A rock sat in a school for years. Scientists say it's a fossil jackpot.
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National Geographic
3 days ago
- National Geographic
Your brain shrinks after 40. Learning a musical instrument can reverse it.
Experts say the more we challenge our brains as we age, the more resilient it becomes—and 'learning a new instrument is a full-brain workout.' After the age of 40, the average brain decreases 5 percent in volume every decade, and brain degeneration hits peak acceleration around age 67. But one effective method for slowing neurodegeneration is learning an instrument. Photograph by Dimitri Otis, Getty Images No matter how much we may try, we can't fight most effects of getting older. Eyesight fades, wrinkles deepen, and joint pain becomes almost inevitable. But cognitive decline? That might be more flexible than we think. Although research shows the brain loses about 5 percent of its volume per decade after age 40, scientific findings suggest that picking up a new skill—like learning a musical instrument—can help preserve brain function well into our golden years. That's the message underscored in the first episode of Limitless: Live Better Now, streaming on Disney+ and Hulu starting August 15, and on National Geographic starting August 25. In the episode, 41-year-old Australian actor Chris Hemsworth takes up drumming for the first time. In doing so, he's not just preparing to play in front of 60,000 screaming fans at an Ed Sheeran concert—he's demonstrating how learning an instrument later in life could support the health of his own aging brain. This isn't a superpower for Hemsworth alone. A growing body of research suggests that activities that challenge the mind can be powerful tools in combating age-related cognitive decline. (The unexpected ways Ozempic-like drugs might fight dementia.) The gradual loss of brain tissue, known as brain atrophy, can begin as early as our 30s, "but it doesn't happen to everyone at the same rate,' says Daniel Gustavson, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Colorado Boulder. When it does occur, atrophy often affects key areas like the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for problem solving and adaptability, and the hippocampus, which governs memory and spatial navigation. 'You might notice decline in these areas when you struggle to recall details from a conversation or forget where you placed your keys,' explains Maya Shankar, a cognitive scientist featured on the Limitless series. 'When these things occur, they're more than just annoying—they reflect real changes in neural connectivity.' Brain shrinkage is largely driven by the loss of neurons and specialized junctions in the brain called synapses, as well as a reduction in plasticity—the brain's ability to adapt and reorganize. Another contributing factor is the age-related decline in production and efficiency of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine—a chemical messenger critical to memory and muscle movement. As these neurotransmitters decline, so does mental sharpness. To make matters more complex, both gray and white matter also diminish with age. These nerve tissues play critical roles in protecting and supporting neural connections. Their deterioration can lead to a variety of symptoms, the severity of which often depends on genetics and lifestyle, says Golnaz Yadollahikhales, a neurologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. While mild forgetfulness is common, she notes that more significant memory loss could be a sign of the early stages of cognitive decline or dementia. How mentally challenging activities help future-proof the brain The antidote to age-related cognitive decline, scientists agree, is neuroplasticity—the brain's lifelong ability to rewire itself in response to new experiences. 'When we learn something new, we're literally building new neurons and pathways,' Shankar says. She likens it to finding a new route to work when your usual one is closed. This adaptability underpins what researchers call cognitive reserve—the brain's capacity to compensate for age-related damage or changes. Yadollahikhales describes it as 'mental scaffolding' that helps keep you functioning even if one part of your brain starts to falter. (Use this ancient technique to remember (almost) anything.) An effective way to build cognitive reserve is by learning new, cognitively-demanding skills such as 'picking up a new sport, painting, cooking, writing, coding, dancing, or learning a new language,' says Shankar. These types of activities enhance white matter integrity, support healthy neurotransmitter activity, and improve communication between brain hemispheres by strengthening the corpus callosum, the brain's largest white matter tract. 'It's like a bridge because it plays a crucial role in communication between the right and left hemispheres,' says Yadollahikhales. Stronger inter-hemispheric connections can improve everything from multitasking to emotional regulation. Why learning a new instrument can help offset brain shrinkage While many skills can stimulate the brain, 'learning a new instrument is probably the biggest bang for your brain buck,' Shankar says. That's because playing a musical instrument enhances executive function and working memory by 'engaging nearly every brain region and strengthening communication between them,' she explains. Playing a musical instrument involves bimanual coordination and activates multiple brain structures simultaneously, thereby strengthening the corpus callosum. Some of these brain structures include those responsible for hearing, reading music, and coordinating hand and finger movement. 'Learning a new instrument is a full-brain workout,' says Gustavson. 'And that makes it a potent tool for building cognitive reserve.' (The diet that could make your brain 7 years younger.) Plenty of research backs this up. A 2022 Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience study found that older adults who received piano training for six months showed improved structural connectivity in brain regions associated with memory and language. Other studies show that learning an instrument later in life can also boost memory, executive function, and even brain volume. In one trial, seniors with no prior music experience improved their verbal memory after just three months of learning the keyboard harmonica, a small handheld keyboard powered by the breath. How to get started learning a new instrument If you want to use music to protect your brain health, choosing the right instrument matters. 