The Carreras Pampas archaeological site within Bolivia’s Toro Toro National Park has documented 1,321 tracks and 289 isolated footprints, totaling 16,600 theropod dinosaur footprints. Additionally, 280 swim tracks have been identified, amounting to 1,378 swim tracks in total. Some of the tracks include tail traces.
Dinosaur footprints at the Carreras Pampas Stadium in Bolivia’s Toro Toro National Park. Image credit: Esperante et al., doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0335973.
Bolivia boasts one of the most comprehensive and diverse records of dinosaur footprints globally, covering the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods.
Despite the abundance of track sites, there has been limited scientific research published.
A recent study led by paleontologist Raul Esperante from the Institute of Geosciences, along with his colleagues, has documented an extraordinary variety of dinosaur footprints at the Carreras Pampas site in Toro Toro National Park.
In nine different study areas, the research team uncovered 16,600 footprints left by three-toed theropod dinosaurs from the late Cretaceous.
These footprints vary in size from small (less than 10 cm) to large (over 30 cm) and capture a range of dinosaur behaviors, including running, swimming, tail dragging, and abrupt turns.
“The waist height of most (80%) of the trackmakers was between 65 cm and 1.15 meters, with a significant portion measuring between 75 cm and 1.05 meters,” stated the paleontologist.
“Interestingly, very few trackmakers exceeded 1.25 meters in height.”
The majority of these footprints are oriented approximately northwest to southeast, and the sediments retain ripple marks, indicating that these dinosaurs traversed ancient shorelines.
“The Carreras Pampas track set a new world record for the number of individual dinosaur footprints, continuous tracks, tail marks, and swimming marks,” the researchers noted.
“This exceptional frequency suggests it was a heavily trafficked area, and the parallel alignment of some footprints may imply groups of dinosaurs traveled together.”
“Numerous more footprints at this site and other locations in Bolivia remain to be studied,” they added.
“This site offers a remarkable glimpse into the region’s past. It reveals not only how many dinosaurs inhabited the area but also their behaviors during migration.”
“It’s truly incredible to work here, as the ground is covered with dinosaur footprints wherever you look.”
The team’s findings were published in the online journal PLoS ONE.
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R. Esperante et al. 2025. Morphology, preservation, and taphonomy of dinosaur footprints, tail prints, and swim tracks in the world’s largest athletic arena: Carreras Pampas, Toro Toro National Park, Bolivia (Upper Cretaceous). PLoS One 20 (12): e0335973; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0335973
Monte Sierpe, meaning “Mountain of the Serpent” and informally referred to as the “Zone of Holes,” is situated in the Pisco Valley of southern Peru. It comprises around 5,200 meticulously aligned holes. Recent studies indicate that the site may have originally functioned as a barter market, bringing together a variety of people for trade.
Aerial view of Monte Sierpe looking northeast. Image credit: Jacob Bongers, University of Sydney.
Stretching over 1.5 km in the Pisco Valley of the southern Peruvian Andes, Monte Sierpe features approximately 5,200 carefully aligned holes (ranging from 1–2 m in width and 0.5–1 m in depth) arranged in distinct sections.
This extraordinary structure likely dates back to at least the Late Middle Period (1000-1400 AD) and was actively used by the Incas (1400-1532 AD).
Initially brought to modern attention in 1933 following an aerial photo published in National Geographic, the specific purpose of the monument remains a mystery.
Speculations about its function include various roles such as defense, storage, accounting, water collection, fog capture, and horticulture, but the actual intent continues to elude researchers.
“What led ancient people to excavate over 5,000 holes in the hills of southern Peru? Were they used for gardens? Did they provide water? Did they serve agricultural purposes?” inquires Dr. Jacob Bongers, a digital archaeologist from the University of Sydney.
“While we cannot ascertain their purpose, our new data offers significant clues and supports emerging theories regarding the site’s utilization.”
Utilizing drone technology, Dr. Bongers and his team mapped the site, uncovering numerical patterns in its layout that indicate intentional organization.
Interestingly, the archaeologists also found that the configuration of Monte Sierpe resembles that of at least one Inca quipu (an ancient knotted string for accounting) discovered in the same valley.
“This discovery significantly enhances our understanding of the origins and variety of indigenous accounting practices both within and outside the Andes,” noted Dr. Bongers.
Soil samples taken from the holes revealed ancient maize pollen, one of the Andes’ key staple crops, along with reeds traditionally utilized for basket making for millennia.
These surprising findings indicate that ancient people likely planted crops in the holes, using woven baskets and bundles for transport.
“This is quite intriguing. Perhaps this area functioned as a pre-Inca market, akin to a flea market,” remarked Dr. Bongers.
“We estimate that the pre-Hispanic population in this region was around 100,000. It likely served as a meeting point for traveling merchants, including llama caravan traders, as well as local professionals like farmers and fishermen to trade goods like corn and cotton.”
“Fundamentally, I believe these holes served as a form of social technology that unified individuals and later evolved into a comprehensive accounting system under the Inca Empire.”
“Numerous questions remain: Why is this monument unique to this location and not found throughout the Andes?”
“Was Monte Sierpe a type of ‘landscape’? – Nevertheless, we are gradually moving closer to unraveling the mysteries of this fascinating site. It’s genuinely exciting.”
Refer to the study published in the Journal on November 10, 2025 ancient.
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Jacob L. Bongers et al. Indigenous accounting and interaction at Monte Sierpe (“Band of Holes”), Pisco Valley, Peru. ancient published online on November 10, 2025. doi: 10.15184/aqy.2025.10237
In March 2021, a 25-year-old American citizen arrived at Chicago’s Midway Airport and was detained by US Border Patrol agents. According to a recent report, the individual underwent a cheek swab for DNA collection. This person was later identified by state authorities, and their DNA was entered into the FBI’s genetic database, all without any criminal charges being filed.
This 25-year-old is among roughly 2,000 US citizens whose DNA was gathered and forwarded to the FBI by the Department of Homeland Security between 2020 and 2024, as reported by Georgetown’s Privacy and Technology Center. The report highlights that even some 14-year-old US citizens had their DNA collected by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials.
“We have witnessed a significant breach of privacy,” stated Stevie Gloverson, director of research and advocacy at Georgetown’s Privacy Center. “We contend that the absence of oversight on DHS’s collection powers renders this program unconstitutional and a violation of the Fourth Amendment.”
