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This year's World Happiness Report has been released and features some glum findings for the US: For the first time since the index began‚ the country is not ranked in the top 20. Things seem particularly tough for young Americans whose happiness levels have fallen sharply since 2010. Some things never change‚ though; Finland secured its place as the world’s happiest country for the seventh successive time‚ while the other four Nordic countries – Denmark‚ Norway‚ Sweden‚ and Iceland – were all comfortably in the top 10. The US dropped seven places from 15 last year to 23rd‚ meaning for the first time since the rankings began 12 years ago it is not included in the top 20. The top 20 happiest countries‚ according to the report‚ were as follows: FinlandDenmarkIcelandSwedenIsraelNetherlands NorwayLuxembourgSwitzerlandAustraliaNew ZealandCosta RicaKuwaitAustriaCanadaBelgiumIrelandCzechiaLithuaniaUnited KingdomThe only new addition to the top 20 was Lithuania. Several other former-Soviet states have recently seen a boost in happiness‚ particularly Serbia (37th) and Bulgaria (81st) which have witnessed the biggest increases in their scores since they were first measured in 2013.Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the list‚ followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo‚ Zimbabwe‚ Sierra Leone‚ and Lebanon.One of the most prominent – and worrying – findings of the report was the declining happiness of young people in certain parts of the planet. On a global scale‚ the happiness of youngsters has increased. However‚ the data suggests that the well-being of 15- to 24-year-olds has fallen in North America‚ Western Europe‚ the Middle East‚ North Africa‚ and South Asia.Historically‚ young people have reported higher life satisfaction than older people‚ but that trend has recently been reversed in North America; old folks are now happier than young people. A similar trend is starting to emerge in Western Europe too."Piecing together the available data on the wellbeing of children and adolescents around the world‚ we documented disconcerting drops‚ especially in North America and Western Europe‚” Professor Jan-Emmanuel De Neve‚ a Belgian economist at the University of Oxford and an Editor of the World Happiness Report‚ said in a statement. “To think that‚ in some parts of the world‚ children are already experiencing the equivalent of a mid-life crisis demands immediate policy action‚” he added.It’s not the first time that research has shown a concerning drop in happiness among young adults and teenagers in North America and Europe. There are no definitive answers to what’s driving the trend‚ but commonly cited factors are economic uncertainty‚ poor job prospects‚ political polarization‚ a lack of meaningful social connections‚ and the rise of technology.

The journal Archaeological Prospection has retracted a controversial study which claimed that humans had begun constructing a "pyramid" in Indonesia as far back as 25‚000 years ago.In November 2023‚ the study garnered a lot of media attention (including from IFLScience) for its extraordinary claim that a mountain in Indonesia is actually the world's oldest pyramid built by ancient humans. But reactions from archaeologists since publication were highly skeptical about its bold conclusions.According to the paper‚ the Gunung Padang – which translates to “Mountain of Enlightenment” – was not formed naturally but "meticulously sculpted" into its current shape between 25‚000 and 14‚000 years ago. If this were true‚ it would be considerably older than the world's oldest pyramids‚ with the team writing that it “suggests that advanced construction practices were already present when agriculture had‚ perhaps‚ not yet been invented.”Among other bold claims was that there are "hidden cavities or chambers" at the site‚ and that the site itself appeared to have been buried several times “possibly to conceal its true identity for preservation purposes”.Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence‚ and other archaeologists were far from convinced that the team had provided this‚ especially given how it would rewrite the history of human development. Lutfi Yondri‚ an archaeologist at BRIN in Bandung‚ Indonesia‚ told Nature that his work showed people in the area lived in caves between 12‚000 and 6‚000 years ago‚ and left no evidence of having the “remarkable masonry capabilities” supposedly employed by people of the area thousands of years before them to build the "pyramid".Flint Dibble‚ an archaeologist at Cardiff University‚ UK‚ told Nature that the paper used "legitimate data" but made unjustified conclusions. For example‚ the team used carbon dating‚ claiming that "dating of organic soils from the structures uncovered multiple construction stages dating back thousands of years BCE‚ with the initial phase dating to the Palaeolithic era".According to the team‚ soil samples from around the parts of the mound they deem to be the oldest part of the "construction" dated back 27‚000 years. While this may be true‚ further archaeologists pointed out to Nature that these soil samples showed no signs – such as bone fragments or charcoal – which indicate human activity. In essence‚ without other more compelling signs of human activity around it‚ all it is evidence of is some really old soil.It was these concerns that led to an investigation and subsequent retraction by Archaeological Prospection."The publisher and the Co-Editors-in-Chief have investigated these concerns and have concluded that the article contains a major error‚" the journal explained in a retraction notice. "This error‚ which was not identified during peer review‚ is that the radiocarbon dating was applied to soil samples that were not associated with any artifacts or features that could be reliably interpreted as anthropogenic or 'man-made.' Therefore‚ the interpretation that the site is an ancient pyramid built 9‚000 or more years ago is incorrect‚ and the article must be retracted."Reacting to the retraction‚ the authors called the decision "unjust" and claimed it had been "unequivocally established as man-made constructions or archaeological features‚ rather than natural geological formations‚" in a statement posted to Facebook. "These layers are accompanied by numerous small portable artifacts‚ providing tangible evidence of their anthropogenic origin."A more likely explanation‚ until stronger evidence is presented‚ is that the mound is a natural formation.“Material rolling down a hill‚" as Dibble explained to Nature‚ "is going to‚ on average‚ orient itself.”[H/T: New York Times]

