Humans news stories

Egypt bans Dutch archaeologists over exhibition linking Beyonce and Rihanna to Queen Nefertiti
12th June 2023 | bbc.co.uk | Humans

A Dutch museum says its archaeologists have been banned from carrying out excavations at a key Egyptian site over an exhibition exploring the influence of ancient Egypt on black musicians.

UFO Mystery: Controversy Swirls Around Report of Retrieved ‘Craft’
12th June 2023 | sciencealert.com | Humans, Space, Weird

Claims the US government has secretly retrieved crashed alien spacecraft and their non-human occupants are hardly new…Now, however, journalists Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal have injected fresh vigor into these aging claims – apparently with the Pentagon’s approval.

Researchers discover 12,000-year-old flutes made from bird bones
10th June 2023 phys.org | Ancient, Animal Life, Humans

A team of researchers, including a Virginia Commonwealth University professor, has discovered rare prehistoric instruments made from the bones of birds dating back more than 12,000 years, according to findings published Friday in the journal Scientific Reports

Oldest carved piece of wood to be found in Britain dates back 6,000 years
10th June 2023 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Humans

It could easily have gone on to the bonfire or into the skip. But Derek Fawcett decided to take a closer look at the blackened, waterlogged piece of wood found at the bottom of a trench dug for foundations for a new workshop.

150-year-old mystery of strange half-circles from Paleolithic site in France finally solved
5th June 2023 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

Enigmatic, C-shaped antler carvings from France’s Stone Age have puzzled scientists for over 150 years, but now a modern experiment investigating these artifacts may have revealed their purpose: They were likely crafted to be Paleolithic finger grips for spear-throwers, a new study finds.

Ketamine Can Treat Depression as Effectively as Electroconvulsive Therapy
5th June 2023 | sciencealert.com | Humans, Misc.

A new randomized trial from researchers in the United States has shown that injections of ketamine are at least as effective as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) when treating non-psychotic forms of major depression. The study was published in NEJM.

Newly discovered stone tools drag dawn of Greek archaeology back by a quarter-million years
2nd June 2023 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

Deep in an open coal mine in southern Greece, researchers have discovered the antiquities-rich country’s oldest archaeological site, which dates to 700,000 years ago and is associated with modern humans’ hominin ancestors.

SINGLE DOSE OF PSILOCYBIN YIELDS LONG-TERM DEPRESSION REMISSION IN OVER 50% OF CANCER PATIENTS
31st May 2023 psychedelicspotlight.com | Humans, Misc.

Administering a single 25mg dose of psilocybin paired with psychological support has resulted in 57% of patients sustaining remission of depression, with 64% experiencing a robust clinical response 18 months later.

Study finds Neanderthals manufactured synthetic material with underground distillation
31st May 2023 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

Researchers at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen and colleagues in Germany have taken a closer look at the birch tar used to affix Neanderthal tools and found a much more complex technique for creating the adhesive than previously considered. See the paper here.

Oldest evidence of plague in Britain found in 4,000-year-old human remains
31st May 2023 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Humans

Traces of Yersinia pestis bacteria were found in the teeth of people buried at bronze age sites in Cumbria and Somerset.

Stars could be invisible within 20 years as light pollution brightens night skies
30th May 2023 | theguardian.com | Animal Life, Earth, Humans

The increased use of light-emitting diodes is obscuring our view of the Milky Way as well as taking a toll on human and wildlife health.

153,000-year-old footprints from South Africa are the oldest Homo sapiens tracks on record
30th May 2023 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

In an article published April 25 in the journal Ichnos, an international team of researchers used optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) to figure out when the impressions were made.

Archeologists Map Hidden Landscape Where The First Australians Emerged
30th May 2023 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans

Archaeologists have mapped a hidden landscape where Australia’s first people made inroads more than 60,000 years ago. The study was published in PLOS One.

Psychedelic substance 5-MeO-DMT induces long-lasting neural plasticity in mice
29th May 2023 | psypost.org | Humans, Misc.

The psychedelic substances 5-MeO-DMT causes a long-lasting increase in the number of tiny protrusions called dendritic spines in the brain, according to new research published in Neuropsychopharmacology.

More than 5,000 new species found in ‘pristine’ deep-sea wilderness. But they could soon be wiped out.
25th May 2023 | livescience.com | Animal Life, Earth, Humans, Weird

More than 5,000 undescribed animal species have been discovered in the depths of a massive “pristine wilderness” in the Pacific Ocean, a new study shows. But researchers warn they could soon be wiped out by deep-sea mining.

 

Saddle unearthed in China may be oldest ever found
25th May 2023 phys.org | Ancient, Animal Life, Humans

An international team of archaeologists has found what may be the earliest known saddle at a dig site in China. In their paper published in the journal Archaeological Research in Asia, the group describes where the ancient saddle was found, its condition and how it was made.

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