Humans

A cluster of ancient canine fossils from a single cave in southwestern Germany has shown astounding genetic diversity, encompassing nearly the entire breadth of dog domestication: from wild wolf to modern hound. According to researchers, the age of these remarkable specimens, which include dogs, wolves and foxes, is older than nearly 60 other ancient canines

Humans have evolved big, energy-hungry brains that require us to consume many more calories than our closest animal relatives. The same, however, does not appear to hold for our water intake. Compared to apes, a surprising new study has found our bodies churn through far fewer fluids on a daily basis. Researchers found that, on

It was found in 2015 – an isolated clue to a macabre mystery set in motion thousands of years in the past. This ancient puzzle consisted of just a single piece: a solitary human cranium, discovered all by itself with no other skeletal remains around, resting inside a cave in Bologna, Italy, at the center

Michael Tubbs didn’t see much risk in giving money to his city’s poorest residents, no strings attached. The former mayor of Stockton, a city in California’s Central Valley, is a strong proponent of universal basic income, a policy that essentially pays people for being alive as a way to alleviate poverty. “My belief in it

Everyone’s familiar with the sensation of being trapped in a conversation for too long – be that over the garden fence or by the office water cooler. On the other end of the spectrum, we’ve also experienced conversations that seem to end prematurely, leaving us dissatisfied and maybe even a little hurt. Now, a Harvard

More than 600 years ago, someone intricately folded, sealed and posted a letter that was never delivered. Now, scientists have digitally “unfolded” this and other similarly locked letters found in a 17th-century trunk in The Hague, using X-rays.  For centuries prior to the invention of sealed envelopes, sensitive correspondence was protected from prying eyes through complex

While we can learn a lot about mummification from ancient examples of the practice, questions remain about exactly how the Egyptians prepared their dead for the afterlife. In an exciting discovery, researchers have discovered an original ‘how to’ manual, hidden inside an ancient text, which explains the crucial steps to embalming and creating a mummy.

Our Neanderthal cousins had the capacity to both hear and produce the speech sounds of modern humans, a new study has found. Based on a detailed analysis and digital reconstruction of the structure of the bones in their skulls, the study settles one aspect of a decades-long debate over the linguistic capabilities of Neanderthals. “This

An ornate Roman chariot has been discovered “almost intact” near Italy’s buried city of Pompeii, the archaeological park announced on Saturday, calling it a discovery with “no parallel” in the country. The four-wheeled processional carriage was found in the portico to stables where the remains of three horses were unearthed in 2018, including one still

Throughout the world and across various different cultures, it’s often assumed atheists are untrustworthy and lack the same guiding principles as those who believe in a god of some kind. In 2020, an international survey spanning six continents found 45 percent of people think it’s necessary to believe in a god to be moral and

In total, there are thousands of them – a giant landscape of strange, hollowed jars, carved from ancient stone. Some have lids. Most are open to the sky. These surreal cauldron-like megaliths in Laos are known as the Plain of Jars, an archaeological relics whose original purpose is still shrouded in mystery, their significance long

A tiny, ancient bone fragment found in Southeast Alaska is a lot more than meets the eye. It belonged to a dog that lived in the region 10,150 years ago, which means it’s a piece of the puzzle of dog migration into the Americas – and the humans that likely came along with it. Scientists

Artwork that had adorned the walls of an Egyptian prince’s tomb for more than four millennia has been found to contain images of a bird completely unknown to modern science – until now. Although archaeologists have been eyeing the representations of local waterfowl since the fresco’s discovery at the dig site of Meidum in 1871,

In Western Australia’s northeast Kimberley region, on Balanggarra Country, a two-metre-long painting of a kangaroo spans the sloping ceiling of a rock shelter above the Drysdale River. In a paper published today in Nature Human Behaviour, we date the artwork as being between 17,500 and 17,100 years old – making it Australia’s oldest known in-situ

People with extremist views aren’t only identified by their political, religious, or social beliefs, according to new research. Those ideological convictions run deep, scientists say – so deep, in fact, that they can be recognised in a ‘psychological signature’ of cognitive traits and aptitudes that typifies the thinking patterns of the extremist mind. “There appear

We find ourselves at a precarious time in global health. Many people are anxiously awaiting their turn to receive a vaccine for COVID-19, yet roll-out is slow and disorganized, with many countries facing supply shortages. The conditions are ripe for opportunists to exploit the situation. Reports of unethical line-jumping by wealthy elites have started to

