It is an unfortunate reality that there is never enough time to cover all the interesting science stories we come across. So every month, we highlight a few of the best stories that almost slipped through the cracks. May’s list includes the discovery of a possible prehistoric mine site in the Pyrenees; a new species of small blue octopus; why cats prefer silver grape catnip; and why political polarization can behave like a phase transition, among other notable stories?
Prehistoric mining in the Pyrenees
Credit: IPHES-SEARCH
High in the Pyrenees-Orientales is a prehistoric cave excavated between 2021 and 2023. Based on an analysis of artifacts found at the site, a team of Spanish archaeologists believe the site may have served as an ancient copper smelting site, where humans were involved more often than previously thought. The researchers attributed these preliminary findings to a paper Published in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology.
