Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG update

Ireland’s first-time home buyers may get aid under a new scheme

IRISH GOVERNMENT IS CONSIDERING TAX RELIEF AND TOP-UPS IN EFFORT TO TACKLE THE HOUSING CRISIS

   

A SCHEME TO HELP FIRST-TIME HOME BUYERS IN IRELAND WITH TAX RELIEF AND STATE TOP-UPS OF MORTGAGE DEPOSIT SAVINGS IS BEING EXAMINED BY THE GOVERNMENT.

A scheme to help first-time home buyers with tax relief and state top-ups of mortgage deposit savings is being examined by the Government.

The Help to Buy scheme is under consideration as part of efforts to tackle the housing crisis, but will not be included in Minister for Housing Simon Coveney’s action plan for housing, to be announced tomorrow.

While Mr Coveney will reiterate the programme for government’s plan to introduce such a scheme, details are being withheld until October’s budget.

Mr Coveney had pushed for it to be included in his action plan but Minister for Finance Michael Noonan said tax measures can only be announced on budget day.

Mr Noonan last night emphasised that the Government does not want to cause any market disruption.

He said when former Tánaiste Michael McDowell proposed abolishing stamp duty in 2006, it contributed to a slump in house sales.

Mr Noonan said he is prepared to backdate Help to Buy measures to this month.

Mr Coveney is understood to have pushed for a top-up scheme in recent weeks. A similar scheme operates in the UK, where mortgage deposit savings are topped up by 25%, to a limit of £3,000.

SIMILAR APPROACH

The Fianna Fáil party proposed a similar approach in its election manifesto, although it said the top-up would be restricted to €5,000 per person, or €10,000 per couple.

It is understood that Mr Noonan and others raised concerns with Mr Coveney that such a scheme could drive up demand and house prices at a time when few homes are being built.

Of concern to all Ministers is the difficulty in saving for a mortgage deposit in Dublin and other urban areas due to the Central Bank lending rules.

One Government source suggested the value of Help to Buy would have to be around €10,000 to have a tangible effect.

The emerging scheme is a mixture of a deposit top-up and tax relief, modelled on the Home Renovation Incentive Scheme. VAT relief targeted at first-time buyers also featured in discussions.

The programme for government contains a proposal to temporarily reduce VAT on new affordable homes and apartments from 13.5% to 9%.

Four new gold mines discovered by gold mining firm Conroy Gold in Ireland

   

GOLD FOUND IN THE REPUBLIC IS OFFICIALLY OWNED BY THE STATE AND EXTRACTED UNDER LICENCE.

Irish gold mining firm Conroy Gold and Natural Resources has found four new gold zones on its Glenish target in Monaghan.

The discovery was made in a 150 metre-wide structural corridor in the western part of the Glenish gold target.

It included intersections of 2.25 metres grading 2.65 g/t gold, at a depth of 18 metres, 2 metres grading 1.59 g/t gold at a depth of 27.75 metres; 2.75 metres grading 1.43 g/t gold at a depth of 36 metres and 3 metres grading 1.76 g/t gold at a depth of 64.25 metres.

THE GLENISH GOLD TARGET SPANS SOME 147 HECTARES.

The gold mineralisation in the drilling area remains open in all directions.

Mining activity in Ireland requires a licence from the State, but “recreational” panning is allowed.

That’s defined as activity that uses only hand-held, non-motorised equipment. The Department of Communications, Energy and National Resources asks panners to seek permission from various parties, including relevant landowners and the National Parks and Wildlife Service, to ensure the site they wish to use isn’t environmentally sensitive.

Precious metals in the ground are the property of the State but panners are allowed to keep small quantities “as a souvenir”. Any finds which return more than 20 gold flakes or individual nuggets that weigh more than two grammes are to be notified to the department.

But selling the gold is a no-no. That’s defined by law as ‘working’ of minerals – which requires permission from the Government.

A global study shows stroke is largely preventable

10 RISK FACTORS ARE THE SAME WORLDWIDE, WITH SOME REGIONAL VARIATIONS

   

Ten risk factors that can be modified are responsible for nine of 10 strokes worldwide, but the ranking of those factors vary regionally, says a study led by researchers of the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) of McMaster University.

