The India-Asia continental collision and the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau have long been attributed to continuous Cenozoic convergence with two generic assumptions: the ongoing India-Asia collision and the underthrusting of the Indian continent beneath the Tibet hinterland. This study presents a challenge to the two assumptions through an integrative analysis of geological, geophysical and geochemical data, concluding that the two generic assumptions do not stand under close scrutiny and thus are essentially specious in previous studies. The conclusions have great bearing on the formation and evolution of the Himalaya-Tibet tectonic collage.

In a cave overlooking the ocean on the southern coast of South Africa, archaeologists discovered thousands of stone tools, created by ancient humans roughly 20,000 years ago. By examining tiny details in the chipped edges of the blades and stones, archaeologists are able to tell how the tools were made-- which revealed that people were sharing crafting techniques over wide distances.