Humans news stories

65,000-year-old hearth in Gibraltar may have been a Neanderthal ‘glue factory,’ study finds
22nd November 2024 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

“The structure that has revealed a hitherto unknown way by which Neanderthals managed and used fire,” the researchers wrote in the new study, published Nov. 12 in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews.

Oldest known alphabet unearthed in ancient Syrian city
22nd November 2024 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

What appears to be evidence of the oldest alphabetic writing in human history is etched onto finger-length, clay cylinders excavated from a tomb in Syria by a team of Johns Hopkins University researchers.

The shape of light: “something that hasn’t been seen before in physics”
21st November 2024 cosmosmagazine.com | Humans, Misc.

A new quantum theory explaining how light and matter interact has also provided the first-ever depiction of the shape of a single light particle, a photon. The research is published in the Physical Review Letters.

Fossil collection found in Neanderthal cave suggests abstract thinking
21st November 2024 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

Research led by the Universidad de Burgos has uncovered evidence suggesting Neanderthals engaged in collecting activities based on discoveries at the Prado Vargas Cave in Burgos, Spain…The research is published in the journal Quaternary.

Ancient human ancestor Lucy was not alone — she lived alongside at least 4 other proto-human species, emerging research suggests
21st November 2024 | livescience.com | Ancient, Earth, Humans

Lucy lived in a wide range of habitats from northern Ethiopia to northern Kenya. Researchers now believe she wasn’t the only australopithecine species there.

Ancient DNA sheds light on adaptation of early Europeans at the dawn of the agricultural revolution
20th November 2024 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

A team of researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Los Angeles, has revealed new insights into how ancient Europeans adapted to their environments over 7,000 years of European history. The study was published last week in the journal Nature Communications.

Scientists analyze largest map of the universe ever created — and it proves Einstein right yet again
20th November 2024 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans, Space, Tech

The analysis, which looked at nearly 6 million galaxies and quasars spanning 11 billion years of cosmic time, found that even at colossal scales, the force of gravity behaves as predicted by Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

2,600-year-old inscription in Turkey finally deciphered — and it mentions goddess known ‘simply as the Mother’
19th November 2024 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

An ancient inscription decorated with lions and sphinxes is finally deciphered, and it involves the “mother of the gods.”

First ever goat-fish petroglyph reveals Egyptian understanding of zodiac symbols
19th November 2024 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

A new study by Dr. Linda Evans and her colleagues from Macquarie University, Australia, published in the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, has recently identified what may be an Egyptian petroglyph depicting the zodiac sign Capricornus, a hybrid creature with the forequarters of a goat and body of a fish.

Creepy Aztec Death Whistles Have a Strange Effect on The Human Brain
19th November 2024 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans

Brain scans suggest the whistle’s tones may do more than create a scary ambience. This research was published in Communications Psychology.

The VA Is Funding A Study to Determine If MDMA Can Really Treat PTSD
18th November 2024 doubleblindmag.com | Humans, Misc.

The VA is stepping up with its first psychedelic research study in decades, aiming to determine if MDMA-assisted therapy can offer real relief for veterans struggling with PTSD.

Fire data shifts human arrival in Tasmania back 2,000 years
18th November 2024 cosmosmagazine.com | Ancient, Earth, Humans

Ancient pollen and charcoal remains uncovered from islands north of Tasmania (Lutruwita) suggest that human fire management practices were happening in the region 41,600 years ago. The study, published in Science Advances, draws on 2 sediment records collected from islands in the Bass Strait.

Study confirms Egyptians drank hallucinogenic cocktails in ancient rituals
18th November 2024 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

A University of South Florida professor found the first-ever physical evidence of hallucinogens in an Egyptian mug, validating written records and centuries-old myths of ancient Egyptian rituals and practices. Published in Scientific Reports, the study sheds light on an ancient Egyptian mystery…

12,000-year old stones may be very early evidence of wheel-like technology
14th November 2024 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

A collection of perforated pebbles from an archaeological site in Israel may be spindle whorls, representing a key milestone in the development of rotational tools, including wheels, according to a study published November 13, 2024, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

First-Ever Amber Discovered in Antarctica Shows Rainforest Existed Near South Pole
14th November 2024 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans

Imagine a time machine that could whisk you back to the age of the dinosaurs. Suddenly, you find yourself in a dense, swampy forest, with insects buzzing between flowers, ferns, and conifers. Believe it or not, you’re standing in West Antarctica. The study was published in Antarctic Research.

Archaeologists excavate earliest known ancient Maya salt works
13th November 2024 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

A team of archaeologists from LSU and the University of Texas at Tyler has excavated the earliest known ancient Maya salt works in southern Belize, as reported in the journal Antiquity.

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