News Desk

Largest-ever survey on ayahuasca highlights links to better mental health and wellbeing
13th December 2024 | psypost.org | Humans, Misc.

A new study published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs has uncovered significant associations between naturalistic ayahuasca use and improved mental health.

DNA Reveals When Humans And Neanderthals Became One
13th December 2024 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans

A new genetic analysis of the earliest known modern human remains found in Ranis in Germany and Zlatý kůň in the Czech Republic suggests emigrant Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis mingled some time between 45,000 and 49,000 years ago. The two papers were published in Nature and Science.

Stone Age insights: Life, death and fire in ancient Ukraine
12th December 2024 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

The people associated with the Neolithic Cucuteni-Trypilla culture lived across Eastern Europe from approximately 5500 to 2750 BCE. With up to 15,000 inhabitants, some of their mega-sites are among the earliest and largest city-like settlements in prehistoric Europe.

Ancient ‘land bridge’ that connected Siberia to US wasn’t what it seems, scientists find
12th December 2024 | livescience.com | Ancient, Animal Life, Earth, Humans

The Bering land bridge that spanned between Siberia and Alaska during the Ice Age was more of a Bering land bog, new research finds.

A Major Leap Forward in Technology Took Place 900,000 Years Ago
12th December 2024 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans, Tech

Around 900,000 years ago stone tech 2.0 was released into Spain. University of Santiago de Compostela anthropologist Diego Lombao and colleagues found the earliest known European example of advanced stone tool techniques. This research was published in the Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology.

Road Construction Crew Unearths 1,000-Year-Old Pyramid in Mexico
11th December 2024 gizmodo.com | Ancient, Humans
The archaeological site could shed light on the region’s history, with its oldest human settlement potentially dating back 14,000 years.
MIT astronomers find the smallest asteroids ever detected in the main belt
11th December 2024 news.mit.edu | Humans, Space, Tech

The team’s detection method, which identified 138 space rocks ranging from bus- to stadium-sized, could aid in tracking potential asteroid impactors. In a paper appearing in the journal Nature, the researchers report that they have used their approach to detect more than 100 new decameter asteroids in the main asteroid belt.

The oldest known ritual chamber in the Middle East has been found
11th December 2024 | sciencenews.org | Ancient, Humans

Homo sapiens groups assembled at the cave to hold torchlit ceremonies, probably inspired by mythological or religious beliefs, as early as around 37,000 years ago, researchers report December 9 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dental morphology reveals hidden diversity in Neolithic Nubians of the Middle Nile Valley
11th December 2024 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

A fertile stretch of the Nile River, flanked by arid deserts to the east and west, has supported human life for over a million years. The Middle Nile Valley has a history of diverse subsistence strategies, including pastoralism, hunting, fishing, and plant foraging, made possible by unique features underground.

Why did we think Neanderthals weren’t smart?
9th December 2024 | vox.com | Ancient, Humans

Our earliest studies of Neanderthals were fundamentally flawed.

Iberian Neolithic societies had a deep knowledge of archery techniques and materials, researchers discover
6th December 2024 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

Interdisciplinary research of archaeological remains found in the Cave of Los Murciélagos in Albuñol, Granada, has revealed the sophistication of Ancient Neolithic archery in the Iberian Peninsula (5300–4900 BCE)…The study was led by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and was published in Scientific Reports.

Neanderthals were making hand stencil rock art more than 66,000 years ago, U-series dating suggests
5th December 2024 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

A discovery deep within a cave in Spain has challenged the history of human artistic expression. Researchers have determined that hand stencils in Maltravieso Cave are more than 66,000 years old, suggesting that Neanderthals, not modern humans, were the world’s first artists. The study is published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Psilocybin’s mental health benefits may include improved sleep
4th December 2024 | psypost.org | Humans, Misc.

In a new study, researchers found that participants consumed the psychedelic substance in a therapeutic context reported reduced depression and improvements in their sleep quality. The findings were published in Current Psychiatry Reports.

Huge asteroid collisions that didn’t change Earth’s climate forever
4th December 2024 cosmosmagazine.com | Ancient, Earth, Space

The Earth was struck by 2 huge asteroids 35 million years ago – but it managed to shrug off the impacts, according to a new study. The study, published in Communications Earth & Environment finds that – other than 2 massive craters – there’s little evidence of long-term effects caused by the asteroids.

5,000-year-old artifacts in Iraq hint at mysterious collapse of one of the world’s 1st governments
4th December 2024 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

Newly analyzed 5,000-year-old clay bowls unearthed in Iraq may be evidence of early government-like rule, a new study finds.

Mysterious ‘Snake Person’ Head From 7,500 Years Ago Raises Questions
4th December 2024 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans

Excavations by the Kuwaiti-Polish Archaeological Mission at a site in Northern Kuwait’s Al-Subiyah desert have uncovered a bizarre-looking clay head representative of the culture of a prehistoric people who flourished in the region between 5500 and 4900 BCE.

Daily alternative news articles at the GrahamHancock News Desk. Featuring science, alternative history, archaeology, Ancient Egypt, paranormal and much more. Check in daily for updates!