The CIA is cloning mammoths ● Listen to birdsong to be healthier! ● Neanderthals and Homo sapiens had a complicated relationship ● Meteorologists reassure us. In winter it will be cold, but also warm

The CIA is involved in mammoth cloning

The Central Intelligence Agency of the United States, the CIA, that is, those guys with espionage, etc., are in the business of cloning mammoths and other extinct animals. So far, on a financial level. Accordingly, the CIA will provide funding to the startup company I wrote about here at Science Report, Colossal Biosciences, to support their efforts to clone mammoths.

Now you don’t even know how to take the news. It’s not like the CIA is some sort of Greenpeace or World Wildlife Fund advocating for a cleaner, prettier, popcorn-filled world. Officially, the CIA will provide an as-yet-undisclosed sum through investment firm In-Q-Tel to see his life’s dream become a reality, including mammoths roaming the tundra. By the way, the tundra that the mammoths knew actually no longer exists.

What will be behind this decision, one can only guess. The fact that the Russians are high on the list of potential buyers to populate the purpose-built Pleistocene Park may be a clue. So don’t be surprised if future mammoths, in addition to trunks, ivory and fur, will be equipped with two antennas and batteries that need to be replaced periodically.

Another possibility is that the CIA sensed something fishy about Colossal Bioscience, especially after they raised tens of millions of dollars in record time with promises that made many scientists raise their eyebrows. Or, simply, it is a matter of business, because in what terms it will be announced, even the CIA will need additional sources of funds. And last, but not least, maybe American intelligence really is serious about bringing the mammoths back to life. He said, he did not give boiling water.

Listen to birdsong to be healthier!

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, as well as researchers from the University of Hamburg, have published a particularly interesting study in Scientific Reports that shows that bird calls have unpredictable effects on people’s mental health.

To this end, they examined 295 subjects who were asked to listen to either traffic sounds or birdsong for six minutes. They were then asked to fill out several forms with key questions to see what they thought.

It turned out that the chirping of birds had a beneficial effect and reduced anxiety and paranoid tendencies. Traffic sounds, on the contrary, emphasized depressive states. One possible explanation offered by the researchers is that natural sounds distract people from potential sources of stress, creating a sense of a pristine natural environment devoid of potential threats. In conclusion, nature in its pristine state is good for mental health and much more.

As another conclusion, all you have to do to feel better is to open the window wide, ignore the noise of machines or drills, the loud music of the cranky neighbor, the workmen changing boards with a pickkammerul, and just focus on the chirping. birds It will do wonders for your health!

Neanderthals and Homo sapiens had a complicated relationship

Several times a year, with the regularity of a metronome, another study appears, which tells how long Neanderthals and representatives of our species coexisted on the territory of Europe. That it is about 20,000 years old, or that it is only a passing connection, almost all possible options have already been discovered.

The latest study, published in Scientific Reports, tells us that in southern France and northern Spain, two human species coexisted between 1,400 and 2,900 years ago, long enough to give rise to common offspring. More precisely, Neanderthals would have disappeared about 40,870-40,457 years ago, while Homo sapiens appeared in the area about 42,500 years ago.

The study does not say that this conclusion comes after the use of new radiocarbon dating methods that fundamentally change almost everything that has been known for decades. More precisely, the Iberian Peninsula has long been considered the last refuge of the Neanderthals, the place where they resisted around 25,000 years ago. A similar situation existed in the Black Sea region or in the south of France.

With the new methods of decontamination, rather dubious in their results, almost all valid evidence has been thrown into the air, and the extinction of the Neanderthals has been sent back at least 40,000 years. Which significantly shortens the period during which they could coexist with Homo sapiens. Even so, given that Bulgaria has recently provided H. sapiens fossils dating back nearly 47,000 years, it shows us that the picture is much more complex, and the situation in northern Spain and southern France should for now only be seen as a conclusion that you are not you know when the date changes in a month or two. That’s what I’m saying.

Meteorologists reassure. In winter it will be cold, but also warm

Europe will face a cold wave later this year, but meteorologists at the Copernicus climate change service say the rest of the winter will be warmer than normal. Experts took into account such data as the speed of winds in the stratosphere, the temperature of ocean currents and the atmosphere, as well as the influence of the climatic phenomenon “La Niña”, which is expected to cool the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean in the equatorial zone.

Based on this data, the winter is expected to be warmer than average, which is only good in light of the reduction in Russian gas supplies to Europe, researchers say. Despite this, do not fall from happiness just yet! Clearer estimates will be available only in November, when it is possible that the first wave of cooling will hit us. Finally, don’t ditch your shirts just yet, keep your gloves handy!

Photo source: Dreamstime.com