logo
Ancient Body Paint May Have Been Prehistoric Sunscreen, Study Says

Ancient Body Paint May Have Been Prehistoric Sunscreen, Study Says

Yahoo25-04-2025
Ochre body paint may have been a form of prehistoric sunscreen that helped early humans survive a sudden increase in ultraviolet (UV) radiation around 41,000 years ago.
That's a fascinating new hypothesis recently put forward by an international team of geoscientists and anthropologists, led by researchers at the University of Michigan.
Their study reconstructs the global space environment during the end of the Last Glacial Period, and it finds that when Earth's magnetic field suddenly hiccuped all those millennia ago, it had a profound impact on our planet's protective solar shield.
Scientists already knew of this distinct geomagnetic tantrum in Earth's history, called the Laschamp event, when the poles suddenly and briefly went haywire and underwent a partial flip before settling back into their original positions.
But the new model is more detailed than ever before, and it shows that over the course of thousands of years, while the event was underway, the strength of Earth's geomagnetic field plummeted, reaching just 10 percent of what it is today.
At the same time, the poles where magnetic field lines meet expanded and tilted by over 75 degrees relative to Earth's rotational axis.
The South Pole shifted away from Antarctica and settled over Australia and New Zealand, while the North Pole wandered out of the Arctic into Western Eurasia, Northern Africa, and the northwestern Sahara.
"Vast expanses of both hemispheres were enveloped by expansive open field line regions, unleashing a substantial barrage of auroral precipitation on a global scale," the authors write.
That's where the sunscreen comes in handy.
Auroras are caused by charged particles from the Sun, which are guided along Earth's magnetic field lines to the poles, where they are dumped out and interact with our planet's atmosphere.
If the magnetic field lines are weakened, though, all that cosmic radiation enters the atmosphere earlier and deeper, which can be disastrous for the ozone layer below. As this protective layer weakens, it in turn admits more harmful UV light.
During the Laschamp weakening, if some parts of the world let in more UV radiation, then early humans, including our own species and Neanderthals, were likely affected.
Scientists have previously suggested our species' adaptations to the Laschamp event may have allowed us to survive where other humans could not.
The new study, led by space physicist Agnit Mukhopadhyay, adds to that idea.
"In the study, we combined all of the regions where the magnetic field would not have been connected, allowing cosmic radiation, or any kind of energetic particles from the Sun, to seep all the way in to the ground," explains Mukhopadhyay.
While speculative, the authors point out that many of the areas likely exposed to increased ultraviolet radiation matched closely with changes in human activity more than 40,000 years ago, including more tools for tailoring clothing, an increase in cave art, and the use of ochre, which some studies suggest is a natural prehistoric sunscreen.
These behaviors may reflect humanity's attempt to minimize exposure to ultraviolet radiation. To this day, the Himba community in northern Namibia, for instance, use ochre as sunscreen, and Indigenous Australians have similar customs.
"There have been some experimental tests that show [ochre] has sunscreen-like properties. It's a pretty effective sunscreen, and there are also ethnographic populations that have used it primarily for that purpose," confirms anthropologist Raven Garvey of the University of Michigan.
"Its increased production and its association primarily with anatomically modern humans (during the Laschamp) is also suggestive of people's having used it for this purpose as well."
The timing is certainly intriguing, but the fossil record is not a complete one, and it needs to be interpreted with caution. There are likely many factors that led to our species' survival – and to the demise of our cousins.
The disappearance of the Neanderthals, for instance, largely coincides with the Laschamp event, which has led some to propose that it is what killed our early relatives.
Today, however, there is now some archaeological evidence of Neanderthals making tools for clothing, using ochre, and making cave art. Perhaps they didn't do this to the same level of sophistication as our own species, but they may have been adapting to the times, too. Historically, scientists have tended to underestimate our ancient cousins and what they were capable of.
In 2021, archaeologist Anna Goldfield wrote a piece for Sapiens that argued that "headlines trumpeting that a magnetic pole switch killed off our ancient relatives are vastly oversimplifying the tremendously complex system in which Neanderthals and our Homo sapiens ancestors lived."
The new study was published in Science Advances.
Scientists Discover First Probable Evidence of a Roman Fighter Mauled by a Lion
Scientists Say They Found a New Color Humans Have Never Seen Before
Mysterious Antikythera Mechanism May Actually Be a Toy, Study Says
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Mounjaro boobs? Weight loss drug can shrink breast cancer tumors, says new study
Mounjaro boobs? Weight loss drug can shrink breast cancer tumors, says new study

