d

Easter Island's legendary societal collapse didn't actually happen

Historians have claimed the people of Easter Island overexploited natural resources, causing a population crash, but new evidence suggests they lived sustainably for centuries




d

Neanderthal child may have had Down’s syndrome

A fossil bone displaying features consistent with Down’s syndrome belonged to a Neanderthal child who survived beyond 6 years old, adding to evidence that these extinct humans cared for members of their community




d

Skeletons reveal ancient Egyptian scribes had bad posture at work

The skeletons of ancient Egyptian scribes reveal the health toll of sitting on the floor while performing administrative tasks like writing




d

Ancient artefacts suggest Australian ritual endured for 12,000 years

Wooden sticks found in an Australian cave appear to match the accounts of a 19th-century anthropologist, suggesting the GurnaiKurnai people practised the same ritual at the end of the last glacial period




d

Iron Age skeletons found under bridge may have been hit by a tsunami

Twenty people may have died 2000 years ago when an Iron Age bridge suddenly collapsed following a tsunami or flood, but scientists also cannot rule out that they were sacrificed




d

Ancient Denisovans hunted snow leopards on the Tibetan plateau

Thousands of bones found in a Tibetan cave have been analysed to learn how mysterious ancient humans known as Denisovans lived




d

50,000-year-old picture of a pig is the oldest known narrative art

A new radiometric dating technique reveals that cave paintings on Sulawesi, Indonesia, are even older than previously thought, pushing back the earliest evidence of storytelling




d

Britain saw centuries of economic growth under Roman rule

The technologies introduced by the Romans after they conquered Britain led to the kind of economic growth seen in the industrial age




d

When did human ancestors start walking on two legs?

Anthropologists have been arguing for 20 years about whether Sahelanthropus, a hominin that lived about 7 million years ago, was one of the first bipedal apes




d

The plague may have wiped out most northern Europeans 5000 years ago

DNA evidence from tombs in Sweden and Denmark suggests major plague outbreaks were responsible for the Neolithic decline in northern Europe




d

Denisovan DNA may help modern humans adapt to different environments

Highland and lowland populations in Papua New Guinea have different gene variants derived from Denisovan archaic humans, indicating possible adaptations for lower oxygen levels and higher malaria risk




d

Why did humans evolve big brains? A new idea bodes ill for our future

Recent fossil finds suggest that big brains weren't an evolutionary asset to our ancestors but evolved by accident – and are likely to shrink again in the near future




d

Butchered bones hint humans were in South America 21,000 years ago

Prehistoric mammal bones found at a construction site in Argentina appear to have been cut with stone tools, suggesting that humans lived in the region much earlier than previously thought




d

Neanderthal cooking skills put to the test with birds and stone tools

In an effort to understand ancient Neanderthal food preparation techniques, researchers butchered five wild birds using flint stone tools and roasted them




d

Egyptian pyramid may have been built using a water-powered elevator

Ancient Egyptians may have relied on a vertical shaft that could be filled with water, along with a network of water channels and filtration structures, to build the Step Pyramid of Djoser 4500 years ago




d

Bronze Age hoards hint that market economies arose surprisingly early

An analysis of 20,000 metal objects from Bronze Age Europe suggests human economic behaviour may not have changed much over the past 3500 years




d

What made us human? The fossils redefining our evolutionary origins

Fossils found 50 and 100 years ago seemed to pinpoint the moment humanity emerged – but defining a human has turned out to be far trickier than we thought




d

Hobbit hominins from Indonesia may have had even smaller ancestors

An arm bone from an ancient human that lived 700,000 years ago on the island of Flores is the smallest ever found from an adult hominin, adding a new piece to the puzzle of Homo floresiensis




d

Stonehenge’s altar stone was brought all the way from Scotland

The nearest source of the altar stone at the centre of Stonehenge has finally been identified – and it is at least 750 kilometres away in north-east Scotland




d

Cocaine in mummified brains reveals when Europeans first used the drug

The use of cocaine only took off in Europe during the 19th century, after the drug was chemically isolated from coca leaves, but new evidence suggests much earlier use




d

Neolithic engineers used science knowledge to build megalith monument

A monument in southern Spain that dates to between 3600 and 3800 BC appears to have been built with an understanding of geology and physics




d

Greenland voyage sheds light on little-known ancient Arctic culture

On a recent expedition, researchers braved summer storms in northern Greenland to learn the secrets of the ancient peoples who lived there 4500 years ago




d

When did humans leave the trees for the savannah – or did they at all?

Ancient humans are said to have evolved to leave the trees, where our primate ancestors lived, in favour of open grassy savannahs – but we may have this idea wrong




d

Ancient people of Easter Island made return trips to South America

DNA analysis shows that people from Easter Island had contact with Indigenous Americans around the 1300s, and finds there was no population crash before the arrival of Europeans




d

Genome of Neanderthal fossil reveals lost tribe cut off for millennia

Analysis of DNA from a Neanderthal fossil found in a French cave indicates that it belonged to a group that was isolated for more than 50,000 years




d

AI discovers hundreds of ancient Nazca drawings in Peruvian desert

Archaeologists have used AI to discover hundreds of large-scale drawings depicting figures like llamas, decapitated human heads and killer whales armed with knives




