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Reproduction of the most complete known skull of Homo antecessor

Homo antecessor ('pioneer man') is an archaic human species from 1.2 to 0.8 million years ago during the Early Pleistocene. Fossils have been found in the Sierra de Atapuerca in Spain, the first in 1994. The species was one of the first humans to colonise Western Europe. They followed savanna habitats prevalent in the area when frigid glacial periods were transitioning to warmer interglacials, and vacated at other times. Despite being so ancient, they had a face unexpectedly similar to that of a modern human. Brain volume could have been 1,000 cm³ (61 cu in) or more, compared with present-day human averages of 1,270 cm³ (78 cu in) for males and 1,130 cm³ (69 cu in) for females. Stature estimates range from 162.3 to 186.8 cm (5 ft 4 in to 6 ft 2 in). H. antecessor manufactured simple pebble and flake stone tools out of quartz and chert, although they used a variety of materials. Many of the specimens found were cannibalised, perhaps as a cultural practice. There is no evidence of fire usage. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Edward Mosberg

... that Holocaust survivor Edward Mosberg (pictured in his concentration camp uniform) was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland for his efforts recognizing the Polish war-time rescue of Jews?
... that "Look at the world" is a 1996 choral harvest anthem with text and music by John Rutter, written for CPRE "on the theme of the environment and our responsibility towards it"?
... that although Austrian model Greta Hofer was only discovered in 2020, she was chosen to work exclusively for Prada that year?
... that a "frustration walk" connected Chicago Union Station with the rapid transit Canal station?
... that during the Avar Wars, disease killed 90 per cent of Charlemagne's horses?
... that in 1919 Ethel Hampson Brewster compared dropping ancient history from school curricula to "knock[ing] out the first two stories of a skyscraper"?
... that the United States severed diplomatic ties with Finland in 1944 because of a personal letter sent to Hitler?
... that Rockstar Lincoln used to keep live tarantulas at its offices?

In the news

Imran Khan

One person is killed and nine others are injured in a failed assassination attempt _targeting former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan (pictured).
Tropical Storm Nalgae leaves more than 150 people dead in the Philippines.
In the Brazilian general election, two-term former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeats incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.
In India, a footbridge collapse in Morbi, Gujarat, results in the deaths of at least 135 people.
In baseball, the Orix Buffaloes defeat the Tokyo Yakult Swallows to win the Japan Series.

On this day

November 5: Guy Fawkes Night in Great Britain and some Commonwealth countries (1605)

Mars Orbiter

1605 – The arrest of Guy Fawkes, found during a search of the Palace of Westminster, foiled the Gunpowder Plot, which planned to blow up the House of Lords.
1757 – Seven Years' War: Prussian forces led by Frederick the Great defeated the allied French and Habsburg armies at the Battle of Rossbach.
1950 – Korean War: The 27th British Commonwealth Brigade succeeded in preventing a Chinese breakthrough at the Battle of Pakchon.
2009 – U.S. Army major Nidal Hasan went on a shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, the worst shooting ever to take place on an American military base, killing 13.
2013 – The Indian Space Research Organisation launched the Mars Orbiter Mission (depicted), the nation's first interplanetary probe.

Ida Tarbell (b. 1857)
James Clerk Maxwell (d. 1879)
Vivien Leigh (b. 1913)

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Today's featured picture

Photograph of Consolidated B-24 Liberators just after bombing the Concordia Vega oil refinery in Ploiești, Romania on 31 May 1944 during World War II.

Strategic bombing during World War II involved sustained aerial attacks on railways, harbours, cities, workers' and civilian housing, and industrial districts in enemy territory during World War II (1939–1945). Strategic bombing as a military strategy is distinct both from close air support of ground forces and from tactical air power. During World War II, many military strategists of air power believed that air forces could win major victories by attacking industrial and political infrastructure, rather than purely military _targets. Strategic bombing often involved bombing areas inhabited by civilians, and some campaigns were deliberately designed to _target civilian populations in order to terrorize them and disrupt their usual activities. International law at the outset of World War II did not specifically forbid the aerial bombardment of cities – despite the prior occurrence of such bombing during World War I (1914–1918), the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), and the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945).

Photograph credit: Richard R. Ganczak ; restored by Buidhe

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