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☆ Lucy at 50: How the world’s most famous fossil was discovered
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Lucy, a fossilized skeleton unearthed 50 years ago this month, transformed scientists’ understanding of human evolution. While there are now fossil hominins twice as old as Lucy, she remains a paleoanthropological rock star. Made up of 47 bones from the same individual, she was the oldest known and the most complete skeleton of an early human ancestor when she was found. The fossilized remains of Lucy, discovered on November 24, 1974, made up the most complete skeleton of an early human ancestor when she was found. They found DNA, but it wasn’t human, and it wasn’t Neanderthal.

Persons: CNN — Lucy, Don Johanson, Tom Gray, Lucy, Johanson, … I’d, Jack Daulton, Lucy ? Johanson, “ Lucy, ”, she’s, you’re, Stephen Filmer CNN, Donald Johanson, Mary Leakey’s Organizations: CNN, Institute of, Arizona State University, Arizona State University CNN, Jack Daulton CNN, Beatles, Sky, Arizona State University In Locations: Ethiopia, Afar, Africa, paleogenetics, Siberia, Hadar, Tanzania

☆ 5 tips for talking to those with divergent views
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-05 | by ( Andrea Kane | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

He’s a professor of psychology and education at Columbia University, and he directs The Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution, where he runs the Difficult Conversations Lab. Anyone who has experienced conflict firsthand (and that’s just about everybody) knows it is felt in both body and mind. “Compromise is a method of conflict resolution or dispute resolution. How can you be better positioned to tackle conflict, have productive conversations and avoid World War III in these divisive times? We hope these five tips help you survive the post-election season and upcoming family gatherings.

Persons: Gupta, Sanjay Gupta, —, “, Peter T, Coleman, ”, it’s, He’s, Morton, trickles, Douglas Fry, Homo sapiens, ” Coleman, “ You’ve Organizations: CNN, Columbia University, Morton Deutsch International, for Cooperation, US

☆ Life discovered in warm volcanic caves beneath the seafloor
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-19 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A mile and a half beneath the ocean’s surface, the seafloor seems nearly as alien as the surfaces of other planets. These hydrothermal vents belch warm towers of elements that draw clusters of animal life, such as tube worms. There, animals develop symbiotic relationships with bacteria that use chemical reactions to produce sugars necessary for life beyond the reach of sunlight. Mónika Naranjo-Shepherd/Schmidt Ocean InstitueThe arms of an underwater robot helped uncover communities of giant tube worms and snails living in volcanic caves beneath warm vents in the Pacific Ocean. The finding suggests unique ecosystems on the seafloor and within the subseafloor are connected, allowing life to thrive above and below the ocean bed.

Persons: Mónika Naranjo, Shepherd, ”, Sabine Gollner, you’ve, Artemis, Charlie Duke, Arthropleura, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Scientists, SpaceX, Boca, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, NASA, Clipper, Kennedy Space Center, Yale University, CNN Space, Science Locations: Boca Chica , Texas, centipedes, Europa, Florida

☆ Origins of humanity’s love of carbs revealed, new study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-18 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The origin of modern humans’ long-standing love affair with carbs may predate our existence as a species, according to a new study. The study revealed these genes duplicated long before the advent of agriculture. Without amylase, humans would not be able to digest foods such as potatoes, pasta, rice or bread. The research also revealed duplication of the AMY1 gene existed in the genomes of Neanderthals and Denisovans, an extinct hominin first discovered in 2010 about whom relatively little is known. “This study’s genomic sleuthing is helping to finally time stamp some of those major milestones, and it is revealing tantalizing clues about humanity’s long love affair with starch.”

Persons: ”, Feyza Yilmaz, —, sapiens, AMY1, Taylor Hermes, wasn’t, ” Hermes, “, Christina Warinner, John L, Loeb, Warinner Organizations: CNN, The Jackson Laboratory, University of Buffalo, Jackson Laboratory, University of Arkansas, Social Sciences, Harvard University Locations: Farmington , Connecticut, New York

☆ Cave discovery may explain why Neanderthals disappeared, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Grotte Mandrin is the only known site to have been home to alternating groups of both Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis. “The Thorin population spent 50,000 years without exchanging genes with other Neanderthal populations,” Slimak said in a news release. DNA from Homo sapiens fossils from that time show that these early arrivals interbred with Neanderthals — traces of those encounters remain in present-day human populations. Archaeologists have excavated more of Thorin’s remains: 31 teeth, part of the jaw and five finger bones, so far. It’s the only known site to have been home to alternating groups of both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, plus the earliest evidence of bow and arrow use outside Africa.

