Daily briefing: Symbols on ancient pottery could be earliest evidence of mathematics

"Pottery made by people of the Halafian culture, who inhabited northern Mesopotamia between around 6200 and 5500 BC, is painted with flowers that have 4, 8, 16 or 32 petals, and some show arrangements of 64 flowers. These patterns show a clear understanding of symmetry and spatial division long before written numbers came into use around 3400 BC, argue scientists in a new study. The skill might have helped the Halafian people with tasks such as sharing harvests or dividing communal fields, the authors say."

"Researchers have engineered a time capsule for cells, capable of collecting and storing messenger RNA (mRNA), the molecular product of gene transcription. These 'TimeVaults' are made by modifying mysterious cell structures called vaults to recognize and store mRNA. The researchers could trigger the 'record' button of the TimeVaults by treating cells with a drug and stop it by withdrawing the drug. "I anticipate that TimeVaults will allow us to observe facets of biology previously inaccessible to us," says biological engineer Randall Platt."

"In the year since US President Donald Trump returned to office, some of his administration's actions - including firing thousands of government scientists, cancelling billions of dollars in grants and blocking funding for elite universities - have foundered. Many are tied up in the courts, and Trump's proposals to slash federal science budgets are still pending before a sceptical US Congress. But there is undoubtedly more disruption to come."

Pottery made by Halafian culture in northern Mesopotamia between 6200 and 5500 BC is painted with flowers of 4, 8, 16, 32 petals and arrangements of 64, demonstrating understanding of symmetry and spatial division before written numbers came into use around 3400 BC. The skill could have aided sharing harvests and dividing communal fields. Researchers engineered TimeVaults by modifying vaults to recognize and store messenger RNA (mRNA), with a record function triggered by a drug and stopped by withdrawing the drug. The US scientific enterprise has faced firings, cancelled grants, blocked funding, and proposed budget cuts, with many measures tied up in courts.

Read at Nature