Carl Georg Count Sievers, an amateur archaeologist, performed excavations along the Salaca River in Latvia in 1875. He discovered two graves: one for a 12-to-18-year-old girl (named RV 1852) and another for a 20-to-30-year-old man (designated RV 1853). (RV 2039). Analysis of RV 2039 about 150 years later reveals that not only is he over…
A nearly intact ancient human skull rested at the bottom of a well in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China, for more than 80 years, according to Chris Stringer. According to legend, laborers building a bridge in Japanese-occupied northeastern China uncovered the specimen from the Songhua River’s bed in 1933. The crew foreman understood the worth…
When you stop sweating, it starts. Sweat cools you typically down by releasing heat into the air as it evaporates. Still, if your body becomes dehydrated or the external mixture of hot air and humidity becomes too high, you won’t be able to push the salty liquid through your pores anymore. As blood rushes toward…
When we talk about food and climate change, we often hear about the personal decisions we can make to help the environment, such as limiting red meat intake, buying seasonal fruits and vegetables, and avoiding shady greenwashing. However, the truth of food in an ever-changing climate is that so many need to move beyond our…
Today is predicted to be one of the hottest days on record in the Northwest United States and western Canada. After a sweltering and record-breaking few days, with temperatures as high as 112 degrees Fahrenheit in Portland and 108 degrees Fahrenheit in Seattle, thermometers are forecast to crawl even higher today, with temperatures occasionally surpassing…
With the Delta variation growing more common, US health officials are concerned about isolated unvaccinated populations, even in places where vaccination rates are high, and some nations have implemented additional restrictions to slow the spread of the variant. Researchers now have more information on how long vaccinations and boosters provide protection. In addition, a recent…
Turmeric is one of the most vibrantly colored spices you’ll ever see, and it’s a staple of Indian cuisine, but it’s capable of so much more. Curcumin, one of the plant’s primary constituents, has a long list of health advantages, and it’s been used to dye textiles for years. Curcumin, on the other hand, is…
Linus Pauling is widely regarded as one of the fathers—if not the father—of molecular biology. He helped discover the nature of chemical bonds, identified sickle cell anemia as a molecular disease, elucidated some of the most common protein structures, revolutionized our understanding of primate evolution, and is widely regarded as one of, if not the…
The coelacanth is an ancient type of fish that may grow up to 6.5 feet long and can be found off the beaches of East Africa and Indonesia. They live in the ocean’s “twilight zone,” which is 500 to 800 feet below the surface and is faintly lighted. Little is known about these sluggish behemoths.…
I’m reminiscing about science’s glory days after reading an edgy biography of Stephen Hawking. Were they good or bad? I can’t make up my mind. I’m referring to the 1990s when scientific arrogance was pervasive. Hawking and other physicists convinced us that they were on the cusp of a “theory of everything” that would solve…