When answering a question, your silence might say more than your words. A new psychology study has found pausing before replying, even for just a few seconds, can make you seem more insincere or dishonest. Even when listeners are told to ignore your pauses, they’re still more likely to judge a slower response as more

Most of us living on planet Earth have to make it through some amount of cold weather for at least part of the year, and new research has identified a specific genetic mutation that makes a fifth of us more resilient to cold conditions. The genetic mutation in question stops the production of the protein

Scientists have identified a new phenomenon they describe as “interactive dreaming”, where people experiencing deep sleep and lucid dreams are able to follow instructions, answer simple yes-or-no questions, and even solve basic mathematics problems. As well as adding a whole new level of understanding to what happens to our brains when we’re dreaming, the new study

There’s something about mummies that always fascinates people. We see this from the attention given to mummies in museum exhibitions and in their frequent appearance in books, films and games. Perhaps it’s the fact that they are dead yet still very identifiable as people – in some way simultaneously dead and living. Whatever the reason,

In 1928, the renowned British archaeologist, Dorothy Garrod, excavated the Shukbah Cave in the hills of Palestine, just north of Jerusalem. This was some of her earliest work in a long and successful career, revealing a rich collection of ancient stone tools, animal bones, and a single fossilised tooth – what looked like a large

In 1928, the renowned British archaeologist, Dorothy Garrod, excavated the Shukbah Cave in the hills of Palestine, just north of Jerusalem. This was some of her earliest work in a long and successful career, revealing a rich collection of ancient stone tools, animal bones, and a single fossilised tooth – what looked like a large

Do you think the referee always has it in for your team? What about a sneaking suspicion that aliens have already visited Earth?   “Everyone believes at least one conspiracy theory,” says sociologist Asbjørn Dyrendal from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). “These examples activate the same mechanisms that come into play when our thoughts

A high-production brewery believed to be the world’s “oldest” has been uncovered by a team of archaeologists at the Abydos funerary site in southern Egypt, the tourism ministry said Saturday. “The joint Egyptian-American archaeological mission, headed by Dr. Matthew Adams of New York University, and Dr. Deborah Vischak of Princeton University, working in North Abydos,

People tend to be extremely nostalgic about the music they listened to when they were young. If you were a teenager in the 1970s, chances are you will love Queen, Stevie Wonder, or ABBA. And if you were young in the 1990s, “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls probably still gets you on the dance floor.

COVID-19 is a global crisis that has claimed the lives of well over two million people worldwide, and some nations have handled the crisis much better than others.  New research shows ‘tighter’ cultures, with stronger adherence to social norms and harsher disciplinary measures, have far more control over the infection. As of October 2020, those

Remains of an ancient monument in west Wales indicate stones that stood at the site may have been dismantled and used to build the Neolithic standing circle Stonehenge, a new study suggested Friday. Researchers believe some stones used at Stonehenge, near Salisbury in southwest England, were used in an earlier monument 175 miles (280 kilometres)

Homo sapiens today look very different from our evolutionary origins, the microbes wriggling about in the primordial mud. But our emergence as a distinct species cannot, based on the current evidence, be conclusively traced to a single location at any single point in time. In fact, according to a team of scientists, who have conducted

Most cat owners know that allowing your snuggly pet outdoors puts wildlife at risk. In Australia alone, cats kill over 1.5 billion native animals a year. But some cat owners still prefer to let their cats roam free outside, often out of concern over their feline’s welfare if kept indoors 24/7. But now a small study by

Brilliantly blue beads from Europe unearthed by archaeologists in Arctic Alaska may predate Christopher Columbus‘ arrival in the New World, a new controversial study finds. These blueberry-size beads were likely created in Venice during the 15th century and then traded eastward, enduring a 10,500-mile (17,000 kilometer) land-based journey east across Eurasia and then boated across the

After more than 17,000 years of silence and decades forgotten in a French museum, a shell fashioned into a horn by our prehistoric ancestors has been played again as a result of new research published Wednesday. Scientists believe the ancient conch, from a species of large sea snail still present in the Atlantic and North

In 2018, archaeologists made a staggering discovery in Swaga Swaga Game Reserve in central Tanzania: 52 previously undocumented rock shelters, deliberately painted with rock art. Weathering had mostly destroyed all but a handful; but of those that were preserved, one was an absolute enigma. The site, named Amak’hee 4, was elaborately painted with a frieze

