Women influenced coevolution of dogs and humans
Credit: CC0 Public Domain Man’s best friend might actually belong to a woman. In a cross-cultural analysis, Washington State University researchers found several factors may have played a role in building the mutually beneficial relationship between humans and dogs, including temperature, hunting and surprisingly—gender. “We found that dogs’ relationships with women might have had a […]
Early humans used chopping tools to break animal bones and consume the bone marrow — ScienceDaily
Researchers from the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University unraveled the function of flint tools known as ‘chopping tools’, found at the prehistoric site of Revadim, east of Ashdod. Applying advanced research methods, they examined use-wear traces on 53 chopping tools, as well as organic residues found on some of […]
Humans could move to this floating asteroid belt colony in the next 15 years, astrophysicist says
Now more than ever, space agencies and starry-eyed billionaires have their minds fixed on finding a new home for humanity beyond Earth’s orbit. Mars is an obvious candidate, given its relatively close proximity, 24-hour day/night cycle and CO2-rich atmosphere. However, there’s a school of spacefaring thought that suggests colonizing the surface of another planet — […]
Study identifies a nonhuman primate model that mimics severe COVID-19 similar to humans — ScienceDaily
Aged, wild-caught African green monkeys exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with clinical symptoms similar to those observed in the most serious human cases of COVID-19, report researchers in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier. This is the first study to show that African green monkeys can develop […]
Parasite found in cat poop linked to higher brain cancer risk in humans
Here’s another reason to cook your meat and take care around cat litter: The parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which reproduces in cats and most often spreads to humans through raw meat, may increase the risk of brain cancer in humans, a new study suggests. The researchers found a link between the presence of T. gondii antibodies […]
Newborn megalodon sharks were larger than most adult humans
“Baby shark” has taken on a whole new meaning. Newborn megalodon sharks were supersized fish larger than most adult humans, a new study suggests. An analysis of the growth rates of the ancient ocean predators, which lived between about 23 million and 2.5 million years ago, estimates that the sharks started life at about 2 […]
~2.0 to 1.8 million year-old archaeological site demonstrates that early humans had the skills and tools to cope with ecological change — ScienceDaily
Olduvai (now Oldupai) Gorge, known as the Cradle of Humankind, is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Tanzania, made famous by Louis and Mary Leakey. New interdisciplinary field work has led to the discovery of the oldest archaeological site in Oldupai Gorge as reported in Nature Communications, which shows that early human used a wide […]
What if humans had photosynthetic skin?
The series “Imaginary Earths” speculates what the world might be like if one key aspect of life changed, whether related to the planet or humanity. Green skin is common in science fiction, from little green men to Hera Syndulla from “Star Wars Rebels” to Gamora from “Guardians of the Galaxy.” But what if green skin […]
Humans are destroying our ‘perfect planet,’ Attenborough says
Powerful natural forces on our planet and in our solar system work together to sculpt and support life on our fragile pale blue dot. A new five-part series called “A Perfect Planet,” narrated by the legendary Sir David Attenborough, explores how these natural forces have worked together to make life possible — and how a […]
The team will gather information in Africa on zoonotic diseases that can jump from animals to humans, like COVID-19 and HIV — ScienceDaily
A University of Arkansas biologist is part of a global team of researchers developing a strategy to detect and intercept diseases emerging from wildlife in Africa that could eventually infect humans. Assistant professor Kristian Forbes, along with colleagues from Africa, Europe and North America, have proposed a four-part approach to detect and contain zoonotic diseases, […]
