Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Paleontology: Fossils
Published

St Helena's 'liberated' Africans came from West Central Africa between northern Angola and Gabon      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Between 1840 and 1867, thousands of enslaved Africans who had been 'liberated' from slave ships intercepted by the British Royal Navy were taken to the South Atlantic island of St Helena. But little is written in history books or otherwise known about the lives of these individuals. Now, ancient DNA analyses offer the first direct evidence for the origins of St Helena's liberated Africans.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

A system to keep cloud-based gamers in sync      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new technique can synchronize media streams from different networks to multiple devices with less than 10 milliseconds of delay. The technique was demonstrated on cloud gaming, but could also be applied in AR/VR applications.

Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound Physics: Optics
Published

Researchers develop ultra-sensitive photoacoustic microscopy for wide biomedical application potential      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy is an up-and-coming biomedical imaging technique for studying a broad range of diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and stroke. But its insufficient sensitivity has been a longstanding obstacle for its wider application. Recently, a research team developed a multi-spectral, super-low-dose photoacoustic microscopy system with a significant improvement in the system sensitivity limit, enabling new biomedical applications and clinical translation in the future.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

The scent of the afterlife unbottled in new study of ancient Egyptian mummification balms      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of researchers has recreated one of the scents used in the mummification of an important Egyptian woman more than 3500 years ago.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Experiencing the texture of skateboard sounds can mediate divisions new research says      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Experiencing the harsh sounds of skateboarding can help bridge the gulf between the joy and distaste of the noises created by the sport, a new study says.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Sea Life Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Wastewater pipe dig reveals 'fossil treasure trove'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new article describes the 266 fossil species as one of the richest and most diverse groups of three-million-year-old fauna ever found in New Zealand. At least ten previously unknown species will be described and named in future research. Fossils of the world's oldest known flax snails, an extinct sawshark spine, and great white shark teeth have all been found in a mound of sand excavated from beneath Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant in 2020.

Archaeology: General Biology: Zoology Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Researchers extract ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick, revealing a time capsule of plant life      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For the first time, a group of researchers have successfully extracted ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick. The analysis provides a fascinating insight into the diversity of plant species cultivated at that time and place, and could open the way to similar studies on clay material from other sites and time periods.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Hard-of-hearing music fans prefer a different sound      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers study the impact of hearing loss on subjects' enjoyment of different music mixes. They played different music mixes to listeners with and without hearing loss and found that those with hearing loss preferred louder lead vocals, higher frequencies, and sparser mixes with fewer frequencies overall. Previous research has found that music steadily shifted to quieter vocals and louder instrumentals leading up to 1975, meaning today's music may be less accessible to those with hearing loss.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Molecular Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Ancient metal cauldrons give us clues about what people ate in the Bronze Age      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Archaeologists have long been drawing conclusions about how ancient tools were used by the people who crafted them based on written records and context clues. But with dietary practices, they have had to make assumptions about what was eaten and how it was prepared. A new study analyzed protein residues from ancient cooking cauldrons and found that the people of Caucasus ate deer, sheep, goats, and members of the cow family during the Maykop period (3700--2900 BCE).

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Unveiling Japan's ancient practice of cranial modification: The case of the Hirota people in Tanegashima      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Cranial modification is a form of body alteration where the head is pressed or bound to permanently deform the skull. The practice has been reported across various cultures throughout history. Researchers report that the Hirota people -- who lived on the southern Japanese island of Tanegashima between the 3rd to 7th century CE -- also conducted cranial modification, with indication that both males and females performed the practice.

Archaeology: General Biology: Marine
Published

Sea sequin 'bling' links Indonesian islands' ancient communities      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Microscopic analysis has revealed that trends in body ornamentation were shared across Indonesian islands.

Engineering: Robotics Research Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Brain recordings capture musicality of speech -- with help from Pink Floyd      (via sciencedaily.com) 

For those with neurological or developmental disorders compromising speech, brain machine interfaces could help them communicate. But today's interfaces are slow and, from electrodes placed on the scalp, can detect letters only. The speech generated is robotic and affectless. Neuroscientists have now shown that they can reconstruct the song a person is hearing from brain recordings alone, holding out the possibility of reconstructing not only words but the musicality of speech, which also conveys meaning.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
Published

China's oldest water pipes were a communal effort      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A system of ancient ceramic water pipes, the oldest ever unearthed in China, shows that neolithic people were capable of complex engineering feats without the need for a centralized state authority, finds a new study.

Archaeology: General Ecology: Research Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Fossil feces infested with parasites from over 200 million years ago      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fossilized feces preserve evidence of ancient parasites that infected an aquatic predator over 200 million years ago, according to a new study.

Archaeology: General
Published

Roman road network spanning the South West identified in new research      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has found evidence that a Roman road network spanned Devon and Cornwall and connected significant settlements with military forts across the two counties as well as wider Britannia.

Archaeology: General
Published

Using gemstones' unique characteristics to uncover ancient trade routes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Gems' unique elemental composition and atomic orientation act as a fingerprint, enabling researchers to uncover the stones' past, and with it, historical trade routes. Scientists now employ three modern spectroscopic techniques to rapidly analyze gems found in the Arabian-Nubian Shield and compare them with similar gems from around the world. They have identified elements that influence gems' color, differentiated stones found within and outside the region, and distinguished natural from synthetic.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

A wearable ultrasound scanner could detect breast cancer earlier      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In hopes of improving the survival rate for breast cancer patients, researchers designed a wearable ultrasound device that could allow women to detect tumors when they are still in early stages.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Paleontology: Fossils
Published

New insights into the origin of the Indo-European languages      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of linguists and geneticists has achieved a significant breakthrough in our understanding of the origins of Indo-European, a family of languages spoken by nearly half of the world's population.

Archaeology: General
Published

Ancient DNA reveals diverse community in 'Lost City of the Incas'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

DNA analysis of 34 individuals buried at Machu Picchu revealed that many traveled alone from throughout the Inca Empire.