When immigration officials collect DNA to share it with the FBI, it is stored in the Combined DNA Index System (Codis), which is utilized nationwide by various law enforcement agencies to identify crime suspects. A 2024 report also revealed that CBP collects DNA data from the Privacy and Technology Center in Georgetown. Additionally, the data indicates that DNA was collected and shared from immigrant children, with initial estimates suggesting that approximately 133,000 teens and children have had their sensitive genetic information uploaded to this federal criminal database for permanent retention.
The recent CBP document specifically outlines the number of US citizens from whom genetic samples were collected at various entry points, including significant airports. The agency gathered data on the ages of individuals whose DNA was obtained by border agents as well as any charges associated with them. Like the 25-year-old, around 40 US citizens had their DNA collected and forwarded to the FBI, including six minors.
Under current regulations, CBP is authorized to gather DNA from all individuals, regardless of citizenship status or criminal background.
However, the law does not permit Border Patrol agents to collect DNA samples from US citizens merely for being detained. Yet, recent disclosures indicate that CBP lacks a system to verify whether there is a legal basis for collecting personal DNA.
In some atypical instances, US citizens had DNA collected for minor infractions like “failure to declare” items. In at least two documented cases, citizens were subjected to DNA swabbing, with CBP agents merely noting the accusation as “immigration officer testing.”
“This is data from CBP’s own management,” Gloverson pointed out. “What the documentation reveals is alarming. Afterward, CBP agents are isolating US citizens and swabbing their mouths without justification.”
No formal federal charges have been filed in approximately 865 of the roughly 2,000 cases of US citizens whose DNA was collected by CBP, indicating, according to Gloverson, that no legal cases have been presented before an independent authority, such as a judge.
“Many of these individuals do not go before a judge to assess the legality of their detention and arrest,” she remarked.
DNA records can disclose highly sensitive information, such as genetic relationships and lineage, regardless of an individual’s citizenship status. Information found in the criminal database, utilized for criminal investigations, could subject individuals to scrutiny that may not otherwise occur, Gloverson warned.
“If you believe your citizenship guards you against authoritarian measures, this situation is clear evidence that it does not,” she concluded.
In the last two weeks, countless “adults only” and “not safe for work” games have been removed from Steam and itch.io—two leading platforms for PC game distribution—as they scramble to adhere to stricter regulations set by payment processors like MasterCard, Visa, and PayPal.
These regulations came about following a campaign known as A Collective Cry, which pressured payment processors to cease facilitating transactions for platforms hosting content that features “games related to rape, incest, and child sexual abuse.” However, the scope of these new rules extends far beyond those issues, affecting even award-winning titles.
How did this begin?
On July 16th, Valve, the developer behind Steam, revised its Rules and Guidelines for game distribution. Existing prohibitions against “nude or sexually explicit images of real people” and “adult content that is not labeled or age-gated” were expanded to include “content that may violate the rules and standards laid out by certain types of adult content.”
In a statement to PC gamers on July 18th, Valve acknowledged that several games have been “retired” from the Steam store due to these new regulations. However, they did not specify which games were removed or define what types of “adult content” are deemed unacceptable.
A week later, itch.io issued a statement indicating it was also being “scrutinized” by payment processors. Consequently, all games tagged as “NSFW” were “deleted” (removed from search results) following a “comprehensive audit of content to comply with payment processor requirements.” Unlike Valve, itch.io explicitly mentioned the collective cry as the impetus behind the increased scrutiny.
What is A Collective Cry?
Collective Shout is an Australian group describing itself as “a grassroots campaign against the objectification of women and the sexualization of girls.”
In April, they achieved a major victory by having the game No Mercy—featuring themes of “incest,” “coerced sexual acts,” and “inevitably non-consensual gender”—removed from both Steam and itch.io. Following this, the group released an open letter stating, “We have identified hundreds of additional games on Steam and itch.io that involve themes of rape, incest, and child sexual abuse,” demanding companies to “demonstrate corporate social responsibility” by ceasing payment processing for those platforms.
After Steam updated its rules, A Collective Cry requested credits for the changes, stating that over 1,000 supporters contacted their payment processors to “stop financing these games.”
What is the role of payment processors?
Like many online retailers, both Steam and itch.io depend on payment processors to facilitate transactions. As such, these processors wield significant influence, impacting what products can be sold, published, or purchased, regardless of their legality.
In recent years, payment processors have tightened rules regarding transactions linked to adult content. In 2021, several subscription-based adult content platforms considered banning such materials following pressure from payment processors but ultimately reversed that decision. Later that same year, MasterCard initiated a new policy governing adult content retailers. The American Civil Liberties Union has pointed out that these measures can restrict free speech and be detrimental to sex workers, contributing to financial censorship.
The award-winning game Consume Me has been affected by these policies. Photo: 66
Which games have been impacted?
It’s unclear how many games have been “retired” from Steam as a result of these new regulations, but several titles featuring incest themes have been deleted. As previously mentioned, itch.io has also removed most games labeled as NSFW. According to the Games Industry Newsletter Game Files, since July 16th, over 20,000 games have been removed from itch.io’s NSFW category.
Among those affected are games that explore unique themes of identity and sexuality, such as Radiator 2, created by Robert Yang, a former faculty member at New York University’s arcade center. The rules have also impacted games that do not feature sexual content at all, including The Last Call, an award-winning narrative about domestic violence survival created by Nina Freeman, and Consume Me, which has received numerous industry accolades for its approach to intricate topics.
How has the gaming industry reacted?
Many developers have criticized the power that payment processors hold over the market, particularly how their influence is amplified through campaign groups like A Collective Cry. In a post on Bluesky, Yang labeled the collective cry and payment processors’ actions as “a cultural war against sexual expression, particularly affecting LGBTQ individuals,” but noted that it is entirely unacceptable for payment processors to engage in selective censorship that systematically marginalizes adult content creators.
On July 17, a petition was launched on change.org, urging payment processors and activist groups to “refrain from controlling what we can watch, read, or play.” The petition argues that “MasterCard and Visa hinder legal entertainment” and calls for “the right to select our own narratives without moral surveillance.” Over 150,000 signatures have been gathered so far, as gamers and developers share contact information for major payment companies to encourage complaints.
What comes next?
