Mysterious symbols in cave paintings may be earliest form of writing
4 January 2023
Stone Age people in Europe appear to have recorded the reproductive habits of animals with markings on cave paintings, hinting at the early origins of writing
-
Subject
-
Section
-
Type
-
Topics
-
Author
-
Issue
-
Premium
Clever birds forced to find new homes as Cambridge lab faces closure
13 May 2022
A seminal research lab that has revolutionised our understanding of the minds of rooks and jays is set to be closed down as funding dries up
DNA from ancient skeletons reveals a lost branch of modern humans
22 January 2020
DNA from four skeletons found in Cameroon has revealed a mystery branch of early modern humans, suggesting we may need to rethink our species' family tree
44,000-year-old hunting scene is earliest painted ‘story’ ever found
11 December 2019
Cave paintings discovered in Indonesia reveal ancient artists were conjuring imagined scenes 20,000 years earlier than we thought – but who painted them?
Neanderthals' cave art skills questioned in dispute over age of images
8 November 2019
A dispute over the dating of prehistoric Spanish cave paintings is fuelling a fractious debate over Neanderthals’ artistic capabilities
Oldest Denisovan art discovered on 100,000-year-old bone fragments
18 July 2019
Etchings on pieces of ancient bone found in China could be the clearest evidence yet found that the mysterious Denisovans were capable of advanced cognition
Your brain power varies throughout the year, peaking in autumn
4 September 2018
Adults in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere perform better in cognitive tests in early autumn, and dementia symptoms peak in winter and spring
The American Dream is slipping away faster than we thought
3 September 2018
Anyone is supposed to be able to get ahead in the US - but social mobility is powerfully influenced by your parents' socioeconomic status
5000-year-old monument was built by a society without leaders
20 August 2018
Why go to the effort to build a vast monument when you’re a wandering herder in a society of equals? A 5000-year-old burial site in Kenya offers some clues
Oldest galaxies in the universe discovered right on our doorstep
16 August 2018
Astronomers have previously looked for ancient galaxies by peering into the deep reaches of the universe, but it turns out they were right here all the time