Persons: Ludovic Slimak, Thorin, ”, Slimak, “, Mandrin, ” Slimak, Ludovic, sapiens, Chris Stringer, wasn’t, ” Stringer, ” It’s, Grotte Mandrin Organizations: CNN, France’s National, for Scientific Research, Paul Sabatier University, Genomics Locations: Rhône, Toulouse, Western Europe, Europe, Grotte, Malataverne, France, Thorin’s, Africa

☆ New fossils could reveal origin of ancient ‘hobbit’ humans
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-10 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

More bones followed, and at first, archaeologist Thomas Sutikna and his team thought they had uncovered the ancient fossils of a child. And the newly studied fossils represent an earlier hobbit who was 2.4 inches (6.1 centimeters) shorter than the first specimen. Homo erectus was the first ancient human to migrate out of Africa about 1.9 million years ago. Together, the Homo floresiensis fossils paint a portrait of a hardy species able to adapt and thrive despite the presence of hulking Komodo dragons. Defying gravityAstronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have long outstayed a planned eight days in low-Earth orbit after traveling to the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June.

Persons: Bua, Thomas Sutikna, floresiensis, Homo floresiensis, erectus, Homo erectus, Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, SpaceX’s, Williams, David Brunetti, Pharaoh Djoser, NASA's, squaretail groupers, China’s Chang’e, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, International Space, NASA, Sutton, Exploration Rover, Rover, CNN Space, Science Locations: Indonesian, Flores, Africa, African, Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, England, Sutton, Turkey, China, India’s

☆ Newly discovered fossils shed light on origins of curious ‘hobbit’ humans
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

An analysis of newly described Homo floresiensis fossils published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications attempts to answer some of these questions about the tiny human. Liang Bua cave is the only other place where hobbit fossils have been found. The Mata Menge humerus fragment (left) is shown at the same scale as the humerus of Homo floresiensis from Liang Bua. Overall, the research suggested that the hobbit species’ small size remained remarkably constant over a long period. “Every tiny fragment of Homo floresiensis or any other hominin is incredibly important,” Tocheri said.

Persons: floresiensis, —, Mata Menge, Flores Gerrit van den Bergh, ”, Yousuke Kaifu, Liang, Liang Bua, Yousuke, hominins, luzonensis, erectus, Gerrit van den Bergh, wristbones, habilis, Matt Tocheri, wasn’t, Flores, Tocheri, Van den Bergh, van den Bergh, hominin, ” Tocheri Organizations: CNN, Nature Communications, University of Tokyo, Archaeological Science, University of Wollongong, Lakehead University, Smithsonian Locations: Indonesian, Flores, Africa, Java, Asia, Mata, South Africa, Philippines, Australia, Canada, Ontario

☆ Scientists digitally dissect ancient Egyptian ‘screaming’ mummy
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Ancient Egypt’s pyramids, pharaohs and artifacts delight the imagination, reigniting wonder of the distant past in every generation. Experts are also using the latest techniques to spill secrets hidden within discoveries made decades ago, with new research this week “digitally dissecting” an unusual mummy found in 1935. The "screaming woman" whose mummified remains were discovered in 1935 may have died violently, a new study suggests. — To keep swimmers and beachgoers safe, scientists are using artificial intelligence to detect juvenile sharks, which like to hang out near the shore. They find wonder in planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from the ancient world.

Persons: Sahar Saleem, Saleem, Saleem couldn’t, Venus, Guillermo Legaria, Lonely Guy, —, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Kasr Al, Cairo University, Mercury, European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA, JPL, Caltech Venus, Lonely, —, CNN Space, Science Locations: ., Damietta, Egypt, Luxor, New York City, Kasr Al Ainy, Europe, Asia, Thailand, Southeast Asia

☆ DNA analysis sheds light on how Neanderthals disappeared
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The analysis, published July 12 in the journal Science, showed that the two groups exchanged DNA at multiple points over the past 250,000 years, shedding light on how Neanderthals disappeared and potentially rewriting the story of how and when our Homo sapiens ancestors left Africa. Genetic detective workDuring the two earlier waves of interbreeding, the Neanderthal population absorbed human genes and the offspring stayed within Neanderthal groups, according to the new study. Russian archeologists digging inside Denisova cave located in the the Altai mountains that's been home to Neanderthals, early modern humans and the Denisovans. A skull found in Qafzeh Israel is believed to have belonged to an early modern human. The researchers’ analysis suggests that the Neanderthal population size at the time was 20% smaller than previously thought.

