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☆ Oldest siblings tend to make more money. Researchers have a new theory that explains why.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

An NBER working paper found that older siblings tend to make more money than their younger siblings. AdvertisementFor years, researchers have found that the eldest child tends to earn more money and perform better on cognitive tests than their younger siblings. AdvertisementOther reasons first-born siblings might have an advantageDayal told BI that studies across various countries and contexts have corroborated the idea that older siblings tend to have more education and economic success than their younger siblings. "Interestingly, these benefits start to emerge around age 12, when older siblings have more to teach and younger siblings are more ready to learn." AdvertisementGrant cited a study of 240,000 Norwegian teenagers that found younger siblings who had firstborn siblings die in infancy went on to have higher intelligence scores than laterborns with firstborn siblings.

Persons: —, Meltem, Daysal, Younger, Dayal, Sandra Black, Columbia University who's, Adam Grant's, Grant Organizations: Service, National Bureau of Economic Research, of Economics, University of Copenhagen, Columbia University Locations: Denmark

☆ Who Kissed First? Archaeology Has an Answer.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Franz Lidz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

They met a week earlier at a pub near the University of Copenhagen, where both were undergraduates. “I had asked my cousin if he knew any nice single guys with long hair and long beards,” Dr. Rasmussen said. “I do,” said Dr. Rasmussen, who had taken some of the same classes. The researcher, at the University of Cambridge, suggested that the custom — a lip-kissing precursor that involved rubbing and pressing noses together — developed into hardcore smooching. — about when the Indian how-to sex manual, the Kama Sutra, was published — kissing had spread to the Mediterranean with the return of Alexander the Great’s troops from Northern India.

Persons: humanity’s, Sophie Lund Rasmussen, Troels, “, Dr, Rasmussen, ’, Arboll, ”, buss, —, Alexander the Organizations: University of Copenhagen, University of Oxford’s, Conservation Research Unit, Aalborg University, University of Cambridge Locations: Assyriology, Denmark, Asia, Northern India

☆ Romantic kissing’s earliest record dates to 4,500 years ago, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Romantic kisses have long been celebrated in songs, poems and stories, commemorated in art and film. Modern scholars therefore concluded that romantic kisses likely originated in India. Across thousands of cuneiform tablets kissing isn’t the most mentioned topic, “but it is attested regularly,” he said. But Arbøll and Rasmussen suspected that romantic kissing became accepted in Bronze Age Europe, and not because of migration alone. Even today, many cultures shun romantic kissing, Arbøll and Rasmussen reported.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Guy de Maupassant, Troels Pank, Assyriology, Justin R, Garcia, ” Garcia, de Maupassant, Arbøll, Dr, Sophie Lund Rasmussen, ” Arbøll, “, primatologist Frans B.M, De, Rasmussen, isn’t, It’s, ” Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, University of Copenhagen, Indiana University, Kinsey Institute, Oxford University, Emory University, Scientific Locations: Mesopotamia, Bloomington, India, De Waal, Atlanta, Europe, Russia

☆ ‘Starling’: Photobook shows stunning images of the bird migrating through Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The phenomenon, known as a starling murmuration in English or “black sun” in Danish, lasts just minutes, or even seconds. But it left a lasting impression on Danish photographer Søren Solkær, who first witnessed the spectacle when he was 10 years old. “The first thing that came to mind was starling murmurations … this big piece of calligraphy in the sky,” he told CNN. Solkær’s latest photobook, “Starling,” published last month, charts this migration journey, and with it, he hopes to inspire a closer relationship with nature. In Rome, Solkær included architecture in his compositions.

