Ancient genes pinpoint when humans and Neanderthals mixed and mingled
Neanderthals and humans likely mixed and mingled during a narrow time frame 45,000 years ago, scientists reported Thursday......»»
Triassic reptile with unusual jaws named as a new species
A new species of ancient reptile has been named after spending more than 200 million years buried in the ground. Threordatoth chasmatos was one of the last survivors of the procolophonids, a group of lizard-like animals that were once widespread duri.....»»
The moon"s biggest and most ancient crater is more circular than previously thought
The South Pole-Aitken basin is the moon's oldest and largest visible crater—a massive geological wound 4 billion years old that preserves secrets about the moon's early history, much like a lunar time capsule......»»
Feral female buffalo build friendships based on similar personality traits, study reveals
Similar social personalities strongly influence friendships in humans, yet we know relatively little about how animals choose their friends. But a new study by researchers at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) investigating a unique free-ranging.....»»
Navigating crises: The financial adaptations of NGOs during the COVID-19 pandemic
Demand for NGO services usually increases in times of crisis. However, a new study led by Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) in Lithuania has found that the COVID-19 pandemic had a mixed impact on NGOs working in Lithuania, Croatia, Poland and the.....»»
Scientists identify mutation that could facilitate H5N1 bird flu virus infection and potential transmission in humans
Avian influenza viruses typically require several mutations to adapt and spread among humans, but what happens when just one change can increase the risk of becoming a pandemic virus?.....»»
Coming soon to Apple Vision Pro: mixed reality hit game ‘Little Cities: Diorama’ [out now]
Update: Right on schedule, Little Cities: Diorama has arrived for Apple Vision Pro. Download it here. More mixed reality games that became popular on Meta Quest headsets are coming to Apple Vision Pro. Little Cities: Diorama offers an all-new.....»»
Study shows chimpanzees perform the same complex behaviors that have brought humans success
A new study suggests that the fundamental abilities underlying human language and technological culture may have evolved before humans and apes diverged millions of years ago. The findings were published 5 December 2024 in the journal PeerJ......»»
Neanderthals and modern humans must be classed as separate species to best track our origins, study claims
A new study published by researchers at London's Natural History Museum and Institute of Philosophy, KU Leuven has reinforced the claim that Neanderthals and modern-day humans (Homo sapiens) must be classed as separate species in order to best track.....»»
James Webb spots ancient Spiderweb cluster that’s 10 billion years old
An image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows a group of galaxies called the Spiderweb protocluster, and it dates to when the universe was young......»»
Dog domestication happened many times, but most didn’t pan out
Our relationship with wolves, dogs, and even coyotes has always been complicated. Between 8,000 and 12,000 years ago, people in Alaska kept reinventing dogs with mixed results. Th.....»»
Biologist explores why humans have sex—and sexes—in a world where life requires neither
University of Maryland biology Professor Eric Haag has spent his career studying animal reproduction, but people's sex lives never factored into his research. That changed in 2014 when a cancer diagnosis prompted Haag to take stock of his career......»»
Isotope analysis reveals mammoth as key food source for ancient Americans
Scientists have uncovered the first direct evidence that ancient Americans relied primarily on mammoth and other large animals for food. Their research sheds new light on both the rapid expansion of humans throughout the Americas and the extinction o.....»»
Archaeological remains in Alaska show humans and dogs bonded 12,000 years ago
"Dog is man's best friend" may be an ancient cliché, but when that friendship began is a longstanding question among scientists. A study led by a University of Arizona researcher is one step closer to an answer to how Indigenous people in the Americ.....»»
Neanderthals were making hand stencil rock art more than 66,000 years ago, U-series dating suggests
A discovery deep within a cave in Spain has challenged the history of human artistic expression. Researchers have determined that hand stencils in Maltravieso Cave are more than 66,000 years old, suggesting that Neanderthals, not modern humans, were.....»»
Caving expedition yields valuable insight into cognitive performance under stress
Lab-based research is a bedrock of how modern science is practiced, but it cannot account for most experiences humans encounter outside the lab. Likewise, most of these experiences cannot be replicated in a lab setting......»»
Q&A: What fossils reveal about ancient Australian forests and fire
Australia's forest ecosystems, renowned for their extraordinary diversity of rare plants and animals, also play a vital role in mitigating climate change by absorbing and storing carbon. However, fossils from these ancient forests are reshaping the u.....»»
A survey of hundreds of vacationers confirms this ancient wisdom: The journey matters as much as the destination
Americans spent more than US$850 billion on domestic leisure travel in 2023, a sum that looks likely to rise in future years. Whether it's a weekend getaway to a Taylor Swift concert, a long-anticipated holiday visit with family, or a monthlong tour.....»»
Ancient Iberian slate plaques may be genealogical records
A study published in the European Journal of Archaeology by Prof. Katina Lillios and her colleagues has provided a statistical evaluation that may suggest Late Neolithic and Copper Age Iberian (3200–2200 BC) engraved slate plaques may have been one.....»»
Ancient maize samples in Brazilian caves suggest the crop"s domestication may have been completed in South America
Brazilian scientists have determined that ancient specimens of partially domesticated maize (Zea mays, also known as corn) originally from Peruaçu Valley in Minas Gerais state (Brazil) were the farthest from Mexico, the plant's historic center of or.....»»
Resurrecting an ancestral protein as a novel tool to study RNA biology
By deducing the possible ancient forms of a bacterial enzyme, OIST scientists have resurrected one of its ancestral versions, with a comparably higher ability to chemically modify RNA......»»