Newsdesk Archive

Thousands of artifacts are discovered at a 12,500-year-old Native American site in Connecticut
2019-12-16
An ancient settlement that dates back 12,500 years has been uncovered in Connecticut  that was once home to southern New England's earliest inhabitants.
Early Humans Could Sail, Archaeologists Confirm
2019-12-14
The naval prowess of our distant ancestors was demonstrated when it was shown it’s impossible to reach Japan’s Ryukyu Islands on reed rafts.
Human Ancestors May Have Evolved the Physical Ability to Speak More Than 25 Million Years Ago
2019-12-14
Speech is part of what makes us uniquely human, but what if our ancestors had the ability to speak millions of years before Homo sapiens even existed?
Denman Glacier: Deepest point on land found in Antarctica
2019-12-14
The deepest point on continental Earth has been identified in East Antarctica, under Denman Glacier.
Earliest known hunting scene uncovered in cave painting
2019-12-14
A 44,000-year-old cave painting discovered in Indonesia is believed to be the earliest known hunting scene to be uncovered.
Sacred Aboriginal petroglyphs to be returned by Tasmania Museum and Art Gallery
2019-12-14
Sacred Tasmanian Aboriginal rock carvings taken by the state's museum more than 50 years ago will be returned.
A ‘meteor hurricane’ caused civilisation to collapse and another could wipe out humanity, scientists warn
2019-12-14
Scientists have blamed the demise of several ancient civilisations on a ‘meteor hurricane’ caused by a dying comet.
December Full Moon 2019: The ‘Cold Moon’ Joins Venus and Saturn Overnight Tonight!
2019-12-11
The full moon of December, called the Full Cold Moon, will arrive overnight tonight just after midnight EST on Thursday, Dec. 12, and as it rises it will be joined in the sky by the planets Venus and Saturn.
Greenland rocks suggest Earth’s magnetic field is older than we thought
2019-12-11
Analysis finds that the Earth’s magnetic field arose at least 3.7 billion years ago. This pushes back the time of the magnetic field’s birth to about 200 million years earlier than the commonly accepted estimate.
Mystery of why magic mushrooms go blue solved
2019-12-11
Why do magic mushrooms turn blue when they are cut? Chemists have now unravelled this decade-old mystery.
Archaeologists have finally found ancient Egyptian wax head cones
2019-12-11
Prominent people wearing cone-shaped headgear appear frequently in Egyptian art dating from around 3,550 to 2,000 years ago. But none of those cones have ever been found, until now.
DNA recovered from Arctic lakes holds clues for our future world
2019-12-11
High in the Canadian Arctic on Baffin Island, beneath 10 meters of water and many more of mud, sits a refrigerated archive of Earth’s past life.
Quantum Physicist Recalls His Strange Encounter With Extraterrestrials
2019-12-10
Quantum physicist Deep Prasad previously hinted that he had an encounter with extraterrestrials which is why he became so interested in UFOs and aliens.
Did a million years of rain jump-start dinosaur evolution?
2019-12-10
An extended bout of warm wet weather 232 million years ago may have profoundly altered life on Earth.
Mysterious ‘Particle X17’ Could Carry a Newfound Fifth Force of Nature, But Most Experts Are Skeptical
2019-12-10
Our universe is governed by four fundamental forces. Now, however, new research suggests that there's a fifth force, a discovery that could upend much of modern physics.
Researchers Just Discovered New Psychoactive Compounds in Magic Mushrooms
2019-12-10
A recent study conducted in Germany has just discovered that multiple new compounds are directly linked to ayahuasca-psychedelic brew traditionally prepared by the indigenous peoples of the Amazon.
Found a unique statuette of Venus age 23 thousand years
2019-12-10
Ancient statuette of a female figure since the late Paleolithic (40-12 thousand years BC) was found in the area Renascor Amiens (Department of Picardy in Northern France).
The Neuroscience of Psychedelic Drugs: Octopuses, MDMA and Healing Social Injury
2019-12-08
In this first interview of our series exploring the Neuroscience of Psychedelics, we talk to Johns Hopkins Associate Professor Gul Dölen, who has spent years exploring the effects of MDMA on the mammalian (and more recently, cephalopod) brain.
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission explains Asteroid Bennu’s mysterious particle events
2019-12-08
Shortly after OSIRIS-REx spacecraft arrived at asteroid Bennu, an unexpected discovery by the mission's science team revealed that the asteroid could be active, or consistently discharging particles into space.
