Unique conditions appear to have preserved part of an ancient wooden structure dating back at least 476,000 years. This time was well before the presumed evolution of modern humans, upsetting old notions of hominid development.No one knows what the structure was, only that it appears to have been fashioned with stone tools to fit together in an interlinking fashion similar to Lincoln Logs. The scientific team led by archaeologist Larry Barham found a single such connection composed of a longer, ...read more
Smartwatches may be able to buy potential Parkinson’s patients valuable time when it comes to diagnosis.New research reveals that these devices can detect the degenerative condition years before the symptoms become serious, based solely on the movement and sleep patterns of those who wear them.“Parkinson’s disease is primarily a movement disorder and we know that before a clinical diagnosis is made where all these motor symptoms have to be present, there’s a long phase where neuronal dam ...read more
For a long time, philosophers have pondered the nature of what we hear and by association, the nature of the perception of silence. Do we only hear sounds? Some might argue that we hear sounds and their sources — a singer and her voice. However, experience leads us to believe that we also hear silence, the absence of sound, for example, when a dramatic piece of music comes to an end.The view that we only hear sounds centers on the idea that perception is only ever of positive things and that w ...read more
Scientists have identified five major episodes of mass extinction in the past 550 million years. These episodes were rare but extremely deadly, and at least 76 percent of species were lost forever. The last mass extinction happened about 65 million years ago when an asteroid destroyed dinosaur life.Many scientists now say the planet is experiencing its sixth great mass extinction, and the greatest acceleration in the loss of animal life has happened in the past century. A 2022 study in Nat ...read more
A new study of a cave used by prehistoric people in southern Spain has uncovered a mystifying set of practices involving possible cannibalism and the manipulation of dead bodies.Scientists have studied the Cueva de los Marmoles (Marble Cave) since 1934, but the most recent effort by researchers from the University of Bern and the Universidad de Córdoba is the first comprehensive study of the human remains there. The analysis relies on 411 bone fragments collected from the site, along with 47 at ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine