Lost capital city of the Mongol Empire was far bigger than thought
9 November 2021
The city, built by the son of Genghis Khan, was once thought to be about one-tenth as big as it actually was
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Piles of animal dung reveal the location of an ancient Arabian oasis
14 September 2021
Analysis of fossilised faeces from rock hyraxes shows that the extremely dry area of Wadi Sana in Yemen was once a lush oasis
Stone Age Europeans may have worn make-up more than 6000 years ago
9 July 2021
6000-year-old miniature ceramic bottles found in Slovenia contain traces of the same minerals later used in make-up by ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians
Viking remains lost for more than a century rediscovered in a museum
3 May 2021
The remains of a Viking have been rediscovered after being missing for over a century – and it turns out the Viking in question was buried wearing a pair of fancy long trousers
Indigenous people may have left the Amazon before Europeans arrived
29 April 2021
Fossil pollen records show a surge of regrowth in forests of the Amazon basin 300 to 600 years before Europeans arrived, suggesting Indigenous people may have left the region
The hidden rules that determine which friendships matter to us
3 March 2021
Evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar has found that our friendships are governed by secret rules, based on everything from your sex to your sleep schedule. Our unique social fingerprints help determine who we are drawn to, which friendships last and...
Soil safely filters 38 million tonnes of human waste each year
19 February 2021
With some types of sanitation, such as pit latrines, human waste can be filtered through soil. Across the world around 38 million tonnes of human waste is sanitised this way – the equivalent of around £3.2 billion of commercial water treatment
The reason we love to gather around the TV lies in Stone Age embers
16 December 2020
Watching TV and staring at flickering flames produce similar physiological effects, offering intriguing clues to the enduring power of entertainment – and the origins of sociability
Can you ever know yourself? Whatever the answer, it is worth trying
9 December 2020
Studying ourselves gets more complex with every breakthrough in genetics, physics or microbiology, but doing so can help us understand others a little better, too.
Unique review: A fascinating look at the science of individuality
9 December 2020
Understanding how individual we all are means grappling with genetics and neuroscience. Unique: The new science of human individuality by David Linden is a great place to start