'Pick one that excites you but also challenges you,' advises Yadollahikhales. 'If it's too easy, it won't stimulate neuroplasticity. If it's too hard, you'll quit. It needs to sit in that sweet spot of 'just hard enough.'' Piano, guitar, and drums are frequently recommended for their demand on bilateral coordination, but Gustavson emphasizes that most instruments can be effective—as long as they require sustained effort. 'Follow your heart, because the best instrument is the one you'll stick with,' he says. Shankar also suggests thinking practically. 'Ask yourself: Will I practice this regularly? Do I enjoy the sound? Do I feel moved by what I'm learning?' Motivation matters, she says, because engagement is key to reinforcing new neural pathways. For those hesitant to take formal lessons, other options include how-to apps, YouTube tutorials, or adult-friendly group classes. 'The social component of learning music can be just as powerful as the cognitive one,' adds Gustavson. 'It improves mood, encourages accountability, and adds a layer of fun.' Most importantly? Start where you are, no matter your age. 'It's never too late,' says Michael Snyder, a genetics professor at Stanford School of Medicine. While it's easy to assume learning is just for the young, he says, it's the struggle itself—not the mastery—that fuels brain growth at any age. In the end, we may not be able to stop the clock, but we can push back against its effects. 'It's easy to despair over age-related degradation of the brain, but all the research on neuroplasticity actually gives us reason to hope," Shankar offers. 'If our brains remain moldable throughout life, we can shape their trajectory and improve both our everyday experiences and our future.' "Limitless: Live Better Now" is streaming on Disney+ and Hulu starting August 15 and on National Geographic starting August 25. Check local listings.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
1.5 million-year-old stone tools from mystery human relative discovered in Indonesia — they reached the region before our species even existed
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Stone tools discovered on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi are rewriting what experts thought they knew about human evolution in this region. The tools date to about 1 million to 1.5 million years ago, which suggests that Sulawesi was occupied by an unknown human relative long before our species evolved. "These are simple, sharp-edged flakes of stone that would have been useful as general-purpose cutting and scraping implements," study co-author Adam Brumm, professor of archaeology at Griffith University in Australia, told Live Science in an email. In a study published Wednesday (Aug. 6) in the journal Nature, researchers analyzed a set of stone tools that represent the oldest evidence of human relatives in Wallacea, a vast expanse of islands that lie between the Asian and Australian continental shelves. During excavations between 2019 and 2022, the team discovered seven stone artifacts at Calio, a locality on Sulawesi. The artifacts were made from chert, a hard and fine-grained sedimentary rock, and were created using a percussion flaking technique, where a core rock is struck with a hammer stone to create sharp flake tools. One of the tools was even retouched, which involves trimming the edges of a flake tool to make it sharper. Using a combination of dating methods, the researchers dated the sediments in which the tools were found to between 1.04 million and 1.48 million years ago. This matches up chronologically with Homo erectus, which reached the Indonesian island of Java around 1.6 million years ago after first evolving in Africa. But Sulawesi does not have as extensive a fossil record as Java. "So far, the oldest human skeletal element found anywhere on this island [Sulawesi] is a modern human maxilla [upper jaw] fragment that is around 25,000 to 16,000 years old," Brumm said. Sulawesi is also home to the world's oldest narrative cave art, which dates to at least 51,200 years ago. And the oldest stone tool found on Sulawesi, besides the new finds, is about 194,000 years old, the researchers noted in the study. Related: 140,000 year old bones of our ancient ancestors found on sea floor, revealing secrets of extinct human species This new stone tool discovery reveals that human relatives occupied Sulawesi much earlier than previously assumed, likely before they made it to the island of Luzon to the north and the island of Flores to the south. And this means that the mystery group on Sulawesi could be the ancestors of Homo luzonensis or Homo floresiensis, both of which were "hobbit"-size human relatives. The researchers aren't yet sure which species made the tools. "Until we have found fossils of archaic hominins on Sulawesi," Brumm said, "it would be premature to assign a hominin species to the tool-makers." RELATED STORIES —Human 'hobbit' ancestor may be hiding in Indonesia, new controversial book claims —Ancient remains found in Indonesia belong to a vanished human lineage —World's oldest cave art, including famous hand stencils, being erased by climate change But the most likely scenario, given the date range, is that the tools were made by H. erectus or a species similar to H. floresiensis, Brumm said. "We think the Flores hominins came from Sulawesi originally." It is also still unclear what the hominins were using the tools for. "Hominins could have used them for tasks involved in the direct procurement of food," Brumm said, "or to fashion tools from wood or other perishable plant materials." So far, though, none of the animal bones that the team has found have cut marks or other signs of butchery. Human evolution quiz: What do you know about Homo sapiens?
