The second Everest disappeared less than a millennium ago. Chickens are the most eloquent evidence of human influence on the biosphere. What happens in the brain of a lonely person?

The second Everest disappeared less than a millennium ago

Today, there are no less than 14 “eight-thousanders” (or mountain peaks over 8,000 meters) on Earth. But until recently, things were not like that, at least if we talk on a geological level. And because there was also the 15th “eight billion”, perhaps one of the highest, data about which we are just beginning to learn. And most importantly, this mysterious peak disappeared about 830 years ago, most likely around 1190 AD, much earlier than anyone could have imagined.

These data came to us from a French-American-Nepalese group of geologists, who recently published the results of their research in the journal Nature. According to experts, it all started with observations made in the Annapurna mountain range in Nepal, where one of the most famous “eight-thousanders” of the world, bearing the same name – Annapurna, dominates.

The first clue came from a sedimentological analysis conducted on the Kali Gandaki River, the third largest watercourse flowing through Nepal. In particular, the level of carbonate in the sediments was five times higher than normal. Information that geologists explain the existence of a large-scale phenomenon that disturbed the riverbed at a certain time. Further observations, which included the study of samples of wood and other organic materials, rocks and morphology of the Annapurna mountain range, only confirmed this hypothesis.

As a result of all this data collected in recent years, the mentioned researchers concluded that there may have been a second peak near the Annapurna peak, at least of the same height, which collapsed around 1190 AD, forming the valleys where the city exists today Pokharna, the second largest urban settlement in Nepal after the capital Kathmandu.

Ancient geological studies have shown that in 1100, 1255 and 1344 strong earthquakes occurred in this area. Most likely, the authors of the study claim, such a catastrophic earthquake would cause the disappearance of the 15th “eight billion” planet. Later, in his footsteps, as I mentioned, the foundations of Poharni would be laid.

Another hypothesis supports the idea of ​​erosion caused by the melting of permafrost, which covered a large part of the disappeared peak. But it is extremely difficult to demonstrate such an idea.

There is no doubt that such phenomena occur much more often than is supposed, and although the life of a mountain range, although it seems to border on eternity, can actually be ephemeral. Basically, the same researchers note, such phenomena still occur today. The best example would be the massive landslides in Alaska, even the disappearance of some peaks. But many cases go unnoticed because there is simply no one to see them.

Chickens are the most eloquent evidence of human influence on the biosphere

If you were to make a list of footprints that our species has left on Earth, footprints that show the great human impact on the environment, chickens probably wouldn’t even be on such a hypothetical list. Nuclear waste, plastic, microplastic particles, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, methane, etc. would be among the first options.

Yet a team of researchers from the Universities of Leicester and Nottingham say we should rethink what we thought we knew about human impact on the environment. In fact, as strange as it may seem, chickens represent the most eloquent factor in the existence of the Anthropocene, or the hypothetical geological period in which human influence on Earth’s ecosystems becomes evident.

And, according to the researchers in question, if archaeologists of the future (or humans or other intelligent species) were to analyze the traces of fossils, they would discover an amazing fact. Namely, that the bones of domestic birds, especially chickens, suddenly began to dominate the fossil record, especially starting in the 20th century.

It is true that chickens were domesticated about 8,000 years ago in South Asia. Since then, they have become an important and easy source of food (both for eggs and especially for meat) all over the world. But the boom in their consumption, as well as the appearance of the most important meat breeds, occurred in the years after the Second World War.

Today, there are more than 33 billion domestic birds in the world. This is more than three times the number of all wild birds in existence today. 25 million birds are killed every day, and that’s because while some cultures shun pork, beef, lamb or even fish, chicken is consumed everywhere.

What would be really important for those future archaeologists of the future is not just the huge number of domestic bird bones that suddenly appear in the archaeological record, but especially the fact that their skeletal structure, bone chemistry, genetics are different. from what was consumed, for example, two centuries ago. And all this happened in just a few decades, while natural evolution takes millions of years to produce a new species.

Thus, the authors of the study conclude, it is these sudden transformations, doubled by the huge number of bird bones that have appeared around the world since the middle of the 20th century, that are perhaps the best evidence of the great human impact on biodiversity.

What happens in the brain of a lonely person?

One of the most interesting specialized studies of recent days is conducted by a group of psychologists from the University of Los Angeles, California, and discusses the changes that occur at the brain level in the case of lonely people.

It is certain that loneliness affects more and more people around the world, even if, paradoxically, online communication has experienced a boom in recent decades. In this sense, the previously mentioned scientists tried to observe how lonely people perceive the surrounding world compared to sociable people, and especially if there are differences in the way of processing such information.

Thus, they selected 66 volunteers, all young people between the ages of 18 and 21, who described themselves as single or not single. They were asked to watch 14 videos on various topics, from sporting events to images of parties or music videos, while brain activity was monitored in 214 different brain regions.

The results showed that sociable people generally had a similar reaction. It can hardly be said that it was a real surprise that single people had different reactions. This was somewhat expected. What was surprising was that the responses differed from one person to another, and this means that each person’s brain responds uniquely.

In principle, lonely individuals showed clear differences in the response of the brain centers responsible for the response to reward. In addition, the novelty of the study is that each person presented a different view of life. Information that may explain why lonely people feel misunderstood by those around them.

Whether the isolation of the individuals concerned is the cause or the effect of these different reactions of the nerve centers, it is impossible to say at present. However, according to American psychologists, there is no doubt that all these things negatively affect the physical and mental health of those who are affected.

In fact, their recent study, published in the journal Psychological Science, is only the first step in uncovering the causes of this behavior. They hope that further research will also reveal ways to help such people feel understood and have a fulfilling social life.

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