Are we getting dumber? Study links dropping IQs to less reading, more scrolling
Here's a worrying trend: intelligence scores are falling. That's not a random guess -- it's something researchers have been picking up on for a while now. And yes, it's happening across countries and generations.The Financial Times recently pulled together data from the University of Michigan's long-running 'Monitoring the Future' survey, showing a clear dip in cognitive abilities, especially among teenagers and young adults.And it's not just about IQ points. It's attention span, memory, basic reasoning -- all taking a hit.Many teens, for example, are struggling with tasks that used to be second nature: staying focused, solving simple problems, or processing basic info. Something's changing in the way our brains work.SCROLLING > READING: A MAJOR SHIFT IN HABITSRemember when people used to read actual books or even short stories? Not so much anymore.A study by the National Endowment for the Arts found that in 2022, less than 38% of Americans read a novel or short story in the past year. That's a steady drop from 45% in 2012.And this habit shift is part of the problem. According to FT's analysis, today's young people spend way more time on digital screens -- mostly scrolling endlessly through social media -- than they do reading or engaging in mentally stimulating activities.It's not just a change in preference; it's likely reshaping how their brains work.TECHNOLOGY: FRIEND OR FOE FOR THE BRAIN?Let's be honest -- tech has made life easier. But it might be making us mentally lazier too. Several studies now point out how excessive screen time can mess with your ability to think clearly.It's not just about distraction. Prolonged use of social media and endless scrolling has been linked to weaker memory, shorter attention spans, and even lower verbal skills.In fact, research published in recent years (such as studies reviewed by Psychology Today and Scientific American) suggests that our increasing dependence on digital tools is rewiring our brains.We're becoming better at skimming and tapping, but worse at deep thinking, reflection, or retaining information for longer periods.THIS ISN'T JUST AN AMERICAN PROBLEMWorried this might be a Western or US-specific trend? Think again. A 2023 report by the OECD found that 34% of American adults scored at the lowest levels of numeracy -- up from 29% the year before. But similar dips in basic reasoning and literacy have been observed in other countries too.The global PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) scores -- which test 15-year-olds across around 90 countries -- have also been falling.In the latest rounds, many nations reported lower scores in maths, science and reading compared to previous years. And yes, this includes both developed and developing countries.SO, WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON?Experts believe it's not just one thing -- it's a mix. The rise of screen culture, the fall in reading habits, and the shift in how we interact with information online all seem to be working together.When everything's a swipe or a click away, we don't need to memorise much or think things through. And that's likely dulling the tools we used to sharpen in daily life.The question now is: can we turn this around? Maybe, but it'll take more than deleting a few apps.We may need to rethink how we teach, work, and interact with information before this becomes a generational loss we can't recover from.
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Economic Times
34 minutes ago
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They survived ice ages and hunted mammoths; so why did the Neanderthals suddenly disappear? Now a physicist blames something in the sky
Live Events Radiation as a Hidden Killer? A Caution Against Oversimplification (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Neanderthals have long puzzled scientists. These ancient relatives of modern humans thrived across Europe and parts of Asia for hundreds of thousands of years. But around 40,000 years ago, they disappeared, just as Homo sapiens spread across the same regions. What really caused their extinction remains one of human evolution's biggest a new and unusual theory suggests that space weather, not climate, competition, or disease, may have played a decisive role.A recent study by Dr. Agnit Mukhopadhyay, a space physicist from the University of Michigan , proposes that a powerful cosmic event known as the Laschamp excursion might have played a part in the Neanderthals' decline. The findings were published in the journal Science Laschamp event occurred about 41,000 years ago, when the Earth's magnetic poles temporarily flipped. During this brief reversal, the planet's magnetic field, which normally protects us from cosmic radiation, dramatically weakened for several argues that this weakening may have exposed the Earth's surface to much higher levels of ultraviolet (UV) and cosmic radiation, particularly in some parts of the core of the hypothesis is that Neanderthals, already living in small, isolated populations, may have been more vulnerable to this radiation than Homo sapiens. The study claims that Homo sapiens had tighter clothing, used red ochre as UV protection, and took shelter in caves helping them survive the radiation. Neanderthals, in contrast, might have lacked these simulations in the study even show that auroras, a sign of increased solar activity, might have been visible across much of the world during this time, proof, the author argues, of the heightened radiation the theory is bold and imaginative, many experts are José-Miguel Tejero and Montserrat Sanz Borràs, writing for The Conversation, point out that the idea rests on shaky archaeological example, it assumes that Neanderthals didn't wear fitted clothing. While it's true that no sewing needles have been found at Neanderthal sites, there is clear evidence that they processed animal hides and likely wore functional garments using other techniques, such as tying hides with leather cords or fact, genetic studies of lice suggest that humans, possibly including Neanderthals, were already wearing clothes over 200,000 years ago. The absence of needles doesn't prove the absence of study also claims that Homo sapiens used red ochre as sunblock. While experiments show that ochre can somewhat block UV rays, this claim is also disputed. Ochre was widely used by both Neanderthals and modern humans, often for symbolic or cosmetic reasons. There is no solid evidence that either group used it primarily for sun are known to have used ochre for over 100,000 years. In one example, a painted scallop shell found in a Neanderthal cave in Spain shows their symbolic use of pigments long before Homo sapiens arrived in scientists believe that multiple factors caused the Neanderthals' disappearance. These include, interbreeding with Homo sapiens (evident in modern DNA), smaller populations that were more vulnerable to decline, limited long-range hunting tools, unlike the projectile weapons used by sapiens, Changing climate, and possibly, competition for this broader context, Mukhopadhyay's theory appears too narrow. Critics note that there is no archaeological evidence of a sudden, global collapse of Neanderthal populations tied to the Laschamp event. If radiation were such a major factor, it would have also harmed Homo sapiens populations living outside caves in sunny Africa, which doesn't seem to have Neanderthal story is complex. These early humans were not primitive brutes. They developed tools, built shelters, made symbolic objects, and survived in extreme climates for hundreds of thousands of years. They even lived through earlier magnetic reversals, such as the Blake event 120,000 years theory adds an intriguing piece to the puzzle, but it's far from did a shift in Earth's magnetic field doom the Neanderthals?Probably not. While the Laschamp event may have had some environmental impact, there's no strong evidence that it caused Neanderthal extinction . The theory suggests that the disappearance of Neanderthals was likely due to a mix of climate, biology, and human interaction.