Persons: CNN —, Søren Solkær, ” Solkær, Solkær, Amy Winehouse, Metallica, Paul McCartney, starling, “ Starling, ”, “, Søren Solkær “, falconer, Diviners, that’s, “ I’ve, — Organizations: CNN, “, starlings, University of Copenhagen, Museum Locations: Denmark, Europe, Ireland, Italy, Wadden, North Africa, Rome, Danish, Søren Solkær “ Rome, North America, ”, Socotra, Bhutan, South Asia, Australia, Sardinia

☆ Multiple sclerosis is more common among white Europeans. Researchers studying ancient DNA may have figured out why.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewGenes that may have once helped ancient herders fight infectious parasites could contribute to autoimmune diseases today, like multiple sclerosis. For example, rates of MS are twice as high in the northwest of Europe, including in Scandinavia, compared to southern Europe. AdvertisementThey analyzed teeth and bones from Europe and Western Asia, adding to an ancient DNA database of about 1,600 genomes. Northern Europeans are also more susceptible to MS than in southern Europe, where Yamnayan ancestry is less common. AdvertisementFor some people, this inflammatory response can go overboard and start attacking the body's own cells, as with MS, Iversen said.

Persons: —, it's, Rasmus Nielsen, Nielsen, Matthew Dunham NMB, immunologist Dr, Astrid Iversen, haven't, Iversen Organizations: Service, Business, University of Copenhagen, University of Cambridge, University of California, BBC Locations: Europe, Scandinavia, Western Asia, Berkeley, Northern

☆ Before-and-after images show how Greenland’s glaciers have rapidly retreated
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Now housed in the Danish National Archives, the historical images inspired her and other researchers to reconstruct the territory’s glacial history and how it has changed amid a rapidly warming climate. The comparison found Greenland’s glaciers have experienced an alarming rate of retreat that has accelerated over the last two decades. For the first time on record, it rained at the summit of Greenland — roughly two miles above sea level during the summer of 2021. Earlier this week, scientists found that northern Greenland’s huge glaciers, which were long thought to be relatively stable, now pose potentially “dramatic” consequences for sea level rise. “[The paper] really reinforces that our choices over the next few decades and how much we reduce our emissions really matter to these glaciers,” Larocca said.

Persons: Laura Larocca, of Denmark Niels Jakup, Niels Jakup Korsgaard, ”, Larocca, Hans Henrik Tholstrup, University of Copenhagen Larocca, ” Larocca Organizations: CNN, Danish National Archives, of, of Denmark, Arizona State University School of Ocean Futures, Danish Agency, Datasupply, University of Copenhagen The Danish Agency, University of Copenhagen Locations: Denmark, Copenhagen, Greenland, of Denmark, Danish

☆ Greenland glaciers melt five times faster than 20 years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Johannes Birkebaek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Valleys cut by glaciers of the Greenland Ice Sheet along the mountains of Greenland, August 3, 2022. Greenland's ice melt is of particular concern, as the ancient ice sheet holds enough water to raise sea levels by at least 20 feet (6 meters) if it were to melt away entirely. "I believe we can prepare for those glaciers to continue to melt at increasing speeds," Olesen said. Glaciers in Greenland are often used to anticipate the effects of climate change on Greenland's ice sheet. The Greenland ice sheet contributed 17.3% of the observed rise in sea level between 2006 and 2018 and glaciers have contributed 21%.

Persons: Jim Urquhart, Anders Anker Bjork, Bjork, Jørgen Eivind Olesen, Olesen, William Colgan, Johannes Birkebaek, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, University of Copenhagen, geosciences, Reuters, European Union, Climate Institute, Aarhus University, Geological Survey, Thomson Locations: Greenland, Denmark

☆ Greenland Glaciers Melt Five Times Faster Than 20 Years Ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Johannes BirkebaekCOPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Global warming has increased the speed at which glaciers in Greenland are melting by fivefold over the last 20 years, scientists from the University of Copenhagen said on Friday. Greenland's ice melt is of particular concern, as the ancient ice sheet holds enough water to raise sea levels by at least 20 feet (6 meters) if it were to melt away entirely. "I believe we can prepare for those glaciers to continue to melt at increasing speeds," Olesen said. Glaciers in Greenland are often used to anticipate the effects of climate change on Greenland's ice sheet. The Greenland ice sheet contributed 17.3% of the observed rise in sea level between 2006 and 2018 and glaciers have contributed 21%.