Egypt uncovers large stone slabs of Pharaonic temple near Giza pyramids
2019-12-08
Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced on Friday that it has discovered a number of huge archaeological stone blocks near Giza pyramids west of the capital Cairo.
How did animals survive ‘Snowball Earth’?
2019-12-08
A new study examines how early animals endured the worst ice age in Earth's history, and why it might have set the stage for our existence.
Recordings reveal that plants make ultrasonic squeals when stressed
2019-12-08
Plants are usually thought of as silent. But now, for the first time, they have been recorded making airborne sounds when stressed.
There’s Something Weird About the Craters of Asteroid Ryugu
2019-12-05
The Japanese mission Hayabusa2 said farewell to the asteroid the probe spent a year and a half studying, and scientists have now announced some intriguing trends they noticed in the spacecraft's photos.
World’s first magic mushroom nasal spray for PTSD and depression
2019-12-05
A ‘magic mushroom’ nasal spray has been designed to make microdosing easier for people trying to treat their PTSD or depression.
New Zealand cannabis legalisation bill to be launched
2019-12-05
New Zealand has announced it will be holding a voter referendum next year on the legalisation of cannabis.
Cataclysm, Mass Extinctions, and the Consequent Myths
2019-12-05
None of the mainstream theories which attempt to account for these great extinctions are entirely satisfactory.
Early humans domesticated themselves, new genetic evidence suggests
2019-12-05
When humans started to tame dogs, cats, sheep, and cattle, they may have continued a tradition that started with a completely different animal: us.
Mysterious ring galaxy continues to puzzle astronomers
2019-12-05
Of all the galaxies observed by astronomers, barely any are as strange or geometrically unique as Hoag's Object.
Mysterious ring galaxy continues to puzzle astronomers
2019-12-05
Of all the galaxies observed by astronomers, barely any are as strange or geometrically unique as Hoag's Object.
Evidence of an Alien Planet Spotted Around a White Dwarf, a Cosmic First
2019-12-04
For the first time ever, astronomers have spotted evidence of an exoplanet circling a superdense stellar corpse known as a white dwarf, a new study reports.
Sun-bombing spacecraft uncovers secrets of the solar wind
2019-12-04
A spacecraft buzzing past the Sun has caught the best-ever glimpse of the birthplace of the solar wind — the stream of energized particles that floods outwards from the star.
Forbidden planets: Understanding alien worlds once thought impossible
2019-12-04
When astronomers discovered the first exoplanet around a normal star 2 decades ago, there was joy—and bewilderment.
Astronomers See Stars Slinging Comets at Earth for the First Time
2019-12-04
Stars and comets make unlikely dance partners. Their gravitational partnership is one that astronomers have long suspected but have never seen — until now.
Clinical trials: FDA marks psilocybin for depression treatment
2019-12-03
A non-profit medical research centre, the Usona Institute, has received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of psilocybin for major depressive disorder (MDD).
Denisovans, A Mysterious Kind Of Ancient Humans, Are Traced To Tibet
2019-12-03
The jawbone of a little-known form of ancient human has been discovered in western China. Scientists say these people lived as long as 150,000 years ago, and they were part of a group called Denisovans.
Stonehenge: DNA reveals origin of builders
2019-12-03
The ancestors of the people who built Stonehenge travelled west across the Mediterranean before reaching Britain, a study has shown.
Study: Humans and Climate Change Drove Australian Megafauna to Extinction
2019-12-03
Ancient Australia’s super-sized animals, the megafauna, became extinct about 42,000 years ago, but the role of humans in their demise has been debated for decades.
Mummified Pup Died in Siberia 18,000 Years Ago … And Might Be a Wolf (or Something Else)
2019-12-03
A young pup that spent 18,000 years buried in Siberian permafrost looks remarkably lifelike and pettable — for a freeze-dried mummy.
NASA IMAGE SHOWS ENORMOUS, ANCIENT MYSTERY TOMB FROM SPACE
2019-12-03
An ancient and mysterious tomb has been shown from space in an image taken with NASA's Terra satellite.
Europe Officially Signs on for Asteroid-Smashing Effort
2019-12-03
Europe has confirmed its participation in humanity's first full-on planetary-defense demo.
Belfast’s Prof Fitzsimmons calls for help from amateur astronomers
2019-12-03
Professor Alan Fitzsimmons is calling for amateur astronomers to help a multinational space mission which could ultimately help save Earth.
