Humans news stories

The Comet Strike Theory That Just Won’t Die
5th March 2024 | nytimes.com | Ancient, Humans, Space

Mainstream science has done its best to debunk the notion, but a belief in a world-changing series of prehistoric impacts continues to gain momentum.

Where did India’s people come from? Massive genetic study reveals surprises
5th March 2024 | science.org | Ancient, Humans

In the largest ever modern whole-genome analysis from South Asia…The study also turns up a surprise: an unexpectedly rich diversity of genes from Neanderthals and their close evolutionary cousins, the Denisovans. Because no fossils of these ancient human relatives have been found in India, researchers are speculating about how these genes got there—and why they stuck around.

Politics really is making “bastards of us all,” according to new psychology research
4th March 2024 | psypost.org | Humans, Misc.

A recent study sheds light on the relationship between moral values and political affiliations, revealing that the standards of morality people apply in political contexts may differ significantly from those in personal spheres.

Jewish-Islamic scientific exchange took place 1,000 years ago
4th March 2024 cosmosmagazine.com | Ancient, Humans

Archaeologists have identified evidence of a Jewish-Islamic scientific collaboration having taken place a thousand years ago, thanks to an archaic star chart once thought to be a forgery.  Gigante’s analysis is published in the journal Nuncius.

Europe’s last hunter-gatherers had sophisticated societies that helped them avoid inbreeding
4th March 2024 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

An investigation into the genomes of 10 people who lived between 6350 and 4810 B.C. revealed few biological links among these small communities, according to a study published Feb. 26 in the journal PNAS.

‘Mathematically perfect’ star system being investigated for potential alien technology
29th February 2024 | livescience.com | Humans, Space, Weird

Late last year, astronomers discovered a fascinating star system only 100 light-years away from us. Its six sub-Neptune planets circle very close to their host star in mathematically perfect orbits, piquing the interest of scientists searching for alien technology or technosignatures, which they argue would offer compelling evidence of advanced life beyond Earth.

How 40Hz sensory gamma rhythm stimulation clears amyloid in Alzheimer’s mice
29th February 2024 medicalxpress.com | Humans, Misc.

Studies at MIT and elsewhere are producing mounting evidence that light flickering and sound clicking at the gamma brain rhythm frequency of 40 Hz can reduce Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression and treat symptoms in human volunteers as well as lab mice. See the new study in Nature.

Diversity of thought and data enrich archaeology
27th February 2024 | nature.com | Ancient, Humans

Our understanding of the human past is changing rapidly, and this does not come from new evidence alone. We are seeing an increasing diversity of perspectives among archaeologists, and they are asking new and important questions. But the field still has a long way to go.

Image by: Downtowngal (Wiki Commons)

New study reveals MDMA’s unique influence on positive social feedback
27th February 2024 | psypost.org | Humans, Misc.

New research published in Journal of Psychopharmacology provides evidence that the drug MDMA may have the unique ability to enhance emotional responses to positive (but not negative) social interactions. This insight sheds light on the potential of MDMA to influence social perception, opening new avenues for understanding and potentially treating conditions characterized by impaired social processing.

Bones Reveal Bog Man’s Secret Life Before His Violent End in a Foreign Land
27th February 2024 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans

Now, the team has unlocked the life history of this ill-fated man, combining modern and traditional archeological methods to read the story written in his bones. The research was published in PLOS ONE.

Tiny Doses of LSD Boost Unique Signals in The Human Brain
26th February 2024 | sciencealert.com | Humans, Misc.

Even small doses of LSD could have therapeutic benefits for mental health and task performance, a new study shows.

Germany legalises cannabis, but makes it hard to buy
26th February 2024 | bbc.co.uk | Humans, Misc.

The German parliament has backed a new law to allow the recreational use of cannabis. Under the law, over-18s in Germany will be allowed to possess substantial amounts of cannabis, but strict rules will make it difficult to buy the drug.

UK government can never accept idea nature has rights, delegate tells UN
23rd February 2024 | theguardian.com | Animal Life, Earth, Humans

The dismissal of a concept that has already been recognised in UN declarations and is a fundamental belief of many Indigenous communities was described by critics as shameful, contradictory and undemocratic.

New study reveals how common ayahuasca-induced death experiences are and their link to personal transformation
23rd February 2024 | psypost.org | Earth, Humans, Misc.

Two studies of ayahuasca ceremony participants found that at least 50% of these individuals had an ayahuasca-induced personal death experience. These experiences were associated with an increased sense that consciousness will continue after death and increased concerns for the environment. The paper was published in the Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Strange Metal From Beyond Our World Found in Ancient Treasure Stash
23rd February 2024 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans

The discovery, led by now-retired head of conservation at the National Archeological Museum Spain, Salvador Rovira-Llorens, suggests that metalworking technology and techniques were far more advanced than we thought in Iberia more than 3,000 years ago.

The Fourth World: An Encounter with Hopi Prophecy
22nd February 2024 | youtube.com | Ancient, Humans

Words of wisdom from Hopi elder Paul Sifki.

News stories covering humans, psychology and health.