The next time you find yourself eyeing up the snack cupboard 10 minutes after finishing dinner‚ it might help to know that a simple overactive appetite may not be the culprit. A new study in mice has found a brain circuit driven by cells dedicated to seeking out tasty food‚ and scientists suggest it could exist in humans too.The neural circuitry in question was found in a region of the brainstem called the periaqueductal gray (PAG)‚ an evolutionarily ancient part of the brain that has retained similar functions in mice and humans.“Although our findings were a surprise‚ it makes sense that food-seeking would be rooted in such an ancient part of the brain‚ since foraging is something all animals need to do‚” said corresponding author Avishek Adhikari‚ associate professor of psychology at UCLA‚ in a statement. The PAG is usually more associated with panic and fear responses – in both humans and mice‚ when the entire region is activated‚ it can cause a “dramatic panic response” according to Adhikari. However‚ during their investigation‚ the team found that stimulating just a specific cluster of cells in the PAG induced foraging and feeding behavior in the mice.They achieved this by injecting mice with a genetically modified virus that caused their brain cells to produce a light-sensitive protein. A fiber-optic implant then allowed the scientists to selectively activate the modified cells using light‚ a technique called optogenetics. A miniature microscope developed at UCLA could then be fixed to the mouse’s head to record the neural activity.When the cell cluster within the PAG was stimulated‚ the mice went into food-seeking overdrive. They chased live crickets‚ which are a prey species for them‚ and were just as interested in non-prey foods and in investigating non-food items within their enclosures.They also showed a preference for fatty‚ high-calorie foods – so much so that they were willing to endure a mild electric shock to get at a tasty walnut‚ something that’s not normal mouse behavior. “The results suggest the following behavior is related more to wanting than to hunger‚” said Adhikari. “Hunger is aversive‚ meaning that mice usually avoid feeling hungry if they can. But they seek out activation of these cells‚ suggesting that the circuit is not causing hunger. Instead‚ we think this circuit causes the craving of highly rewarding‚ high-caloric food. These cells can cause the mouse to eat more high-calorie foods even in the absence of hunger.”The scientists also tested the opposite scenario‚ genetically engineering the food-seeking cells to have reduced activity under exposure to light. These mice didn’t show interest in foraging‚ even when they were actually hungry.“This circuit can circumvent the normal hunger pressures of how‚ what and when to eat‚” summarized Fernando Reis‚ the postdoctoral researcher who designed the study and performed the bulk of the experiments.While these results are limited to mice for now‚ we know that similar cells exist in the PAG of the human brain. The team suggests that if activation of the circuit has the same effect on us as on our rodent friends‚ it could play a role in understanding eating disorders.A lot more work is needed to iron out how much of this applies to humans – but it’s curious to think that when you find yourself looking for something sweet after a big meal‚ it might just be your brain‚ rather than your belly‚ that’s the source of the craving. The study is published in the journal Nature Communications. 

What would you do if someone asked you to give a bird CPR? It would baffle many of us as we couldn’t grasp the feasibility of the idea. "Tα Ττέλλενα" του Κωστάκη (Πλατινένιος δίσκος) pic.twitter.com/vY70GzF6 — CostakisConstantinou (@CostakisCon) November 21‚ 2011 A Cypriot actor proved that any life‚ even a bird’s life‚ is worth saving.... The post Man ignores doubters and patiently gives CPR to revive tiny sparrow appeared first on Animal Channel.

A dog’s sense of smell is believed to be 10‚000 to 100‚000 times more acute than a human’s! That’s why they are often used as military dogs to detect contraband and locate injured soldiers. Most importantly‚ they can also catch the smell of explosives like landmines even from afar‚ saving thousands to millions of soldiers.... The post Adorable husky befriends homeless man not knowing it will change his life appeared first on Animal Channel.

A heartwarming commercial has captured the hearts and laughter of the internet‚ featuring a charming older Budweiser ad. This ad stars a determined little donkey with aspirations that soar as high as the sky. The iconic Clydesdale horses of Budweiser‚ celebrated figures in the realms of agriculture and racing since their debut in 1933 to... The post Tiny donkey wants to be a Clydesdale so bad and decides to plead his case appeared first on Animal Channel.