Humans

The science of the human condition, from ancient human ancestors to social phenomena, psychology, the brain, and so much more.

Instagram
Here's Why Instagram Getting Rid of Likes Could Be a Big Deal For Our Mental Health
ScienceAlert - JOANNE ORLANDO
Instagram is running a social media experiment in Australia and elsewhere to see what happens when it hides the number of likes on photos and other …
Mauna Kea
Here's Why People Are Protesting Against That Huge Telescope at Mauna Kea
ScienceAlert - MORGAN KRAKOW
Hundreds of protesters gathered at the base of a mountain in Hawaii on Monday to block the construction of a billion-dollar telescope on its peak. To …
Egypt
Egypt Is Opening Up Its Ancient 'Bent' Pyramid And Letting People Inside Its Chambers
ScienceAlert - SINÉAD BAKER
Egypt has opened its 4,600-year-old "bent" pyramid to visitors, who can travel deep inside its tunnels to visit the chambers inside. As of Saturday, …
Chernobyl
Parts of The Marshall Islands Are Now More Radioactive Than Chernobyl, Study Finds
ScienceAlert - ARIA BENDIX
In episode four of the HBO miniseries Chernobyl, Soviet officials assess the damage of a 1986 power-plant explosion, which released plumes of …
Humanity
A "Game-Changing" 10,000-Year-Old Neolithic City Has Been Unearthed Near Jerusalem
ScienceAlert - Peter Dockrill
A giant human settlement dating back to the Stone Age has been discovered near Jerusalem, and researchers say it's not just the largest of its kind …
Humanity
The 'Ghosts' of 2 Unknown Extinct Human Species Have Been Found in Modern DNA
ScienceAlert - Michelle Starr
When modern humans started emerging from Africa and spreading throughout Eurasia, they found many places already occupied by older hominids such as …
Humanity
We Will Never Get Tired of This Video of Astronauts Falling Over on The Moon
ScienceAlert - Michelle Starr
We've all seen footage of astronauts bouncing around on the Moon, looking like they're having the best time ever. But getting your body to cooperate …
Alan Turing
Britain Honors Computer Scientist Alan Turing as The Face of Their New Bank Note
ScienceAlert - KARLA ADAM
Alan Turing, a founding father of computer science and artificial intelligence, was revealed Monday as the face of Britain's new 50-pound bank …
Humanity
There's One 'Massively Important' Thing You Can Do About Climate Change Right Now
ScienceAlert - Carly Cassella
Caring about the climate crisis can often feel like a lonely and helpless burden, but it doesn't have to be that way. Simply talking about the issue …
Toddlers
Scientists Might Have Found The Ideal Way to Get Your Toddler to Do What You Want
ScienceAlert - Carly Cassella
When toddlers are given two options by their parents, their final pick may have less to do with choice and more to do with imitation. In a small yet …
Humanity
Here's The Safest Hideout in a Zombie Apocalypse, According to Statistics
ScienceAlert - Myles Gough
In the event of a zombie apocalypse, it's imperative that you have a plan. If you're influenced by the movies, then you might be inclined to take …
Long-form Journalism
Here's Why It Would Have Been Impossible to Fake The Moon Landing Footage
ScienceAlert - HOWARD BERRY
It's been half a century since the magnificent Apollo 11 Moon landing, yet many people still don't believe it actually happened. Conspiracy theories …
Humanity
Scientists Are Sharing Hilarious Titles of Real Studies, And They Will Make Your Day
ScienceAlert - Carly Cassella
More often than not, today's academic writing is full of dry and serious jargon-heavy language. So when you find a paper that breaks all the rules and …
Humanity
Paralysed by Choice? It Depends on What Kind of Decision-Maker You Are
ScienceAlert - David Nield
For some people, making decisions can feel paralysing, while for others it barely even registers. New research suggests the level of stress we feel …
Humanity
