Lab notes: abominable news for yeti-hunters but a strong week for women's bones Bear, bear, never mind (or indeed bear, bear, bear, bear, bear, bear, bear, bear ... dog), yeti hunters, better luck next time. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters Tash Reith-Banks @TashReithBanks This week's biggest stories Not yeti: that was the disappointing message for those hoping DNA analysis of nine 'yeti' specimens would at last prove the existence of the abominable snowman. Instead, the samples were shown to belong to eight bears and a dog. Still, scientists say the testing has shed light on the evolutionary "family tree" of bears, so that's something at least. Much cheerier is the fascinating news that prehistoric women's arms were stronger than those of today's elite rowers. A bone analysis and comparison with modern women has revealed profound effect of manual agricultural labour on the human body – and shed new light on the role of women in ancient communities. Further archaeological excitement surrounded the news that experts believe they have pinpointed the place where Julius Caesar's fleet landed to begin their invasion of Britain in 54BC – Pegwell Bay, on the eastern tip of Kent. Nearby excavations have revealed the remains of an ancient defensive base, bones and iron weapons, which point to the bay as the most likely landing spot for a Roman fleet. And finally, a new generation cancer drug offers tantalising hope for an HIV cure after boosting the immune system and reducing the reservoir of dormant HIV cells in a patient. However, as this is a single case, much more research will be needed – but it's a glimmer of hope. ___ Winning this week Japanese scientist, Riko Muranaka, winner of the 2017 John Maddox prize. Photograph: Handout Congratulations to Japanese doctor Riko Muranaka, who has been awarded the 2017 John Maddox prize for championing evidence in the face of hostility and personal threats. Muranaka won the award efforts to explain the safety of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine amid strong opposition from anti-vaccine activists and a small group of academics. Her stand against misinformation is incredibly important – HPV vaccination rates in Japan have plummeted from over 70% to 1%. More news from Guardian Science | Sign up to Lab notes ___ Straight from the lab – top picks from our experts on the blog network Soon, your smartphone could be used for sexual interactions. Not they aren't already of course, but potentially in more intelligent ways. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo It's a sex robot, but not as you know it: exploring the frontiers of erotic tech | Brain flapping Although only in its second year, the sex tech hack has already managed to throw out ideas that radically challenge the way we think about sex and tech. Broadly, the products we're used to seeing on sale offer a recognisable upgrade to our current sex toys – vibrators that connect over the internet to allow long-distance play, or sex robots which are basically sex dolls plus a simple Siri-style AI. But at the sex tech hack, the participants' vision of the future is altogether more unusual: exploring the edges of sensual pleasure, and taking a new look at how we communicate intimately. Gene discovery may reveal how scaly dinosaurs became feathery birds | Lost Worlds Revisited Although modern birds have scaly feet, these are, in fact, very heavily modified feathers and not some hold-over from their dinosaurian ancestry. Various dinosaurs and early birds show that they were completely covered in feathers – even down to their toes – and had presumably exchanged scales for feathers at this point. Only later did "scales" reappear on the feet of birds, so sadly their own feathers cannot immediately tell us about how scales might have transformed. Seven signs that you might be a mammal | Brain flapping How exactly mammals evolved lactation is another murky subject, but if you look closely, it's clear that a mammary gland is a hypertrophied sweat gland (appetising, I know). Most researchers now believe that before there was nutritious milk, there was a sort of sweated abdominal secretion that pre-mammalian mothers used to coat their eggs. Such a procedure may have protected against dehydration or fought off infections – some of today's milk proteins are suspiciously like naturally occurring antimicrobials (even more appetising, right?). Visit the Science blog network ___ Science Weekly podcast This year's Royal Institution Christmas lectures will be given by cognitive neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott. Photograph: Paul Wilkinson In this week's podcast, Nicola Davis talks to neuroscientist Sophie Scott about what first attracted her to neuroscience, what her work into communication – including laughter – has revealed and perhaps most importantly, with the rise of digital technology, how is the communication landscape changing? ___ Eye on science – this week's top video It looks as though Bali's Mount Agung is getting ready to erupt – it is currently sending a thick column of ash nearly two miles (3km) into the atmosphere. Guardian News & Media Limited - a member of Guardian Media Group PLC. Registered Office: Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU. Registered in England No. 908396