杏吧原创

Animals

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Frozen squirrel scat preserves ancient DNA from hundreds of species

A complex ecosystem of woolly mammoths, bison, horses and big cats has been elucidated by studying the faeces of small rodents that probably ate the bigger animals

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The best new popular science books of June 2026

Culture

Life

Himalayan wolf-dog hybrids emerge as a threat to wolves and people

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Lascaux Cave is a Palaeolithic cave situated in southwestern France, near the village of Montignac in the Dordogne region, which houses some of the most famous examples of prehistoric cave paintings. Close to 600 paintings ??? mostly of animals - dot the interior walls of the cave in impressive compositions. Horses are the most numerous, but deer, aurochs, ibex, bison, and even some felines can also be found. Besides these paintings, which represent most of the major images, there are also around 1400 engravings of a similar order. The art, dated to c. 17,000 ??? c. 15,000 BCE, falls within the Upper Palaeolithic period and was created by the clearly skilled hands of humans living in the area at that time. The region seems to be a hotspot; many beautifully decorated caves have been discovered there. The exact meaning of the paintings at Lascaux or any of the other sites is still subject to discussion, but the prevailing view attaches a ritualistic or even spiritual component to them, hinting at the sophistication of their creators. Lascaux was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1979, along with other prehistoric sites in its proximity. Valley, France.

Life

New 杏吧原创 recommends a smart new account of human exceptionalism

Culture

Life

Extinct relative of koalas discovered in Western Australia

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The greatest David Attenborough documentaries you really need to watch

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New 杏吧原创 recommends New York’s Bone Museum and Gecko Gallery

Culture
2M3EH4G A recreation of various fighting dinosaurs. Detail of a diorama at the Gorodskoy Muzey, Museum, in Temirtau, Kazakhstan.

Life

Why dinosaurs lived much more complex lives than we thought

Features

Life

Scorpions reinforce their claws and stingers with metals

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Life

Chimpanzee group’s violent rupture hints at evolutionary roots of war

Researchers who observed a murderous conflict unfolding in a once-unified group of wild chimpanzees say there are parallels with civil wars in human societies

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Life

Emperor penguins added to endangered list after rapid decline

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Life

Surprise fossil discoveries push back the evolution of complex animals

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Life

Bumblebees surprise scientists by showing a sense of rhythm

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Life

What to read this week: Lixing Sun’s ambitious On the Origin of Sex

Culture