Persons: Johannes Birkebaek COPENHAGEN, Anders Anker Bjork, Bjork, Jørgen Eivind Olesen, Olesen, William Colgan, Johannes Birkebaek, Barbara Lewis Organizations: University of Copenhagen, geosciences, Reuters, European Union, Climate Institute, Aarhus University, Geological Survey Locations: Greenland, Denmark

☆ These skills could earn you more money and help futureproof your career
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Workers with AI skills earn up to 40% more than those without them, new research finds. It comes as companies increasingly aim to hire staff with specialized AI skills. The study, which surveyed 25,000 freelance workers, showed that knowledge of machine learning, open-source AI software, and deep learning salaries were the skills employers valued the most. Speaking at the Google Cloud Next conference in London earlier this month, Unilever chief technology officer Adam Raeburn-Jones said AI skills will be a crucial factor in future hiring decisions. Stephan Pretorius, CTO of advertising agency WPP, said his company was now hiring people with specialist AI skills, and that employers would have to battle to attract young workers with AI expertise.

Persons: —, Fabian Stephany, Adam Raeburn, Jones, Jobseekers, Raeburn, Stephan Pretorius Organizations: Service, Workers, Research, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Copenhagen, Google, Unilever, WPP, Columbia University Locations: London

☆ Novo Nordisk's Wegovy bonanza looms large in Denmark
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

COPENHAGEN, Oct 5 (Reuters) - The whirlwind success of weight-loss treatment Wegovy is providing a bonanza not just for its developer, Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), but also for its home country of Denmark. Interviews with Danish economists, analysts, and executives at the Novo Nordisk Foundation which controls Novo highlight the benefits to the economy from jobs to private wealth - but also the potential pitfalls of relying on a single, outsized company. Record profits for Novo are projected to generate returns for the Foundation of more than $12 billion in coming years. Novo Nordisk added 3,500 jobs in Denmark in 2022, bringing the total in the country to 21,000 employees, out of 59,000 worldwide, a company spokesperson said. Before Wegovy, "we used to be kind of, 'Isn't Denmark the place where Stockholm is the capital?'"

Persons: Danes, Lars Skovgaard Andersen, Lars Christensen, Wegovy, Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, " Thomsen, Moller, Thomsen, Melinda Gates, Rasmus Kristian Feldthusen, Maggie Fick, Jacob Gronholt, Alexander Smith, Josephine Mason, Michele Gershberg, Catherine Evans Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Danske Bank, Copenhagen Business School, Novo, Foundation, Reuters, Novo Holdings, Carlsberg, Maersk, U.S, Melinda Gates Foundation, UK's Wellcome Trust, Wegovy, University of Copenhagen, Nokia, Pedersen, Thomson Locations: COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Danish, Novo, Europe, North America, Asia, OUTGROWING DENMARK, Finland

☆ Brainless Jellyfish Demonstrate Learning Ability
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Veronique Greenwood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the dappled sunlit waters of Caribbean mangrove forests, tiny box jellyfish bob in and out of the shade. Box jellies are distinguished from true jellyfish in part by their complex visual system — the grape-size predators have 24 eyes. On Friday, researchers published a report in the journal Current Biology indicating that the box jellyfish species Tripedalia cystophora have the ability to learn. Because box jellyfish diverged from our part of the animal kingdom long ago, understanding their cognitive abilities could help scientists trace the evolution of learning. How do box jellies tell when they are getting too close?

Persons: Anders Garm Organizations: University of Copenhagen

☆ Surprising jellyfish finding challenges what’s known about learning and memory
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Jenna Schnuer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Caribbean box jellyfish, animals that may appear to float through life aimlessly and don’t have a central brain, still have the ability to learn rapidly and retain information, new research has found. Caribbean box jellyfish, also known by the scientific name Tripedalia cystophora, have 24 eyes — six in each of four visual sensory centers called rhopalia. How jellyfish learnTo test the animals’ ability to learn, the researchers lined the inside of a round tank with gray and white stripes. The gray stripes would appear to the jellyfish’s 24 eyes as dark as a faraway mangrove root does in their natural habitat. “The scientists devised a very convincing experimental paradigm to quantify associative learning in this box jellyfish.

