Entertainment
The Gross Reason Humans Started Kissing Each Other
By Becca Lewis
| Published
If you’re into a good rom-com, you might not like to hear the reason that scientists believe people evolved the behavior of kissing. Often attributed to the idea of sharing a breath that came about around 4,500 years ago, kissing in humans has been a part of romantic expression for millennia, but the real roots of the kiss are a lot more disgusting than you might think. Early hominids likely groomed parasites off of each other, an act we can currently observe in our closest living ancestors, the apes.
Kissing Was A Way To Remove Parasites
A recent paper on the practice of kissing in humans published by Adriano R. Lameira, an Associate Professor and UK Research & Innovation Future Leaders Fellow at the Department of Psychology, University of Warwick in the UK, suggests that the behavior originated from a grooming activity primates participate in.
As people evolved to have less hair, the soothing behavior of grooming became less of a practical activity and more of a soothing behavior. The study for the paper was based on the current, observable behavior of primates, using a living source to evaluate the current behavior of people and their descendants.
Grommer’s Final Kiss
The grooming behavior has been termed “groomer’s final kiss” because lip sucking is usually the final part of a grooming ritual that apes take part in for the purpose of bonding as well as practical parasite removal. Once the hair on a fellow primate’s body has been thoroughly cleaned by its grooming partner, the last step is to make a final pass on the grooming subject’s lips. The study suggests that this groomer’s “final kiss” is at the root of human kissing.
Because there’s no visual or written record from early hominids to determine their behavior or reasons for kissing, there’s a big gap in the observable evidence for scientific theories on the subject. While we can see that there are similar behaviors in apes that appear similar to kissing in humans as well as motivated by social bonding, we can’t say for sure how that is related to modern human ideas about kissing.
While anthropologists can evaluate current behaviors and compare them to the behavior of living primate ancestors, there’s no way to evaluate physical evidence on the subject beyond what humans have recorded.
Other Theories
Previous theories about the origins of human kissing posit that people begin suckling while nursing and translate that sucking behavior to sucking a mother’s lips, and perhaps sucking the lips of others they are bonding with.
Less well-developed hypotheses include the idea that women’s mouths have been seen as a sexual proxy and that kissing comes from this sexualization of mouths, but this idea doesn’t show how this behavior developed over time or when it was introduced. It’s more likely that the behavior began as a grooming behavior and bonding ritual that transcended the practical cause for the impulse.
Regardless of how disgusting it is, the idea that we inherited the act of kissing from our primate ancestors does more fully explain why the behavior exists across continents and cultures, and why it is so inherent to our idea of romantic love.
Kissing as a continuation of a bonding ritual explains why the practice occurs between close family members in some cultures or between acquaintances in others. As the practice developed, the bonding rituals of humans evolved to fulfill the needs of the societies we built, making the practice similar but different for different social and cultural circumstances.
Source: Evolutionary Anthropology
Entertainment
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
Mother figures are the backbone of the world. Yours may be your biological mother, or maybe she’s your mother-in-law, your best friend’s mom, or simply someone whose motherly instinct has helped you through hard times.
Moms teach you the adulting necessities, give advice even if the problem is your fault, and above all, they put up with your shit and (almost) never complain.
The game plan here isn’t just to snag the last bouquet at CVS just so you’re not the kid who forgot Mother’s Day (but definitely also get flowers). And you don’t even need to spend a lot of money. (Peep our list of Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than $50. Want even more cheap gift ideas?
Skip the generic mugs and show your appreciation with a gift picked just for her: Whether it’s something to make a part of her life easier, something she’s mentioned wanting in passing, or simply something to make her feel like a damn queen, you can’t put a price on everything she’s done for you, but heartfelt gifts certainly help.
After all, they say “No matter how hard you try, you always end up like your mother.” But is that even a bad thing?
Entertainment
Ban subscriptions and get Microsoft Office 2024 for life for just £121
TL;DR: Grab Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for PC or Mac for just £120.54 through June 1.
You wouldn’t keep paying for Netflix if you could own your favorite shows, right? So why are you still subscribing to Office apps you use every day? Microsoft 365’s price keeps going up, but there’s finally a way to break free — and it’ll cost you way less in the long run.
Microsoft Office 2024 is the answer you’ve been looking for. Instead of monthly payments, simply pay £120.54 once and be set for life (reg. £188.37). It’s that simple. And, yes, this lifetime download works for PC or Mac.
What’s included?
This license comes with:
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Word
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Excel
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PowerPoint
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Outlook
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OneNote
The newest version of Microsoft Office is a little different from Microsoft 365. But just because you’re switching to a lifetime license doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on some of the most recent updates. Word and Excel both still have AI integrations for text suggestions and smart data analysis, and PowerPoint still has improved tools for recorded presentations.
Once you’ve redeemed your purchase, you can install your apps on one computer. After that, they’re yours to use however you want. No more subscription fees or sudden price hikes to worry about.
Why rent when you can own?
Mashable Deals
Get a Microsoft Office lifetime license on sale for £120.54 with no coupon needed.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2025
Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Gibberish.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
TRIPE.
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
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Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