Time of India
37 minutes ago
- Time of India
They survived ice ages and hunted mammoths; so why did the Neanderthals suddenly disappear? Now a physicist blames something in the sky
Neanderthals have long puzzled scientists. These ancient relatives of modern humans thrived across Europe and parts of Asia for hundreds of thousands of years. But around 40,000 years ago, they disappeared, just as Homo sapiens spread across the same regions. What really caused their extinction remains one of human evolution's biggest mysteries. Now, a new and unusual theory suggests that space weather, not climate, competition, or disease, may have played a decisive role. A recent study by Dr. Agnit Mukhopadhyay, a space physicist from the University of Michigan , proposes that a powerful cosmic event known as the Laschamp excursion might have played a part in the Neanderthals' decline. The findings were published in the journal Science Advances. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If You Eat Ginger Everyday for 1 Month This is What Happens Tips and Tricks Undo The Laschamp event occurred about 41,000 years ago, when the Earth's magnetic poles temporarily flipped. During this brief reversal, the planet's magnetic field, which normally protects us from cosmic radiation, dramatically weakened for several centuries. Mukhopadhyay argues that this weakening may have exposed the Earth's surface to much higher levels of ultraviolet (UV) and cosmic radiation, particularly in some parts of the world. Live Events Radiation as a Hidden Killer? The core of the hypothesis is that Neanderthals, already living in small, isolated populations, may have been more vulnerable to this radiation than Homo sapiens. The study claims that Homo sapiens had tighter clothing, used red ochre as UV protection, and took shelter in caves helping them survive the radiation. Neanderthals, in contrast, might have lacked these protections. Computer simulations in the study even show that auroras, a sign of increased solar activity, might have been visible across much of the world during this time, proof, the author argues, of the heightened radiation environment. While the theory is bold and imaginative, many experts are skeptical. Researchers José-Miguel Tejero and Montserrat Sanz Borràs, writing for The Conversation, point out that the idea rests on shaky archaeological evidence. For example, it assumes that Neanderthals didn't wear fitted clothing. While it's true that no sewing needles have been found at Neanderthal sites, there is clear evidence that they processed animal hides and likely wore functional garments using other techniques, such as tying hides with leather cords or splinters. In fact, genetic studies of lice suggest that humans, possibly including Neanderthals, were already wearing clothes over 200,000 years ago. The absence of needles doesn't prove the absence of clothes. The study also claims that Homo sapiens used red ochre as sunblock. While experiments show that ochre can somewhat block UV rays, this claim is also disputed. Ochre was widely used by both Neanderthals and modern humans, often for symbolic or cosmetic reasons. There is no solid evidence that either group used it primarily for sun protection. Neanderthals are known to have used ochre for over 100,000 years. In one example, a painted scallop shell found in a Neanderthal cave in Spain shows their symbolic use of pigments long before Homo sapiens arrived in Europe. Most scientists believe that multiple factors caused the Neanderthals' disappearance. These include, interbreeding with Homo sapiens (evident in modern DNA), smaller populations that were more vulnerable to decline, limited long-range hunting tools, unlike the projectile weapons used by sapiens, Changing climate, and possibly, competition for resources. In this broader context, Mukhopadhyay's theory appears too narrow. Critics note that there is no archaeological evidence of a sudden, global collapse of Neanderthal populations tied to the Laschamp event. If radiation were such a major factor, it would have also harmed Homo sapiens populations living outside caves in sunny Africa, which doesn't seem to have happened. A Caution Against Oversimplification The Neanderthal story is complex. These early humans were not primitive brutes. They developed tools, built shelters, made symbolic objects, and survived in extreme climates for hundreds of thousands of years. They even lived through earlier magnetic reversals, such as the Blake event 120,000 years ago. Mukhopadhyay's theory adds an intriguing piece to the puzzle, but it's far from conclusive. So, did a shift in Earth's magnetic field doom the Neanderthals? Probably not. While the Laschamp event may have had some environmental impact, there's no strong evidence that it caused Neanderthal extinction . The theory suggests that the disappearance of Neanderthals was likely due to a mix of climate, biology, and human interaction.
The Hindu
9 hours ago
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Experts highlight health benefits of yoga, bat for its integration into modern life at Mysuru conference
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