Persons: Anders Garm, “ We’ve, ”, Jan Bielecki, Bielecki, ” Bielecki, “, Michael Abrams, Abrams, ” Abrams Organizations: CNN, University of Copenhagen, Denmark —, Physiology, Kiel University, University of California, California Institute of Technology Locations: Denmark, Germany, Kiel, Caribbean, Berkeley

☆ Japanese researchers say they used AI to try and translate the noises of clucking chickens and learn whether they're excited, hungry, or scared
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Researchers think they've found a way to use AI to translate the clucks of chickens. The Japanese researchers said their AI system could help understand chickens' emotional state. The AI system is based on a technique the researchers called "Deep Emotional Analysis Learning," which can adapt to changing vocal patterns. The study found that the system was capable of translating "various emotional states in chickens, including hunger, fear, anger, contentment, excitement, and distress." The system was able to achieve surprisingly high accuracy in identifying the birds' emotional states, the study found.

Persons: they've, they'd, Adrian David Cheok, Cheok Organizations: Service, University of Tokyo, New York, University of Copenhagen, ETH Zurich, National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, Environment Locations: Wall, Silicon, Japan

☆ Erik Aschengreen, 88, Dies; Historian and Critic Illuminated Danish Dance
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Alastair Macaulay | More About Alastair Macaulay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The 1979, 1992, and 2005 festivals of Bournonville’s ballets flooded the Royal Danish Theater in Copenhagen with dance authorities from many countries. Mr. Aschengreen did much to welcome, entertain and enlighten them as a spokesman at many presentations by the Danish company. From 1964 to 2005 Mr. Aschengreen was the dance critic for the Copenhagen-based Berlingske Tidende (now known simply as Berlingske), one of the world’s oldest newspapers still in print. He also taught ballet history at the Royal Danish Ballet School from 1971 to 1993 and dance history at the Danish School of Contemporary Dance from its founding in 1990. He traveled extensively to see international dance and to investigate dance education.

Persons: Erik Bruhn, Peter Martins, Ib Andersen, Nikolaj Hübbe, August Bournonville, Aschengreen, ”, Alexei Ratmansky, Marina Harss, Ratmansky Organizations: Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Danish Theater, New York City Ballet, Berlingske Tidende, University of Copenhagen, Royal Danish Ballet School, Danish School of Contemporary Locations: Danish, America, Denmark, United States, Copenhagen, Ukrainian American

☆ Conditions on Earth may be moving outside the ‘safe operating space’ for humanity, according to dozens of scientists
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The scientists analyzed nine interlinked “planetary boundaries,” which they define as thresholds the world needs to stay within to ensure a stable, livable planet. A ‘stark warning’Crossing planetary boundaries does not mean the world has reached a disastrous tipping point. As humanity crosses planetary boundaries, our “bank balance” is going down, she said. The significance of the planetary boundaries model is that it doesn’t analyze climate and biodiversity in isolation, the report authors said. This report is the third update on the planetary boundaries framework.

Persons: ”, Katherine Richardson, Angelos Tzortzinis, Richardson, ” Richardson, Martin Mejia, Simon Lewis, we’ve, Andrew Fanning, Raymond Pierrehumbert, ” Lewis, Stuart Pimm, Doris Duke Organizations: CNN, University of Copenhagen, Cordillera, University College London, University of Leeds, Oxford University, Duke University Locations: Chasia, Athens, AFP

BERLIN, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The Earth's life-support systems are facing greater risks and uncertainties than ever before, with most major safety limits already crossed as a result of planet-wide human interventions, according to a scientific study released on Wednesday. The authors said crossing the boundaries did not represent a tipping point where human civilisation would just crash, but could bring irreversible shifts in the Earth's support systems. "We can think of Earth as a human body, and the planetary boundaries as blood pressure. Over 120/80 does not indicate a certain heart attack but it does raise the risk," Richardson said. "It is a complete failure ...and it's a large risk... We're still following a pathway that takes us unequivocally to disaster."

