Science

What Happened to the Cro-Magnons? The Tangled History of Europe's Hunter-Gatherers

Lion of Vogelherd (approx. 40,000 years old, Aurignacian culture), Museum of Ancient Cultures in Tübingen // Photo: Wuselig, CC BY-SA 4.0

More than 50,000 years ago, anatomically modern humans began migrating into Europe and interbreeding with Neanderthals. The genes of some of them survive to this day.

By Łukasz Kwiatek

The name Paul Broca is most often encountered in neurobiology textbooks. This French physician made his name performing the autopsy of Louis Victor Leborgne, who had lost the ability to speak in adulthood. Leborgne could articulate only the syllable "tan" — which earned him the nickname “Tan” among hospital staff and, later, in the scientific literature — despite understanding what was said to him. After Tan's death, Broca observed extensive damage in the left hemisphere of his patient’s brain. This region of the human brain, associated with speech, is known today as Broca's area.

A Ball at the Elevation: What to Do With a Child at Mass

I took the ball away from my daughter — she answered with a shriek. I gave it back — it flew off across the nave. A moment later, the two of us fled the church. By Zuzanna Radzik Mass fell between nap time and lunch. A playground would have suited that slot

Suspects in China, Unwelcome in Kazakhstan: Who Are the Qandas?

They fled to Kazakhstan to escape Chinese repression. But today it's Kazakhstan that hunts them down when they speak up for relatives in China's Xinjiang. A story about people who are strangers everywhere. By Agnieszka Pikulicka, reporting from Kazakhstan Alimnur Turganbay crossed the Kazakh-Chinese border

Robots Can Outrun Humans. But at Home, They Need Our Help

A humanoid can lose to a dirty sock. Whether robots built in our own image find a place in the world will depend on how well AI copes with the mess of real life. By Agata Kaźmierska and Wojciech Brzeziński This August in Beijing, the robot Tiangong Ultra ran 100

Your Loneliness Is Their Best-Selling Product

Living alone has become easier and more convenient than ever. Large corporations have built an entire business model around it. By Jakub Dymek There is one thing that the internet — as it forced its way into our lives in the first decade of the 21st century — promised above all else.

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A Ball at the Elevation: What to Do With a Child at Mass

Suspects in China, Unwelcome in Kazakhstan: Who Are the Qandas?

Robots Can Outrun Humans. But at Home, They Need Our Help

Your Loneliness Is Their Best-Selling Product