Ancient ancestors most likely to have children at 27

Our ancestors were most likely to have children at the age of 27, according to scientists at Indiana University. Their research predicted what time in their lives ancient humans procreated from the types of DNA mutations they passed on. Their analysis found that, on average, humans had children aged 26.9 years old. The average was 31 years old for men and 23 for women, said The Telegraph. “These findings contribute to a better understanding of our shared history,” remarked one of the researchers.

Emergency services get call over clogged drain

Emergency services in Canada said they have received 911 calls for matters as trivial as clogged drains and an unwanted voicemail. Other non-emergencies featured in the list of 2022’s most inappropriate 911 calls included someone reporting that their roommate had eaten their take-away food and another reporting that they had run out of milk. “Before dialling 911, please remember that calling the police should be reserved for police-related matters only and calling 911 should be reserved for life-threatening emergencies only,” a spokesperson told UPI.

‘Poo bank’ hopes to save humanity

A “stool bank” is hoarding “novel gut bacteria” to help save the microbes that are important to human health. “The stools arrive in their hundreds”, said The Times, including “poos from Puerto Rico” and “excreta from Ethiopia”. Adrian Egli, director of the Institute of Medical Microbiology at the University of Zurich, is using his hoard of waste to “establish protocols, test the ability to sequence the microbial diversity and make sure they can revive and reculture the samples”, said the paper.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

For more odd news stories, sign up to the weekly Tall Tales newsletter.