Archaeological work ahead of the construction of a controversial road tunnel beside Stonehenge has led to the discovery of ancient graves, including one with the remains of a baby dating back more than 4,500 years; a strange earth enclosure; and prehistoric pottery, among other buried treasures.  Some of the finds may have been used by people who

Mothers who showed the most academic promise in high school have the same leadership opportunities as fathers who performed the worst, according to our new peer-reviewed study. That is, in their early-to-mid careers, mothers who got straight A’s end up overseeing a similar number of employees as men who got F’s. To reach these conclusions,

Now that the bin-fire that was 2020 is in our rear view mirror, social media is making a return to serious discussions that truly matter. Like how many colors a thing has. Again. Earlier this month, a classic optical illusion was posted on Twitter with the question “How many colors do you see?” The poster

People who are fundamentally entitled, self-confident, manipulative, and callous do really well in the modern workplace. Now, a new study in Italy suggests those who show five narcissistic personality traits climb the corporate ladder much faster than their peers. In a survey of 172 Italian CEOs, those who scored higher in extraversion, overconfidence, self-esteem, dominance,

A review of millions of blood tests has shown a whole host of human hormones that fall into clear seasonal patterns, although these changes are small in magnitude. Hormones from the pituitary gland, which help control reproduction, metabolism, stress and lactation, were mostly found to peak in late summer. Peripheral organs under the control of

An investigation in Poland has found people who show certain antisocial personality traits are more likely to support radical group actions and violence. Among 877 students, psychologists found those who ranked highly for ‘disinhibition’ or ‘meanness’ also displayed greater political radicalisation in a survey.  Meanness, which refers to cold-heartedness or callousness, was found to be

Some types of human food might be easier for your dog to digest than dry pellets of dog kibble, according to a new study. Whether or not that more natural ancestral diet results in a healthier dog is another matter, but at the very least, it could get your pet to poop much less (up to

The discovery of a rare “mud mummy” from ancient Egypt has surprised archaeologists, who weren’t expecting to find the deceased encased in a hardened mud shell. The “mud carapace” is an unparalleled find; it reveals “a mortuary treatment not previously documented in the Egyptian archaeological record,” the researchers wrote in the study, published online Wednesday (Feb. 3)

There are hidden signs of an impending break-up up to three months before it occurs, a new study has found – you just need to pay attention to the language people are using. And not just when partners are talking about their relationship, either. New research analysed more than 1 million posts on Reddit and

Anyone who has lived with a dog will know their capacity for learning the meaning of words, even ones you don’t want them to know. How many times have you had to spell the words “walk” or “dinner” in the hope of avoiding an explosion of excitement? Previous studies have investigated how non-human animals, including

Everybody loves a good optical illusion - and this trippy perception trick has us questioning how we see the world around us. Take a look at those lines in the image above (or you can see the full picture below if you scroll down a bit). What kind of lines do you see? Are they straight,

Archaeologists have found a 2,000-year-old mummy with a gold tongue at an ancient Egyptian site called Taposiris Magna.  Embalmers perhaps placed the golden tongue on the mummy to ensure that the deceased would be able to speak in the afterlife, the Egyptian antiquities ministry said in a statement released Jan 29.  For instance, if the

Facts are the cornerstones of reality. At least, they used to be. In today’s ultra-polarised environment, however – marked by deep political divisions, heightened social tensions, and a deluge of misinformation and fake news – facts are rather less certain in people’s minds than they once were. Because of this strange ambiguity in how we

The Atacama Desert has a fearsome reputation. The world’s driest non-polar desert, located along the Pacific coast of northern Chile, constitutes a hyperarid, Mars-like environment – one so extreme that when it rains in this parched place, it can bring death instead of life. Yet life, even in the Atacama Desert, finds a way. The

One of the most enduring and tragic mysteries of recent Russian history may finally have a solution, with scientists saying they have a plausible explanation for what could have ultimately led to the deaths of nine mountaineers during a fateful expedition in 1959. This infamous event – called the Dyatlov Pass incident – has launched

In modern times, a great deal of research has focused on the way that artificial light sources mess up our sleep and health, due to the unnatural effects of illumination after the Sun goes down. But just how unnatural is night-time light anyway? After all, humans have always been exposed to variable levels of light