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Polynesians and Native Americans met and had children together around AD 1200, according to a study of modern Polynesian peoples’ DNA. But the encounter didn’t take place on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), the island closest to South America, as has long been suggested. Instead, the Polynesians in question were from islands hundreds of kilometres further […] More
More than 100 distinctive flint artefacts from a Stone Age village in Jordan may be figurines of people used in funeral rituals, according to a team of archaeologists. However, other researchers aren’t convinced that the objects represent people at all. Since 2014, Juan José Ibáñez at the Milá and Fontanals Institution for Humanities Research in […] More
Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship that helped the pirate Blackbeard gain fame and fortune, was in poor shape and prone to leaking, a new analysis has revealed. The discovery could explain the vessel’s fate, as Blackbeard may have deliberately run it aground to avoid the headache of keeping it afloat. We know little about the […] More
Everyone is entitled to one good scare – and it may be good for us. People who watch a lot of horror films and those who are morbidly curious about unpleasant subjects seem to be more psychologically resilient to the covid-19 pandemic, a study reveals. “Horror users tended to have less psychological distress,” says Coltan […] More
New Scientist’s weekly round-up of the best books, films, TV series, games and more that you shouldn’t miss Humans 1 July 2020 Play Duet-2 is a game from arts collective Invisible Flock on iOS and Android in which pairs of strangers establish a real, though mysterious, connection. Answer a question a day and share glimpses […] More
Picture a Scientist shines a light on gender discrimination in science – and also finds reasons to be hopeful, says Simon Ings Humans 1 July 2020 Film Picture a Scientist Sharon Shattuck and Ian Cheney Virtual screenings from 26 June WHAT is it about the institutions of science that encourages bullying and sexism? That pushes […] More
The leadership styles of Donald Trump and Jacinda Ardern are dramatically different, but our evolutionary history explains both – and why our preferences have changed Humans 1 July 2020 DONALD TRUMP in the US and Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand. Vladimir Putin in Russia and Sanna Marin in Finland. It is hard to imagine more […] More
Women continue to experience gender bias and discrimination – including lower pay and performance evaluations – even in workplaces where they are in a majority, according to a study of vets. Bias in the workplace appears to be perpetuated by people who don’t think it exists. The finding suggests that simply hiring more women won’t […] More
