Human evolution
Rituals and celebrations
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Digging for answers in a cave filled with Neanderthal skeletons
When a team of researchers returned to an Iraqi cave believed to be a Neanderthal burial site, here’s what they found
by Shayla Love
Human evolution
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Let everyone sparkle: psychotechnology in the year 2067
In the year 2067, the decorations are not the only things that sparkle. We ourselves glow and fizz with psychotechnology
by Eric Schwitzgebel
The body and physical health
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We’re children of ice and snow. Can we survive the coming heat?
Temperature is more than a number; it’s an experience of our flesh. How will our bodies cope with an ever-warmer planet?
by Robert Frodeman & Mark Bullock
Communication and language
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Humans’ gift for charades helps explain the origin of language
How did humans create the earliest words? Iconic vocal sounds, which match form and meaning, likely played a key role
by Marcus Perlman
Human evolution
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Our evolved intuitions about privacy aren’t made for this era
Our emotional responses evolved in a very different world. In the online era, that makes us more vulnerable to privacy risks
by Joe Green & Azim Shariff
Sleep and dreams
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What dream characters reveal about the astonishing dreaming brain
Such stuff as dreams are made on: the characters who populate your dreams have their own minds, separate from yours
by Antonio Zadra
Human evolution
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Why it took us thousands of years to see the colour violet
The colour violet was largely missing from art before the Impressionists, and is seen differently by different cultures. Why?
by Allen Tager
Cooperation and collaboration
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If smiles are so easy to fake, why do we trust them?
Smiles can be a way to dupe people because they’re easy to fake – but we’ve figured out which smiles can be trusted
by Alexander Danvers
Nature and the environment
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Why awesome natural beauty drops the jaw and lifts the spirit
Experiencing awe in nature can transform our sense of connectedness to other people and help maintain a spiritual vitality
by T Ryan Byerly
Difficult emotions
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Most anguish isn’t an illness but an evolved response to adversity
An anthropological view shows us that the root causes of depression and anxiety are usually social conflict and adversity
by Kristen Syme & Edward H Hagen
Human nature
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Do humans really have a killer instinct or is that just manly fancy?
The killer-instinct idea achieved such cultural power because it came embedded in gripping stories about human nature
by Nadine Weidman
Creativity
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Our greatest invention was the invention of invention itself
Hypothetical thinking is the key to sustained innovation and creativity: invention drove the evolution of the human mind
by Keith Frankish