A CT scan revealed the remains of a child-like mummy were actually just mud and grain packed together and shaped to represent Osiris, the Egyptian god of death. The 3,000-year-old mummy was one of two sent for a CT scan at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, Israel, by the city’s National Maritime Museum. Both sarcophagi had … Read more
Increase in ‘invasive’ plants and animal species as a result of human activity could lead to dramatic biodiversity loss worldwide, scientists warn Experts collected data from 36 specialists who research biological invasions They found that transport, climate change and changing land use are key drivers A 20–30% rise non-native species numbers could have major global impacts … Read more
All-you-can-eat: 84 hot dogs is the maximum any human can consume in 10 minutes — only nine more than the current world record An expert reviewed 39 years of data from the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest This event has been held on Coney Island, New York, annually since around 1972 Analysis found that elite … Read more
Damaged lungs from a deceased donor are often too damaged to be transplanted into someone in need of the life-saving organ. But scientists have found a way to improve the state of lungs which are deemed too battered to be of any use. A host of scientists at both Columbia and Vanderbilt University channelled their inner … Read more
NASA updates policies to protect the moon and Mars from human germs that may hitchhike on astronauts in a bid to not contaminate samples returning to Earth NASA is set to send crewed missions to the moon in 2024 and Mars in the 2030s The agency is updating its policies that protect outer space from human … Read more
Human teeth ‘first evolved 400 million years ago’ in a bizarre armoured fish, according to new X-ray analysis of a fossil. Palaeontologists have used the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), the strongest X-ray source in the world, to ‘digitally dissect’ the primitive jawed fish. The teeth, belonging to the extinct ‘acanthothoracid’ fish, were discovered near … Read more
SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes Covid-19, evolved after several different coronaviruses merged into one, a study has found. Scientists came to the conclusion while trying to understand the evolutionary history of the coronavirus in a bid to help make a vaccine. High-resolution images reveal the spike on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 is 97 per cent … Read more
As the focus shifted from animal art to human shapes 8,000 years ago there was an ‘artistic revolution’ driven by a rise in elaborate funeral rituals, study finds. Archaeologists working in Jordan discovered a series of flint artefacts that look like stone tools – but they were never used and could have been funeral figurines. … Read more
Dominic Raab today warned despots, dictators and their henchmen they will no longer be able to buy property in the UK or ‘siphon dirty money through British banks’ as he unveiled the Government’s new sanctions regime. Before Brexit the UK usually acted alongside the European Union or the United Nations when imposing sanctions on individuals … Read more
Facebook is investigating new charges that people are using private groups to sell and solicit human remains, including skulls, fetal remains and even a mummified six-year-old child dated to the 1700s. While Facebook has a policy that explicitly bans the ‘buying or selling of human body parts or fluids,’ some users appear to have gotten … Read more