New York Post

timean hour ago

  • New York Post

Mounjaro boobs? Weight loss drug can shrink breast cancer tumors, says new study

Turns out that GLP-1 drugs aren't just slimming waistlines — they're shrinking tumors, too. A new study reports that mice shed about 20% of their body weight and saw their breast cancer tumors decrease after getting injected with tirzepatide, which is sold as Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for obesity. 'Obesity is a significant risk factor for breast cancer,' said study author Amanda Kucinskas, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Michigan. 4 Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women worldwide, excluding skin cancers. okrasiuk – 'And while it is very preliminary data, our studies in mice suggest that these new anti-obesity drugs may be a way to reduce obesity-associated breast cancer risk or improve outcomes.' Tirzepatide is part of a class of GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic and Wegovy, that reduce appetite by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone the body naturally produces after eating. Tirzepatide also mimics the effects of GIP, a gut hormone that stimulates insulin release and influences fat storage and appetite. For the new study, 16 young mice with breast cancer were fattened up and kept in a warm home to encourage obesity. 4 Tirzepatide is sold as Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for obesity. K KStock – The mice were then given tirzepatide or a placebo every other day for 16 weeks. The researchers measured their tumor volumes twice a week, finding that as the mice shed the pounds and the fat stored in their livers, their tumors shrank accordingly. The findings were presented this month at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting. 'While these are very preliminary results, they suggest that this new anti-obesity drug may also have a beneficial impact on breast cancer outcomes,' Kucinskas said. 4 A new study reports that mice shed about 20% of their body weight and saw their breast cancer tumors decrease after getting injected with tirzepatide. romaset – Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women worldwide, besides skin cancer. One in eight American women will likely be diagnosed with it at some point. There are several reasons why obesity is a major risk factor for breast cancer. 'Obesity causes widespread inflammation throughout the entire body, deregulating the balance of cell growth patterns, body defenses and the gut microbiome,' Dr. Sue Decotiis — an NYC-based medical weight loss doctor, who was not involved in the new study — told The Post. 'Even a modest reduction of fat could have an important anti-inflammatory effect.' Excess abdominal fat can also lead to higher estrogen levels. Hormonal imbalances promote breast cancer development, Decotiis said. Plus, obesity is often associated with higher-than-normal levels of insulin in the blood, which can stimulate the production of estrogen in fat tissue. 'In my clinical weight loss practice, all secondary benefits from GLP-1 drugs occurred in patients who lost not weight, but a significant reduction in fat,' Decotiis said. 4 Obesity is a major risk factor for breast cancer, particularly in postmenopausal women. Choi_ Nikolai – Although GLP-1 meds have been hailed as 'wonder drugs,' there are risks associated with them. Side effects can include gastrointestinal distress and, less often, hair loss and skin pain. Blindness and behavioral changes can occur in very rare cases. Decotiis noted that tirzepatide is often better tolerated than the other meds because it can cause less nausea and vomiting while also spurring more weight loss. Meanwhile, research continues on the potential for these drugs to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, improve sleep apnea, reduce alcohol cravings and treat liver disease, among other conditions. 'Hold on to your hats and buckle up as this category of drug grows and we see more of their wide range of positive effects and learn more about their mechanisms,' Decotiis said.