It’s difficult to predict the future. Ongoing consumer pressure could prompt payment processors to reconsider their stance, but it may also challenge anti-censorship advocates to gain political backing amidst shifting legislative attitudes toward online adult content. The UK recently implemented stricter regulations regarding age verification for internet users seeking access to adult material, while the EU has proposed draft guidelines for similar measures.
Thus, new rules may be here to stay on Steam and itch.io for now. However, the resulting fallout has illuminated the influence of payment processors and the ambiguity surrounding the regulations. Such uncertainty may compel companies to tread more carefully in responding to pressure from future advocacy groups.
Leafy Seadragons use camouflage to evade predation
Alastair Pollock Photography/Getty Images
Among the world’s most remarkable fish, the leafy seadragon may soon face extinction due to widespread blooms of toxic algae affecting parts of Australia’s southern coast.
The elegant leafy seadragons (Phycodurus eques) belong to the same family as seahorses and pipefish and are adorned with leafy appendages that allow them to seamlessly blend into underwater kelp forests.
Unfortunately, both they and their relatives, the common weed seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus), have been discovered dead along extensive stretches of South Australia’s coastline.
A major storm, propelled by La Niña, has already led to a challenging year for marine wildlife. In April 2022, hundreds of dead weed seadragons washed ashore in Sydney alone.
This year, large blooms of algae from the species Karenia Mikimotoi emerged in March, affecting the Gulf St. Vincent near Adelaide, killing numerous fish and other marine organisms while even washing ashore dolphins, sea lions, and great white sharks.
Surfers and swimmers have experienced illness due to these algae blooms, and multiple oyster harvesting areas have been shut down for several months due to health concerns. There are fears that the harmful algae will spread along the southern coast of the continent.
The South Australian Government has indicated that the source of these blooms is a marine heatwave that began in September 2024, leading to average temperature increases of over 2.5°C that persisted even into winter. Floods on the Murray River in 2022 and 2023 washed excess nutrients into the Gulf St. Vincent near Adelaide, compounded by unprecedented upwellings of nutrient-rich waters in subsequent years.
This week, both state and federal governments have allocated $28 million AUD to address the ongoing crisis.
Janine Baker, an independent marine ecologist leading citizen science initiatives to gauge the scale of this disaster, states that thousands of seadragons have perished since the bloom began.
While no toxicological results have been confirmed from the seadragon carcasses, Baker notes that the die-off aligns with areas affected by harmful algae blooms. “Seadragons have small gill openings and side head openings that can easily become clogged with algae. Additionally, they struggle to swim efficiently in dense algae masses,” she explains.
A deceased seadragon found on the York Peninsula near Adelaide, Australia in May
Lochie Cameron
The significant mortality of adult seadragons means that the population available for breeding from late 2025 to early 2026 will be severely diminished. “This encompasses not only the loss of adult individuals essential for reproduction each year but also the elimination of next-generation seadragons that could reproduce for up to 10 years,” comments Baker. “This leads to a significant reduction in the number of young seadragons that could be born in areas afflicted by the intense blooms during this time frame.”
David Booth from Sydney’s Institute of Technology states that the potential risk of extinction resulting from the ongoing event remains uncertain. “Nonetheless, the scale of the die-off across a crucial section of the seadragon habitat is profoundly concerning.”
Weedy sea dragons had recently been classified as vulnerable due to declining populations in Tasmania. “Now, with the suspected mortality events in South Australia, I fear there are serious implications for the species in New South Wales as well, but we won’t have a clear picture until thorough investigations are conducted at key seadragon locations following the bloom,” says Booth.
Christopher Keneally from the University of Adelaide remarks that the environmental catastrophe at hand is glaringly apparent, with toxic foam on the beaches, algae aerosols making surfers and swimmers ill, and marine life washing ashore. He warns that as climate change persists and ocean temperatures rise, we can anticipate a surge in such environmental crises.
Many algal bloom cells may settle in sediments, setting the stage for a continuation or resurgence of the blooms next summer, Keneally adds.
Countless unique asteroids traverse the solar system, amidst millions of distant stars and galaxies captured in the inaugural images released by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
“These stunning galaxies were photogenically disrupted by asteroids,” noted Željko Ivezić during a press briefing on June 23rd at Washington University in Seattle, presenting images that showcase several asteroids zipping past two spiral-armed galaxies.
Within just 10 hours of observing the night sky, the telescope, positioned in the pristine atmosphere atop a mountain in the Chilean desert, detected 2,104 previously unknown asteroids. Among these, seven have trajectories that come close to Earth, yet none poses a threat, according to Ivezic.
Researchers identified and tracked newly discovered asteroids in images taken over 10 hours
NSF-DOE VERA C. RUBIN OBSERVATORY
Although telescopes are not primarily designed to detect near-Earth objects, they are intended for a comprehensive study of the universe over a decade. However, their features are also conducive to spotting asteroids. “You need to survey the sky rapidly with a vast field of view,” Ivezic explained.
Asteroids were identified by scrutinizing areas of the sky and noting what was in motion. In the composite image shown by Ivezić during the briefing, the asteroids appeared as colored streaks against the backdrop of brighter objects in deeper space. This enhances our understanding of the neighboring celestial bodies. “We weren’t surprised,” he said. “There’s an impressive simulation.”
Throughout a decade-long research initiative, the telescope is anticipated to identify around 5 million new asteroids, surpassing the total discovered in previous centuries.
Asteroids are marked with a colored dot in front of an image of a galaxy visible in the southern sky
NSF-DOE VERA C. RUBIN OBSERVATORY Copyright: NSF-DOE VERA C. Rubin Observatory
The new detections are reported daily to the US Minor Planet Center, which analyzes orbital paths and identifies objects that could threaten Earth. “In under 24 hours, the world will be informed about potentially hazardous objects,” Ivezic stated.
Matthew Payne from the Minor Planet Center remarked that it’s estimated only 40% of close Earth objects capable of posing a threat have been discovered. An exponential increase in detections from the Vera Rubin Observatory will hasten the identification of the remaining objects.
A substantial rise in observations of other solar system entities—from main belt asteroids between Mars and Jupiter to objects further out beyond Neptune—is anticipated to offer fresh insights into our immediate cosmic neighborhood. “It’s expected to truly revolutionize solar system science,” Payne concluded.
