Bedbugs Walked the Earth 100 Million Years Ago
Bed bugs are as ancient as dinosaurs. They have been walking the earth for over 100 million years. A global team of scientists compared the DNA of different species of bed bugs to understand their relationship with human beings and the evolutionary relationship within the group. The study suggests that bats were not the first …
Oldest Scandinavian Human DNA Revealed Through Chewing Gum
A new study revealed the oldest Scandinavian human DNA. How? Through studying ancient chewing gums! Scandinavia has few human bones that are almost 10,000 years old. Unfortunately, not all of these bones have sufficient DNA for archaeogenetic studies. The DNA from the newly examined gums, which are chewed birch bark pitch lumps, is the oldest …
Can We Really Learn While We Sleep?
New Research Shows How Humans Can Learn New Foreign Words While they Nap. Scientists have known for a while that any new information we learn while we are awake is consolidated in our brains during sleep, but a recent study by the Swiss University of Bern now claims that learning can also occur during periods …
Dog Breeds that are more Likely to Bite Children, Study Finds Evidence
It is not surprising that there are masses of people across the globe that are afraid of dogs and being bitten by them. If statistics are to be believed, it is suggested that over 5 million people in the United States itself are bitten by dogs in a year, children being at a higher risk …
Social Media Causes Depression. Really?
Accusations that social media harms teenage mental-health are widespread, but a new long-term study claims that this may not be true. Reports of the adverse impact of social media on young people sound alarming enough to make anyone switch off their smartphones. Some studies have even claimed that the younger generation of social media users …