Researchers awarded $10.5 million to study use of AI in addressing cardiovascular disease
Researchers awarded $10.5 million to study use of AI in addressing cardiovascular disease

Associated Press

timean hour ago

  • Associated Press

Researchers awarded $10.5 million to study use of AI in addressing cardiovascular disease

( NewMediaWire ) - July 24, 2025 - DALLAS — Research teams from Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Pleasanton, California, and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor have been awarded a total of $10.5 million to conduct research projects that explore ways to use artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate and improve screening and treatment for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S. The projects are funded through a special research grant from the American Heart Association, a global force changing the future of health for all. 'AI was once relegated to the realm of science fiction; however, it's quickly becoming a part of everyday life for all of us. The American Heart Association has been a leader in cardiovascular science and research for more than a century, and we recognize the importance of learning how we can harness this revolutionary tool to improve health for people everywhere,' said Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., FAHA, American Heart Association volunteer president, senior vice president of Women's Health and executive director of the Katz Institute for Women's Health of Northwell Health in New York City. 'I'm very excited about these two new research projects we are funding and look forward to the knowledge we may gain for how AI technology can empower health care professionals to make informed decisions and, ultimately, improve health outcomes and save lives.' The awards, which started July 1, 2025, will fund the following research: Kaiser Permanente Division of Research Center: Screening Cardiometabolic Opportunities Using Transformative Echocardiography Artificial Intelligence (Team SCOUT-Echo-AI) – This multi-disciplinary research team is led by David Ouyang, M.D., a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research and a non-invasive cardiologist at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center. The team will look at ways to use AI to expand the usefulness of heart ultrasounds, or echocardiograms, which are common, inexpensive, portable tests that don't use radiation. While doctors currently use ultrasounds to check the heart, these scans can also show nearby organs like the liver and kidneys. Although previous research has found that conditions impacting the kidneys and liver can lead to an increased risk of complications related to cardiovascular disease, cardiologists aren't trained to look for problems in these other organs. The team will conduct a prospective multi-center clinical trial to evaluate whether AI technology can be used to detect early signs of kidney and liver disease on heart ultrasounds. They'll test their method in four different health care systems (Stanford Health Care, Cedars-Sinai, Massachusetts General Brigham and Kaiser Permanente Northern California) to find the best ways to alert doctors and patients to these findings. Early diagnosis of kidney and liver disease can improve the chances of getting treatment for these conditions, as well as reduce the complications that impact cardiovascular disease. Early diagnosis and treatment of kidney and liver disease is increasingly important because the prevalence of cardiovascular, kidney and liver disease are all on the rise, as referenced in several reports from the American Heart Association: University of Michigan: INSIGHT-CPR: Integrated Neural networks and wearable Sensor to Instantaneously Guide Hemodynamic-direcTed CPR – This research team is led by Cindy Hsu, M.D., Ph.D., M.S., division chief of critical care in the University of Michigan Department of Emergency Medicine. The team will explore whether AI can improve the way CPR is delivered to people who experience sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest is a life-threatening medical emergency that happens when the heart suddenly stops beating. Immediately beginning CPR with chest compressions can help save lives by getting blood circulating through the heart and the rest of the body. Most patients need many minutes of CPR to sustain the body until the heart's normal function resumes. The longer it takes for the heart to resume normal activity, the worse outcomes they have. If CPR was personalized based on each patient's specific needs, it could sustain bodily functions more effectively. However, emergency responders can't always measure how effective CPR is because blood pressure measurements require inserting catheters and are affected by the recoil of the patient's chest wall during CPR. The research team has used AI to create an innovative algorithm integrated with a noninvasive wearable sensor to accurately measure blood pressure, even during CPR. This technology can help doctors and emergency responders see, in real time, how well blood is flowing to the arterial circulation, so they can adjust their techniques and medications to give patients the best chance of survival. In this project, the team will further develop and test this algorithm and sensor with plans to commercialize the tool so that it is widely available to potentially save more lives. According to the American Heart Association: 'While artificial intelligence and machine-learning may seem like the buzz phrases of the day, pioneering research has long been an essential element of the American Heart Association's work, and these new research grants are not our first foray into this space,' Rosen said. 'We've been instrumental in bringing cutting-edge technology to millions of scientists across the globe through our Precision Medicine Platform launched nearly a decade ago, and we will continue to drive those projects that can add to the body of science that supports our lifesaving mission to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives.' Funding scientific research and discovery through initiatives like these grants is a cornerstone of the American Heart Association's lifesaving mission. The Association has funded more than $6 billion in cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and brain health research since 1949, making it the single largest nonprofit, non-government supporter of heart and brain health research in the U.S. New knowledge resulting from this funding continues to save lives and directly impact millions of people in every corner of the U.S. and around the world. ### About the American Heart Association The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public's health, and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1. For Media Inquiries: Cathy Lewis, [email protected] For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721) and

