Evidence of Cannibalism: Did Neanderthals Eat Each Other?
Posted on May 2, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 407 words
| Patria Henriques
Neanderthal bones uncovered in a Belgium cave show unmistakable signs of butchery, and scientists said they are the first evidence of Neanderthal cannibalism in northern Europe.
Archaeologists pieced together 99 bone fragments to identify five distinct Neanderthals, four adults and a child, who lived between 40,500 and 45,500 years ago. Markings on the bones included indentations from hammering (likely to remove bone marrow), and cut marks from carving the flesh away from the bone.
[Read More]Flushed Goldfish Grew to Be Kitten-Size in Niagara River
Posted on May 2, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 430 words
| Patria Henriques
A monstrously huge goldfish was recently captured in the Niagara River in New York. The goldfish was presumably a discarded house pet that may have been illegally released or survived a traumatic flush down a toilet.
Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper (BNW), a nonprofit working to protect and restore the Niagara River and Lake Erie watershed, caught and photographed the giant goldfish in the river's Black Rock Canal, sharing an image in a Facebook post on June 14.
[Read More]Goopy GIF: You Can't Look Away from This Mesmerizing Experiment
Posted on May 2, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 589 words
| Arica Deslauriers
As a series of goopy platforms climb down a bolt in a mesmerizing GIF posted on Reddit, it almost looks as if Mario should hop from one to another.
But this isn't 1990's video-game graphics, it's real life. The GIF shows a demonstration of ferrofluid, a suspension of nanosize magnetic particles in oil. The magnetic particles are small and coated in a surfactant, which is a substance like soap that helps to keep the particles evenly distributed throughout the fluid, even when they're put next to a strong magnet, said Brandon Jackson, a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering at Michigan Technological University, who has studied applications for ferrofluids.
[Read More]Identity of Famous 19th-Century Brain Discovered
Posted on May 2, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 593 words
| Patria Henriques
The identity of a mysterious patient who helped scientists pinpoint the brain region responsible for language has been discovered, researchers report.
The new finding, detailed in the January issue of the Journal of the History of the Neurosciences, identifies the famous patient as Monsieur Louis Leborgne, a French craftsman who battled epilepsy his entire life.
Wordless patient
In 1840, a wordless patient was admitted to the Bicêtre Hospital outside Paris for aphasia, or an inability to speak.
[Read More]Lost artifact from Great Pyramid was just found in a cigar tin in Scotland
Posted on May 2, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 746 words
| Fernande Dalal
An artifact that was taken from Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza in 1872 was missing for 70 years until it was recently discovered in a cigar box at the University of Aberdeen Museums (UAM) in Scotland.
Curatorial assistant Abeer Eladany was reviewing objects in storage in the museum's Asia Collection at the end of 2019 when she found a small box that looked out of place — in part because its lid was decorated with a motif of the former Egyptian flag, university representatives said in a statement.
[Read More]Rare Double Infection: Lupus Patient Makes Antibodies to Fight HIV
Posted on May 2, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 624 words
| Fernande Dalal
One woman's uncommon ability to fight her HIV infection may provide new insights for developing a vaccine that triggers a special immune response against the viral disease, researchers said.
Scientists studied a 33-year old woman who had a rare combination of lupus, an autoimmune disease in which an overactive immune system attacks the body's cells and tissues, along with HIV, which damages and weakens the immune system.
The researchers found that in response to her HIV, the woman's immune system produced what are called "
[Read More]Scuba Diving? See a Dentist First
Posted on May 2, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 526 words
| Fernande Dalal
Forget sharks, barracudas or the bends. A big worry of scuba diving may be the dental bill.
A new survey of recreational scuba divers finds that 41 percent report dental problems related to diving. Most of the problems had to do with pain from the increased pressure underwater or from clutching the air regulator too tightly in their mouths, but a few people experienced loosened crowns or cracked fillings.
The survey was limited, but suggests that people should make sure their teeth are in good shape before they go deep, said lead researcher Vinisha Ranna, a student at the University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine.
[Read More]Social Media Broadcasts Live Surgery to the Masses
Posted on May 2, 2023
| 6 minutes
| 1084 words
| Arica Deslauriers
With a gentle pull and a "Hi, cutie!" a doctor pulls a baby from an incision in the mother's abdomen. Within seconds, the newborn has launched into a squalling cry. It's a boy!
And Twitter goes wild.
Yes, Twitter. This bouncing baby boy made his Internet debut as the star of the first-ever live-tweeted Cesarean section on Feb. 20. Though live webcasts and other social media surrounding surgery are not new, Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston elevated the art form by choosing a feel-good procedure — the birth of a baby — to broadcast.
[Read More]The 'Best' Sunscreens of 2018: What to Look For
Posted on May 2, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 684 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
You may want to be careful when selecting a sunscreen this summer: About two-thirds of sunscreens available in the U.S. offer subpar protection or contain ingredients that may harm your health, a new report finds.
The report, from the Environmental Working Group (EWG), reviewed 650 beach and sport sunscreens for the group's annual Guide to Sunscreens, released today (May 22). EWG is a nonprofit advocacy organization in Washington, D.C., that focuses on environmental issues and public health.
[Read More]The Keys to Happiness, and Why We Don't Use Them
Posted on May 2, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 681 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
"It requires some effort to achieve a happy outlook on life, and most people don't make it." —Author and researcher Gregg Easterbrook
Psychologists have recently handed the keys to happiness to the public, but many people cling to gloomy ways out of habit, experts say.
Polls show Americans are no happier today than they were 50 years ago despite significant increases in prosperity, decreases in crime, cleaner air, larger living quarters and a better overall quality of life.
[Read More]