The prevention of a stroke is a major public health priority, but the variation by region should influence the development of strategies for reducing stroke risk, say the authors of the study published in The Lancet today.

1. Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries. The two major types of stroke include ischaemic stroke caused by blood clots, which accounts for 85% of strokes, and haemorrhagic stroke or bleeding into the brain, which accounts for 15% of strokes.
2. The study led by Dr. Martin O’Donnell and Dr. Salim Yusuf of the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster and collaborators from 32 countries, builds on findings from the first phase of the INTERSTROKE study which identified ten modifiable risk factors for stroke in 6,000 participants from 22 countries. This full-scale INTERSTROKE study added 20,000 individuals from 32 countries in Europe, Asia, America, Africa and Australia, and sought to identify the main causes of stroke in diverse populations, young and old, men and women and within subtypes of stroke.
3. “This study has the size and scope to explore stroke risk factors in all major regions of the world and within key populations,” said O’Donnell, a principal investigator for the PHRI and professor of translational medicine at HRB-Clinical Research Facility, NUI Galway.
4. “We have confirmed the ten modifiable risk factors associated with 90% of stroke cases in all regions, young and older and in men and women. The study also confirms that hypertension is the most important modifiable risk factor in all regions, and the key target in reducing the burden of stroke globally.”
5. The investigators looked at the different risk factors, and determined the proportion of strokes which would be cut if the risk factor disappeared.
6. The number of strokes would be practically cut in half (48%) if hypertension was eliminated; trimmed by more than a third (36%) if people were physically active; and shaved by almost one fifth (19%) if they had better diets. In addition, this proportion was cut back by 12% if smoking was eliminated; 9% for cardiac (heart) causes, 4% for diabetes, 6% for alcohol intake, 6% for stress, and 27% for lipids (the study used apolipoproteins, which was found to be a better predictor of stroke than total cholesterol).
7. Many of these risk factors are known to also be associated with each other (such as obesity and diabetes), and when were combined together, the total for all 10 risk factors was 91%, which was similar in all regions, age groups and in men and women.
8. However, the importance of some risk factors appeared to vary by region. For example, the importance of hypertension ranged from practically 40% in Western Europe, North America, and Australia to 60% in Southeast Asia. The risk of alcohol was lowest in Western Europe, North America and Australia but highest in Africa and south Asia, while the potential impact of physical inactivity was highest in China.
9. An irregular heart rhythm, or atrial fibrillation, was significantly associated with ischaemic stroke in all regions, but was of greater importance in Western Europe, North America and Australia, than in China or South Asia.
10. However, when all 10 risk factors were included together, their collective importance was similar in all regions.

“Our findings will inform the development of global population-level interventions to reduce stroke, and how such programs may be tailored to individual regions,” said Yusuf, a professor of medicine of McMaster’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and director of the PHRI. “This includes better health education, more affordable healthy food, avoidance of tobacco and more affordable medication for hypertension and dyslipidaemia.”

Along with the study, The Lancet published a related comment from New Zealand researchers Valery L. Feigin and Rita Krishnamurthi of the National Institute for Stroke and Applied Neurosciences, of Auckland’s University of Technology.

They said the key messages from the study were that stroke is a highly preventable disease globally, regardless of age and sex; that the relative importance of modifiable risk factors means there should be development of regional or ethnic-specific primary prevention programs, and that additional research on stroke risk factors is needed for countries and ethnic groups not included in INTERSTROKE.

“Now is the time for governments, health organizations, and individuals to proactively reduce the global burden of stroke. Governments of all countries should develop and implement an emergency action plan for the primary prevention of stroke,” they wrote.

Meanwhile: –

Too much red meat could harm your kidneys?

A STUDY NOW REVEALS

     

RED MEAT CONSUMPTION NOW LINKED TO KIDNEY FAILURE, SAY’S RESEARCHERS.

Eating red meat may boost the risk for kidney failure, but swapping even one daily serving of red meat for another protein may reduce the risk, a large study from Singapore suggested.

Red meat intake is strongly associated with an increased risk of end-stage renal disease, the loss of normal kidney function. The relationship was also “dose dependent”, which means the higher the consumption, the greater the risk.

The association held up even after compensating for factors that could skew the results, such as lifestyle and other health conditions, the study authors noted.

