Spitting cobras may have evolved unique venom to defend from ancient humans: Spitting cobras use their venom for defence. Stu Porter/shutterstock.com Cobras are fascinating and frightening creatures. These snakes are most well known for their characteristic defence mechanism called hooding, when the sides of their neck flare out in a dramatic display. However, hooding isn’t …
Cognitive decline due to ageing can be reversed in mice – here’s what the new study means for humans: Memory declines with age. Robert Kneschke/Shutterstock The ageing global population is the greatest challenge faced by 21st-century healthcare systems. Even COVID-19 is, in a sense, a disease of ageing. The risk of death from the virus …
Hepatitis D: how the virus made the jump from animals to humans: Vampire bats, a commonly deltavirus-infected host, feed on the blood of other mammals. Belizar/Shutterstock Pandemics past and present have been caused when pathogens – germs that cause disease – move between animals and humans, as SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) did when …
Finds in Tanzania’s Olduvai Gorge reveal how ancient humans adapted to change: The research site at the Olduvai Gorge. Author supplied The ability to adapt to changing environments has deep roots. In a technology-driven world, people tend to conflate adaptability with technological change, especially when it comes to navigating adverse climates and places. But not …
Happy the elephant was denied rights designed for humans – but the legal definition of ‘person’ is still evolving: Bronx Zoo elephant 'Happy' strolls inside the zoo's Asia Habitat in New York. AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews Nobody knows how old Happy is. Sometime in the 1970s, she and six other youngsters were taken from their family …
Make drones sound less annoying by factoring in humans at the design stage: Shutterstock/DmitryKalinovsky These days almost everyone has either flown a drone or listened to the nasty whining sound they produce. Although small drones (up to 20kg) are about 40 decibels quieter than conventional civil aircraft, they produce a high pitched noise – which …
Humans have used drugs with sex for millennia – the reasons are much broader than you think: Despite its long history, our understanding of the relationship between sex and drugs remains limited Shutterstock/Panu Kosonen On their own, sex and drugs are cultural taboos. Combining them only adds to our reluctance to talk about them. But …
South Africa in the news: Covid-19 mink variants discovered in humans in seven countries: Denmark, the Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, the Faroe Islands, Russia and the US have all reported cases of mink-related mutations. Despite a political backlash the cull has continued, and …: “South Africa” – BingNews Youth engagement and skills acquisition within Africa’s …
When did humans first go to war?: Cain killing Abel. Titian/Wikimedia When modern humans arrived in Europe around 40,000 years ago, they made a discovery that was to change the course of history. The continent was already populated by our evolutionary cousins, the Neanderthals, which recent evidence suggests had their own relatively sophisticated culture and …
From psychopaths to ‘everyday sadists’: why do humans harm the harmless?: Some 6% of people are sadists. Brian Goff/Shutterstock Why are some humans cruel to people who don’t even pose a threat to them – sometimes even their own children? Where does this behaviour come from and what purpose does it serve? Ruth, 45, London. …
Humans aren’t inherently selfish – we’re actually hardwired to work together: Franzi/Shutterstock There has long been a general assumption that human beings are essentially selfish. We’re apparently ruthless, with strong impulses to compete against each other for resources and to accumulate power and possessions. If we are kind to one another, it’s usually because we …
How studying fruit flies might help us prevent age-related hearing loss in humans: Around one in three people over 65 is affected by hearing loss. Vova Shevchuk/ Shutterstock Hearing loss is a common age-related ailment, affecting nearly one in every three people over the age of 65. The World Health Organization expects that by 2050, …
South Africa in the news: Durban animal care organisation starts feeding humans as Covid-19 eats into incomes: Reaction Unit South Africa, a security company based in Verulam, just north of the central business district, issued a statement on Thursday commenting on the strange encounter. “Reaction officers …: “South Africa” – BingNews Somizi’s cooking show leads …
Noisy humans make birds sleep with one eye open – but lockdown offered a reprieve: Sleeping oystercatchers peek over their feathers to spot threats. Meaghan McBlain, Author provided Getting a good night’s sleep is crucial for your well-being, as any new parent will tell you. Chronic sleep loss can have a range of effects on …
Will humans go extinct? For all the existential threats, we’ll likely be here for a very long time: RomanRaD/Shutterstock Will our species go extinct? The short answer is yes. The fossil record shows everything goes extinct, eventually. Almost all species that ever lived, over 99.9%, are extinct. Some left descendants. Most – plesiosaurs, trilobites, Brontosaurus …
Humans shape nature – but nature shapes us too: When land central to the identity of locals is reshaped, so is the political landscape. Nikita Sud, Author provided In the last century, countries across the world have dammed rivers, built infrastructure and expanded industry and agriculture – all in the name of developing society. To …
Curious Kids: how did humans think about things, before they had language to think with?: You don't actually need language to think. bluelela/Shutterstock. How did humans think about things, before they had language to think with? – Katie, aged 11, Sydney, Australia. When we think, most of us have the feeling that words flow through …
Ancient humans may have made patterns and sculptures on South Africa’s beaches: A rock surface containing a circular pattern with a central depression. The scale bar = 10 cm. Images modified from: Helm, C.W.; Cawthra, H.C.; De Vynck, J.C.; Helm, C.J.; Rust, R.; Stear. W. Patterns in the Sand: A Pleistocene hominin signature along the …