The old saying may be true: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. At least that's the case for human civilizations across 30,000 years of history, according to a new analysis published May 1 in the journal Nature. The study found that, across the globe, ancient human societies that experienced more setbacks were also quicker to bounce back from future downturns.
"The more often a population experiences disturbances or downturns, the more likely it is to be able to recover faster the next time around," study leader Philip Riris, an archaeologist at Bournemouth University in the U.K., told Live Science.
