People with curly hair have a slight evolutionary advantage when it comes to staying cool, according to a new study on scalp hair. Scientists conducted a series of experiments using thermal manikins and wigs of human hair to understand the evolutionary function of head hair, Science...
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The 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine forced residents living near the nuclear plant to abandon their homes and belongings to escape dangerous levels of radiation. Many also left their pets behind, including dogs, which were later culled by authorities to prevent them from spreading radioactive contamination. But...
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The bushfires in Australia over the summer of 2019-2020 were catastrophic for the continent’s environment and wildlife, harming around three billion animals. Now, a new study is suggesting that smoke from the deadly blazes is depleting the Earth’s ozone layer, the Guardian reported. The planet’s protective layer...
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Egypt’s famous Great Pyramid of Giza continues to unveil its secrets. Archaeologists recently discovered a hidden corridor inside the 4,500-year-old structure, using novel imaging techniques based on cosmic rays to analyze a cavity behind the pyramid’s north face, a cavity first discovered in 2016, NBC News...
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Archaeologists have discovered hundreds of small, triangular stone points at the Grotte Mandrin cave in southwestern France, where early humans are believed to have lived 54,000 years ago. The find suggests that early modern humans – or Homo sapiens – used more advanced hunting tools earlier...
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For many people, not having a shot of coffee in the morning can lead to caffeine withdrawal and its concomitant headaches, fatigue, and depressive mood. Recently, however, scientists found that decaffeinated coffee can stop those caffeine withdrawal symptoms, regardless of whether the individual knows their cup...
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Scholars had long blamed European settlers for bringing a number of diseases to the New World, including tuberculosis (TB), which decimated local Indigenous populations. But now, a new genetic study found that Indigenous people living in South America’s Andes Mountains adapted to TB long before the...
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Scientists have long thought that the Earth’s structure consisted of four layers: an outermost crust, then a mantle of molten silicate rock, a molten-liquid outer core and finally a metallic inner core. Turns out, there is a fifth layer, CNN reported. Decades ago, geoscientists suggested that there...
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Archaeologists discovered new insights about the early medical practices during the Bronze Age in what is now northern Israel, Gizmodo reported. In the ancient settlement of Megiddo, they came across the 3,500-year-old skeletons of two brothers, who appeared to have suffered long-term diseases, such as tuberculosis...
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Humans cannot hibernate but a new study shows that people need more sleep during the winter months, the Guardian reported. Scientists analyzed the results from more than 180 people who had undergone sleep studies called polysomnographies. These studies help monitor the quality, type and length of...
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Thousands of years ago, the Hittite civilization was one of the ancient world’s superpowers. The Late Bronze Age empire spanned from modern-day Turkey to parts of Syria and Iraq, with historians noting that it was ancient Egypt’s main geopolitical rival before it fell into decline after...
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Royal usurpation can be a nasty business. Bee kingdoms are no exception. Scientists have discovered that wild, nest-searching bumblebee queens face immediate death once they try to claim commercial hives as their own kingdom, Live Science reported. In their paper, a research team initially set up a...
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Archaeologists in China discovered a 2,400-year-old flush toilet, considered to be the oldest known in the world, CNN reported. Researchers came across the ancient lavatory while inspecting the old palace ruins at the Yueyang archaeological site in the central city of Xi’an. They described the sanitary artifact...
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It’s not such a bad idea to give puppies some of the leftovers. In fact, a new research paper suggested it could be good for them. Scientists found that young canines that ate table scraps, meal leftovers and raw foods experienced fewer gastrointestinal issues later in...
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There is safety in numbers – but as a new study suggests, there is also enhanced longevity, too. Scientists recently studied more than 970 mammal species and found that those who lived in social groups had longer lives, the Guardian reported. For their paper, the research team...
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Frogs come in different shapes and sizes – they also vary by ability: Some can turn translucent, for example, while others ooze out deadly venom. And then there are those that are, well, just not such great leapers. Now, scientists found a species of frog that...
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Cryptographers discovered the long-lost secret letters of 16th-century monarch Mary, Queen of Scots, a find that reveals new details about her final years, CBS News reported. The international codebreaking team found more than 50 letters containing about 50,000 never-before-seen words after digging through the digital archives...
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Killer whale mothers are so bonded with their sons that it becomes dangerous to their well-being, according to a new study. Researcher Michael Weiss and his team initially observed the parenting style of an adult female Southern Resident killer whale – dubbed K16 – for two...
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Polyglots who can speak more than five languages have long fascinated linguists, who want to understand how these individuals use their “language network” – a set of specialized brain areas located in the left frontal and temporal lobes, Science magazine reported. As a result, a research...
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Males of different species use sometimes ingenious and often odd wooing techniques on females: For example, crickets turn leaves into megaphones to boost their mating calls. But Australia’s northern quoll takes it to a new level: The males go to dangerous lengths to find a mate,...
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