Persons: Katherine Richardson, Richardson, Ueslei Marcelino, We're, Johan Rockström, I've, Rockström, Riham, David Stanway, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: University of Copenhagen, REUTERS, Potsdam Institute, Climate Impact, United Nations Global, Thomson Locations: Seca, Uruara, Para State, Brazil, Dubai

☆ ‘Swifterature:’ Belgian university launches course to analyze Taylor Swift lyrics
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Leah Dolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Poetry, prose and now songwriting: Ghent University in Belgium is launching a new literature course dedicated to the literary merit of Taylor Swift’s discography. “Highly prolific and autobiographical in her songwriting, Swift makes frequent allusions to canonical literary texts in her music,” the class syllabus explains. “Using Swift’s work as a springboard, we will explore, among other topics, literary feminism, ecocriticism, fan studies, and tropes such as the anti-hero. In 2016, the University of Texas launched an English Literature course unpacking Beyoncé’s visual album “Lemonade” and its relationship to Black feminism. “But if anyone can teach you a lesson in how to respond to trolls, it’s Taylor Swift,” she concluded.

Persons: Taylor, Elly McCausland, McCausland, Sylvia Plath, Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare —, Geoffrey Chaucer’s “, Criseyde, Charlotte Brontë’s “, Margaret Atwood, Simon Armitage, “, Swift, Taylor Swift, ” McCausland, ”, Sylvia Plath’s, —, I’ll, “ I’m, There’s, it’s Taylor Swift Organizations: CNN, Ghent University, Oxford University, University of York, University of Oslo, New York University, Arizona State University, Berklee College of Music, Rice University, University of Texas, University of Copenhagen Locations: Belgium, Charlotte Brontë’s “ Villette, ”, ’, United Kingdom, Norway, Europe, United States, Houston

☆ Protesters burn Koran in front of Egyptian embassy in Denmark
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

COPENHAGEN, July 25 (Reuters) - Five anti-Islam activists set fire to a Koran in front of the Egyptian embassy in Copenhagen on Tuesday, the third such incident in Denmark in less than a week, following Koran burnings in nearby Sweden that enraged Muslims. Denmark and Sweden have said they deplore the burning of the Koran but cannot prevent it under rules protecting free speech. Last week, protesters in Iraq set the Swedish embassy in Baghdad ablaze. Tuesday's demonstration in Copenhagen by a group called "Danish Patriots" followed Koran burnings the group staged on Monday and last week in front of the Iraqi embassy. Iraq's foreign ministry on Monday called on authorities of European Union countries to "quickly reconsider so-called freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate" in light of the Koran burnings.

Persons: Trine Baumbach, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Terje Solsvik Organizations: Patriots, European Union, Islam, University of Copenhagen, Reuters, Thomson Locations: COPENHAGEN, Copenhagen, Denmark, Sweden, Iraq, Swedish, Baghdad, European, Turkey

☆ Warming Could Push the Atlantic Past a ‘Tipping Point’ This Century
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Raymond Zhong | More About Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The last time there was a major slowdown in the mighty network of ocean currents that shapes the climate around the North Atlantic, it seems to have plunged Europe into a deep cold for over a millennium. That was roughly 12,800 years ago, when not many people were around to experience it. A pair of researchers in Denmark this week put forth a bold answer: A sharp weakening of the currents, or even a shutdown, could be upon us by century’s end. It was a surprise even to the researchers that their analysis showed a potential collapse coming so soon, one of them, Susanne Ditlevsen, a professor of statistics at the University of Copenhagen, said in an interview. Climate scientists generally agree that the Atlantic circulation will decline this century, but there’s no consensus on whether it will stall out before 2100.

Persons: Susanne Ditlevsen Organizations: University of Copenhagen Locations: Europe, Denmark

☆ Atlantic Ocean circulation is heading for a collapse around mid-century, scientists report
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The AMOC is a complex tangle of currents that works like a giant global conveyor belt. It transports warm water from the tropics toward the North Atlantic, where the water cools, becomes saltier and sinks deep into the ocean, before spreading southwards. The likeliest point of collapse is somewhere between 2039 and 2070, Ditlevsen said. Warming oceans and melting ice threaten to desatbilize a crucial system of ocean currents in the Atlantic. “The key point of this study is that we don’t have much time at all to do this,” de Menocal said.