Persons: ”, Joshua Akey, Sigler, ” Akey, Nobel, Svante Pääbo, Laurits Skov, wasn’t, Akey, “, Homo sapiens, Eddie Gerald, Alamy, Chris Stringer, “ I’ve, ” Stringer, De Agostini, Stringer Organizations: CNN, Lewis, Sigler Institute, Princeton University, University of California Locations: Africa, University of California Berkeley, Vindija, Croatia, Altai, East, Europe, London, Cave, Greece, Israel

☆ Fossil analysis reveals how Denisovans thrived on the ‘roof of the world’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The grasslands, glaciers and snow-tipped peaks of the Tibetan Plateau are breathtaking, but the vast expanse in Central Asia is also one of Earth’s harshest environments. Archaeologists long believed the Tibetan Plateau — more than 13,000 feet (about 4,000 meters) above sea level — was one of the last places on the planet to be settled. We are familyBaishiya Karst Cave is seen at the edge of Ganjia Basin on the Tibetan Plateau. Now, Baishiya Karst Cave, on the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, is helping answer many questions about who the Denisovans were. The analysis is shedding light on how the extinct humans thrived in the ice age environment for more than 100,000 years.

Persons: Bill Nelson, BRIN, Gerard Talavera, nestmates, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Lanzhou University Researchers, China National Space Administration, NASA, Apollo, FBI, BRIN Google, Scientists, Botanical Institute of Barcelona, CNN Space, Science Locations: Central Asia, Ganjia, Siberia, Tibetan, China, what’s, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Delta, Guiana, Talavera, Spain, —, Massachusetts

☆ A scene of humans hunting a pig painted in an Indonesian cave is oldest known narrative art
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Katie Hunt | Lex Harvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The paintings are older than Europe’s famed cave art such as Lascaux in France, and, while younger than some geometric abstract art found in South Africa, it’s the oldest of a narrative scene, the authors of the study said. The cave art discoveries have challenged a longstanding belief that artistic expression — and the cognitive leap that fired up the human imagination — began in Europe. BRIN Google Arts & CultureEvolution of dating techniquesDating cave art is often difficult if the work is made with mineral pigments such as ocher or manganese rather than biological materials such as carbon. The study’s dating of the cave art is robust, but it’s “a leap of faith” to suggest that the figurative art was narrative in scope, said Paul Pettitt, a professor of archaeology at Durham University in the United Kingdom. It’s also unclear why so much cave art has been found in this region of Indonesia, Aubert said, but he and his team expected to find more.

Persons: “, ”, Maxime Aubert, ” , Adam Brumm, —, Renaud Joannes, Boyau, Joannes, Aubert —, Aubert, Nowell, wasn’t, it’s, Paul Pettitt, Dominic Julian, BRIN, Pettitt, It’s, sapiens Organizations: CNN, Griffith, for Social, Research, Australia’s Griffith University, BRIN Google Arts &, Southern Cross University, University of Victoria, Durham University, BRIN Google Locations: South Sulawesi, France, South Africa, Australia, Sulawesi, ”, Europe, Indonesia, archaeogeochemistry, Canada, United Kingdom, Africa

☆ How the hyper-colorful queer world of ‘But I’m a Cheerleader’ was made
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Jacqui Palumbo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

“It was my weird femme fantasy of what my grown-up life was going to be.”“I wanted True Directions to look like the Barbie Dreamhouse,” she continued. True Direction's founder, Mary, insulates herself from reality in the artificial setting that she's built for traditional gender roles. “I just love the cult following that it’s had,” Friedberg said in the call with Babbit and Kamerman. Despite the film’s barriers, Babbit, Friedberg and Kamerman are all pleased with its longevity, particularly as they’ve seen it gain cachet with an entirely new generation this past decade. “We were just making our weirdo indie film of queer joy and female power in a vacuum.”

