Humans news stories

Mass production of stone bladelets shows cultural shift in Paleolithic Levant
8th January 2023 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

Analysis of stone tools attributed to the Ahmarian, the first Upper Paleolithic culture of the Near East (dated approximately 40,000 to 45,000 years ago) shows that small, elongated, symmetrical objects (bladelets) were mass-produced on-site.

Monkeys – Not Humans – Made Ancient Sets of Stone Tools in Brazil, Study Finds
8th January 2023 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Animal Life, Humans

Researchers believe that ancient stone tools discovered in Brazil are the work of capuchin monkeys, not early humans, the art and design website Artnet reported, citing an academic article.

Human and Neanderthal brains have a surprising ‘youthful’ quality in common, new research finds
6th January 2023 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

Results of a study we published today in Nature Ecology & Evolution show that the way the different parts of the human brain evolved separates us from our primate relatives. In a sense, our brains never grow up. We share this “Peter Pan syndrome” with only one other primate—the Neanderthals.

20,000-year-old cave painting ‘dots’ are the earliest written language, study claims. But not everyone agrees.
5th January 2023 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

Stone Age dots, lines and Y-shaped marks might represent a type of proto-writing created by hunter-gatherers who lived in Europe at least 20,000 years ago.

Scientists explore using psychedelics to treat alcohol, drug disorders
3rd January 2023 | latimes.com | Humans, Misc.

Melanie Senn’s father, long dead, appeared to her as she lay back in the dimly lit room at the Santa Monica clinic, a mask over her closed eyes, and the psychedelic trip began.

Image from: Imperial College London (Wiki Commons)

Cut Marks on Ancient Bones Reveal What Was in Fashion 320,000 Years Ago
3rd January 2023 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans

Ancient bones retrieved from an archaeological site in Germany suggest that archaic humans were peeling bears for their skins at least 320,000 years ago.

Surfer creates island eco-haven with ancient knowhow
3rd January 2023 | bbc.co.uk | Ancient, Animal Life, Earth, Humans

To the uninformed, his land looks wild. But much of it is farmed: one part has timber trees for making furniture, in another cacao trees for chocolate, near the top a garden for herbs, and everywhere throughout the forest a variety of fruit, vegetables and flowers.

A single, moderate dose of psilocybin reduces depressive symptoms for at least two weeks, controlled study finds
2nd January 2023 | psypost.org | Humans, Misc.

A single dose of the psychedelic drug psilocybin combined with supportive counseling leads to significant reductions in depressive symptoms, according to a new double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The findings have recently been published in eClinicalMedicine.

Image from: Cannabis Picture (Wiki Commons)

 

We May Have Been All Wrong About Ancient Egyptian Mummies, Scholars Argue
2nd January 2023 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans

Mummification may never have been intended to preserve the bodies of ancient Egyptians after death, experts say, a sharp contrast to the popular understanding of the practice.

Stonehenge Toolkit Reveals How Amazing Gold Artifacts Were Crafted 4,000 Years Ago
28th December 2022 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans

In re-examining artifacts from a significant 4,000-year-old Bronze Age burial site near Stonehenge in the UK, archaeologists discovered a toolkit for working with gold objects and coatings that hadn’t previously been identified.

Totally Unexpected: Scientists Discover “An Entirely New Way of Designing a Nervous System”
27th December 2022 scitechdaily.com | Animal Life, Humans, Tech

Octopuses are not like humans – they are invertebrates with eight arms and are more closely related to clams and snails. Despite this, they have evolved complex nervous systems with as many neurons as in the brains of dogs, allowing them to exhibit a wide range of complex behaviors.

Archaeologists uncover oldest known projectile points in the Americas
27th December 2022 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

Oregon State University archaeologists have uncovered projectile points in Idaho that are thousands of years older than any previously found in the Americas, helping to fill in the history of how early humans crafted and used stone weapons.

The World’s Oldest Animations Stretch All The Way Back to Cave Times
27th December 2022 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans

From France to Indonesia and Australia, ancient life is painted across the walls of darkened caves, seemingly motionless silhouettes in earthen colors that echo an earlier time.

Archaeologists Discover Huge Lost Civilization in Guatemala
23rd December 2022 | vice.com | Ancient, Humans, Tech

A new survey revealed nearly 1,000 Maya settlements, with pyramids and ballcourts, that date back more than 2,000 years.

Human ancestors may have sailed across the Aegean Sea
23rd December 2022 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

A team of researchers at the University of Patras’s, OCEANUS- Lab has found evidence suggesting that early human ancestors (extinct hominids) may have sailed across the Aegean Sea.

Nations reach ‘historic’ deal to protect nature
19th December 2022 | bbc.co.uk | Animal Life, Earth, Humans

Nations have agreed to protect a third of the planet for nature by 2030 in a landmark deal aimed at safeguarding biodiversity.

 

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