Humans news stories

Stone tools and camel tooth suggest people were in the Pacific Northwest more than 18,000 years ago
17th July 2023 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

Although this is not the earliest date for human occupation of the Americas that has been proposed, the finding, which is not yet published in a peer-reviewed study, appears to be thousands of years older than any other archaeological site in Oregon.

Project uses AI and archaeological materials for network analyses from the Middle Stone Age to antiquity
17th July 2023 phys.org | Ancient, Humans, Tech

Publishing in the international journal Antiquity, a team of archaeologists from seven countries led by Kiel University has presented the “Big Exchange” project, which uses AI to better understand the networks and interactions of prehistoric and early historic people.

Mysterious Labyrinth Found Hidden Under a Church in Mexico
17th July 2023 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans

Archaeologists working at the Mitla site in southern Mexico have come across a discovery worthy of an Indiana Jones movie: a labyrinth of chambers and passageways hidden below a church, representing an ‘entrance’ to the underworld.

‘Hugely exciting and rare’: Neolithic polishing stone found in Dorset
14th July 2023 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Humans

‘Polissoir’, discovered in Valley of Stones nature reserve, was used about 5,000 years ago to hone tools such as axes.

Reductions in experiential avoidance play a key role in the therapeutic effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy, study finds
14th July 2023 | psypost.org | Humans, Misc.

The findings, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, highlight the importance of experiential avoidance as a potential mechanism underlying the positive effects of psilocybin therapy.

Giant sloth pendants indicate humans settled Americas earlier than thought
13th July 2023 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Animal Life, Humans

New research suggests humans lived in South America at the same time as now extinct giant sloths, bolstering evidence that people arrived in the Americas earlier than once thought.

Both humans and AI hallucinate — but not in the same way
12th July 2023 | psypost.org | Humans, Tech

The launch of ever-capable large language models (LLMs) such as GPT-3.5 has sparked much interest over the past six months. However, trust in these models has waned as users have discovered they can make mistakes – and that, just like us, they aren’t perfect.

The orca uprising: whales are ramming boats – but are they inspired by revenge, grief or memory?
12th July 2023 | theguardian.com | Animal Life, Humans

A pod in the strait of Gibraltar has sunk three boats and damaged dozens of others, and their story has captivated the world. What explains this unprecedented behaviour?

Were Neanderthals really killed off by Campi Flegrei, Europe’s awakening ‘supervolcano’?
12th July 2023 | livescience.com | Ancient, Earth, Humans

The volcano beneath Italy erupted 40,000 years ago and had catastrophic impact on Earth’s climate — around the same time that the Neanderthals began their slow march to extinction.

Highest-ranking person in Copper Age Spain was a woman, not a man, genetic analysis shows
7th July 2023 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans, Tech

Since its discovery in 2008, the skeleton of a high-ranking individual buried inside a tomb in the Iberian Peninsula between 3,200 and 2,200 years ago was thought to be the remains of a man. However, a new analysis reveals that this person was actually a woman.

Giant stone artefacts found on rare Ice Age site in Kent
7th July 2023 | ucl.ac.uk | Ancient, Humans

The researchers, from UCL Archaeology South-East, discovered 800 stone artefacts thought to be over 300,000 years old, buried in sediments which filled a sinkhole and ancient river channel, outlined in their research, published in Internet Archaeology.

‘I took part in a radical psychedelic clinical trial and it changed my life forever’
6th July 2023 | standard.co.uk | Humans, Misc.

Alexander Beiner was dosed intravenously with the powerful hallucinogenic DMT as part of a clinical trial at Imperial College London. In the months afterwards, he found himself changing in some interesting ways.

Astronomers observe time dilation in early universe
5th July 2023 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Humans, Space

Events appear to unfold five times slower when the universe was a tenth of its present age, in effect, predicted by Einstein.

The FDA Releases First-Ever Guidelines For Psychedelic Medicine
5th July 2023 doubleblindmag.com | Humans, Misc.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released first-of-its-kind draft guidance on the “unique” considerations that researchers should take into account when studying psychedelics, which the agency says show “initial promise” as potential therapies.

Ancient rock engravings unveil intriguing insights into human cultures
5th July 2023 phys.org | Ancient, Humans, Tech

A groundbreaking study conducted by a multidisciplinary team that includes a computational archaeologist, artist, and computer programmer has revealed new insights into ancient rock engravings and the techniques used by ancient engravers. See the research here.

Discovery of up to 25 Mesolithic pits in Bedfordshire astounds archaeologis
3rd July 2023 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Humans

A prehistoric site with as many as 25 monumental pits has been discovered in Bedfordshire to the astonishment of archaeologists. Found in Linmere, they date from the Mesolithic period, 12,000 to 6,000 years ago…The pits could offer extraordinary new insights.

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