons at Checkers Bar & Grill in Mount Union, Pa., on Monday, July 16, 2018. At age 12, Snyder passed out from a condition where her heart was missing over 1,000 beats every day. She had heart surgery for it when she turned 20, and doctors said the problem seemed to be fixed. Her cardiologist wanted to know whether her condition was inherited or not, so genetic tests where done. In March, Kendra was told her testing was inconclusive. She realized she shouldn’t stress over it, because doing so would reduce her quality of life. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

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Gene tests can provide health clues – and needless worry

by Malcolm Ritter Associated PressJuly 19, 2018