The labors of men and microscopic parasitic jellyfish on land

We know we are human because we genderize roles in society, carve dancing shamans on proto-gravestones (maybe) and can't catch microscopic parasitic jellyfish… we think

Haaretz Archaeology & Science View in browser

Ruth Schuster

The division of labor among the sexes is a characteristic of humanity, it seems, but that doesn't mean there are species-wide rules. In Canaanite Gath, a thousand years before the Philistines arrived, it seems that making pottery was a man's job. We know this because it turns out that male and female fingerprints have differences, though of course there is an overlap. Read on to find out how they differ – and why. Another characteristic of humanity is to mourn the dead. Or maybe celebrate the dead. In any case, a unique engraving of what looks like a dancing shaman was detected on a burial slab in a cemetery in Israel dating back 14,000 years ago. That's it for archaeology in Haaretz this week but in the realm of science, we are happy to share the news that microscopic parasitic jellyfish aren't confined to the watery realm. This news item comes with a word of advice: cook your shrews and earthworms before you eat them. Also, unhappily, it seems the Greenland ice sheet is melting about twice as fast as thought. Apropos water, on the upside – after a wet winter and thanks to Israel's massive desalination industry, the inland Sea of Galilee has filled back up. And finally, a word to the wise on surviving coronavirus: obesity turns out to be a significant risk factor. So do testicles.

Making Bowls in Biblical Gath Was Man's Work, Fingerprints Indicate   There are differences between male and female fingerprints, and the potters of Early Bronze Age Gath didn't always trouble to wipe them off thei... Ruth Schuster | 21.04.2020

Human Figure Detected on 14,000-year-old Burial Slab in Israel   The Natufians were the first to bury their dead in cemeteries, albeit in shallow graves, and mysterious slabs were placed in and above some grav... Ruth Schuster | 19.04.2020

Forget coronavirus! || Microscopic Parasitic Jellyfish Have Made It to Land   Myxozoans, a jellyfish that evolved backwards, are the only member of the vast cnidarians group to have reached the terrestrial domain. Inside h... Ruth Schuster | 21.04.2020

Greenland Is Melting Faster Than We Thought in 'One of the Worst Years on Record'   Florida may face ferocious storms as record heat broils the state, and a green FIFA? Climate change stories you shouldn't miss this week Ruth Schuster | 22.04.2020

The Sea of Galilee Is Finally Completely Full — and Empty   After almost 30 years in which the shrinking lake retreated further and further from the shore, it is now overflowing its banks. Yet the coronav... Moshe Gilad | 23.04.2020

Opinion || What to Eat to Beat Coronavirus   We can improve our chances of surviving coronavirus and its associated complications – by watching what we put in our mouths Jessica Apple | 23.04.2020

Should Men Be Worried About Coronavirus Because of Their Testicles?   Studies show why men may be more susceptible to COVID-19 and how the virus may leave those who survive infertile Ruth Schuster | 23.04.2020

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