Pinning down our ‘great leap forward’: When did ancient humans start to act behaviorally modern?

Pinning down our ‘great leap forward’: When did ancient humans start to act behaviorally modern?

Cody Cottier | Discover | 
How are we different from ancient humans? Since our species first appeared, we’ve been on a wild ride from the ...
Ekgmowechashala mystery resolved: Unique Chinese monkey-like creature was the last primate to populate the US before humans arrived

Ekgmowechashala mystery solved: Unique Chinese monkey-like creature was last primate to populate the Americas before humans arrived

Matt Hrodey | Discover | 
Besides being a spelling bee stumper, Ekgmowechashala likely descended from animals in China and somehow migrated to North America ...
5 vestigial organs: How human evolution has rendered multiple parts useless

5 vestigial organs: How human evolution has rendered multiple parts useless

Allison Futterman | Discover | 
The natural selection process dictates that we keep the traits that continue to serve a purpose while the others become ...
How ‘wandering minds’ have been critical for evolution

‘Wandering minds’ have been critical for evolution

Sara Novak | Discover | 
Our minds may have been the key to our survival. Learn the evolution and psychology of the wandering mind ...
Here’s how humans could explore the universe — without warp speed travel technology

Here’s how humans could explore the universe — without warp speed travel technology

David Warmflash | Discover | 
The field equations of Einstein’s General Relativity theory say that faster-than-light (FTL) travel is possible, so a handful of researchers ...
Why we have an unsettling fear or robots

Why do we feel fear or hatred toward robots?

Emilie Lucchesi | Discover | 
AI was created to be helpful, but not all people see it that way. Scientists share why humans have an ...
evolution of walking

On foot: ‘Evolution of walking has everything to do with what makes us human’

Brianna Barbu | Discover | 
Going places on foot isn’t a particularly glamorous way to get around. Sure, there are proven health, social and environmental ...
1 in 100 people stutter. Genetics or the environment?

1 in 100 people stutter. Genetics or the environment?

Ignacio Amigo | Discover | 
People who stutter can experience more depression symptoms and face a decreased quality of life. Despite this, there’s no available treatment at the ...
How eating ‘ultra-processed’ foods affects your mental health

How eating ‘ultra-processed’ foods affects your mental health

Carla Delgado | Discover | 
Ultra-processed foods are popular because they’re convenient, ready to eat, and usually less expensive than other foods. However, they tend ...
how blue green algae may be used to treat cancer

How 3-billion year old blue green algae found in hot springs could help treat cancer and Alzheimer’s disease

Brittany Edelmann | Discover | 
While cyanobacteria can also produce certain toxins that can pose direct threats to humans and animals, there is also a ...
animal venom used in medicine

Life-saving venom? How deadly compounds can be used as medications

Jason Dinh | Discover | 
Scientists estimate that there are more than 220,000 venomous species, ranging from jellyfish to mammals. That’s 15 percent of Earth’s animal ...
Taking a break from alcohol? Here’s the positive changes in the brain when you stop drinking for a month

Taking a break from alcohol? Here’s the positive changes in the brain when you stop drinking for a month

Alexandra Becker | Discover | 
With the explosion of craft beer, hard seltzers and family-friendly breweries across the U.S., you may be surprised to learn ...
fever drean

Fever dreams are part of our shared human experience, but elude scientific explanation

Avery Hurt | Discover | 
The COVID-19 pandemic had a documented effect on people’s dreams — even in those who didn’t contract the infection. But ...
Oxitec targeting corn crop-devastating fall armyworm moth as GMO test projects to control disease-carrying mosquitoes go smoothly in Brazil, Florida

Oxitec targeting corn crop-devastating fall armyworm moth as GMO test projects to control disease-carrying mosquitoes go smoothly in Brazil, Florida

Joshua Rapp Learn | Discover | 
Forget lions, hippos or venomous spiders. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes may be among the deadliest wildlife in the world. Their bite is relatively ...
‘Honeybees are not endangered and are doing just fine’: Xerces Society says it’s time to end public confusion, refocus on native species

‘Honeybees are not endangered and are doing just fine’: Xerces Society says it’s time to end public confusion, refocus on native species

Avery Hurt | Discover | 
When Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) occurred around 2006 and entire colonies of honeybees died, experts and the public alike were justifiably alarmed ...
Re-thinking evolution: If we ‘evolved from apes’, why do they still exist?

