Author: Ms. R.

Deep inside South Africa’s Rising Star Cave system, scientists have uncovered a surprising clue about an extinct human relative that lived hundreds of thousands of years ago. For the first time, researchers have recovered and studied ancient proteins from Homo naledi fossils, revealing evidence that the cave may have contained an exclusively female burial site. The discovery, published in the journal Cell, raises an extraordinary possibility. The cave could represent the earliest known burial location reserved for one sex……

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In mid-October, a Times Square billboard displayed the odds of Democrats winning the Senate in the U.S. midterm elections. The sign didn’t belong to a polling firm or cable broadcaster; it was an ad for prediction platform Kalshi.  The poster was a glowing reminder of how prediction market platforms—which let traders buy and sell ‘yes’ or ‘no’ contracts on a range of outcomes—are going mainstream. Kalshi’s rival Polymarket went big on marketing in October too, and so far the……

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A specially engineered chewing gum could offer an unexpected new weapon against viruses and bacteria linked to head and neck cancer. In laboratory tests using samples from cancer patients, researchers found that extracts from the gum reduced levels of human papillomavirus, or HPV, by as much as 93%. An enhanced version also nearly eliminated two harmful bacterial species while leaving beneficial bacteria unharmed. The findings, reported in Scientific Reports, suggest that this experimental approach could eventually help prevent certain……

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New preliminary research involving more than 440,000 American adults has uncovered a concerning association between cannabis use and cardiovascular disease, particularly stroke. The findings suggest that even occasional marijuana use may be linked to higher odds of cardiovascular problems, raising new questions about the health effects of a substance that is becoming increasingly common across the United States. The research, presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2026, found that the association was not limited to people who……

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Some people seem to attract mosquitoes wherever they go, but new research reveals that being a mosquito magnet depends on which species is doing the biting. In a study published in iScience, researchers at Florida International University (FIU) tested how three of the world’s most dangerous mosquito species responded to 119 human volunteers. Surprisingly, not a single participant attracted all three species. Instead, each species favored a different group of people, largely based on their individual body chemistry and……

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An ancient rodent of extraordinary size has been identified from fossils uncovered in a mine in southern Thailand. The discovery, made by an international team of paleontologists that includes scientists from McGill University, provides new evidence that giant rodents appeared much earlier and in more parts of the world than previously believed. The researchers found “remarkably large” fossilized teeth belonging to a previously unknown species called Yakamys sirindhornae. This prehistoric rodent lived approximately 34 million years ago, during the……

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A remarkable fossil discovery in China has revealed an ancient amphibian that lived entirely in the ocean, something no amphibian alive today is known to do. The unusual animal, named Gerrothorax maritimus, had a broad, flattened body protected by bony armor and was roughly the size of a giant salamander. Researchers believe it spent much of its life on the seafloor, waiting to ambush passing prey. The discovery comes from an international team at the University of California, Davis,……

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