The Parthenon Marbles, also known as the Elgin Marbles, currently displayed at London’s British Museum, appear at first glance as white marble. But like many ancient sculptures, they were once full of color, Smithsonian Magazine reported. Now, a new study has used a novel method to discover...
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Beer is going to change in taste and become more expensive because of climate change, Sky News reported. In their study, scientists focused on the growth of hops, one of the critical ingredients in beer that gives it its unique taste and aroma. They explained that hops...
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Today’s funerary practices usually involve burying or cremating the dead, and lifting a glass in celebration of the dearly departed. In the distant past, however, some Stone Age civilizations in Europe opted to eat them, Science Alert reported. About 15,000 years ago, Europe was occupied by two...
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Scientists recently extracted the first word from ancient scrolls that were charred during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and thought to be lost forever, the Guardian reported. These scrolls, preserved for centuries at the site of Herculaneum in southern Italy, are part of...
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The cat’s purr has long puzzled scientists, New Scientist reported. Now, a new study is shedding some light on how cats are able to produce those sounds. A research team explained that the type of sound an animal makes is linked to their vocal folds. These folds...
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Skunks are easy to spot thanks to their particular color pattern: Jet-black fur with white stripes running from head to tail. But some skunks eschew this color code, displaying only a small white patch, while others are only one color – either completely black or white. Researcher...
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Scientists recently discovered that females learn from other females to go after males with rare and distinctive traits that include looks, size or good genes, the Jerusalem Post reported. Sexual selection often drives the evolution of traits in species, such as bigger antlers or colorful plumage....
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Migratory baleen whales are not “all work and no play,” the Washington Post reported. Instead, marine researchers recently observed that the whale group – which includes humpback and gray whales – have a fondness for playing with seaweed as they swim. For their study, the scientists analyzed...
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Some people have a low pain threshold thanks to gene variants inherited from our Neanderthal ancestors. Now, a new study delved into the role of these variants in human pain sensitivity and their prevalence, Live Science reported. Scientists analyzed three versions of the SCN9A gene, which is...
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Scientists recently discovered Europe’s oldest footwear, nearly 170 years after they were initially found in a cave in southern Spain, NBC News reported. In 1857, miners entered the Cueva de los Murciélagos (cave of the bats) near Granada and came across a burial site containing partially...
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Most gardeners know how important worms are to ensure healthy soil for healthy plants: They help decompose dead plant material to release nutrients for plants to grow, and contribute to the fight against common soil pathogens. But these days, the invertebrates are under constant threat by...
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Stone Age hunter-gatherers who lived thousands of years ago in what is now Namibia put a lot of detail into their rock art and engravings. Case in point, engravings found in Doro Nawas Mountains in the west include depictions of a variety of subjects, particularly animal...
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England’s Oxford University is one of the highest-ranked centers of learning in the world and an important contributor to humanity’s quest for knowledge. Seven hundred years ago, however, it was the murder capital of medieval England, according to Popular Science. Since 2018, historians and criminologists have been...
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The cowboy is an iconic image often associated with the American West. But new research shows that the first cowboys lived in other regions, such as Mexico and the Caribbean, and a significant number of them were of African descent, according to Science Magazine. To arrive at...
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Scientists recently discovered a new virus in the deepest part of the Earth’s oceans, Euronews reported. The pathogen was located in sediment taken more than 29,000 feet underwater in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench – considered the planet’s deepest location, researchers wrote. The Mariana Trench’s lowest point...
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The Venus flytrap, a carnivorous plant known for its ability to catch and consume insects, has a unique mechanism to defend itself against wildfires, Phys.org reported. During the dry summer months, the grass that typically covers the plant dries up, making it vulnerable to potential fires. If...
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A new archaeological finding in Zambia showed that the ancestors of modern humans were very capable engineers, Agence France-Presse reported. Archaeologists recently discovered the oldest known wooden structure near Zambia’s Kalambo Falls, and is estimated to have been created around 476,000 years ago. In their study, researchers...
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Montenegro is about to honor its “laziest citizen,” Balkan Insight reported. Last month, 21 participants joined the annual “Laziest Citizen” contest in the hope of winning a prize of more than $1,000. Contestants have one simple task: Lie in bed for as long as they can. Standing...
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Many bird species are capable of learning new vocalizations and using them to communicate, a process known as vocal learning. But scientists have wondered whether those with the best vocal learning skills are also the most intelligent. Now, a research team discovered there is a correlation...
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The thylacine, known also as the Tasmanian tiger, went fully extinct when the last one died in a Tasmanian zoo in 1936. Despite the lack of a surviving member of the species, scientists recently successfully recovered RNA from the marsupial carnivore, the first time such a...
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