Los Angeles Times
7 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Great Barrier Reef records largest annual coral loss in 39 years
MELBOURNE, Australia — The Great Barrier Reef has experienced its greatest annual loss of live coral across most of its expanse in four decades of record-keeping, Australian authorities say. But due to increasing coral cover since 2017, the coral deaths — caused mainly by bleaching last year associated with climate change — have left the area of living coral across the iconic reef system close to its long-term average, the Australian Institute of Marine Science said in its annual survey on Wednesday. The change underscores a new level of volatility on the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the report said. Mike Emslie, who heads the tropical marine research agency's long-term monitoring program, said the live coral cover measured in 2024 was the largest recorded in 39 years of surveys. The losses from such a high base of coral cover had partially cushioned the serious climate impacts on the world's largest reef ecosystem, which covers 133,000 square miles off the northeast Australian coast, he said. 'These are substantial impacts and evidence that the increasing frequency of coral bleaching is really starting to have detrimental effects on the Great Barrier Reef,' Emslie said. 'While there's still a lot of coral cover out there, these are record declines that we have seen in any one year of monitoring,' he added. Emslie's agency divides the Great Barrier Reef, which extends 900 miles along the Queensland state coast, into three similarly-sized regions: northern, central and southern. Living coral cover shrunk by almost a third in the south in a year, a quarter in the north and by 14% in the central region, the report said. Because of record global heat in 2023 and 2024, the world is still going through its biggest — and fourth-ever recorded — mass coral bleaching event on record, with heat stress hurting nearly 84% of the world's coral reef area, including the Great Barrier Reef, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's coral reef watch. So far at least 83 countries have been impacted. This bleaching event started in January 2023 and was declared a global crisis in April 2024. It easily eclipsed the previous biggest global coral bleaching event, from 2014 to 2017, when 68.2% had bleaching from heat stress. Large areas around Australia — but not the Great Barrier Reef — hit the maximum or near maximum of bleaching alert status during this latest event. Australia in March this year started aerial surveys of 281 reefs across the Torres Strait and the entire northern Great Barrier Reef and found widespread coral bleaching. Of the 281 reefs, 78 were more than 30% bleached. Coral has a hard time thriving and at times even surviving in prolonged hot water. They can survive short bursts, but once certain thresholds of weeks and high temperatures are passed, the coral is bleached, which means it turns white because it expels the algae that live in the tissue and give them their colors. Bleached corals are not dead, but they are weaker and more vulnerable to disease. Coral reefs often bounce back from these mass global bleaching events, but often they are not as strong as they were before. Coral reefs are considered a 'unique and threatened system' due to climate change and are especially vulnerable to global warming beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change proclaimed in 2018. The world has now warmed 1.3 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times. That report said 'tropical corals may be even more vulnerable to climate change than indicated in assessments made in 2014.' The report said back-to-back big bleaching events at the Great Barrier Reef in the mid 2010s 'suggest that the research community may have underestimated climate risks for coral reefs.' 'Warm water [tropical] coral reefs are projected to reach a very high risk of impact at 1.2°C, with most available evidence suggesting that coral-dominated ecosystems will be non-existent at this temperature or higher. At this point, coral abundance will be near zero at many locations,' the report said. McGuirk writes for the Associated Press. Associated Press Science Writer Seth Borenstein in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
