Neanderthals May Have Used Animal Skulls as Decor

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Researchers at the Museum of Archaeology and Paleontology in Madrid, Spain have uncovered a chamber of a cave filled with 35 skulls of long-dead herbivores. The skulls are assumed to have been placed there by groups of Neanderthals, a close relative to the modern human. Read More: Who Were the Neanderthals? The cave, known as the Cueva Des-Cubierta, is in the north Madrid region of Spain. Researchers initially discovered it in 2009, but this collection of skulls was not found until recently – ...read more

Signs of Dementia in Dogs

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Though many dog owners may not be aware of it, our canine friends can develop dementia too. Dementia in dogs — also known as canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome — often follows a similar pattern of development as it does in humans, says Gary Landsberg, a veterinary behaviorist and senior veterinary scientific director with the research organization CanCog. Read More: We’re Not Alone: Animals Suffer From Mental Health Issues Too “Dogs have neurodegenerative disease disorders that they d ...read more

Do Insects Have Feelings and Consciousness?

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

A growing body of research is making some surprising discoveries about insects. Honeybees have emotional ups and downs. Bumblebees play with toys. Cockroaches have personalities, recognize their relatives and team up to make decisions. Fruit flies experience something very like what we might call fear. Read More: Bumble Bees Like To Play Just For Fun Insects having emotions is not a new idea. In 1872, in The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, Charles Darwin wrote, "Even inse ...read more

Earth’s First Stable Dose of Oxygen Nearly Ended All Life

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

The world was an unrecognizable place more than 2.45 billion years ago. But for most of the tiny organisms that lived on the planet at the time, things were just fine; at least, until the cyanobacteria started to proliferate.   As a result, these photosynthetic bacteria began to produce oxygen — so much of it that the tiny microbes sparked the "Great Oxidation Event" that infused the gas into our atmosphere. “You could argue that that’s the biggest poisoning event of Earth’s history,†...read more

Eagles vs. Chiefs: The sky is the limit!

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

On Sunday, February 12, the Philadelphia Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII in Phoenix, AZ! Below, find ways to learn about eagles (and other birds) from almost anywhere; and discover where to check out a free kit from libraries in Missouri (Kansas City is in Missouri after all) to help measure light pollution. Leading up to the Super Bowl, the Science Cheerleaders, who were recently featured on the cover of Diversity in STEAM Magazine, will be busy with events in Phoen ...read more