Mysterious Skull Found in Greece May Contain a Shocking Twist About Early Human Migration
ScienceAlert - JOEL ACHENBACH
A skull fragment found in Greece has inspired a startling hypothesis about when our species first arrived in Europe and immediately generated …
Humanity
How Our 'Density Mindset' Affects Our Search For Love
ScienceAlert - GERY KARANTZAS
If you listen to any number of love songs, dating "experts", or plunge head first into a romance novel, you're likely to think it's in our destiny to …
Humanity
Russian Scientist Says 5 Couples Have Agreed to Gene-Editing Babies to Avoid Deafness
ScienceAlert - KRISTIN HOUSER
Denis Rebrikov wants to use CRISPR to create more gene-edited babies - and he already knows who their parents might be. In June, the Russian biologist …
Humanity
'Moon Trees' Might Just Be One of The Most Epic Apollo Legacies We've Heard Of
ScienceAlert - Jacinta Bowler
On 31 January 1971, the Apollo 14 mission launched from Earth and spent nine days in space. Along with the necessary space gear, scientific …
Humanity
A Man, a Horse And a Dog Found in Extremely Rare Boat Burial Unearthed in Sweden
ScienceAlert - Michelle Starr
Not one, but two incredibly rare boat burials have been excavated in Uppsala, Sweden. One of these was still intact, with remains inside of not just …
Humanity
Experts Are Proposing a New, Slightly Creepy Way of Burying Our Dead
ScienceAlert - David Nield
People just keep on dying, which means more and more room is needed for those who want to be buried – and one expert has come up with an …
Humanity
Here Are 7 Mildly Disturbing Facts You Wish Weren't True But Actually Are
ScienceAlert - Peter Dockrill
What is a mildly disturbing fact? It may seem like a perfectly safe thing to ask, but it's a question that's guaranteed to raise some disturbing …
Humanity
Eerie 'Xenomorph' Skulls Dating Back Thousands of Years Have Been Discovered in China
ScienceAlert - Michelle Starr
Some of the oldest evidence of humans modifying the shape of their skulls has just been uncovered in what is now northeastern China. Up to 12,000 …
Humanity
Archaeologists at Tigris Uncover Grand Palace Ruins of a Mysterious Ancient Empire
ScienceAlert - David Nield
The ruins of a palace dating back to the Bronze Age have been uncovered by archaeologists on the banks of the Tigris river – described by some as a …
Humanity
Here's Why Your PMS Cravings Are Totally Okay, According to Science
ScienceAlert - SARA TWOGOOD
Premenstrual food cravings are the punchline of endless jokes. Like most good jokes, they're funny because they're true. Certain parts of a woman's …
Fake News
This Simple Online Game Could Work Like a 'Vaccine' Against Fake News
ScienceAlert - Carly Cassella
We know inoculation halts the spread of disease. As it turns out, the same concept can also be used for misinformation. Researchers at the University …
Humanity
Your Brain Might Be Taking Tiny Naps Throughout The Day Without You Realising
ScienceAlert - IVAN DE LUCE
If you've ever felt your eyelids droop for just a fraction of a second during some mundane task — like staring at a computer screen or driving down …
Humanity
This Ancient City 9,000 Years Ago Eerily Foreshadowed The Modern 'Urban Hell'
ScienceAlert - Peter Dockrill
Living in the city isn't always easy. You have to contend with multitudes of other people and the problems they bring: disease, violence, pollution, …
Humanity
Scientists Used 17,000 "Lost" Wallets to Study How Honest People Really Are
ScienceAlert - CLARE FIESELER
In 2015, a Swiss graduate student departed from the Zurich airport with a suitcase filled with empty wallets, loads of cash and 400 spare keys. The …
Humanity
A Tiny Norwegian Island Wants to Be The First Place in The World to Abolish Time
ScienceAlert - Carly Cassella
When people come to visit the Nordic island of Sommarøy, they must leave their sense of time at the door. Some choose to do this quite literally, and …