This week, Ice Age Amazonian rock art was interpreted and appears to spiritually represent shamans. turn into animalsa 35,000 year old man small saber-toothed was found mummified in permafrost, and the first fragments of amber have been recovered in Antarcticaproviding information on the continent’s ancient forests. Finally, we ask whether animal testing is absolutely necessary and where we stand with the other options.

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We’ve only been to Uranus once and the abnormal timing may have misled us for years

Voyager 2’s visit to Uranus in 1986 took place just after the planet was hit by an exceptionally powerful solar explosion. The increased solar wind compressed the magnetosphere. We’ve been treating this crushed magnetic field as a norm for 40 years, according to new research, leading scientists to believe the planet has several strange features that don’t actually match its usual state. Read the full story here

Amazonian rock art from the dazzling ice age depicts shamans spiritually transforming into animals

Without doubt the most impressive example of prehistoric rock art of all time discovered has finally been interpreted, and the meanings behind the images are truly breathtaking. By collaborating with indigenous elders in the Colombian Amazon, researchers learned that the epic collection of ancient paintings hints at a hidden spiritual dimension that shamans are able to navigate by transforming into animals. Read the full story here

Divers Thought They Found A Wreck, But This Giant Shadow Is Alive

The world’s largest coral colony was discovered in the Solomon Islands, measuring 34 by 32 meters (112 by 105 feet). This thing is so huge that it is even visible from space, and yet it has been hidden from human eyes for about 300 years. Read the full story here

First saber-toothed kitten 35,000 years old discovered mummified in permafrost

For the first time, scientists have found the mummified and frozen body of a young saber-toothed cat in the Arctic permafrost of Siberia. Although it is more than 35,000 years old, subzero temperatures have kept the specimen in a remarkable state of preservation, with its fur, head, torso and limbs still intact. Read the full story here

First-ever Antarctic amber reveals secrets of the continent’s Cretaceous forests

For the first time, fragments of amber were recovered in Antarctica or, to be more precise, in an offshore sedimentary basin. Thanks to fossils, we now have samples of amber from every continent and provide information about the forests of Antarctica, which were once home to robust dinosaurs. Read the full story here

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Feature of the week:

Is animal testing necessary – and where do we stand on alternatives?

Statistically speaking, you – yes, you who are reading this right now – are probably not a sort of militant vegan. However, the chances are just as low that you’re a complete psychopath – which means you’ll probably be a little uncomfortable if we inform you that every year, thousands of animals are exposed to increasing amounts of toxic and painful chemicals. until he ended up killing half of them. It’s called the LD50 test, or “lethal dose 50,” but is it really necessary to keep humans safe? Or do we now have better options? Read the full story here

More content:

Have you seen our e-magazine, CURIOUS? The November 28, 2024 issue is available now. This month we asked the question: “Are we all going to eat insects in the future?” » – check it out for exclusive interviews, book excerpts, long reads and much more.

ADDITIONALLY, the We have questions the podcast – an audio version of our coveted e-magazine column CURIOUS – has begun. In episode 2 we ask “What is it like working in a human tissue bank?»

Season 4 of IFLScience The big questions the podcast is over. This season we asked: