A little bit about cats: the history of domestication and interesting facts about the behavior of pets
Cats have lived among humans for thousands of years. They likely began hanging around human grain stores, attracted by mice and other vermin, and eventually spread around the world when sailors took them aboard their ships. The domestic cat is one of the smallest members of the cat family, a group that includes lions, tigers, jaguars, and pumas. It is also the only member of this family that has been domesticated.
Humans, Chimpanzees, Apes and Our Common Ancestors – Evolution, Similarities and Differences
Chimpanzees and humans: how are we different? What might the common ancestor of humans and apes have looked like, living in the Miocene (23-5 million years ago)? Why didn’t all primates evolve into humans? What’s the difference between monkeys and apes? The answers to these and some other questions are in this article.
Astrophysicist Claims 5,000-Year-Old Egyptian Coffins Depict Milky Way Galaxy
A new study suggests that ancient depictions of the Egyptian sky goddess Nut may represent one of the earliest visual interpretations of the Milky Way galaxy.
Residents of Japan’s Jeju Island have evolved to be resistant to hypothermia
A group of women on South Korea’s largest island, Jeju, follow a unique tradition to provide food for themselves: They dive to depths of about 33 feet (10 meters) without using any special equipment. Now, a new study shows that these women carry special genes that South Koreans living on the mainland do not have. These genes may be linked to the women’s ability to withstand cold water and lower their blood pressure while diving.
Life may have emerged billions of years earlier than previously thought
A new study suggests that water first appeared in the universe just a couple of hundred million years after the Big Bang, meaning life may have emerged billions of years earlier than previously thought.
250 thousand years ago, the ancestors of modern humans painted on the walls of caves and buried their dead
Landmark discovery: Homo naledi buried their dead 250,000 years ago, according to newly updated research. The controversial claim that Homo naledi buried their dead has received new evidence in a 2025 study.
Fossils of new 444-million-year-old creature discovered in South Africa
Scientists have discovered two 444-million-year-old fossil specimens with their soft tissues well preserved, according to a new study. Unlike most fossils, the creature’s muscles and guts, but not its tougher shell, were preserved in ancient sediments that turned to stone.
In Ancient Mesopotamia, leadership was honored and adolescents were sacrificed
Previously, researchers believed that the main burials represented young royals with sacrificed attendants. But this interpretation was based on the idea that early Bronze Age societies had developed into large states with a king at the top of the social hierarchy.
New facts in the history of cleanliness: what was before the invention of modern soap
Soap has a fairly simple formula and a long history. But for centuries, water was the primary means of bathing. For example, in the Indus Valley Civilization—a culture that flourished in parts of what is now Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan from 2600 to 1900 BCE—the Great Bath at Mohenjo-Daro is thought to be one of the earliest public steam baths. But steam only lasts so long.