Persons: ”, Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, it’s, Megan, Lyonne, Jamie Babbit’s, Cathy Moriarty, ’, Eddie Cibrian, Mike, “ Barbie ”, Babbit, “, Dreamhouse, Mary, insulates, Jamie Babbit, Mark Lipson, Kushner, Locke, couldn't, —, Brian Wayne Peterson, Alix Friedberg, Tim Burton’s, Edward Scissorhands ”, John Waters, Rachel Kamerman, It’s, Phoebe Bridgers, MUNA, ” Friedberg, ” Babbit, Rogert Ebert, butch, Gia ”, Kamerman, Graham, DuVall, Eden bodysuits, Adam, David LaChapelle, reining, Jamie — you’ve, she’s Organizations: CNN, ”, Tattle Locations: New York City, New York, London, Palmdale , California, soundstages, Friedberg, Kamerman

☆ Ancient bone shows how Neanderthals cared for the vulnerable, study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The find suggested that members of the community cared for and looked after the vulnerable child, who lived at least 146,000 years ago. The research is at odds with the image of Neanderthals, ancient human relatives who went extinct around 40,000 years ago, as brutish cavemen. The study did not include precise dating of the bone, which would require extraction of ancient DNA, but Neanderthals occupied the site 146,000 to 273,000 years ago. Study of the fossil revealed abnormalities in the ear bone. “For decades, it has been known that Neanderthals cared for and looked after their vulnerable companions,” Conde-Valverde said.

Persons: ”, paleoanthropologist Mercedes Conde, Valverde, “, Conde, ” Conde, Mercedes Conde, Julia Diez, Chapelle, Penny Spikins, Spikins, wasn’t Organizations: CNN, University of Alcalá, Syndrome, Valero, University of York Locations: Spain, Spain’s Valencia, Conde, United States, what’s, Iraq, France, United Kingdom

☆ Lost Caravaggio goes on display after almost being sold at auction for just $1,600
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A lost Caravaggio painting that was almost mistakenly sold at auction for a bargain price has gone on display at the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain, after being rescued and restored. The oil on canvas work depicts Jesus wearing a crown of thorns with blood running down his face and onto his chest. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, better known simply as Caravaggio, is known for his visceral depictions of violence. “Ecce Homo” will be displayed at the Prado Museum until October 13. Both the previous owner and the buyer were keen for the painting to go on public display at the Prado, said Coll.

Persons: Jesus, Pontius Pilate, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Susana Vera, Caravaggio, ”, King Philip IV’s, Evaristo Pérez de Castro, José de, Jorge Coll, Coll Organizations: CNN, Prado Museum, Real Academia de Bellas Artes de, Prado, Spain’s Ministry of Culture, Colnaghi Locations: Madrid, Spain, Italian, Judea, Rome, Naples, Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, José de Ribera

☆ The Zoo Is Reopening After 239 Days. The Animals Have Missed You, Too.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Dodai Stewart | George Etheredge | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Inside the Animal Lifestyles building, the hamadryas baboons were watchful as a small group of Homo sapiens appeared. The zoo has two baby baboons; one was born right before the storm, and another was born while the zoo was closed. One of them drew close to the glass as the humans looked on. Was that curiosity in its eyes? “Some of the animals definitely enjoy looking at our guests as much as guests enjoy looking at them,” Mr. Piper said.

Persons: sapiens, ” Mr, Piper

☆ Why we care so much about the Dow, the stock market’s dumbest index
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —The Dow Jones Industrial Average is, at best, an imperfect barometer of stock market activity among a narrow band of very large US companies. It’s clunky, and too limited in scope for any Wall Street pros to pay serious attention to it. “Mention ‘the Dow’ and, to most people, that means the stock market,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Financial, in a note to CNN. It’s just an index that tracks the stock market activity of 30 large US companies, from Amazon to McDonald’s to the Walt Disney Company. Market capitalization measures the total value of a company on the stock market.

Persons: Dow, ”, Hogan, It’s, “ Dow Jones ”, “, Nick Colas, you’re, ” Colas, Daniel Alpert, wasn’t, Goldman Sachs, Colas, I’ve, ” Alpert Organizations: New, New York CNN, Dow Jones, Dow, Riley Financial, CNN, Walt Disney Company, Westwood Capital, Standard Oil, US Steel, Microsoft, Apple Locations: New York, Amazon, Silicon

☆ Was the Stone Age Actually the Wood Age?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Franz Lidz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The basic chronology — Stone Age to Bronze Age to Iron Age — now underpins the archaeology of most of the Old World (and cartoons like “The Flintstones” and “The Croods”). Thomsen could well have substituted Wood Age for Stone Age, according to Thomas Terberger, an archaeologist and head of research at the Department of Cultural Heritage of Lower Saxony, in Germany. “We can probably assume that wooden tools have been around just as long as stone ones, that is, two and a half or three million years,“ he said. Of the thousands of archaeological sites that can be traced to the era, wood has been recovered from fewer than 10. The projectiles unearthed at the Schöningen site, known as Spear Horizon, are considered the oldest preserved hunting weapons.