“Our findings suggest that patients with chronic kidney disease or the general population worried about their kidney health can still maintain protein intake but consider switching to plant-based sources,” said Dr Woon-Puay Koh, professor in the office of Clinical Sciences at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore.

“However, if they still choose to eat meat, fish, shellfish and poultry are better alternatives to red meat,” said Koh, one of the study authors.

The study adds new data to a conflicting body of evidence on the relationship between protein in-take, particularly red meat, and kidney disease, experts noted.

“It adds useful and additional information to our knowledge base, but I’m not sure if it necessarily tips the scale one way or another,” said Dr Allon Friedman, a nephrologist and associate professor of medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis.

“My opinion is that it’s still perfectly fine for individuals who are otherwise healthy to consume red meat in moderation,” he said.

Dr William Mitch, professor of nephrology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said that plenty of studies have shown that low-protein diets may benefit people who already have kidney damage.

However, in the general population, there’s no persuasive evidence that eating a lot of protein causes kidney damage,” he said.

Red meat has been implicated in recent reports and studies as potentially harmful to human health. The World Health Organisation (WHO) last year warned of a possible link between red meat and cancer. Similarly, a November 2015 study in the journal of cancer found that meat cooked at high temperatures could potentially affect kidney cancer risk.

For the new study, researchers followed more than 63,000 Chinese adults in Singapore for an average of 15.5 years.

The food questionnaires were used to gather data on people’s daily protein consumption. The records on the incidence of end stage renal disease came from a nationwide renal registry.

About 97 percent of red meat intake in the study population consisted of pork. Other protein sources included poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, dairy products, soy and legumes.

Although pork may appear white after being cooked, but it still considered red meat, said the US Department of Agriculture.

People consuming the highest amounts of red meat had 40 percent increased risk of developing end stage kidney disease, compared with people who ate the lowest amounts, the study found.

No association was found with poultry, fish, eggs or dairy products, while soy and legumes appeared to be slightly protective. The study also found that replacing one serving of red meat with another protein reduced the risk of kidney failure up to 62 percent for poultry.

Here are six ways to nail that CV once and for all & bag your dream job

         

INTERVIEWS HAVE CHANGED A LOT?

IF YOU’RE SICK OF YOUR JOBS, THEN STOP TALKING ABOUT IT AND GO FOR A CHANGE. FROM NETWORKING TO THAT CV, HERE ARE TOP TIPS TOWARDS MAKING THAT MOVE:

1. The compelling CV: Stop talking about your duties and focus on your achievements. It may seem obvious that you should be outlining your duties in previous roles, but what employers want to see is results. Focus not on what you did but what you did well. Your cv has one job – to get you the interview so make sure it’s a world class document.
2. Start Networking: Go to industry talks and conferences and start meeting people. Employers will always look to the people they know, then they’ll look for recommendations, before finally advertising a job.  Employers want to avoid having to go through cvs and interview processes by being referred a great person from someone they trust.
3. Don’t copy and paste: You may feel as though you have spent so long perfecting your CV and cover letter that you just need to change the name of the recipient and fire it off. This is the worst tactic to use. No matter how well-written a cover letter is, it will never read as well as one written specifically for that job.
4. Stand out at interview: Do your preparation – talk to people who work there, look at their social media pages, see if they have been in the news recently. You will find a huge amount about the organisation that often the interviewer sitting across from you does not know. It shows that you have a genuine interest in the job.
5. Pick up the phone: We all hear people talking about how many jobs they’ve applied to, only to be ignored or rejected. But how many of those people have ever actually picked up the phone and called in? Everyone relies so heavily on the internet these days that a single phone call can be enough to differentiate you.
6. Prove your enthusiasm: One of the most common things candidates will bring up in an application is their enthusiasm for the role. While enthusiasm is better than indifference, don’t just say you’re enthusiastic about your line of work, prove it by pointing to things you have accomplished with that enthusiasm.
7. Go for jobs you actually want: If you are not sure if you want to work for the company you have an interview with, you certainly are not going to convince someone else. So do your research talk to friends, find a job and a company you love – this is not easy it takes time and effort but doing a job you love means never working a day in your life.

Hummingbirds process the world much differently than other birds of flight?

Says an UBC study?

    

WHEN YOU SPEND TIME ENGAGED IN 100 KILOMETRE PER HOUR DIVES AND FLY 50 KM/H IN TIGHT SPACES YOU TEND TO SEE THE WORLD A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY.

