Astronomers Keep Finding Stars That Should Be Dead. Now, We May Finally Know Why

The most massive stars in the Universe are also the shortest-lived. The more mass a star has, the more quickly it burns through its fuel reserves, resulting in lifespans that are less than around 10 million years.   This fascinating fact leads us to a puzzle. Most of these stars are found relatively close to … Read more

Human evolution: Ancient hominins may have started hunting 2 million years ago

Cut marks on animal bones suggest ancient hominins butchered them for their meat, and that they were first on the scene instead of having to scavenge from carnivores like big cats Humans 11 January 2022 By Michael Marshall Notches on a bone left by human butchering activity Jennifer A. Parkinson, Thomas W. Plummer, James S. … Read more

Adult fireflies started glowing for sex, not to avoid predators | Science

The glow of the firefly is as mysterious as it is alluring. Scientists have long argued over why the trait evolved in these adult beetles: Was it to deter predators—or identify mates? A new study argues for the latter, finding the ability arose more than 130 million years ago, tens of millions of years before … Read more

How human height has changed: Our ancestors were relatively short – and only started reaching modern heights 150 years ago

Until around 150 years ago, humans were relatively short – but our recent growth spurt may have more to do with social factors than dietary ones Humans 2 December 2021 By Michael Marshall A man measures a woman’s height Image Point Fr/Shutterstock For most of our history, humans have been short, a study has found. … Read more