d

World's oldest cheese found on 3500-year-old Chinese mummies

DNA and protein analysis has identified a white substance smeared on mummies in China as a kind of kefir cheese, made from cow and goat milk




d

Rachel Kushner’s Booker-shortlisted Creation Lake is top-notch

For an undercover operative, Sadie Smith takes unnecessary risks as she infiltrates an eco-activist group. Why? And where do the Neanderthals fit into Creation Lake, Rachel Kushner's Booker-shortlisted climate fiction novel? Emily H. Wilson loved finding out




d

Ancient DNA tells story of toddler who lived in Italy 17,000 years ago

A young boy who lived towards the end of the last glacial period had dark skin, blue eyes and a congenital heart condition, a study of his genome reveals




d

Read an extract from Rachel Kushner's Creation Lake

In the opening to Rachel Kushner's Booker-shortlisted novel Creation Lake, the latest pick for the New Scientist Book Club, we meet undercover operative Sadie Smith as she secretly reads the emails of an eco-activist group




d

Gravity may explain why Neanderthals failed to adopt advanced weaponry

Spear-throwing tools called atlatls allow humans to launch projectiles over great distances, but Neanderthals apparently never used them – and an experiment involving a 9-metre-tall platform may explain why




d

How the evolution of citrus is inextricably linked with our own

Millions of years ago, our ancestors lost a gene for producing vitamin C and got a taste for citrus. Since then, we've cultivated the tangy fruits into global staples like sweet oranges and sour lemons




d

A cave in France is revealing how the Neanderthals died out

Discoveries from the genomes of the last Neanderthals are rewriting the story of how our own species came to replace them




d

The archaeologist fighting claims about an advanced lost civilisation

Netflix’s Ancient Apocalypse peddles the idea that we have overlooked an extraordinary ancient civilisation. Flint Dibble explains why that is wrong, and why real archaeology is more exciting




d

Many Iron Age swords may be tainted by modern forgery

Ancient weaponsmiths combined bronze and iron to fashion swords during the early Iron Age – but modern forgers glue together elements from different weapons, making it difficult for researchers to study the ancient technology




d

Extremely rare Bronze Age wooden tool found in English trench

In a wetland on the south coast of England, archaeologists dug up one of the oldest and most complete wooden tools ever found in Britain, which is around 3500 years old




d

DNA helps match 'Well Man' skeleton to 800-year-old Norwegian saga

The Sverris saga describes how castle invaders “took a dead man and cast him unto the well, and then filled it up with stones”, in what may have been an early act of biological warfare - and now researchers believe they have found the skeleton of the man in question




d

Stone Age network reveals ancient Paris was an artisanal trading hub

Ancient stone goods found across France may have been made by skilled craftspeople in what is now Paris, who traded along vast networks




d

Chilling news adds fresh meaning to 2018 Arctic horror drama

A new study amplifies the horror of an excellent series about the doomed Franklin expedition. The Terror is a worthy tribute to the lost sailors, says Bethan Ackerley




d

Ancient Egyptians shaped sheep's horns – and we don't know why

The earliest evidence of livestock with modified horns has been discovered in ancient Egypt – sheep skulls with horns that point in unnatural directions suggest humans forced them to grow that way




d

DNA analysis rewrites the stories of people buried in Pompeii

Genetic analysis of five individuals preserved as plaster casts in the ruins of Pompeii contradicts established beliefs about the people and their relationships




d

Before the Stone Age: Were the first tools made from plants not rocks?

Our ancestors probably used a wide range of plant-based tools that have since been lost to history. Now we're finally getting a glimpse of this Botanic Age




d

Olivia Newton-John, Singer and Actress, Dies at 73

Title: Olivia Newton-John, Singer and Actress, Dies at 73
Category: Health News
Created: 8/9/2022 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/9/2022 12:00:00 AM




d

Breast Cancer Treatment Effects on Sex Life a Hidden Burden

Title: Breast Cancer Treatment Effects on Sex Life a Hidden Burden
Category: Health News
Created: 8/8/2022 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/9/2022 12:00:00 AM




d

How Is PIK3CA Mutation Treated?

Title: How Is PIK3CA Mutation Treated?
Category: Diseases and Conditions
Created: 10/29/2021 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/10/2022 12:00:00 AM




d

PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' Linked With Liver Cancer

Title: PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' Linked With Liver Cancer
Category: Health News
Created: 8/10/2022 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/10/2022 12:00:00 AM




d

Lung Cancer Can Diminish Sexual Health for Women

Title: Lung Cancer Can Diminish Sexual Health for Women
Category: Health News
Created: 8/11/2022 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/11/2022 12:00:00 AM




d

Biden to Sign Bill That Helps Veterans Exposed to Toxic Burn Pits

Title: Biden to Sign Bill That Helps Veterans Exposed to Toxic Burn Pits
Category: Health News
Created: 8/10/2022 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/11/2022 12:00:00 AM




d

Need Advice on Medical Pot for Cancer Care? Don't Ask Local Dispensary

Title: Need Advice on Medical Pot for Cancer Care? Don't Ask Local Dispensary
Category: Health News
Created: 8/17/2022 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/18/2022 12:00:00 AM




d

Dealing With Grief on the Cancer Journey

Title: Dealing With Grief on the Cancer Journey
Category: Health News
Created: 8/19/2022 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/19/2022 12:00:00 AM