Persons: ”, Peter de Menocal, Peter Ditlevsen, Ditlevsen, “, Drew Angerer, Menocal, It’s, haven’t, ” de Menocal, Stefan Rahmstorf Organizations: CNN, Oceanographic Institution, University of Copenhagen, Atlantic, University of Potsdam Locations: Europe, Greenland, Cove, Newfoundland, Canada, Germany

☆ Novo Nordisk says high-dose experimental obesity pill leads to 15% weight loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Novo Nordisk 's high-dose experimental obesity pill helped overweight or obese adults lose around 15% of their body weight, according to new late-stage clinical trial results. Novo Nordisk told Reuters it plans to file for Food and Drug Administration approval of the drug later this year. But the highest dose of Rybelsus is 14 milligrams, while the company's experimental obesity pill has a far larger dose of 50 milligrams. Other companies are also developing oral weight loss treatments to appeal to those who don't want weekly injections. Pfizer is also developing its own weight loss pill, called danuglipron, which patients take twice a day.

Persons: Eli Lilly, Dr, Filip Knop, Knop, Eli Lilly's, Elon Musk Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Reuters, Food and Drug, Pfizer, University of Copenhagen, Novo, Companies, Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, National Institutes of Health Locations: Danish

☆ The U.S. isn't the only country with a debt ceiling. Here's how Denmark avoids the drama
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

U.S. President Joe Biden hosts debt limit talks with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 22, 2023. Yet in Denmark — the only other democracy with a similar type of nominal debt ceiling — barely anybody knows it exists. Separation of church and state While the U.S. debt ceiling restricts government borrowing to a particular figure, most other economies set debt limits as a percentage of GDP. The Danish debt ceiling, or "gældsloft," was implemented as a constitutional requirement in 1993 after a restructure of the country's government, and set at 950 billion Danish kroner ($137.5 billion). Denmark is the only other country in the world with a debt ceiling comparable to that of the U.S., but it never causes the same political crises that Washington frequently faces.

☆ Evidence of the first recorded romantic kiss dating back 4,500 years has been discovered
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

New research into Ancient Mesopotamia suggests people kissed romantically 4,500 years ago. Ancient Mesopotamia is considered to be roughly the land that is now modern-day Iraq and Syria. It was previously believed the earliest evidence of romantic-sexual lip kissing in humans originated in South Asia 3,500 years ago. The new research challenges these theories and suggests kissing was common across many different regions and cultures, starting much earlier. While the exact origins of romantic kissing remain uncertain, the study said, there is some possible evidence that it may have occurred even before the advent of writing.

☆ ‘Wanderlust’ Review: A Giant of Polar Adventure
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Dominic Green | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

The age of European exploration was also the age of empires. When wild-bearded white men committed bold acts of derring-do on the margins of the map, they smoothed the path for the machinery of commerce and government. Reid Mitenbuler’s “Wanderlust” is a detailed, digressive and frequently fascinating biography of the Danish polymath Peter Freuchen (1886-1957), a man who explored Earth’s second-last and second-coldest frontier, the Arctic. In 1906, Freuchen, a 20-year-old medical student at the University of Copenhagen, enlisted in an expedition to Greenland as a ship’s stoker. Freuchen’s mother, Frederikke, the daughter of the Paraguayan renegade, approved of her son’s endeavor and wrote that he was “doing the right thing” by following his “restlessness and spirit of adventure.”

☆ Oldest DNA reveals life in Greenland 2 million years ago
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

NEW YORK — Scientists discovered the oldest known DNA and used it to reveal what life was like 2 million years ago in the northern tip of Greenland. With animal fossils hard to come by, the researchers extracted environmental DNA, also known as eDNA, from soil samples. Studying really old DNA can be a challenge because the genetic material breaks down over time, leaving scientists with only tiny fragments. In their study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, they compared the DNA to that of different species, looking for matches. He worked on the study that previously held the “oldest DNA” record, from a mammoth tooth around a million years old.

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