humans

Humans develop motor skills later than other primates, study shows

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Humans develop fine motor skills later than other primates because we have bigger brains that take longer to develop, biologists in Switzerland reveal.   Although ‘a big brain equals great dexterity’, humans have to wait relatively longer to develop full dexterity, allowing us to tie shoelaces, hold a pen or use cutlery.    Researchers at the University … Read more

Neanderthals weren’t as tough as they seemed and had a LOWER pain threshold than most humans today

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Neanderthals weren’t as tough as they seemed: Ancient species had a LOWER pain threshold than most modern-day humans – and the one in 250 people who carry their genes today are still more sensitive, study shows Genetic analysis found almost all of Neanderthals had a specific gene mutation This mutation is also found in around … Read more

First humans may have reached the Americas 15,000 years EARLIER than thought

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Archaeologists have rewritten the history books for when humans first arrived in the Americas, shifting the date of the initial migration 15,000 years back in time.  Excavations in a cave in Mexico called Chiquihuite revealed evidence of human occupation dating back up to 27,000 years.  As a result, the scientists suggest that people from North-East Asia … Read more

Grizzly bears that live near humans are 7.5 TIMES more likely to die young than those in the wild 

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Grizzly bears that live near humans are 7.5 TIMES more likely to die young than those in the wild, with only one in 30 making it to 14-years-old A study tracked 2,669 grizzly bears in British Columbia between 1979 and 2019 Grizzly bears that lived near towns and cities were more likely to die young … Read more

Warning from UN over rise in diseases jumping from animals to humans like Covid-19

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Viruses jumping from animals to humans are becoming more common, the United Nations has warned. The UN’s environmental branch revealed that the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 — the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 — came as no surprise. In a report, they said the pandemic was ‘highly predictable’ because human behaviour, including intense farming for meat, has … Read more

Baboons cradle their babies in their left arms just like humans do

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Monkeys, just like humans, prefer to cradle their babies in their left arm and not their right, scientists have discovered.  It is believed this preference evolved because the child is closest to the mother’s left eye, which is controlled by the brain’s emotion-processing right hemisphere.  This half of the brain, in both monkeys and humans, … Read more

Strain of swine flu virus prevalent in China has the potential to spread to humans, scientists warn 

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A strain of the swine flu virus has become prevalent in pigs in China and has the potential to spread to humans and become another pandemic, researchers claim. Experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences say pigs are a ‘key intermediate host’ or ‘mixing vessel’ for viruses spreading from wild animals into humans. The Chinese … Read more

Oystercatchers sleep with one eye open so they can keep a look out for dogs and humans, study says

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Oystercatchers sleep with one eye open while roosting on the ground so they can keep a look out for dogs and humans, study says Birds use ‘peeking’ to sleep, meaning they keep opening one eye to spot danger Near-threatened species did this ‘significantly more’ when humans were near Scientists said that dogs represented a ‘real … Read more

Sled dogs have been helping humans survive in the Arctic for at least 9,500 years

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Sled dogs have been helping humans survive in the Arctic by transporting them over long distances for at least 9,500 years, study shows Little was known of the genetic history of sled dogs, despite their uniqueness  Experts compared the genomes of Greenland sled dogs to other canine breeds They found that modern sled dogs are … Read more