Populated

For much of the 65,000 years of Australia's human history, the now-submerged northwest continental shelf connected the Kimberley and western Arnhem Land. This vast, habitable realm covered nearly 390,000 square kilometres, an area one-and-a-half times larger than New Zealand is today.It was likely a single cultural zone, with similarities in ground stone-axe technology, styles of rock art, and languages found by archaeologists in the Kimberley and Arnhem Land.There is plenty of archaeological evidence humans once lived…

Credit: Shutterstock/Troy Wegman The level of microplastic pollution in New Zealand lakes is comparable with those in the US or Europe, despite much lower population densities, according to our global analysis of plastic pollution in freshwater lakes and reservoirs. Globally, our results show two types of lakes are particularly…

Introduction Where Did We Come From? Where Will We Go?  by Jesse Emspak Section 1: Factors for Success 1.1   The Most Invasive Species of All         by Curtis W. Marean 1.2   The Origin of Us         by Kate Wong 1.3   When the Sea Saved Humanity         by Curtis W. Marean 1.4   The Evolution of Myths         by Julien d’Huy 1.5   Human Hybrids         by Michael F. Hammer Section 2: Africa 2.1   Lush Okavango Delta Pinpointed as Ancestral Homeland of All Living…

Hurricane Ian is barreling toward the Florida coast and is expected to reach Category 3 strength by Monday night, with winds reaching upward of 129 mph. Mandatory evacuations have already begun. But wind and rain alone aren’t what’s making Ian a threat; Florida’s population has been growing in recent years, with some of the largest increases in vulnerable coastal cities like Tampa and Miami. Forecasters are getting better at predicting hurricanes. However, these storms are capturing more people and property in their…

The Long March 5B rocket prior to launch. Photo: Liu Huaiyu (AP)Reports of fallen space junk are pouring in from parts of Indonesia and Malaysia, suggesting debris from China’s out-of-control rocket reached land—including areas perilously close to homes.The 100-foot-long (30-meter) core stage fell back to Earth on Saturday, July 30,after having spent just six days in low Earth orbit. The precise time and location of the rocket’s return remained vague even during the hours and minutes leading up to the reentry, but the…

In Meta’s Horizon Worlds, a player’s avatar is force-fed a bottle of “vodka.” Report writers noted that it taking place virtually did not make it feel any less invasive.Screenshot: SumOfUs VideoIt took less than an hour for one researcher studying Meta’s titular metaverse to be “virtually raped” after putting on the VR headset for the first time. After days of witnessing and experiencing rampant conspiracy theories, sexual harassment, racism, and homophobia, writers of a recent report said the tech giant is entirely…