Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
32%
6 of 19 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Science
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
It’s a trip back in time.
asserted
It → ’ → time
We walked upright starting 7 million years ago, but when did we take our first 12 steps?
asserted
we → walk → steps
Analysis of caveman remains in Indonesia reveals that we might’ve taken mind-bending drugs thousands of years earlier than once thought, per a psychoactive study in the journal Science Advances.
uncertain
we → reveal → journal
Researchers from Griffith University in Australia reported the discovery of skeletal remnants belonging to two inhabitants from Sulawesi, the oldest of which date back to between 16,000 and 25,000 years ago, per a press release from the institution.
asserted
oldest → report → institution
The deceased’s chompers displayed unusual wear and tear caused by what the researchers deduced was a previously unknown behavior at the time: chewing a psychoactive plant known as a betel nut.
asserted
researchers → display → nut
Known to induce mild euphoria and heightened alertness, among other effects, these psychedelic seeds are used by millions of people throughout India and the South Pacific to attain a buzz, per the report.
“It is the world’s fourth most widely used psychoactive substance, after alcohol, caffeine and nicotine,” said the study’s lead author Professor Adam Brumm.
asserted
author → know → alcohol
If the researchers’ prehistoric drug test rings positive, this means we were enjoying chemically-enhanced experiences as far back as the Late Pleistocene.
asserted
we → ring → Pleistocene
That far predates the previous earliest evidence of drug use — 13,000-year-old barley-based drinks from what is now modern Israel.
asserted
what → predate → use
“This theory fails to account for the possibility that very ancient drug-taking lies at the roots of our most commonly used psychoactive substances,” said Brumm.
asserted
Brumm → fail → substances
Unfortunately, the prevalence of betel nut usage during prehistoric times was uncertain as these seeds were rarely found at archaeological sites.
asserted
seeds → find → sites
To prove that early Indonesians were indeed tripping on betel nuts, also known as areca seeds, the team first had to prove that chewing the seeds could get you high without cutting agents.
uncertain
you → prove → agents
Modern users achieve the desired effect by chewing on a seed that’s been seasoned with slaked lime – a fine powder made by grinding the burnt shells — because this accelerates the absorption of psychoactive compounds.
asserted
this → achieve → compounds
However, by subjecting betel nuts to biochemical tests, the researchers proved that the same state could be attained simply through chewing.
uncertain
state → subject → chewing
“Our team conducted experiments in which we soaked betel nuts in artificial saliva and tested the resultant broths against a panel of cloned human receptors,” explained Brumm.
asserted
Brumm → conduct → receptors
“This showed that just sucking on intact betel nuts will release arecoline (the nut’s psychoactive ingredient) in sufficient amounts to have a physiological effect, altering brain function.”
asserted
sucking → show → function
Meanwhile, further analysis revealed traces of the nuts in the skeleton’s dental tissues, suggesting that they ingested these nuts as well.
asserted
they → reveal → nuts
Due to the prevalence of bad teeth among these prehistoric foragers, the team suspected they might’ve chewed betel nuts to alleviate dental pain.
uncertain
they → suspect → pain
Using this ancient anesthetic might’ve paradoxically perpetuated the islanders’ suffering as prolonged chewing eroded away their chompers, leading to pain, difficulty eating, and tooth infections.
uncertain
chewing → use → pain
“So while this habit may have been a remedy for toothache, years of prolonged nut-sucking eventually caused much worse dental health problems, creating a cycle of continued habitual use,” said Brumm.
uncertain
Brumm → cause → use
The Aporia
