In 2022, Richard D. Hansen led a team in Guatemala’s Mirador-Calakmul Karst Basin and found Mayan structures consistently spread over a 650-square-mile area (slightly larger than modern London). They identified 964 previously unknown sites aged 1000 B.C. to A.D. 150 and 110 miles of raised causeways connecting them. While it was already known that Mayan civilization was spread throughout Central America, many assumed tropical forest settlements were an obstacle to creating complex societies. â ...read more
Did you know it's possible for scientists to trick your brain into thinking you have an additional appendage? A participant might stand in front of a mirror placing their left hand in such a way that the thumb doesn’t show. A researcher then strokes the non-thumb side of the left hand at the same time as stroking the side with the thumb. In the space of a few moments, the participant begins to feel as though they have a second thumb on the wrong side of their hand — even though they can clea ...read more
In Stone Age sites all over the world, archaeologists have found rounded stone “spheroids” that fit in the palms of their hands. A bit too heavy for tossing around, the balls have cropped up in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Levant, the countries gathered near the eastern shore of the Mediterranean. No one knows what purpose the balls served, be it practical, personal, aesthetic or something yet unimagined.Scientists have also disagreed on whether early humans made the objects intentionally †...read more
The world is full of insects who are out for our blood. Since the dawn of human existence, we’ve been snacked on by ticks, lice, fleas, flies and mosquitoes beyond counting. But in recent times, few parasitic insects have instilled more skin-crawling revulsion — or fear of infestation — than the common bed bug.And with good reason: According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, cases of bed bug infestation have been increasing over the past 20 years. As many as 1 in 5 Americans eit ...read more
Archaeologists working with Norway’s Secrets of the Ice program recently got a shock when a arrow shaft they had previously dated to the Iron Age turned out to be some 4,000 years old.The scientists had collected the arrow from the side of a mountain, Lauvhøe, and at first, it looked like other Iron Age arrows collected from the area. But after the researchers cleaned the glacial silt off one end, they found a notch befitting a stone arrowhead and not an iron one. The team co-directed by Lars ...read more
Dogs and wolves have exceptional abilities to track and find food, and a new study says they use more than just their snouts. The canines can find hidden food if they see it being hidden first, suggesting that they not only rely on scents but also memory.Previous research has suggested that both wolves and dogs are capable of social learning, known as observational spatial memory (OSM). But do dogs and wolves differ in this ability? Researchers seek to understand this question in the new study, ...read more
Cats have captivated our hearts for centuries with their endearing behaviors. These enigmatic feline companions often leave us with a myriad of questions about their habits, physiology and interactions. From the curious quirks of their daily routines to the intricacies of their senses, the world of cats is a fascinating realm. Learn more about this realm with these 10 facts about our furry friends. 1. When Were Cats Domesticated?A 2007 study concluded Felis silvestris lybica was domesticated at ...read more
Both NOAA and NASA have made it official: Earth sweltered through both the warmest August and most sizzling summer on record.“Not only was last month the warmest August on record by quite a lot, it was also the globe’s 45th-consecutive August and the 534th-consecutive month with temperatures above the 20th-century average," said NOAA Chief Scientist Sarah Kapnick, in a statement. "Global marine heat waves and a growing El Niño are driving additional warming this year, but as long as emissio ...read more
Even if you don’t share your home with a cat, you probably know from social media that cats love to get in boxes. My favorite cats-in-boxes memes show several cats sitting in boxes with the caption “Cat traps.”But have you ever wondered why cats have this weird thing for boxes? The answer is pretty much what you’d expect: They feel safer and more secure, all tucked up in a tiny space.Why Do Cats Like Boxes?(Credit:Khomulo Anna/Shutter)Some studies have found that when shelter cats are ...read more
