Humans news stories

Snakes have clitorises, scientists say, slamming research ‘taboo’
14th December 2022 phys.org | Animal Life, Humans

Female snakes have clitorises, according to the first detailed study on the subject Wednesday, in which the scientists lashed out at how little female sex organs have been researched compared to males across species.

5,000-year-old ‘bog body’ found in Denmark may be a human sacrifice victim
14th December 2022 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

Archaeologists have discovered the ancient skeletal remains of a so-called bog body in Denmark near the remnants of a flint ax and animal bones, clues that suggest this person was ritually sacrificed more than 5,000 years ago.

Scientists Discover 168 Mysterious Nazca Geoglyphs in The Desert Sands of Peru
14th December 2022 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans

The Nazca desert in Peru is like an art gallery for the gods above. Yet even with decades of surveyance from the skies, we’ve barely explored a small wing of this fading collection of giants among the stones.

Precise solar observations fed millions in ancient Mexico
13th December 2022 phys.org | Ancient, Earth, Humans

Without clocks or modern tools, ancient Mexicans watched the sun to maintain a farming calendar that precisely tracked seasons and even adjusted for leap years.

Mysterious Patterns Span The Arabian Desert, And We May Finally Know Why
13th December 2022 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans

The deserts of Saudi Arabia were once the lush and fertile homes of ancient people more than 8,000 years ago.

Traces of Denisovan DNA Still Affect The Immune Systems of Modern Papuans
9th December 2022 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans

This is a new discovery we describe in a study published in PLOS Genetics today. It further suggests that our modern human diversity didn’t just evolve – some parts of it we got from other, extinct human groups.

Children with autism show improvement after being treated with cannabidiol-rich medicinal cannabis
8th December 2022 | psypost.org | Humans, Misc.

A study of children with autism spectrum disorders in Israel reported significant improvements in their social communication abilities after six months of treatment with cannabidiol-rich cannabis oil… The study was published in Translational Psychiatry.

Ancient stone tools from China provide earliest evidence of rice harvesting
8th December 2022 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

A new Dartmouth College-led study analyzing stone tools from southern China provides the earliest evidence of rice harvesting, dating to as early as 10,000 years ago

Man holding penis and flanked by leopards is world’s oldest narrative carving
8th December 2022 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

An 11,000-year-old rock-cut relief in southeastern Turkey featuring menacing animals and two men, one of whom is holding his genitalia, is the oldest narrative scene on record, a new study suggests

UN calls for ‘peace pact with nature’
7th December 2022 | bbc.co.uk | Animal Life, Earth, Humans

Humanity has become a weapon of mass extinction,” the head of the United Nations has warned at the start of a high-level nature summit in Canada.

Jawbone may represent earliest presence of humans in Europe
7th December 2022 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

For over a century, one of the earliest human fossils ever discovered in Spain has been long considered a Neandertal. However, new analysis…dismantles this century-long interpretation, demonstrating that this fossil is not a Neandertal; rather, it may actually represent the earliest presence of Homo sapiens ever documented in Europe.

Study on LSD microdosing uncovers neuropsychological mechanisms that could underlie anti-depressant effects
5th December 2022 | psypost.org | Humans, Misc.

A single, low dose of  lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) can increase reward-related brain activity, according to new research published in Neuropsychopharmacology. The study indicates that the psychedelic drug alters neuropsychological processes that tend to be blunted in patients with depression.

Search for alien life just got 1,000 times bigger after new telescope joins the hunt
5th December 2022 | livescience.com | Humans, Space, Tech

Astronomers searching for radio signals that could be signs of extraterrestrial life have just gained access to South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope.

Colossal Discovery on Mars Could Drive Surging Magma Under The Surface
5th December 2022 | sciencealert.com | Humans, Space

Scientists may have just identified the culprit behind signs of recently active volcanism on Mars. Beneath a broad plain called the Elysium Planitia, a colossal, 4,000-kilometer (roughly 2,500-mile) wide convection plume in the Martian mantle could be driving molten magma up as far as the surface.

Owl-shaped plaques may have been on Copper Age children’s wish list
2nd December 2022 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

Ancient owl-shaped slate engraved plaques, dating from about 5,000 years ago in the Iberian Peninsula, may have been created by children as toys, suggests a paper published in Scientific Reports.

Ancient skull uncovered in China could be million-year-old Homo erectus
1st December 2022 | nature.com | Ancient, Humans

Researchers are heralding the discovery of an ancient human skull in central China as an important find. As excavation of the remarkably intact fossil continues, archaeologists and palaeoanthropologists anticipate that the skull could give a fuller picture of the diverse family tree of archaic humans living throughout Eurasia in prehistoric times.

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