Modern humans have been interbreeding with Neanderthals for more than 200,000 years, an international team led by Josh Akey of Princeton University and Liming Li of Southeast University reports. Akey and Li identified an initial wave of contact around 200-250,000 years ago, another wave 100-120,000 years ago, and the largest one around 50-60,000 years ago. … Read more
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific developments and more. CNN — A piece of woolly mammoth skin excavated from the permafrost of Siberia contains fossil chromosomes, the first discovery of its kind, a new study shows. Researchers unearthed the 52,000-year-old remains in 2018 near … Read more
Archaeologists are puzzled by the discovery of dozens of Bronze and Iron Age child graves in southern Norway. The graves, each marked by circles of precisely placed stones, were found last year by a team from the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History near Fredrikstad, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Oslo, close to the … Read more
What happens when aging white dwarf stars merge? Observers in feudal Japan in the year 1181 had a front-row view of the superpowerful kilonova created by such a merger. Their accounts show that a rare “guest star” flared up and then disappeared. It wasn’t until 2021 that astronomers finally found the spot in the sky … Read more
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific developments and more. CNN — About half a billion years ago, a volcanic eruption near a shallow sea in what is now Morocco produced some of the most complete specimens ever found of trilobites, insect-like marine creatures, revealing … Read more
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have observed the dramatic “dance” between a supermassive black hole and two satellite galaxies. The observations could help scientists better understand how galaxies and supermassive black holes grew in the early universe. This particular supermassive black hole is feeding on surrounding matter, powering a bright quasar that … Read more
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have observed the dramatic “dance” between a supermassive black hole and two satellite galaxies. The observations could help scientists better understand how galaxies and supermassive black holes grew in the early universe. This particular supermassive black hole is feeding on surrounding matter, powering a bright quasar that … Read more
It sounds like something out of a Hollywood movie script, but it actually happened: Shark evolution researchers say rising ocean temperatures more than 100 million years ago may have allowed sharks to grow bigger, swim faster and become the powerful predators we know today. In a paper published last month in the journal Current Biology, … Read more
The history of the Earth is full of amazing creatures, some of which, like pseudosuchia, still baffle experts. One such species is the new predatory reptile species recently discovered in the heart of Brazil, a remarkable addition to the Triassic stories. This latest find sheds light on an ancient lineage of crocodile-like reptiles known as … Read more
Archaeological research in Samoa has uncovered ancient structures that highlight early social stratification and land management strategies, providing a deeper insight into Polynesian cultural development. Large mound found at Saoluafata, Samoa. Credit: University of Auckland A new study led by archaeologists at the University of Auckland may have revealed the origins of hierarchical society in … Read more