In recent years, a substantial number of university students in the UK have been identified for misusing ChatGPT and similar AI tools. While traditional forms of plagiarism appear to be declining significantly, a Guardian investigation reveals concerning trends.
The investigation into academic integrity violations has indicated a rise to 5.1 cases per 1,000 students, with nearly 7,000 verified instances of fraud involving AI tools reported between 2023 and 2024. This marks an increase from just 1.6 cases per 1,000 students in the previous academic year, 2022-23.
Experts anticipate these figures will increase further this year, estimating potential cases could reach around 7.5 per 1,000 students, although reported cases likely reflect only a fraction of the actual instances.
This data underscores the rapidly changing landscape for universities as they strive to update evaluation methods in response to emerging technologies like ChatGPT and other AI-driven writing tools.
Before the advent of generative AI in the 2019-20 academic year, plagiarism accounted for nearly two-thirds of all academic misconduct. Plagiarism rates surged during the pandemic as many assessments transitioned online. However, with advances in AI tools, the character of academic fraud has evolved.
Predictions suggest that for the current academic year, confirmed instances of traditional plagiarism could decrease from 19 per 15.2 to 15.2, falling to approximately 8.5 per 1,000 students.
The Guardian reached out to 155 universities via the Freedom of Information Act, which mandates disclosure of confirmed cases of academic misconduct, including plagiarism and AI-related fraud over the past five years. Out of these, 131 responded; however, not all universities had comprehensive records of annual or fraud categories.
More than 27% of responding institutions did not categorize AI misuse as a distinct form of fraud in 2023-24, indicating a lack of acknowledgment of the issue within the sector.
Numerous instances of AI-related fraud may go undetected. A survey by the Institute for Higher Education Policy revealed that 88% of students admitted to utilizing AI for evaluations. Additionally, last year, researchers at the University of Reading tested their rating system and found that AI-generated submissions went undetected 94% of the time.
Dr. Peter Scarf, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Reading and co-author of the research, noted that while methods of cheating have existed for a long time, the education sector must adapt to the challenges posed by AI, creating a fundamentally different issue.
He remarked, “I believe the reality we see reflects merely the tip of the iceberg. AI detection operates differently from traditional plagiarism checks, making it almost impossible to prove misuse. If an AI detector indicates AI usage, it’s challenging to counter that claim.”
“We cannot merely transition all student assessments to in-person formats. Simultaneously, the sector must recognize that students are employing AI even if it goes unreported or unnoticed.”
Students keen to avoid AI detection have numerous online resources at their disposal. The Guardian found various TikTok videos that promote AI paraphrasing and essay writing tools tailored for students, which can circumvent typical university AI detection systems by effectively “humanizing” text produced by ChatGPT.
Dr. Thomas Lancaster, a researcher of academic integrity at Imperial College London, stated, “It’s exceedingly challenging to substantiate claims of AI misuse among students who are adept at manipulating the generated content.”
Harvey*, who has just completed his Business Management degree at Northern University, shared with the Guardian that he utilized AI for brainstorming ideas and structuring tasks while also incorporating references, noting that many of his peers have similarly engaged with these technologies.
“When I started university, ChatGPT was already available, making its presence constant in my experience,” he explained. “I don’t believe many students use AI simply to replicate text. Most see it as a tool for generating ideas and inspiration. Any content I derive from it, I thoroughly rework in my style.”
“I know people who, after using AI, enhance and adapt the output through various methods to make it sound human-authored.”
Amelia*, who has just completed her first year in a music business program at a university in the southwest, also acknowledged using AI for summarization and brainstorming, highlighting the tool’s significant benefits for students with learning difficulties. “A friend of mine uses AI for structuring essays rather than relying solely on it to write or study, integrating her own viewpoints and conducting some research. She has dyslexia.”
Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle recently emphasized to the Guardian the importance of leveraging AI to “level the playing field” for children with dyslexia.
It appears that technology companies see students as a key demographic for their AI solutions. Google is now providing free upgrades to university students in the US and Canada for 15 months to its Gemini Tools.
Lancaster stated, “Assessment methods at the university level may feel meaningless to students, even if educators have valid reasons for their structure. Understanding the reasons behind specific tasks and engaging students in the assessment design process is crucial.”
“There are frequent discussions about the merits of increasing the number of examinations instead of written assessments, yet the value of retaining knowledge through memorization diminishes yearly. Emphasis should be on fostering communication skills and interpersonal abilities—elements that are not easily replicable by AI and crucial for success in the workplace.”
A government spokesperson stated that over £187 million has been invested in the national skills program, with guidelines issued on AI utilization within schools.
They affirmed: “Generative AI has immense potential to revolutionize education, presenting exciting prospects for growth during transitional periods. However, integrating AI into education, learning, and assessment necessitates careful consideration, and universities must determine how to harness its advantages while mitigating risks to prepare for future employment.”
Recent studies reveal that climate-induced wildfires lead to thousands of deaths each year and significant economic impacts due to wildfire smoke in the United States.
A paper published this Friday in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment indicates that between 2006 and 2020, climate change was responsible for approximately 15,000 deaths related to exposure to fine particulate matter from wildfires, totaling around $160 billion in costs. The findings suggest an annual mortality range from 130 to 5,100, particularly high in states like Oregon and California.
Nicholas Nacicus, an author of the research and a professor at Harvard Medical School, stated, “What does it really mean in a changing environment for outcomes like mortality?” stressing the serious health implications.
Lisa Thompson, a professor at Emory University who studies air pollution and climate change, noted that this study is among the first to distinctly identify the impacts of climate change on mortality. She emphasized the uniqueness of examining these effects temporally and spatially.
The study concentrated on deaths linked to particulate matter exposure, specifically PM2.5, a significant concern stemming from wildfire smoke.
These tiny particles penetrate deep into the lungs, causing short-term symptoms like coughing and irritation. Over time, they can worsen pre-existing health conditions and result in serious, potentially fatal issues. Vulnerable populations include children, pregnant individuals, the elderly, and outdoor workers. The Health Effects Institute estimated that pollutants have caused 4 million deaths globally.
Evidence suggests that PM2.5 from wildfire smoke is more harmful than other pollution sources. In wildfire situations, toxic materials like burning cars can exacerbate the health risks.
