PFAS: you can’t smell, see or taste these chemicals, but they are everywhere – and they’re highly toxic to humans: PFAS are persistent and spread through the atmosphere via hydrological processes. Chatchawal Phumkaew/Shutterstock Humans perceive risk based largely on what we can see, smell and taste. Those senses serve us well when there are perceptible …
Why humans walk on two legs: a close look at chimpanzees puts some old theories to the test: Issa chimpanzees live in a woodland dominated environment interspersed with riparian forests, grasslands, and rocky out-crops. Photo: R. Drummond-Clarke/GMERC There’s no trait that distinguishes humans from all other mammals more clearly than the way we walk. Human …
When did humans first start to speak? How language evolved in Africa: Descendants of the indigenous San people in the Kalahari Desert. Eric Lafforgue/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Image When did humans first begin to speak, which speech sounds were uttered first, and when did language evolve from those humble beginnings? These questions have long fascinated people, …
Cyborgs v ‘holdout humans’: what the world might be like if our species survives for a million years: Homo Sapiens may survive. JuliusKielaitis Most species are transitory. They go extinct, branch into new species or change over time due to random mutations and environmental shifts. A typical mammalian species can be expected to exist for …
Superbugs in the environment rarely transfer to humans – new study: Igor Stramyk/Shutterstock The rapid spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) around the globe represents a crisis on many fronts. Infections that are difficult, or impossible, to treat cause considerable public health and economic burdens, but also pose a serious threat to food security. Undoubtedly, the …
The real Paleo diet: new archaeological evidence changes what we thought about how ancient humans prepared food: Kit8.net/Shutterstock We humans can’t stop playing with our food. Just think of all the different ways of serving potatoes – entire books have been written about potato recipes alone. The restaurant industry was born from our love of …
Insects will struggle to keep pace with global temperature rise – which could be bad news for humans: Animals can only endure temperatures within a given range. The upper and lower temperatures of this range are called its critical thermal limits. As these limits are exceeded, an animal must either adjust or migrate to a …
Artemis 1: maiden flight of spacecraft set to take humans back to the Moon – here’s what needs to go right: Artemis-1 on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Centre NASA A launch window – the period during which a rocket must be launched to reach its destination – opens on August 29 for the …
Mosquitoes: there’s malaria, plus 5 other diseases they pass on to humans: Tacio Philip Sansonovski/Shutterstock Most people instantly associate mosquitoes with malaria. But these tiny flying insects can transmit a number of other diseases too. Viruses transmitted by insects like mosquitoes are called arthropod-borne or arboviruses. Like malaria, these viruses are transmitted to vertebrate hosts …
Clinical trials without humans – why computer simulations could make drugs a lot cheaper: Before a drug or medical device is approved for use in humans, it must undergo a clinical trial. Clinical trials ultimately aim to answer two simple questions: is the drug or device safe? And does it do what it’s supposed to …
Conservation science still rests on how animals can benefit humans: Anatoliy Lukich / shutterstock The accelerating loss of other species around the globe is so extensive that many experts now refer to it as the sixth mass extinction. It’s driven in large part by an unprecedented loss of vital ecosystems such as forests and wetlands, …
Monkey teeth are shedding new light on how early humans used tools: The macaques of Japan’s Koshima Island are a clever bunch. Well known for performing some remarkably complex tasks, such as washing sweet potatoes and filtering wheat from sand in the seawater, they’ve even been spotted catching live octopuses from the sea. During continuous …
Animals have evolved to avoid overexploiting their resources – can humans do the same?: 'Survival of the fittest' may not function so well in a global society. MaxPixel People have been trying to understand how predators and prey are able to stay balanced within our planet’s ecosystems for at least 2,400 years. The Greek author …
Future evolution: from looks to brains and personality, how will humans change in the next 10,000 years?: Where's next for Homo Sapiens? Shutterstock READER QUESTION: If humans don’t die out in a climate apocalypse or asteroid impact in the next 10,000 years, are we likely to evolve further into a more advanced species than what …
We’re analysing DNA from ancient and modern humans to create a ‘family tree of everyone’: Gorodenkoff/shutterstock Did you know that it’s now possible to sequence all of your DNA for about the cost of a smartphone? This will reveal your unique genetic makeup, and can be used to work out the similarities and differences between …
Humans vs AI: here’s who’s better at making money in financial markets: AI is all about analysing huge amounts of data so why isn't it used more in trading? Fit Ztudio/Shutterstock Artificial Intelligence (AI) has now closely matched or even surpassed humans in what were previously considered unattainable areas. These include chess, arcade games, Go, …
Curious Kids: why didn’t other creatures evolve the intelligence humans have?: Humans have big brains. Rido/Shutterstock If humans and other animals were living in the same environment, why didn’t other animals evolve like us? – Sami, aged 13, London, UK This is a brilliant question. Humans have evolved differently to other animals. We have much …
Medical robots: their facial expressions will help humans trust them: The Pepper robot in Italy in 2017. Shutterstock/MikeDotta Robots, AI and autonomous systems are increasingly being used in hospitals around the world. They help with a range of tasks, from surgical procedures and taking vital signs to helping out with security. Such “medical robots” have …