Research unravels mystery of how early animals survived ice age
2019-12-03
How did life survive the most severe ice age? A McGill University-led research team has found the first direct evidence that glacial meltwater provided a crucial lifeline to eukaryotes during Snowball Earth.
Ancient Earth Rocks Give Clues About Life on Mars
2019-12-03
Research which suggests that structures previously thought to be fossils may, in fact, be mineral deposits could save future Mars missions valuable time and resources.
Infrared images reveal hidden tattoos on Egyptian mummies
2019-12-02
Modern technology is illuminating tattoos on mummified, ancient Egyptians that until now had gone unnoticed.
Antarctica: Metal meteorite quest set to get under way
2019-12-02
A team of British scientists has arrived in the Antarctic to try to find the continent's "missing meteorites".
Early Asteroid Impacts Could Have Spurred Today’s Tectonic Activity
2019-12-02
4.6 billion years ago, a swirling cloud of rock and rubble coalesced into the planet we now call home. For millions of years after, our planet was bombarded by rocky bits from the distant reaches of our solar system.
The best photos ever taken from the International Space Station
2019-12-02
As of this week, the International Space Station (ISS) has been orbiting Earth for 21 years, and the astronauts on board have been taking breathtaking photos for almost as long.
50 Years After the Occupation of Alcatraz, Native American Activists Gather—and Resist
2019-12-02
Frigid air and wet ground did little to deter the 4,500 people who gathered before dawn on Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay this Thursday for the annual Unthanksgiving Day.
A 623-Foot Asteroid Cruised By Earth At 40,000 MPH, Two Days After It Was Discovered
2019-12-02
The formidable space rock is an Apollo-type asteroid known as 2019 WQ3, zooming past us at a staggering speed of nearly 40,000 mph.
INUIT ANCESTORS CONQUERED NORTH AMERICAN ARCTIC BY BRINGING THEIR OWN DOGS WITH THEM, ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVER
2019-12-02
The ancestors of Inuits in North America brought their own dogs with them when they migrated from Alaska and Siberia, introducing sledging to the Arctic region.
Hera mission is approved as ESA receives biggest ever budget
2019-12-02
The European Space Agency’s member states approved the most ambitious plan to date by agreeing to provide nearly 12.5 billion euros ($13.8 billion) for the next three years.
Archaeologists tie ancient bones to a revolt chronicled on the Rosetta Stone
2019-12-02
The skeleton provides a rare glimpse into an uprising around 2,200 years ago.
Species in Danger as Humans Hack at Tree of Life
2019-12-02
Humankind is now extinguishing animal and plant species so swiftly that evolution cannot keep up, according to new research.
3,500-year-old skull and femur found in Hittite city of Sapinuwa in breakthrough discovery
2019-12-02
Archaeologists have made a breakthrough discovery in central Anatolia from an ancient civilization that cremated and hid its dead.
Nearly 100 Cities Are Considering Decriminalizing Psychedelics, Map Shows
2019-12-02
The movement to decriminalize psychedelics has spread so rapidly this year that it can be hard to keep track.
Meet three female philosophers you have probably never heard of in the field of big consciousness
2019-12-02
Mary Calkins, May Sinclair, and Hilda Oakeley. They each defended “idealism” – the idea that consciousness composes, or somehow pervades, the universe we live in.
Neanderthal Extinction Caused by Inbreeding and Smallness of Their Populations, Study Suggests
2019-12-02
A long-standing enigma in paleoanthropology is the demise of Neanderthals about 40,000 years ago.
DISCOVERIES 2000-Year-Old Green Serpentine Mask Discovered At The Base Of A Pyramid In Mexico
2019-12-02
There are many incredible pyramids across North America that are often overlooked by mainstream history. There is a deep history associated with these sites, which show incredible design and architecture.
Long stretches of Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA helped Homo sapiens adapt
2019-12-02
As Homo sapiens first ventured beyond Africa, they encountered other hominins already living in Europe and Asia, and those encounters left their mark on our modern genomes.
Scientists Have a Fascinating New Map of the Human Brain on DMT
2019-11-29
Taking DMT is like putting your brain through a jet engine and getting your consciousness blown out the other side. You’re just kind of everywhere, surrounded by colours, fractals & aliens that look a bit like elves.
There Might Be Cracks in the Universe — But We Can’t See Them from Earth
2019-11-27
There might be cracks in space-time, but humanity's telescopes can't see them.
