A mosquito-borne parasite, Plasmodium malariae causes malaria — a disease responsible for at least 608,000 deaths and 249 million cases in 2022, according to the World Health Organization. Malaria usually causes severe headaches, fevers, and chills for modern day humans.But according to a new study, ancient humans in the modern-day Arabian Peninsula may have been resistant to the disease. A mutation in DNA most likely happened 5,000 years to 6,000 years ago, or when farming started in Eastern ...read more

The fierce Tyrannosaurus rex is well known for its boxy head, sharp teeth, and petite arms. But why did T. rex have such tiny arms and what did they use them for? Experts have developed various hypotheses for decades. Some say the tiny, seemingly useless appendages, which may have been too small to accomplish anything, might have been well adapted to give other dinosaurs a good slashing from a short distance.Others suspect they were used for holding on to other T. rexes during mating rituals, to ...read more

It’s been just over a century since British archeologist Howard Carter discovered the most prized collection of Egyptian antiquities ever found from within the tomb of King Tutankhamun. It was the only intact tomb ever discovered.Grave robbers were fooled for nearly 3,000 years by the debris that covered King Tut's tomb, which was positioned beneath the tomb of Rameses VI. Howard would find a host of priceless treasures within its chambers, including Tutankhamun’s gilded thrown, the Anubis ...read more

Radioactive decay is ubiquitous. It occurs everywhere on Earth and throughout the universe. The most common forms occur when an unstable nucleus spits out an alpha particle, consisting of two neutrons and two protons, a beta particle consisting of an energetic positron or electron, or a gamma ray, consisting of a high energy photon. When these powerful forms of radiation pass through matter, they strip electrons from atoms and molecules, leaving a trail of charged particles in their wake. Detect ...read more

Anyone who has ever tried to start a campfire knows it’s not that easy — even with matches. A person has to get the right kindling and tinder, place the match in a suitable spot, and nurture the flame so it spreads. It’s no wonder different scouting groups award merit badges to campers who successfully foster the flames.It took a long time for ancient humans to master fire-making and adapt it to daily life. But once fire became a consistent tool, it changed many aspects of early human civi ...read more

Thescelosaurus wouldn’t have known that its world was about to change drastically. More specifically, that a seven-mile-wide asteroid barreling toward Earth would soon end life as we knew it at the time. The Age of Dinosaurs was about to come to an abrupt end.Just before the K-T Event, 66 million years ago, Thescelosaurus would have lived alongside Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex, and Ankylosaurus in western North America. The species didn’t have many of the dazzling features like horns, a cl ...read more

At the end of the day, most of us find ourselves on the couch, eyes glued to the television or to our smartphones. Maybe we’re reading a book or the newspaper, but we’re still most likely seated, trying to relax after a long day of running around. It seems that we humans are gifted in the way of laziness, doing everything that we can to conserve energy.After a day of thinking at our desks or at whatever our job is, we similarly love to space out, our brain tired of focusing. But are we hardw ...read more

If you’re trying to figure out how to stay sharp as you age, I’m guessing you aren’t lacking advice. You’ve probably read dozens of articles telling you specific things you can do to reduce your risk of cognitive decline — work a sudoku every morning, learn Mandarin Chinese, eat seven servings of kale each week, join a book club, get up at 5 a.m. and meditate. There’s so much advice out there you may be confused. Or ready to just give up and let nature take its course.If that’s you ...read more

Within the next few decades, NASA aims to land humans on the Moon, set up a lunar colony and use the lessons learned to send people to Mars as part of its Artemis program.While researchers know that space travel can stress space crew members both physically and mentally and test their ability to work together in close quarters, missions to Mars will amplify these challenges. Mars is far away – millions of miles from Earth– and a mission to the red planet will take two to two and a half years ...read more

Approximately 1 in 26 people develop epilepsy, a condition in which someone experiences recurring and unprovoked seizures. But experiencing a seizure does not always mean a person has epilepsy. Seizures can be provoked by acute head injuries, alcohol withdrawal and high blood sugar, among other things. Approximately 1 in 10 people will experience a seizure during their lifetime.The Conversation asked Dr. Jacob Pellinen, a neurologist specializing in epilepsy, to walk us through how to recognize ...read more