Hummingbirds can move as fast as your car and stop on a dime to feed from a flower, which requires some specialized image processing abilities, according to Roslyn Dakin, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia.

“We wanted to know how they avoid collisions and we found that hummingbirds use their environment differently than insects to steer a precise course,” she said. “They are really amazing flyers, they are capable of hovering and dramatic acceleration and stopping.”

Bees process their distance from objects by how quickly objects pass through their field of vision, like the telephone poles that race by you when you drive a car. But hummingbirds are doing something else.

The tiny speedsters chart their course based on how quickly images get larger, an indication they are getting close and pose a hazard. Things that get smaller are likely moving away and pose no risk.

“They tend to steer towards smaller features and away from larger features,” she explained.

The researchers spent months building and programming a 5.5 metre-long flight chamber to capture the hummingbirds’ reactions to visual queues, in other words, find out how they steer in flight.

“We took advantage of hummingbirds’ attraction to sugar water to set up a perch on one side of the tunnel and a feeder on the other, and they flew back and forth all day,” said co-author Douglas Altshuler, a zoology professor. “This allowed us to test many different visual stimuli.”

Hummingbirds react strongly — adjusting their altitude — when presented with projected images of patterns moving up or down, rising as their environment appeared to move upward.

“That is a trait they share with flies,” said Dakin.      

Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG

The water charges now a symbol for Irish Government’s many failures

  

The water charges protests of last week showed that tens of thousands who took to the streets of Dublin mean what they say. “No Water charges”

When it comes to water charges, this Government just does not get it. The politicians in power got a drenching in last week’s two by-elections, and also from the thousands of people who took to the streets of Dublin to protest about the charges.

Water charges have become a totem for the utter failure of ministers to deliver.

Of course, the creation of Irish Water has been shockingly shambolic.

It is an arrogant and self-satisfied organisation that has completely failed to explain what it at, with its boss John Tierney keeping a disgracefully-low profile.

Why is he not telling an austerity-ravaged population why it has to put up with bonuses being paid to Irish Water staff? Why is he not telling us honestly if we really need to give our PPS number over to the company?

And this is to not even mention the scandal of consultants minting it from Irish Water.

The setting up of Irish Water has been a mess from day one, but it is more than that.

Irish Water is now a totem for the rage against austerity in general.

The rage is because of the failure to reform, broken election promises, bloated public sector pay at the top level, the prevalence of so many quangos, the private sector pensions levy, public sector waste, sky-high income tax, multiple levies and charges, a legal sector that has escaped consumer-friendly changes, misbehaving banks, cronyism and on and on.

Many of those on the streets nine days ago protesting about the water charges are those people who go to work every day, pay their way to ensure that there is money there for everyone else – including the politicians.

They don’t resent paying their share to ensure the vulnerable are looked after, but they are also aware that middle-income earners have borne the brunt of austerity.

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) found the bulk of the burden of tax increases over the past five years has been carried by those on middle incomes.

These people were promised radical change when the Government came to power.

Instead, they are getting water bills from a puffed-up new utility that sees fit to pay bonuses.

Why does a monopoly utility company need to pay bonuses to staff? It is not as if its engineers can go off and work for another water company in this country.

Only in Ireland do you get this nonsense, where the general populace pays for the privileges of a few.

Modest tax breaks delivered in last week’s Budget are all very well, but the middle-income earners are still likely to extract revenge in the next election over the failures of the last few years.

And when asked what influenced their vote, the answer will come down to two words: water charges.

Irish Central Bank urged to relax mortgage rules on 20% deposits

   

The Government is increasing pressure on the Central Bank to reduce its controversial 20% mortgage savings demand for new homeowners,

Although the Central Bank is an independent institution, there are growing calls from within the Cabinet for the rules to be relaxed.

Some people said this weekend that they agreed with Environment Minister Alan Kelly, who last week said the 20% rate was “too high”. Mr Kelly described the 20pc requirement mooted by Central Bank Governor Patrick Honohan as “excessive” and called for a “more sensible target” of 15% to be set for first-time home buyers.

A number of ministers are unhappy at the Central Bank’s intervention at a time when the Government is attempting to stimulate the housing market. Several Cabinet members stressed that a consultation process was still ongoing until December and that they were hoping changes to the rules could be made.