The Bizarre Hypothesis of the Aquatic Ape
2019-11-26
Throughout history there have been theories that have either driven us forward or become historical oddities. It is all part of our stumbling quest to feel our way through this morass of mysteries....
Cannabis legalisation: Does it lead to harder drug use?
2019-11-26
Some 33 states have legalised medical cannabis, while 11 states and Washington DC have also legalised recreational use. But cannabis use remains illegal at the federal level.
Ohio Mounds Top USA’s UNESCO World Heritage Site Bid
2019-11-26
Eight ancient earthworks sites dating to the Hopewell era comprise the USA's first Ohio-centric bid for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
FDA Calls Psychedelic Psilocybin a ‘Breakthrough Therapy’ for Severe Depression
2019-11-26
The FDA is helping to speed up the process of researching and approving psilocybin, a hallucinogenic substance in magic mushrooms, to treat major depressive disorder.
Physicists Just Created the Most Detailed Simulation of the Universe in History
2019-11-25
The formation of galaxies is a complex dance between matter and energy, occurring on a stage of cosmic proportions and spanning billions of years.
The threat of killer asteroids
2019-11-25
So far, NASA has classified more than 21,000 asteroids and more than 100 comets as near-Earth objects. Of that group, about 2,000 are considered "potentially hazardous".
African evidence support Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis
2019-11-25
A team of scientists from South Africa has discovered evidence partially supporting a hypothesis that Earth was struck by a meteorite or asteroid 12 800 years ago.
Were other humans the first victims of the sixth mass extinction?
2019-11-22
Nine human species walked the Earth 300,000 years ago. Now there is just one.
Extraterrestrial Sugar Found in Space Rocks Show that Meteorites May Have Led to Origin of Life on Earth
2019-11-21
An international team has found sugars essential to life in meteorites -- supporting the hypothesis that chemical reactions in asteroids can make some of life's ingredients.
Modern technology reconstructs properties of ochre, commonly found in ancient rock art
2019-11-21
Ochre, one of Earth's oldest naturally occurring materials, was used as a vivid red paint in ancient rock art. Despite its broad use throughout human history, little research exists on the paint itself.
House Panel Approves Marijuana Decriminalization Bill
2019-11-21
A Congressional committee approved a landmark bill on Wednesday that would decriminalize and tax marijuana on the federal level?.
Why Is the North Star So Stellarly Important?
2019-11-21
If you ever looked at the night sky in the Northern Hemisphere, you've noticed that gleaming object that the rest of the heavens appears to move around. What you're seeing is Polaris - the North Star.
The “Hobbit” at 15
2019-11-21
A little more than 15 years ago, the world was introduced to a new, pint-sized member of the hominin family that shook the science of human origins.
Cave lion figurine made of woolly mammoth tusk found in Denisova Cave
2019-11-21
Aged approximately 45,000 years, this might be the world’s oldest animal statuette. The sensational discovery was made three months ago in the Altai Mountains.
A weird, orbital dance keeps these moons of Neptune from hitting each other
2019-11-20
Bobbing up and down like a carousel horse might not sound like a stable way to orbit a planet, but it works for one little moon of Neptune.
The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Could Find More of Earth’s Transient Moons
2019-11-20
Astronomers have known for a little over a decade that Earth also has a population of what are known as “transient Moons”.
Sorry, Congress Probably Isn’t Going To Legalize Marijuana This Year
2019-11-20
If you stick your head out the window and listen carefully, you will hear the shrieks, screams and howls of the cannabis community.
6,800-YEAR-OLD RITUAL SITE THREE TIMES BIGGER THAN STONEHENGE’S SARSEN CIRCLE DISCOVERED
2019-11-19
A huge ancient ritual site dating back over 6,800 years has been discovered in Poland. It is believed to have been used by neolithic people for between 200 and 250 years.
Earth’s magnetic song recorded for the first time during a solar storm
2019-11-19
Data from ESA's Cluster mission has provided a recording of the eerie "song" that Earth sings when it is hit by a solar storm.
Orangutan Connected Directly to Extinct Giant Ape
2019-11-19
Researchers have reconstructed the evolutionary relationship between an ancient giant primate and orangutan. This allows the researchers to reconstruct evolutionary processes way beyond the known limits.
From DNA, scientists create skull of Neanderthal cousin
2019-11-19
Scientists say they‘ve deciphered features of the skull and some other details of a mysterious, extinct cousin of Neanderthals by analyzing its DNA.