Numerous studies have linked the rise in wildfires in North America to human activities such as the burning of coal, oil, and gas. Climate change is intensifying drought conditions, particularly in the West, alongside other extreme weather phenomena. The drying process reduces moisture in vegetation, which serves as fuel for fires. Together with increasing temperatures, this leads to more frequent, widespread, and severe wildfires.
Scholars find the findings disheartening yet unsurprising
Jacob Bendix, a professor emeritus of geography and the environment at Syracuse University, expressed disappointment in the results, stating he was not surprised by the study’s conclusions.
In the UK, thousands of people are currently experiencing issues making or receiving calls due to a network outage affecting Three.
Downdetector, a website that tracks outages, has received over 10,000 reports of problems across mobile networks on Thursday.
Customers of smaller mobile providers like Smarty and iD Mobile are also impacted as they rely on Three’s network.
While Three is working on resolving the issue, there is no specific timeline for a fix. iD Mobile has informed customers that engineers have identified and isolated the problem.
Three has approximately 10.5 million customers in the UK, with many expressing frustration on social media due to the disruption.
Some customers have reported missing important appointments or feeling stranded due to the inability to make calls.
It is uncertain if customers will receive compensation for the disruption, with Ofcom suggesting that refunds may be appropriate.
Following approval from the Competition and Markets Authority, Three’s merger with Vodafone has been finalized in a £16.5bn deal.
In a statement on X, Three acknowledged the issue with voice services and assured customers that data and emergency calls will not be affected.
Study published in the magazine Natural Earth Science: Planetary researchers used high-resolution images and compositional data captured by orbiting satellites to understand the geology of thousands of kilometers of hills in the northern and western lowlands. Maurus Gorge, a plateau located on the highland side of the hemisphere bisection boundary of Mars.
Rising hundreds of meters above the surrounding lowlands, two Martian hills reveal bright areas rich in clay minerals. Image credits: ESA / TGO / CaSSIS / NASA / JPL / MSSS / Murray Lab.
A research team led by scientist Joe McNeil from the Natural History Museum in London found that the mounds are the remains of ancient highlands that retreated hundreds of kilometers after erosion carved out the landscape billions of years ago. .
These actions played a key role in shaping the Martian landscape, which separates the planet's low-lying northern hemisphere from its high-lying southern hemisphere.
This mound is made of layered deposits containing clay minerals, formed by water interacting with rock over millions of years.
These clay layers are sandwiched between older non-clay layers below and younger non-clay layers above, marking distinct geological events in Mars' history.
“These mounds are incredibly interesting because they preserve the complete water history of this area within an accessible, continuous rock outcrop,” Dr. McNeil said.
“They are prime locations for future missions aimed at determining whether Mars once had an ocean and whether life could exist there.”
The authors also found that these mounds are geologically connected to nearby plains. Oxia Planum -ESA's Rosalind Franklin spacecraft is scheduled to launch in 2028 searching for signs of past and present life.
“Mars' lack of plate tectonics means it still has much of its ancient geology, so Mars is a model of what early Earth was like,” McNeil said. the doctor said.
“The more missions that visit Mars, the more we will be able to dig deeper into our planet's history and discover how life began.”
“As part of the Natural History Museum's mission to transform natural history science, our research focuses on providing solutions from and for nature.”
“This research is part of our Planetary Origins and Evolution research theme, which explores the origins and systems that underpin the evolution of the Earth, Moon, and planetary systems.”
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JD McNeil others. Dichotomous regression and aquatic alteration of Noachian Mars are recorded in highland remnants. Nat. Earth Science published online on January 20, 2025. doi: 10.1038/s41561-024-01634-8
This article is based on a press release provided by the Natural History Museum, London.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, is planning to reduce its global workforce by around 5%, with underperforming employees being the most likely to be let go.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg outlined in a memo to employees that due to what he referred to as a challenging year ahead, he has decided to prioritize performance management by letting go of poor performers quicker than usual and accelerating the company’s performance evaluation process.
As of September, Meta had 72,000 employees globally, and the planned job cuts could impact up to 3,600 employees. The company aims to fill the vacant positions later in the year.
The announcement comes shortly after Meta’s decision to end third-party fact-checking and emphasize free speech, coinciding with President Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program is also being terminated.
Employees in the US affected by the layoffs will be notified by February 10, with notifications for employees in other countries to follow later.
In the memo, Zuckerberg stated that he is raising the standards for performance management within the company: “We usually manage underperforming talent over a year, but this time we plan to make broader performance-based cuts during this cycle.”
The 40-year-old billionaire emphasized, “This will be an intense year. I want to ensure we have the best talent on the team.”
Employees being let go will be those who have been with Meta long enough to qualify for performance reviews.
Zuckerberg assured that the company will provide generous severance packages to those losing their jobs, similar to previous layoffs.
Meta’s stock dropped 2.3% on Tuesday, continuing a decline that began the day before.
The company faced criticism for removing its fact checker, potentially allowing misinformation and harmful content to circulate on its platform.
Similar to other tech companies, Meta is investing in artificial intelligence projects, with a focus on crucial technologies like AI, as mentioned by Zuckerberg.
In 2015, archaeologists discovered Neanderthal fossils. Grotte Mandolin is located on the Mediterranean coast of France, in the shadow of a rock overhanging directly into the Rhône River valley. Nicknamed Thorin, the fossil is one of the most similar Neanderthal remains found in France since its discovery in Saint-Césaire in 1979. Globe Institute researcher Martin Sikora and his colleagues combined archaeological, chronostratigraphic, isotopic, and genomic analyses to reveal that Thorin belonged to a Neanderthal population that remained genetically isolated for 50,000 years. Apart from Thorin’s lineage, they found evidence of gene flow in the genome of the Les Côtés Neanderthal from another lineage that diverged from the ancestral lineage of European Neanderthals more than 80,000 years ago. The findings suggest the existence of multiple isolated Neanderthal communities in Europe close to the time of extinction and shed light on their social organization. Despite the close geographical proximity of these populations, there was limited, if any, interaction between the different Neanderthal populations during the last millennium.
Neanderthal. Image courtesy of Abel Grau, CSIC Communication.
“When we look at the Neanderthal genome, we see that they were quite inbred and didn’t have a lot of genetic diversity,” Dr Sikora said.
“They’ve lived in small groups for generations.”
“Inbreeding is known to reduce the genetic diversity of populations, which if continued over long periods of time can have negative effects on the viability of the population.”