Map Shows Where Millions Can See International Space Station on Thursday
Map Shows Where Millions Can See International Space Station on Thursday

Newsweek

time3 hours ago

  • Newsweek

Map Shows Where Millions Can See International Space Station on Thursday

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Millions of Americans and Canadians will have a chance to see the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday night as it cuts a path across North America. Why It Matters The ISS orbits Earth and houses astronauts and a research laboratory for experiments in microgravity. The ISS is maintained by NASA, Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. It travels at about 17,500 mph and completes an orbit around Earth every 90 minutes. What To Know At times, the ISS is visible from the U.S. as it orbits Earth. The next chance Americans will have at sighting the space station will be Thursday night as it cuts from Northwest Canada through parts of the Northeastern U.S. in a span of a few minutes. "The International Space Station is visible because it reflects sunlight—the same reason we can see the Moon," a NASA webpage about the ISS says. "However, unlike the Moon, the space station is not bright enough to see during the day. Viewing opportunities can range from one a month to several a week as the light from the Sun reflects off station as it passes overhead at dawn and dusk at the user's preferred location." No equipment will be needed to view the ISS as it passes over the U.S., as it is visible to the naked eye. Millions of Americans outside the ISS' direct path also will have a chance to see it. A map from AccuWeather shows the planned path of the ISS. Shortly after 9:25 p.m. ET, the ISS will travel from Canada into New York, where it will continue its southeastern path for hardly more than a minute before it exits over the Atlantic Ocean. A map from AccuWeather shows where the ISS will be visible on July 24, 2025. A map from AccuWeather shows where the ISS will be visible on July 24, 2025. AccuWeather The timeline is as follows: 9:22-9:25 p.m. ET: The ISS will be traveling southeast over Ontario, Canada. The ISS will be traveling southeast over Ontario, Canada. 9:25-9:26 p.m. ET: The ISS will travel over Northern New York, Southern Vermont, far Southwestern New Hampshire and through Massachusetts to exit over the Atlantic Ocean. The ISS will travel over Northern New York, Southern Vermont, far Southwestern New Hampshire and through Massachusetts to exit over the Atlantic Ocean. 9:27-9:29 p.m. ET: The ISS will continue its path over the Atlantic Ocean. Anyone within the viewing circle will be able to see the space station if weather conditions are right, meaning millions as far south as Georgia up through Maine and Michigan will have a chance at spotting the ISS. The ISS is bright enough that people can spot it even in large cities with light pollution. However, cloudy conditions could disrupt the viewing in some areas. "It looks like there could be some clouds on the western side of that near the Great Lakes, so Wisconsin, the Toronto area," AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva told Newsweek. "Those areas I'm a little worried there could be some clouds in the way." People further east in Southeastern Ohio, Pennsylvania and Western New York will have the best chance to view the ISS. All ISS viewings occur a few hours before or after sunrise or sunset. The ISS includes six sleeping areas, two bathrooms, a gym and a 360-degree-view bay window, NASA says in a webpage. It orbits earth 16 times in 24 hours, "traveling through 16 sunrises and sunsets." What People Are Saying AccuWeather posted on X on Thursday morning: "The International Space Station [ISS] will fly over the eastern United States and parts of Canada just after sunset on Thursday evening, an easy-to-see event for millions of residents across the region." NASA in a webpage about the ISS: "The acre of solar panels that power the station means sometimes you can look up in the sky at dawn or dusk and see the spaceship flying over your home, even if you live in a big city." What Happens Next NASA suggests people who want a chance to view the ISS when it passes over the U.S. to download Spot the Station, a mobile app that notifies users about potential ISS viewings.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store