Humans news stories

Equinox: Definition, facts & what happens during one
20th March 2023 | livescience.com | Earth, Humans

Equinoxes occur twice a year, with daylight and darkness being about the same length in both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. This phenomenon’s name comes from the Latin words “aequus” (equal) and “nox” (night). In 2023, the spring equinox occurs at 5:24 p.m. EDT (21:24 UTC) on March 20. The autumn, or fall, equinox will happen at 2:50 a.m. EDT on Sept. 23, 2023.

Genomic study of ancient humans sheds light on human evolution on the Tibetan Plateau
18th March 2023 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

Our understanding of their origins and history on the plateau is patchy. DNA sampling from ancient humans has been limited to a thin slice of the southwestern plateau in the Himalayas. Now a study has filled this gap by sequencing the genomes of 89 ancient humans dating back to 5100 BP.

1,400-year-old mural of 2-faced men unearthed in Peru may allude to ‘cosmic realms’
16th March 2023 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

Two murals of two-faced men holding unusual treasures — including a goblet that hummingbirds are drinking from, a detail that may allude to sacrifice and “cosmic realms” — were recently discovered at the 1,400-year-old archaeological site of Pañamarca in coastal Peru.

Cult of the Gods in Pre-Egyptian Society
16th March 2023 | uni-bonn.de | Ancient, Humans

The desert in southern Egypt is filled with hundreds of petroglyphs and inscriptions dating from the Neolithic to the Arab period. The oldest date is from the fifth millennium B.C. and few have been studied.

Ancient Structures in The Arabian Desert Reveal Fragments of Mysterious Rituals
16th March 2023 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Animal Life, Humans

According to an in-depth new analysis, the mysterious, rectangular enclosures were used by Neolithic people for unknown rituals, depositing animal offerings, perhaps as votives to an unknown deity or deities.

New study aims to break the taboo surrounding spirituality
14th March 2023 medicalxpress.com | Humans, Misc.

“We live in a society where religion and spirituality are taboo and something we rarely talk about with each other. What we believe in, why we are here, what happens when we die. And we might be led to believe that it’s not important, or something we shouldn’t concern ourselves with in the healthcare system. But our study convincingly shows that these topics are important…”

Rare galaxy with three black holes leads astronomers to the most massive objects in the universe
13th March 2023 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans, Space

Glimpsed only occasionally at the hearts of massive clusters of galaxies, ultramassive black holes are some of the largest and most elusive objects in the universe…Now, researchers studying a rare galaxy merger with three supermassive black holes at its center may have finally discovered the origins of these cosmic monsters.

Bronze Age craftspeople tempered steel more than 1,000 years before the Romans did it
10th March 2023 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

Archaeologists have analyzed 2,900-year-old stone carvings and a long-ignored chisel from the Iberian Peninsula, revealing that local craftspeople produced steel long before previously thought.

Remains of ancient temple with hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Sudan
9th March 2023 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a temple dating back around 2,700 years, to a time when a kingdom called Kush ruled over a vast area, including what is now Sudan, Egypt and parts of the Middle East.

Oldest reference to Norse god Odin found in Danish treasure
9th March 2023 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

Scandinavian scientists said Wednesday that they have identified the oldest-known inscription referencing the Norse god Odin on part of a gold disc unearthed in western Denmark in 2020.

Orkney Neolithic project to carry out final digs
9th March 2023 | bbc.co.uk | Ancient, Humans

An archaeology project is to make its final excavation of a 5,000-year-old Neolithic site in Orkney next year.

Human temporal lobes are not very large in comparison with other primates
8th March 2023 phys.org | Ancient, Animal Life, Humans

It had been thought to date that the species Homo sapiens has disproportionately large temporal lobes compared to other anthropoid primates, the group including anthropomorphic monkeys and apes. A new study, one of whose authors is Emiliano Bruner, a paleoneurologist at the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), contradicts that hypothesis.

Astronomers spotted shock waves shaking the web of the universe for the first time
7th March 2023 | sciencenews.org | Ancient, Humans, Space

For the first time, astronomers have caught a glimpse of shock waves rippling along strands of the cosmic web — the enormous tangle of galaxies, gas and dark matter that fills the observable universe.

Bronze Age ice skates with bone blades discovered in China
7th March 2023 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

Ice skates made of bone have been unearthed from a Bronze Age tomb in western China, suggesting an ancient technological exchange between the east and west of Eurasia.

Mysterious Comb Unearthed in England Has a Gruesome Origin Story
7th March 2023 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans, Weird

A peculiarly gruesome artifact has been uncovered during archaeological digs in England, hearkening back to long lost cultural practices that today we can only try to imagine.

Psychedelic Pharma Has Arrived—But Will It Really Be Different from Big Pharma?
6th March 2023 doubleblindmag.com | Humans, Misc.

Psychedelic businesses have an opportunity to disrupt existing paradigms with regenerative economic practices. The question is: will they take it?

News stories covering humans, psychology and health.