Cave of the Monkeys: Photos Reveal Early Modern Human Remains

 Posted on November 30, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  376 words  |  Trudie Dory

Tam Pa LingEvidence strongly suggests modern humans migrated out of Africa and into Southeast Asia by at least 60,000 years ago. However, a notable absence of fossil evidence for modern human occupation in mainland Southeast Asia complicates this theory. A partial skull from an anatomically modern human found in Tam Pa Ling, "the Cave of the Monkeys" in northern Laos (shown on map) helps fill in this mysterious gap in the fossil record. [Read More]

Hearts Ripped from 140 Children and 200 Llamas in Largest Child Sacrifice in Ancient World

 Posted on November 30, 2022  |  6 minutes  |  1200 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

The largest child sacrifice on record took place after a torrential rainfall, when about 140 children and 200 young llamas likely had their hearts ripped out by the ancient Chimú culture in A.D. 1450, in what is now Peru. The reason for the sacrifice, however, remains a mystery, according to a new study. Even so, the scientists of the study have several ideas. For instance, heavy rainfall and flooding from that year's El Niño weather pattern may have prompted Chimú leaders to order the sacrifice, but without more evidence, we'll likely never know the real reason, said study co-researcher John Verano, a professor in the Department of Anthropology at Tulane University in New Orleans. [Read More]

Here's what scientists know about mass school shootings

 Posted on November 30, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  795 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

When the Columbine High School massacre took place in 1999(opens in new tab) it was seen as a watershed moment in the United States — the worst mass shooting at a school in the country's history. Now, it ranks fourth. The three school shootings to surpass its death toll of 13 — 12 students, one teacher — have all taken place within the last decade: 2012's Sandy Hook Elementary attack(opens in new tab), in which a gunman killed 26 children and school staff; the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which claimed the lives of 17 people(opens in new tab); and now the Robb Elementary School assault in Uvalde, Texas(opens in new tab), where on May 24, 2022, at least 19 children and two adults were murdered. [Read More]

Here's Why Couples Without Kids Are Stigmatized

 Posted on November 30, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  597 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

A person's decision to not have children can spark "moral outrage" in others, even total strangers, a new study finds. Moral outrage is an emotion of anger and disgust that people feel toward someone they think committed a moral transgression, rather than anger that results from a perceived insult or injury.   The study comes as more adults in the U.S. are deciding to delay having children, or to forgo having children entirely. [Read More]

Hurricane Irma Now a Category 5 Storm: What That Means

 Posted on November 30, 2022  |  6 minutes  |  1119 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Hurricane Irma, a ferocious storm brewing in the Atlantic Ocean and currently heading toward Puerto Rico, was classified as a Category 5 storm early this morning (Sept. 5). With maximum sustained wind speeds of 185 mph (nearly 300 km/h), the hurricane is now the strongest hurricane on record to ever form in the Atlantic Ocean, not including the Caribbean basin or the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center's Atlantic operations. [Read More]

Is Fresh Snow Always White?

 Posted on November 30, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  582 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Red, yellow, and green snowmen are not just the moldy leftovers of holiday candy, but can also be created due to a natural phenomenon that produces brilliantly colored snow. Multi-hued snow, usually found in polar regions during the spring and summer months, results from dozens of species of algae. The algae, which grow best in temperatures less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit, lie dormant beneath the snow through the winter. [Got a question? [Read More]

Man Dies From Rare 'Brain-Eating' Amoeba After Swimming in North Carolina Lake

 Posted on November 30, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  417 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

A man in North Carolina died from a rare "brain-eating" amoeba infection after swimming in a lake at a local water park, according to news reports. The 59-year-old man became ill after visiting Fantasy Lake Water Park, a man-made lake in Cumberland County, on July 12, according to The New York Times. The man tested positive for Naegleria fowleri, a single-celled organism that's naturally found in warm freshwater, such as lakes and rivers, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHH) said in a statement. [Read More]

Ouch! Zippers Cause Most Penis Injuries, Study Finds

 Posted on November 30, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  485 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Perhaps someone should have realized that putting sharp metal teeth next to sensitive genitalia was a bad idea. But since the zipper's invention in 1913, the device has proven immensely popular, replacing the button fly on most trousers, jeans and pants, for men as well as women. And now we're paying the price for the zipper's speed and efficiency at the emergency room: According to a new study from the urology journal BJU International, an estimated 17,616 people went to the ER from 2002 to 2010 with genital injuries caused by zippers. [Read More]

Save $700 off with this NordicTrack Commercial Studio Cycle deal

 Posted on November 30, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  653 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

With this NordicTrack Commercial Studio Cycle deal, you can save on a piece of fitness equipment that lets you cycle behind a professional mountain biker down the slopes of Mount Fuji in Japan or around the natural rock formations of Cappadocia, Turkey — all while staying safe and toasty indoors. The NordicTrack Commercial Studio Cycle is one of the only stationary bikes that features the ability to increase your incline. [Read More]

There's a Violent Battle Between Solar Wind and Cosmic Rays, and Voyager 2 Just Passed Through it

 Posted on November 30, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  665 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Solar wind is not exactly our friend.  The flood of hot, electric particles constantly gushing out of the sun bathes the entire solar system in radiation, frying the occasional satellite and making life impossible on any planet not shielded by an atmosphere. In both a literal and figurative sense, the solar wind blows — but, as new observations from the edge of our solar system suggest, it also protects everything it touches from the even more damaging forces of interstellar space. [Read More]