“The newly discovered Neanderthal genome is from a different lineage to other late Neanderthals studied so far.”
“This supports the idea that Neanderthal social organization was different from that of early modern humans, who appear to have been more connected.”
“In other words, compared to Neanderthals, early modern humans were more likely to connect with other groups, which was advantageous for their survival.”
“This is purely speculation, but the concept of being able to communicate more and exchange knowledge is something humans can do that Neanderthals, who were organized in small groups and lived isolated lives, may not have been able to do to some extent.”
“And that’s an important skill,” noted Dr Tarshika Vimala, a population geneticist at the University of Copenhagen.
“We see evidence that early modern humans in Siberia, living in small communities, formed so-called mating networks to avoid problems with inbreeding, something that wasn’t seen in Neanderthals.”
Thorin’s fossils were first discovered in Mandolin Cave in 2015. Mandolin Cave is a cave that is thought to have been the site of an early Homo sapiens But not at the same time, and he is still being slowly unearthed.
Based on Thorin’s location in the cave deposits, archaeologists have speculated that he may have lived approximately 45,000 to 40,000 years ago.
To determine his age and relationships to other Neanderthals, the team extracted DNA from his teeth and jaw and compared his entire genome sequence to previously sequenced Neanderthal genomes.
Surprisingly, initial genome analysis suggested that Thorin’s genome was very different from other late Neanderthals and very similar to the genomes of Neanderthals who lived more than 100,000 years ago, suggesting that Thorin is much older than archaeological estimates.
To solve the mystery, the researchers analyzed isotopes from Thorin’s bones and teeth to gain insight into the type of climate he lived in. Late Neanderthals lived during the Ice Age, while early Neanderthals enjoyed a much warmer climate.
Isotopic analysis showed that Thorin lived in a very cold climate and was identified as a late Neanderthal.
Compared to previously sequenced Neanderthal genomes, Thorin’s genome is most similar to the individual from Gibraltar, leading the authors to speculate that Thorin’s population may have migrated from Gibraltar to France.
“This means that a previously unknown Neanderthal population was present in the Mediterranean, stretching from the westernmost tip of Europe to the Rhône Valley in France,” said Dr Ludovic Slimac, researcher at Toulouse-Paul Sabatier University and CNRS.
Knowing that Neanderthal communities were small and isolated may hold the key to understanding their extinction, because isolation is generally thought to be detrimental to a population’s fitness.
“It’s always a good thing for one group to have contact with another,” Dr Vimala said.
“Prolonged isolation limits genetic diversity and reduces the ability to adapt to changes in climate and pathogens. It’s also socially limiting, as they don’t share knowledge or evolve as a group.”
But to truly understand how Neanderthal populations were structured and why they became extinct, researchers say many more Neanderthal genomes need to be sequenced.
“If we had had more genomes from other regions over the same time period, we probably would have found other deeply structured populations,” Dr Sikora said.
Ludovic Slimak others2024. The long genetic and social isolation of Neanderthals before their extinction. Cell Genomics 4(9):100593;doi: 10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100593
Amazon has announced a pay increase of nearly 10% for tens of thousands of UK workers, rejecting attempts by the GMB union to gain negotiating rights over pay and working conditions.
The online retailer said the increase will see the minimum wage rise by 9.8%, to between £13.50 and £14.50 an hour depending on location. Staff with more than three years of service will receive a minimum wage of between £13.75 and £14.75 an hour.
The pay increase will apply to thousands of employees from September 29th, including those working in Amazon’s UK fulfilment centres.
Amazon’s UK workers have recently staged a series of strikes. The company is investing £550 million in pay increases for staff from 2022 onwards, adding that staff receive benefits such as subsidised meals and discounts.
A spokesman said: “That’s why we’re proud to announce that we’re increasing the minimum starting salary for all frontline employees to the equivalent of at least £28,000 per annum and continuing to offer industry-leading benefits from day one.”
GMB organiser Rachel Fagan said: “Forced to act by workers striking, Amazon’s management has done too little, too late. Amazon’s reputation has been tarnished by the way it treats its workers and now management is trying to cover up the facts. Unsafe working conditions, low pay and excessive oversight are ruining the lives of Amazon workers every day.”
In July, GMB narrowly lost a statutory vote at an Amazon warehouse outside Coventry that led to the union’s formal recognition. In a hotly contested vote, 50.5% of workers rejected recognition of the union.
Workers in Coventry have staged a series of strikes over the past 18 months demanding a £15 an hour minimum wage and the right to negotiate directly with management, and last November they were joined on the picket lines by trade unionists from Europe and the US who have been raising similar issues in their home countries.
Amazon, which has a global policy of refusing to work with labor unions, preferring to deal directly with employees, is the retail-to-cloud services group founded by Jeff Bezos in his garage in 1994 and now worth nearly $2 trillion.
Some workers at the Coventry warehouse have accused Amazon of using union-busting tactics, such as displaying QR codes which, when scanned, would send an email to GMB’s membership department to cancel employees’ membership.
The Labour government has promised to make it easier for trade unions to gain recognition as part of a package of measures aimed at increasing the bargaining power of British workers.
An extensive number of the 8.5 million devices affected by the recent global IT outage have been restored online, as reported by the cybersecurity company involved in the incident.
CrowdStrike mentioned that they are currently experimenting with technology to expedite the rebooting process of systems, while experts caution that recovering fully from the IT outage last Friday might take several weeks.
During the incident, numerous flights were canceled, broadcasters went off-air, medical appointments were disrupted, and countless PCs failed to boot after a CrowdStrike software update unintentionally caused devices using the Microsoft Windows OS to malfunction.
CrowdStrike posted updates on social media outlining the progress in resolving the glitch. According to an expert, this incident caused “the biggest IT outage in history.”
The US company stated, “A substantial number of the roughly 8.5 million Windows devices affected are now operational and back online.”
CrowdStrike remains focused on restoring all systems as quickly as possible, and of the approximately 8.5 million affected Windows devices, a significant number are back online and operational.
Working with our customers, we tested new techniques to accelerate the affected areas…
CrowdStrike mentioned ongoing tests for new methods to speed up the repair process of impacted systems, aiming to make this technology accessible to businesses and organizations.
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister confirmed that CrowdStrike plans to implement an automated fix similar to Microsoft’s to address this issue in an upcoming update.
