When did humans start making art and were Neanderthals artists too?
By Michael Marshall Painting of a bison from the Altamira cave complex National Museum and Research Center of Altamira/CC BY-SA 3.0 This is an extract from Our Human Story, our…
The Metaverse review: Tech CEO Matthew Ball tangles with digital space
Matthew Ball is one of the first to write a book about that elusive dream of the future, the metaverse, and it is excellent – in parts Humans 13 July…
An Immense World review: A powerful look at animals’ inner lives
Pulitzer prize-winning author Ed Yong invites readers on a tour of animals’ sensory worlds to better understand their lives in his fascinating new book says Anna Demming Life 6 July…
Y chromosome loss from immune cells may cause heart disease
The Y chromosome, involved in sex determination, mysteriously disappears from some men’s immune cells as they get older – and that could be fatal Health 14 July 2022 By Clare…
Risk of space rock collisions may limit where JWST can look in the sky
After an unexpectedly large micrometeoroid hit one of the main mirrors on the James Webb Space Telescope, its operators are considering not pointing it in some directions to minimise future…
Ancient DNA adds to evidence for Native Americans’ east Asian ancestry
Genetic analysis of a woman’s skull from 14,000 years ago found in south-west China suggests she was related to an ancient population that migrated to North America from east Asia…
Woodpeckers don’t have built-in shock absorbers to protect their brain
It was thought that spongy bone in woodpeckers’ heads cushioned their brains from hard knocks, but in fact their skulls are stiff like a hammer Life 14 July 2022 By…
New kind of laser uses tiny particle clumps to generate light
Lasers normally use mirrors to create laser light, but a new kind uses clumps of moving particles. The result is a laser that is more programmable and could generate extra…
Maunakea’s Controversial Telescopes Are Getting New Management
One of the most coveted and contested astronomical sites on the planet—the summit of Hawaii’s massive mountain Maunakea—will soon be governed by a new group of stewards comprising Native Hawaiians,…
Head-Banging Woodpeckers Could Give Themselves a Concussion Every Day: Here’s How They Avoid It
Woodpeckers spend all day hammering their head on tree trunks, using their beak to make holes and digging insects out of those holes for a meal. The birds’ distinctive drumming…