Sources within the Department of Finance have indicated that the new stiff laws may not be applied to all new loans, but rather to only a certain portion of the new loan books.

It is understood officials in Finance Minister Michael Noonan’s department agree with the principal of people needing higher deposits. However, how the mechanism is ultimately applied still needs to be ironed out.

A source in the Department of Finance said recently “This wouldn’t be for everyone, but what percentage of the loan book it would apply for still isn’t clear. What is clear is that there will be changes.” Mr Kelly received a lot of backing from his Cabinet colleagues last week.

A number of ministers are in favour of some relief being given to house hunters in the Dublin area, where the massive shortage of housing and spiralling prices has effectively shut them out of the market.

“Maybe it is a generational thing within the Cabinet. Some of the older ones sort of agree with it, but there is certainly a body of opinion against it. The rate is simply too high.”

The growing unease within the Government over the 20pc deposit rule is also being echoed in the banking sector.

Ulster Bank chief executive Jim Brown warns that strict new Central Bank rules on mortgage lending will prevent first-time buyers from being able to purchase homes.

Mr Brown said the “unintended consequences” of the new sweeping rules may also see first-time buyers “struggle to save a higher deposit” as rents soar.

In response to the criticism, the Central Bank said it had nothing to add to the position it laid out last week. But it is understood the bank’s viewpoint was based on detailed research and it will only listen to contrary views which are similarly based on evidence.

Mr Brown also warned the new restrictions could have the effect of pricing first-time buyers out of the market,as they would struggle to save for a deposit while paying soaring rents.

He added: “A rebound in property prices following a crisis is not unusual. However, we recognise the need for the Central Bank to take steps to avoid overheating the credit and property markets. The measures though could have unintended consequences around home ownership which go to the heart of Irish society. The proposals, as they stand, will impact the ability of many first-time buyers to acquire their home. In addition to this, other hopeful first-time buyers will struggle to save a higher deposit while paying increasing rents.”

As part of the new measures, the Central Bank also proposed that mortgages be capped to 3.5 times borrowers’ salary. Under the rigid new demands, young borrowers looking to buy a mid-range three-bedroom house in Dublin valued at €300,000 would have to stump up €60,000.

As property prices and rents continue to soar in the capital, many young borrowers now find themselves in a Catch-22 situation where exorbitant monthly rent payments nullify their ability to save up enough for a deposit.

In Tuesday’s Budget it was announced that social housing will receive a massive €2.2bn boost in capital investment over the next four years, which will result in the construction of 10,000 new housing units. However, this will not help the coping classes who do not qualify for social housing and have to search for finance for a home on their own.

Eye implants may spell the end of reading glasses

   

GLASSES MAY SOON BE A THING OF THE PAST AS CORNEAL INLAYS, IMPLANTED INTO THE EYE.

Glasses may soon be a thing of the past as corneal inlays, implanted into the eye with a simple surgery, can correct vision without the need for corrective treatments, scientists say.

A thin ring which is inserted into the eye could offer a reading glasses-free remedy for presbyopia, the blurriness in near vision experienced by many people over the age of 40, according to a new study.

The corneal inlay device undergoing clinical review in the US improved near vision well enough for 80% of the participating patients to read a newspaper without disturbing far distance vision needed for daily activities like driving.

Researchers said presbyopia affects more than 1 billion people worldwide. As they age, the cornea becomes less flexible and bends in such a way that it becomes difficult to see up close.

While the most common remedy is wearing reading glasses, a host of new corneal inlay products are in development to treat the condition, with three types currently under review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The theoretical advantage of using corneal inlays over wearing reading glasses is that corneal inlays prevent the need for constantly putting on and taking off glasses, depending on whether the person needs to see near or far.

One of the devices is the KAMRA inlay, a thin, flexible doughnut-shaped ring that measures 3.8 millimetres in diameter, with a 1.6 millimetre hole in the middle.

When dropped into a small pocket in the cornea covering the front of the eye, the device acts like a camera aperture, adjusting the depth of field so that the viewer can see near and far.

The procedure to insert the implant is relatively quick, lasting about 10 minutes, and requires only topical anaesthesia.