Experts cautioned that affected computers might require manual repairs and could face prolonged restoration times since the outage.
Over 1,500 flights were canceled in the US for a third consecutive day, with Delta Airlines in Atlanta particularly struggling, while 45 flights were canceled in the UK on Saturday.
Ed Bastian, the CEO of Delta Air Lines, stated that critical applications within the airline’s IT systems were impacted by the issue. He mentioned that crew tracking-related tools were affected, causing difficulty in managing the high number of changes due to the outage.
Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, canceled 400 flights over the weekend primarily due to an IT issue.
NHS England in the UK issued warnings about potential delays as they work on restoring the health service from the outage. They advised patients with appointments to attend unless instructed otherwise.
The British Medical Association mentioned that regular GP services might not resume immediately due to significant IT-related delays.
An NHS spokesperson stated, “The system is back online now, and with the dedicated efforts of NHS staff, we hope to minimize any further disruptions. However, please expect some delays as services are being restored, especially with GPs needing to reschedule appointments.”
Pharmacy services in the UK are anticipated to be slower than usual as the recovery process continues.
Nick Kaye, president of the National Pharmacists Association, urged customers to be patient as local pharmacies work through the backlog of prescriptions caused by the IT outage last week.
A 1,000-year-old human brain unearthed from a churchyard in Ypres, Belgium.The tissue folds, which are still soft and wet, are stained orange with iron oxide.
Alexandra L. Morton Hayward
Studies of human brains that have been naturally preserved for hundreds or thousands of years have identified 1,300 cases in which the organ survived when all other soft tissue had decomposed. Some of these brains are over 12,000 years old.
“This type of brain is the only one with preserved soft tissue and has been found in sunken ships and flooded graves with only floating bones.” alexandra morton hayward at Oxford University. “It's really, really weird.”
“To be honest, we don't expect the brain to be preserved in any environment,” she says. “As an archaeologist, if you were to dig a grave and find a brain rattling inside a skull, you would be shocked. But you don't expect soft tissue to be preserved, especially in a waterlogged environment. yeah.”
Morton-Hayward first became interested in brain preservation while working as a mortician. “The brain is known to be one of the first organs to decompose after death. I saw it liquefy pretty quickly. But I also saw it preserved.” she says.
Many researchers point out that the human brain is preserved more often than expected and in surprising circumstances, says Morton-Hayward. Now, she and her colleagues are conducting the first-ever systematic study of this phenomenon. They compiled a database of more than 4,400 preserved human brains found around the world.
They also collected and studied many preserved brains themselves. “We actually put it in an MRI machine, and that was a terrible mistake. We didn't know how much iron was in there,” says Morton Hayward.
In most cases, brain preservation can be explained by known processes. For example, the brains of sacrificial Incas buried atop volcanoes in South America around 1450 AD were freeze-dried along with the bodies, Morton-Hayward said.
2,400 years ago, the bodies and brains of swamp people like Tollundman, who was hanged and dumped in a swamp in what is now Denmark, were preserved through a tanning process similar to that used for leather.
Saponification, in which fatty substances are turned into a soap form called grave wax, also preserved the brains of some people who were shot and buried in mass graves in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War.
However, the known process preserves all soft tissue, not just the brain. They do not account for the 1300 cases in which the brain is the only surviving soft tissue.
“This unknown mechanism is completely different,” says Morton-Hayward. “The key feature of this device is that only the brain and bones remain. There is no skin, no muscle, and no intestines.”
For example, St. Hedwig of Silesia was buried in Poland in 1243. When her body was exhumed in the 17th century, it was discovered that her brain was preserved, and at the time it was thought to be due to divine powers.
Alexandra Morton Hayward holds a preserved 1000-year-old brain
graham poulter
Morton-Hayward's working hypothesis is that under certain circumstances, substances such as iron can catalyze the formation of cross-links between proteins and lipids, forming more stable molecules that resist degradation. The nature or ratio of proteins and lipids in the brain may be key.
“The mechanisms are similar to those seen in neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia,” she says. “So if we can understand what happens to the brain after death, we may be able to understand what happens to the brain as it ages during life.”
“It's great news that the data is being made public,” he says. brittany moeller He is one of the researchers at James Cook University in Melbourne, Australia who discovered that: Brain preservation is more common than thought. “This may raise researchers' awareness of the possibility of preserving brain material,” she says.
This is important because preserved brains are often the same color as the surrounding soil. “Therefore, it is very likely that brain material is not recognized for what it is and is frequently discarded during archaeological excavations,” Moller says.
Although this study focused on the human brain, the findings should also apply to animals. Morton Hayward says there are at least 700 examples of animal brains preserved as fossils, the oldest of which he says is an arthropod from 500 million years ago.
More than 4,000 parents have joined a group pledging to ban their young children from smartphones, amid growing concerns about online safety and the impact of social media on mental health.
The WhatsApp group ‘Smartphone Free Childhood’ responds to concerns about children’s smartphone use and the ‘norm’ of giving children smart devices when they attend secondary school, created by former school friends Clare Furnyhoff and Daisy Green. Founded by Well.
“I have children aged 7 and 9. Daisy has children of a similar age and we both feel really scared and anxious and now it’s 11 years old and it’s normal. I didn’t want him to have a smartphone at his age.”
Fernyhoff and Greenwell hope the campaign will encourage parents to delay giving their children smartphones until at least the age of 14 and ban them from accessing social media until the age of 16.
But what they had hoped would be a small group of friends “empowering each other” turned into a nationwide group after the group reached its 1,000-person capacity within 24 hours of Greenwell uploading the message. It turned into a campaign. Instagram post To promote it.
“We were completely surprised by this,” Fernyhough said. “I’ve gone completely crazy.”
The pair encouraged people to form local groups to deal with the demand. “Before our eyes, within 30 minutes, 30 local groups were born across the country, and it continues to grow,” Fernyhoff said.
The group has been transformed into a community to allow more people to participate and currently has approximately 4,500 members.
Smartphones are exposing children to a “world they’re not ready for”, with access to pornography and content about self-harm and suicide, which can have a negative impact on children’s mental health, Furneyhough said. said. “I thought maybe they don’t need it. You don’t need a smartphone at that age. A brick phone can do everything you need.”
Ofcom research shows that 91% of children in the UK own a smartphone by the age of 11, and 44% by the age of 9.
