Sophie Berdugo

More than 43,000 years ago, Neanderthals spent centuries collecting animal skulls in a cave; but archaeologists aren't sure why Neanderthals repeatedly returned to the cave to store horned animal skulls, revealing this cultural tradition was transmitted over time.

Do you collect stamps, rocks or knickknacks? Well, around 43,000 years ago, Neanderthals collected animal skulls and placed them in a cave in what is now Spain. And nobody knowns why. By @sophieberdugo.bsky.social for @livescience.com

Humans were crafting tools from whale bones 20,000 years ago More than 60 ancient tools found in France and Spain have been identified as whale bone, and the evidence shows that people made tools from this material a thousand years earlier than previously thought

More than 60 ancient tools found in France and Spain have been identified as whale bone, and the evidence shows that people made tools from this material a thousand years earlier than previously thought

🆕Newcomer of the Year
#ABSWawards #finalists
Thanks to @abpi.bsky.social

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@newscientist.com
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Wow - absolutely thrilled to be a finalist for the ABSW's "Newcomer of the Year" award!

And a huge congrats to my fellow finalists @francesjones.bsky.social and @maevecullinan.bsky.social - it's amazing to be in such great company!

Bonobos use a kind of syntax once thought to be unique to humans The way bonobos combine vocal sounds to create new meanings suggests the evolutionary building blocks of human language are shared with our closest relatives

The way bonobos combine vocal sounds to create new meanings suggests the evolutionary building blocks of human language are shared with our closest relatives

#MonthlyShowcase

Sophie Berdugo's article 'Music sounds better with you? How your listening habits affect your love life' was selected as January 2025's showcase. The article was published in The Observer New Review.

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@sophieberdugo.bsky.social @ObserverUK

Monkeys choose babysitters based on who has more parenting experience

Young black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys often want to hold other females’ infants, but mothers are more willing to pass their infant to an experienced caregiver

America is turning its back on science and the cosmos YouTube video by New Scientist

🌌America turns its back on science and the cosmos
🌳Photosynthesis problems with high [CO2]
🧠Mysterious memory illusion
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz7u...
With: @pennysarchet.bsky.social, @jjaron.bsky.social, @tinymaddie.bsky.social, @sophieberdugo.bsky.social

Chimps, bonobos and humans have more in common than you might think YouTube video by New Scientist

Chimps (aggro) and bonobos (hippies) aren't so behaviourally different as we think. On this week's podcast we hear from primatologists Jake Brooker, Katarina Almeida-Warren and @sophieberdugo.bsky.social. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxrX...

Do we all see red as the same colour? We finally have an answer It is impossible for us to know exactly how another person's experience of the world compares to our own, but a new experiment is helping to reveal that colour is indeed a shared phenomenon

When you see red, how do you know someone else isn't seeing it as the colour you call green? A new way to measure our individual experience of colour suggests this long-standing philosophical question has an answer.

The first water may have formed surprisingly soon after the big bang Water is an essential part of life on Earth, and possibly elsewhere – and now it we know it may have formed not long after the start of the universe

When did the first water molecules form? A new simulation of exploding stars suggests it could have been far earlier than anyone thought possible.

'Galloping' bubbles could act as tiny robotic vacuum cleaners While experimenting with waves, researchers discovered that vibrating a container of liquid would cause bubble to "gallop" across its surface

While experimenting with waves, researchers discovered that vibrating a container of liquid would cause bubble to "gallop" across its surface

Bonobos can tell when they know something you don't Recognising that someone lacks information you possess is key for effective communication and cooperation, and bonobos seem to share this skill with humans

Bonobos are quick to help a person who doesn’t know what they know, a sign that they are able to deduce the mental states of others. www.newscientist.com/article/2466...