Persons: Christian Jürgensen Thomsen, Thomsen, Thomas Terberger, “, Terberger, heidelbergensis Organizations: Department of Cultural Heritage, National Academy of Sciences Locations: Danish, Europe, Lower Saxony, Germany, Schöningen

☆ Reconstruction reveals face of Neanderthal specimen Shanidar Z
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Known as Shanidar Z, after the cave in Iraqi Kurdistan where she was found in 2018, the woman was a Neanderthal, a type of ancient human that disappeared around 40,000 years ago. The Shanidar Z facial reconstruction suggests that these differences might not have been so stark in life, Pomeroy said. Shanidar cave in Iraqi Kurdistan was first excavated in the 1950s. Neanderthals may not have honored their dead with bouquets of flowers, but the inhabitants of Shanidar Cave were likely an empathetic species, research suggests. Shanidar Z is the first Neanderthal found in the cave in more than 50 years, Pomeroy said, but the site could still yield more discoveries.

Persons: sapiens, Emma Pomeroy, Pomeroy, ”, “ She’s, ” Pomeroy, Graeme Barker, “, Adrie, Alfons Kennis, Dr, Lucía, Danish paleoartists Adrie Organizations: CNN, BBC, Netflix, University of Cambridge’s, Cambridge, Liverpool, University of Cambridge, Catalan Institute, Human Locations: Kurdistan, Europe, East, Central Asia, Shanidar, Cambridge, Spain, Danish

☆ Stone Age Paleo diet was not rich in meat, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —What did people in the Stone Age eat before the advent of farming around 10,000 years ago? Scientists analyzed chemical signatures preserved in bones and teeth belonging to at least seven different Iberomaurusians and found that plants, not meat, were their primary source of dietary protein. The evidence suggested that the Iberomaurusians consumed “fermentable starchy plants” such as wild cereals or acorns, according to the study. The work undermines the idea that a Stone Age diet was meat heavy — a rigid assumption perpetuated by present-day dietary trends like the Paleo diet. The transition to agriculture was a complex process that occurred at different times and proceeded at different rates, in different ways with different foods, in different places, Pobiner said.

Persons: Heiko Temming, ”, Zineb Moubtahij, Max Planck, Klervia Jaouen, ” Jaouen, Iberomaurusians, ” Moubtahij, —, Briana Pobiner, wasn’t, Jaouen, Pobiner, “ Organizations: CNN, Géosciences Environnement, Max Planck Institute, Stone, Smithsonian National Museum of Locations: what’s, Morocco, Cave, Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, France, Leipzig, Germany, Taforalt, Peru, Levant

☆ Camels evolved from a cold-weather ancestor. We could learn from their remarkable transformation
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Bill Weir | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“Gentoo penguins are big climate change winners in the Antarctic,” Heather Lynch told me. Conversely, the more flexible gentoo penguins keep moving farther and farther south, chasing new prey, and even abandoning nests to increase the odds of long-term survival. Julian Quinones/CNNThe gentoo population has exploded by as much as 30,000% in just a few years. Bill Weir/CNNHere lieth the lesson of the camel and the gentoo: Heat will move us, one way or another. I just know River won’t be satisfied without a magic plot twist that somehow saves all creatures great and small.

Persons: Bill Weir, —, “, ”, Bill, CNN's, Julian Quinones, Camels, CNN Bill, I’d, ” Heather Lynch, penguins, we’ve, it’s, Xiulin Ruan, CNN Julian Quinones, “ Don’t, Energy's Organizations: CNN, Brooklyn, Central Park Zoo, CNN Penguins, Stony Brook University, gentoo, Purdue, International Energy Agency, Global Locations: Canada, North America, dromedaries, Sudanese, Egypt, Southern Ocean, Antarctica, Manhattan, British Columbia, Yorkshire, England, Phoenix, Japan, Seville, Spain, Miami, Los Angeles, Angeles, Olivia, Colombia, CNN Seville, China, India, Maine

☆ Scientists use cosmic rays to date earliest evidence of humans in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Archaeologists have recovered 90,000 stone tools from the site, which lies close to Ukraine’s southwestern border with Hungary and Romania. Some 90,000 stone tools made by early humans have been found at the site but no human fossils. Garba‘s colleagues measured two nuclides, aluminum-26 and beryllium-10, found in quartz grains from seven pebbles discovered in the same layer as the stone tools. The earliest human fossils unearthed in Europe are from the Atapuerca site in Spain and date back 1.1 million years, according to the study. Korolevo would have been appealing to ancient humans because it’s near the Tisza River, which leads to the Danube, and there was a readily available source of hard rock to knap stone tools, Garba said.