The Leonid Meteor Shower 2019 Is Peaking Now: Here’s What to Expect
2019-11-18
The Leonid meteor shower is one of the most famous of the annual meteor displays. The meteors are located within the Sickle, the backward-question-mark star pattern within the constellation of Leo.
Megadrought may be behind fall of powerful ancient civilisation
2019-11-18
The Neo-Assyrian Empire—the largest civilisations between 800 and 600 BCE centred in northern Iraq and extending to Egypt—may have collapsed due to a 60-year, climate-related megadrought.
Thailand Will Soon Allow Its Citizens To Grow Cannabis At Home To Sell To The Government
2019-11-18
Thailand is ramping up medical marijuana legalization efforts that will soon allow all Thais to cultivate six cannabis plants in their homes and sell their harvest to the government, to turn into medical marijuana.
Vote To Federally Legalize Marijuana Planned In Congress
2019-11-18
A key congressional committee plans to hold a historic vote on a bill to end the federal prohibition of marijuana next week, two sources with knowledge of the soon-to-be-announced action said.
Advocates promote planetary defense mission ahead of ESA ministerial
2019-11-18
A group of planetary defense advocates is asking European governments to fund a mission to a near Earth asteroid, three years after a similar mission failed to win approval.
Ayahuasca Compound Changes Brainwaves to vivid “Waking Dream” State
2019-11-18
DMT is one of the main psychoactive constituents in ayahuasca. In the latest study researchers compare its powerful effects to ‘dreaming while awake’.
Silicon Valley’s extreme new productivity hack: LSD
2019-11-17
Acid used to be about turning on, tuning in and dropping out. How times have changed. In recent years, high-achieving technology executive has begun seeing LSD as a route up the career ladder.
UM pair aid research on when humans reached N. America
2019-11-17
Archaeological evidence points to human arrival in America less than 15,000 years ago but the discovery a prehistoric mastodon is prompting some scientists to push back the time frame by 100,000 years.
Japan team finds 143 stunning new images in Nazca Lines of Peru
2019-11-17
Japanese researchers discovered 143 stunning geoglyphs of humans, birds, camels and other animals etched into the desert in southern Peru around the mysterious Nazca Lines.
It wasn’t an instant goodnight for all when the asteroid hit
2019-11-17
It measured 10Km across. It hit at a speed of 20Km/second. Everything within one thousand kilometres would have been incinerated. This was the asteroid which impacted with Earth 66 million years ago.
A Huge 720-Foot Asteroid Will Zip Past Earth On Monday At 30,000 MPH
2019-11-17
A massive asteroid larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza is on course for a close flyby of Earth next week, scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have announced.
Egypt Officially Criminalizes Climbing the Pyramids
2019-11-17
Under new articles in the country’s antiquities protection law, climbing monuments and smuggling antiquities out of the country will result in high fines and jail sentences.
Britons who legally smoke cannabis in the US ‘risk being deported’
2019-11-17
A legal expert has warned British tourists and employees that if they smoke marijuana in the US, even in states where it has been legalised, they risk being barred from the country for life.
Appeals Court hears Moundbuilders appeal on Octagon Mounds
2019-11-17
Moundbuilders Country Club asked the Ohio Court of Appeals to reverse a lower court ruling allowing the Ohio History Connection to reclaim the 134-acre Octagon Mounds from Moundbuilders Country Club.
Life after Death real? NDE victim says Yes, citing memory of seeing standing spirits in clouds
2019-11-17
Modern neuroscience believes that NDE is the result of disturbed body multisensory integration during life-threatening events. However, spiritualists claim that NDE is an authentic sign of life after death.
Modern resuscitation science: Illuminating the complex processes of death
2019-11-17
Death is a universal human experience, yet it remains one of life's great mysteries. Traditionally viewed as an absolute irreversible endpoint, studies have shown brain cells to be resilient  after a person dies.
Modern resuscitation science: Illuminating the complex processes of death
2019-11-17
Death is a universal human experience, yet it remains one of life's great mysteries. Traditionally viewed as an absolute irreversible endpoint, studies have shown brain cells to be resilient after the person dies.
Scientists detect a massive thermonuclear explosion from outer space
2019-11-15
Not every bang that happens in space is a Big Bang. In fact, the cosmos crackles and pops all the time. Then there's the massive thermonuclear explosion that NASA scientists detected last August.
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