“We thought we had extreme ideas, and that’s why we wanted to be in solidarity with each other, but what we realized was that we were actually pulling the lid on something. I mean, it’s like an open question. I came here by mistake, and people really need to talk about this, and a lot of people feel the same way we do. I feel like I can’t talk,” Fernyhoff said.
Brianna Gee’s mother, Esther Gee, earlier this week called for a complete ban on social media for under-16s, calling for a complete ban on social media access for under-16s, unless tech companies take steps to restrict access to harmful content. , said there would be more people with mental health problems.
Brianna was murdered on February 11, 2023, and her mother believes she was vulnerable after spending so much time online.
The goal is to change this norm, Fernyhow said, so that by the time children graduate from elementary school, the whole class will come together and say, “Let’s all delay this until at least 14 years old.” This means that all children in primary school go on to secondary school where they have a certain number of peers doing the same thing, reducing peer pressure.
“We don’t just want kids to go to middle school,” Fernyhoff said. “It’s a nightmare. No one would do that to their child.” But if 20%, 30%, even 50% of his children enroll because their parents made that decision. , they will be in a much better position.
“They can have the childhood they were meant to have, focus on learning, and enjoy the real world without having to spend their lives scrolling. We all know that’s not good for them. I know.”
Sagittarius C is located just 300 light-years from Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
This image of the Sagittarius C region from ESO's Very Large Telescope includes hundreds of thousands of stars. Image credit: ESO/F. Nogueras-Lara.
The center of the Milky Way is the most prolific star-forming region in the entire galaxy.
But astronomers have discovered only a fraction of the young stars they had expected. There is “fossil” evidence that many more stars than we actually see were born recently.
This is because heading to the center of the Milky Way is not an easy task. Clouds of dust and gas block the light from the star, obscuring visibility.
“On average by volume, the galactic center stands out as the most prolific star-forming environment in the galaxy,” said ESO astronomer Francisco Nogueras Lara.
“Over the past 30 million years, we have witnessed the formation of about 1 million stars.”
“But crowding and high extinction rates have hampered their discovery, and so far only a fraction of the young star's expected mass has been confirmed.”
By studying the stellar population of Sagittarius C, Dr. Lara aimed to detect young stars hidden in the galactic center.
He found that Sagittarius C is much richer in young stars than other regions of the galactic center.
“We found that Sagittarius C contains the solar mass of hundreds of thousands of young stars,” Dr. Lara said.
“We compared our results to a recently discovered population of young stars in Sagittarius B1, located at the opposite end of the nuclear star disk.”
“The young stars in Sagittarius C are estimated to be about 20 million years old and likely represent the next evolutionary step for the slightly younger stars in Sagittarius B1.”
“Our discovery contributes to addressing the discrepancy between the expected number of young stars at the center of galaxies and the number of detected stars, and sheds light on their evolution in this extreme environment.”
“As a secondary result, we discovered that Sagittarius C has a population of intermediate-aged stars (approximately 50% of the mass of stars between 2 billion and 7 billion years old), which is composed of a nuclear stellar disk. It does not exist in the innermost region of the world (which is dominated by stars older than 7 billion years).
“This confirms the existence of an age gradient, driving the formation of an inside-out nuclear star disk.”
of findings appear in the diary astronomy and astrophysics.
_____
F. Nogueras-Lara other. 2024. Hunt young stars at the center of the galaxy. Solar masses of hundreds of thousands of young stars in the Sagittarius C region. A&A 681, L21; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202348712
The first members of our species to reach China may have entered this region from the north
Esteban de Armas / Alamy
Modern humans lived in what is now China by 45,000 years ago. This discovery means our species arrived in this region thousands of years earlier than commonly thought, probably via a northern route through present-day Siberia and Mongolia.
A team co-led by Francesco d'Errico Researchers from the University of Bordeaux in France reexamined an archaeological site in northern China called Shiyu. Originally, he was excavated in 1963 during the turbulent period of China's Cultural Revolution. “It couldn't have been a better time to find such an important site,” D'Errico says.
Shiyu is an outdoor site located in a river gorge. There, 30 meters deep, sand and other sediments were deposited, which the first excavators divided into four horizontal layers, from the bottom of which the second layer contained human It was found that there was evidence of residence in
Excavators discovered more than 15,000 stone artifacts and thousands of animal bones. There was also part of a hominin skull, which anthropologist Wu Lukang identified as a modern human.homo sapiens).
Some of the artifacts were later transferred to the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing. However, those left behind at the local facility were lost, including the hominin bones. “We own maybe 10 percent of the stone tools,” D'Errico says.
D'Errico and his colleagues re-excavated Shiyu to determine its age. They dated 15 sediment samples using a technique called photostimulated luminescence and carbon-dated 10 animal bones and teeth. The hominid layer is approximately 44,600 years old.
D'Errico believes the excavator was “knowledgeable” and correctly identified the skull.
The Shuyu tribe is probably homo sapienssay Alina Katzenovic from the Institute of Archeology and Ethnology in Novosibirsk, Russia, was not involved in the study.
The new study therefore suggests that modern humans arrived in northern China about 45,000 years ago. This would postpone the arrival of our species to China by about 5,000 years.Derico claims to be the next oldest homo sapiens China's site Tengen Cave 40,000 years ago.
Some researchers argue that our species may have arrived earlier than that, up to 260,000 years ago. However, D'Errico points out that researchers: criticized much of the evidence As for the presence of such early humans in this region.
Humans probably entered Asia from Africa and spread through multiple routes, Katzenovich said. They not only explored the tropical southern regions of Asia, but also headed further north. Katzenovich says there are signs of modern human presence in the area. Obi Rakhmat Cave Uzbekistan 48,800 years ago. Perhaps our species reached Shiyu and then China via this route. north route.
When modern humans reached new areas, they encountered hominids that were already living there, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans further east. Genetic evidence shows that we interbred with them. There may also have been cultural exchanges, and the Shiyu artifacts also include what appear to be more ancient human tools.
There is also evidence of long-distance contact. The Shiyu team identified four fragments of obsidian, a volcanic glass. They were able to track them as far as 800 and 1000 kilometers northeast of Shiyu. D'Errico said it was unlikely that the residents traveled this distance themselves, so they were probably part of the group's network. In line with this, Kazenovich said some of Shiyu's artifacts resemble items found as far east as Korea.
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