Persons: Roman Garba, ”, “, ” Garba, Garba, It’s, Briana Pobiner, wasn’t, hominins Organizations: CNN, Czech Academy of Sciences, Archaeological Institute, NAS, Smithsonian National Museum of Locations: Ukraine, Europe, Prague, Hungary, Romania, Africa, Spain, Georgia, Dmanisi, Washington , DC, hominins

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ancient stone tools found in western Ukraine may be the oldest known evidence of early human presence in Europe, according to research published Wednesday in the journal Nature. Archaeologists used new methods to date the layers of sedimentary rock surrounding the tools to more than 1 million years old. The chipped stone tools were likely used for cutting meat and perhaps scraping animal hides, he said. The very earliest stone tools of this type were found in eastern Africa and date back to 2.8 million years ago, said Rick Potts, who directs the Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program. “The oldest humans with this old stone tool technology were able to colonize everywhere from warm Iberia (Spain) to Ukraine, where it's at least seasonally very cold – that’s an amazing level of adaptability,” said Potts.

Persons: ”, Mads Faurschou Knudsen, it's, Roman Garba, Rick Potts, “, Potts Organizations: WASHINGTON, Aarhus University, Czech Academy of Sciences, Smithsonian, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Ukraine, Europe, Korolevo, Denmark, Spain, Africa, Iberia

☆ Neanderthal glue points to complex thinking
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Neanderthals likely made a type of glue from two natural compounds to help them better grip stone tools, according to a new analysis of forgotten artifacts recently rediscovered in a Berlin museum. “The fact that Neanderthals made such a substance gives insight into their capabilities and their way of thinking,” he said. The stone tools were unearthed around 1910 at a French archaeological site called Le Moustier that scientists believe Neanderthals used between 120,000 and 40,000 years ago. Their study, published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, found that the makers of the stone tools used the adhesive to mold a handle rather than haft the tool to wood. P. SchmidtMicroscopic wear showed the stone tools appeared polished over the handheld part but not elsewhere, likely revealing abrasion from the movement of the tools within the ocher-bitumen grip.

Persons: Patrick Schmidt, ”, Moustier, Gunther Möller, Schmidt, It’s, sapiens, Marie, Hélène, ” Schmidt Organizations: CNN, University of Tübingen’s, French National Museum of, Schmidt Locations: Berlin, Paris, Europe, ocher, Italy, France

☆ To Cure to Burnout, Embrace Seasonality - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Cal Newport | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For most of human existence, the pace and intensity of productivity varied widely from season to season. Following the development of agriculture around 10,000 B.C.E., the relationship between work and the seasons became even more structured, with predictably busy planting and harvesting seasons interleaved with predictably quiet winters. This led to a conception of work as something that should occur at the fullest possible intensity, without variation, throughout the year. When knowledge work arose as a major economic sector in the 20th century — the term “knowledge work” itself was coined in 1959 — it borrowed this approach from manufacturing, which was the dominant economic force of the time. Office buildings became invisible factories, with members of this growing class of workers metaphorically clocking in for eight-hour shifts, week after week, month after month, attempting to transform their mental capacities into valuable output with the same regularity as an assembly-line worker churning out automobiles.

Persons: sapiens

☆ 'Intellectually inferior' humans caused Neanderthals to go extinct, a new book claims
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A new book “The Naked Neanderthal” says humans were the main cause thanks to their superior weapons. Compared to early humans, Neanderthals were muscular with a prominent brow and less pronounced chin. Since humans were the final species to occupy the cave, Slimak argues it's because they'd replaced those Neanderthals by wiping them out. Humans' superior weaponsScientists have found relatively few weapons belonging to Neanderthals , Slimak wrote. Yet genes can't tell us much about the nature of these interactions or how closely or amicably humans and Neanderthals lived.

Persons: Ludovic Slimak, —, April Nowell, sapien, “, ”, Slimak, Bill O'Leary, sapiens, they'd, Chemnitz State Museum of Archaeology Hendrik Schmidt, Nowell, haven't, Nikola Solic, ” Nowell, Sapiens Organizations: Service, University of Victoria, Smithsonian Museum, Washington, Getty, Chemnitz State Museum of Archaeology, Reuters Locations: Europe, East, Central Asia, Southern Siberia, Southern France, Chemnitz, France, Spain, Krapina, Croatia

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