News Desk

A new study challenges this narrative of ecocide, saying that Rapa Nui’s population never spiraled to unsustainable levels. Instead, the settlers found ways to cope with the island’s severe limits, and maintained a small, stable population for centuries.

Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) can leave a significant and lasting impression on those who go through them, and can also boost feelings of empathy towards others, according to a new survey.

The discovery offers a glimpse into the Earth’s history and hints at how extreme climate change could alter the planet, according to their findings, published June 5 in the journal Science Advances.

A modest, open-air pit in central France tells a story of family: a grandmother, her son, and her grandson, as well as four other people, all buried together in the same grave over the course of decades, about 4500 years ago.

Details of an ancient cousin of modern-day mammals are being revealed for the first time. Hi-tech scanning of an ancient fossil, which was captured in sandstone around 252–254 million years ago, is giving experts valuable insight into the animal’s anatomy and evolution. The study, published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

A recent study published in the European Journal of Neuroscience provides new insights into how 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy or molly, affects the brain’s processing of emotional stimuli.

The Acropolis of Athens, the rocky hill in the Greek capital that is home to the iconic Parthenon temple, is one of the world’s most visited and well-known archaeological sites—but new insights about it are still emerging. A new publication in the American Journal of Archaeology…tells a historical detective story of a lost temple on the site of the Parthenon. It all began with the discovery of ancient graffiti.

A recent study published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging has revealed that psilocybin can induce a state of hyperconnectivity in the brain. This heightened brain connectivity is linked to profound changes in perception and a sense of unity with the universe, which many users describe as mystical experiences.

An international team of scientists has identified the oldest fossil of a sea-going reptile from the Southern Hemisphere—a nothosaur vertebra found on New Zealand’s South Island. 246 million years ago, at the beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs, New Zealand was located on the southern polar coast of a vast super-ocean called Panthalassa.

This phenomenon happens roughly every 11 years and marks an important stage in the solar cycle. The shift in polarity indicates the halfway point of solar maximum, the height of solar activity, and the beginning of the shift toward solar minimum.

Older individuals who have used psychedelics tend to exhibit better cognitive functioning and fewer depressive symptoms compared to those who have not, according to new research published in Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine. However, psychedelic usage was not linked to improvements in episodic memory.

Charles Darwin enjoys a near god-like status among scientists for his theory of evolution. But his ideas that animals are conscious in the same way humans are have long been shunned. Until now.

A joint study…yields the first direct proof of the consumption and processing of dairy products in the Pyrenees already at the start of the Neolithic period, approximately 7,500 years ago, as well as the consumption of pig. The results lead to doubts about the belief that these products were first used much later in the Pyrenean mountain range.

A leap in stone tool complexity in the fossil record suggests hominin knowledge underwent a sudden increase around 600,000 years ago, helping explain how modern humans and our ancestors became expecially proficient at adapting to new environments. This research was published in PNAS.

Genetic studies are revealing ever more about the links between modern humans and these long-gone relatives – most recently that a rush of interbreeding between our species occurred in a relatively short burst of time around 47,000 years ago. But one mystery still remains.

Excavation of the layered sediments at Avon Downs reveals a long history of raw stone extraction and tool making. In the short period of our study, we recorded about 1,500 stone artifacts on the surface and under the ground. Details of the findings can be found d here in the newly published research.