Re-thinking evolution: If we ‘evolved from apes’, why do they still exist?

Cari Shane | Discover | 
In 2017, actor-comedian Tim Allen famously tweeted a question that revealed just how little he understands about evolution. It seems ...
'Eye color is as specific as a thumbprint': Why your eyes are completely unique

‘Eye color is as specific as a thumbprint’: Why your eyes are completely unique

Cari Shane | Discover | 
As recently as the aughts, it was believed that eye color was determined by a single gene — brown, dominant; ...
Mom brain: How can science explain 'maternal instincts'?

Mom brain: How can science explain ‘maternal instincts’?

Theresa Sullivan Barger | Discover | 
Is there such a thing as maternal instinct? Not exactly, scientists say.  It is true that while pregnant, breastfeeding and ...
How culture and technology are shaping human evolution

How culture and technology are shaping human evolution

Avery Hurt | Discover | 
Cultural changes are likely affecting modern human evolution in ways we don’t yet understand. For example, research has shown that ...
Before Neanderthals: Untangling the vast web of pre-modern human ancestors

Before Neanderthals: Untangling the vast web of pre-modern human ancestors

Connor Lynch | Discover | 
When paleontologists and anthropologists look back at the history of hominin evolution, they find a veritable Gordian Knot, one that ...
‘You act like a Neanderthal’? Consensus view changes — Homo Sapiens no smarter than our extinct cousins

‘You act like a Neanderthal’? Consensus view changes — Homo Sapiens no smarter than our extinct cousins

Sara Novak | Discover | 
We’ve long thought that humans must have survived because we were intelligent enough to outsmart our own extinction; meanwhile the ...
Why did Neanderthals lose their battle for survival to modern humans? Here’s a new theory

Why did Neanderthals lose their battle for survival to modern humans? Here’s a new theory

Connor Lynch | Discover | 
Our hypotheses surrounding the Neanderthals’ fate have... changed over time. The longest-standing theory is that we outcompeted them: We were ...
How hot is too hot? Climate change likely to spark intolerable spikes in temperature and humidity

How hot is too hot? Climate change likely to spark intolerable spikes in temperature and humidity

Cody Cottier | Discover | 
Will climate change spark increases in heat and humidity that could challenge human tolerance? As we careen toward temperatures that ...
Why are so many people resistant to daydreaming?

Why are so many people resistant to daydreaming?

Sara Novak | Discover | 
Thinking is a funny thing because research has shown that we’re the only species that can do it aimlessly. While ...
Genetic advances could make sex unnecessary. Experts weigh on what that fantastical future might be like

Genetic advances could make sex unnecessary. Experts weigh on what that fantastical future might be like

James Trefil, Jerry Falwell, Joel Cohen | Discover | 
"What would life be like without sex? In a nutshell, very impersonal and mechanical, to say the least. SOCIALLY, the ...
Many non-human animals end their lives through self-destructive behaviors. Is it suicide?

Many non-human animals end their lives through self-destructive behaviors. Is it suicide?

Richard Pallardy | Discover | 
Are non-human animals actually capable of purposely ending their own lives?  ... Famed field biologist George Schaller recounts an instance ...
Is there an evolutionary advantage to feeling pain?

Is there an evolutionary advantage to feeling pain?

Conor Feehly | Discover | 
For individuals that have either an acquired or naturally occurring reduced sensitivity to pain, the results can be fatal.... Clearly, ...
After decades of stumbles and mis-starts, a cure for many cancers is finally on the horizon: Injecting patients with a genetically engineered virus

After decades of stumbles and mis-starts, a cure for many cancers is finally on the horizon: Injecting patients with a genetically engineered virus

Nathaniel Scharping | Discover | 
Infecting a cancer patient with a virus — a procedure that once would have raised eyebrows, if not malpractice lawsuits ...
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