To test the inlay’s efficacy, clinicians conducted a prospective non-randomised study of 507 patients between 45 and 60 years of age across the US, Europe and Asia with presbyopia who were not nearsighted.

The researchers implanted the ring in the patients and followed up with them over the course of three years. In 83 per cent of eyes with the implant, the KAMRA corneal inlay allowed presbyopic patients to see with 20/40 vision or better over the three years.

This is considered the standard for being able to read a newspaper or drive a vehicle without corrective lenses. On average, patients gained 2.9 lines on a reading chart.

Meet Samiya Dublin Zoo’s adorable new arrival who finally has a name

  

THE NAME OF NEWEST MEMBER OF THE DUBLIN ZOO ELEPHANT FAMILY HAS BEEN REVEALED.

Samiya, meaning ‘incomparable’, arrived into the world on September 17 last, and has been officially named following a public competition on the zoo’s Facebook page.

The female weighed 68kgs when born, around the same as an adult human, and is a gentle, quiet and timid calf.

Dublin Zoo said she was in awe of her older sister, Asha, and spends the day following her around the Kaziranga Forest Trail. She only returns to her mother, Bernhardine, to feed.

It’s been a remarkably successful year for Dublin Zoo’s elephant breeding programme under the stewardship of director Leo Oosterweghel.

Samiya was the third elephant calf to be born in recent months, with three arriving over a 10-week period.

The first calf, a bull, is named Kavi and was born on July 17. Just over a month later, he was followed by Ashoka, another bull, who arrived on August 19.

Dublin Zoo is considered a world leader in animal husbandry, and such is the success of its breeding programme that researchers and keepers from other zoos travel here to learn best practice.

The zoo is home to a family of Asian elephants, which are under increasing threat with as few as 25,000 to 33,000 now believed to be living in the wild.

Smaller than their African cousins, Mr Oosterweghel says they are an “incredibly harmonious” family and are a key attraction for visitors.

The zoo’s policy is that only names from the animal’s country of origin are chosen.

Kavi means poet or wise man, and Ashoka is named after one of India’s greatest emperors.

Due to a production error in today’s Elephant supplement, a picture of assistant director of Dublin Zoo, Paul O’Donoghue, was used on page two instead of Dublin Zoo Director Leo Oosterweghel.

Ancient Scottish creature was first to ‘have sex’ some 385 million years ago

  

BIRDS DO IT, BEES DO IT, AND EVERYBODY ELSE DOES IT? AND SO DID THE EARLY ANCESTORS OF HUMANS THAT LIVED IN SCOTLAND AS FAR BACK AS 385 MILLION YEARS AGO.

Scientists have traced the history of vertebrate sexual intercourse to an ancient armoured fish named Microbrachius dicki.

Microbrachius means “little arms” and refers to the genital limbs that locked male and female fish together when mating. And dicki, well…

The three inch long placoderm – a primitive armoured fish – frolicked in Scottish lakes millions of years before fins evolved into legs.

A study of Microbachius fossils revealed the first evidence of their primitive sexual organs.

To transfer sperm, males had grooved L-shaped claspers which were held in place by small paired bones on the female.

Lead scientist Professor John Long, from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, said: “Microbrachius means little arms but scientists have been baffled for centuries by what these bony paired arms were actually there for.

“We’ve solved this great mystery because they were there for mating, so that the male could position his claspers into the female genital area.”

Similar copulatory claspers are seen today in some male sharks – but most present-day bony fishes fertilise eggs externally, outside their bodies.

The new discovery implies that external fertilisation evolved from internal fertilisation involving sexual intercourse, and not the other way around.

Microbrachius also seems to have made a head start in trying out interesting sexual positions. According to Prof Long, the fishes probably “did it” sideways.

“This enabled the males to manoeuvre their genital organs into the right position for mating,” he said. “With their arms interlocked, these fish looked more like they are square dancing the do-se-do rather than mating.”

The discovery, reported in Nature journal’s online edition, highlights the importance of placoderms in vertebrate evolution.

“Placoderms were once thought to be a dead-end group with no live relatives, but recent studies show that our own evolution is deeply rooted in placoderms, and that many of the features we have, such as jaws, teeth and paired limbs, first originated with this group of fishes,” said Prof Long.

“Now, we reveal they gave us the intimate act of sexual intercourse as well.”