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Categories: Archaeology: General, Computer Science: Encryption
Published Decoding past climates through dripstones



A recent study demonstrates how dripstones can be crucial for reconstructing past climates. The new approach can provide a detailed picture of the climate around early human occupations in South Africa.
Published Dishing the dirt on human evolution: Why scientific techniques matter in archaeology



Scientists should seek answers hidden in the dirt using proven and state-of-the-art archaeological science techniques to support new discoveries about human evolution following recent controversies at a cave site in Africa, says a group of international experts. Their recommendations follow claims published in June of this year that Homo naledi --a small-brained human species -- buried their dead in Rising Star Cave, South Africa, between 335,000 and 241,000 years ago, and may also have decorated the cave walls with engravings.
Published Study of ancient British oral microbiomes reveals shift following Black Death



The Second Plague Pandemic of the mid-14th century, also known as the Black Death, killed 30-60 percent of the European population and profoundly changed the course of European history. New research suggests that this plague, potentially through resulting changes in diet and hygiene, may also be associated with a shift in the composition of the human oral microbiome toward one that contributes to chronic diseases in modern-day humans.
Published Was 'witchcraft' in the Devil's Church in Koli based on acoustic resonance? The crevice cave has a unique soundscape



The national park of Koli in eastern Finland is home to a famous, 34-metre-long crevice cave known as Pirunkirkko, or Devil's Church in English. A new study investigates the acoustics of the Devil's Church and explores whether the acoustic properties of the cave could explain the beliefs associated with it, and why it was chosen as a place for activities and rituals involving sound.
Published How shipwrecks are providing a refuge for marine life



New research has highlighted how the estimated 50,000 wrecks around the UK coastline are protecting the seabed, and the species inhabiting it, in areas still open to bottom-towed fishing.
Published Casas del Turuñuelo, a site of repeated animal sacrifice in Iron Age Spain



The Iron Age site of Casas del Turuñuelo was used repeatedly for ritualized animal sacrifice, according to a multidisciplinary study.
Published Neanderthals were the world's first artists, research reveals



Recent research has shown that engravings in a cave in La Roche-Cotard (France), which has been sealed for thousands of years, were actually made by Neanderthals. The findings reveal that the Neanderthals were the first humans with an appreciation of art.
Published Curators and cavers: How a tip from a citizen scientist led to deep discoveries in Utah's caves



Scientists and colleagues from Utah's caving community have published the first research from their collaborative fieldwork effort deep in Utah's caves. The journal's feature article reveals why caves make such compelling research archives; what was uncovered in Boomerang Cave in northern Utah; why skeletal remains provide new access to hard-to-get data from the recent past; and offers a new zoological baseline for mammalian changes in an alpine community.
Published Radiocarbon dating meets Egyptology and Biblical accounts in the city of Gezer



New dates provide detailed insights into the timing of events in the ancient city of Gezer, according to a new study.
Published Keep it secret: Cloud data storage security approach taps quantum physics



Distributed cloud storage is a hot topic for security researchers, and a team is now merging quantum physics with mature cryptography and storage techniques to achieve a cost-effective cloud storage solution.
Published No scientific evidence for cognitively advanced behaviors and symbolism by Homo naledi



A new study casts doubt on claims that Homo naledi, a small-brained hominin dating to between 335-241,000 years ago, deliberately buried their dead and produced rock art in Rising Star Cave, South Africa. Recent articles suggested the recent excavations at the Rising Star Cave system provided evidence of at least three burial features, two in the Dinaledi Chamber and a third in the Hill Antechamber cavity. The group of experts have now called for a deeper dig into the science behind the findings.
Published Head lice evolution mirrors human migration and colonization in the Americas



A new analysis of lice genetic diversity suggests that lice came to the Americas twice -- once during the first wave of human migration across the Bering Strait, and again during European colonization.
Published Long-distance weaponry identified at the 31,000-year-old archaeological site of Maisières-Canal



The hunter-gatherers who settled on the banks of the Haine, a river in southern Belgium, 31,000 years ago were already using spearthrowers to hunt their game. The material found at the archaeological site of Maisières-Canal permits establishing the use of this hunting technique 10,000 years earlier than the oldest currently known preserved spearthrowers. This discovery is prompting archaeologists to reconsider the age of this important technological innovation.
Published Accelerating AI tasks while preserving data security



SecureLoop is a new search engine that can identify an optimal design for a deep neural network accelerator that preserves data security while improving energy efficiency and boosting performance. This could enable device manufacturers to increase the speed of demanding AI applications, while ensuring sensitive data remain safe from attackers.
Published Cold War spy satellite imagery reveals Ancient Roman forts



A new study analyzing declassified Cold War satellite imagery reveals 396 previously undocumented Roman forts and reports that these forts were constructed from east to west, spanning from what is now western Syria to northwestern Iraq. The analysis refutes Father Antoine Poidebard's claim that the forts were located along a north-south axis.
Published In Prehispanic Cancun, immigrants were treated just like Maya locals



Ancient people immigrated to Cancun Island and were treated just like locals, according to a new study.
Published Climate change likely impacted human populations in the Neolithic and Bronze Age



Human populations in Neolithic Europe fluctuated with changing climates, according to a new study.
Published Origin of ancient mummified baboons found in Egypt



Primatologists are using genetic analysis to determine the geographic origin of ancient mummified baboons found in Egypt. The team finds evidence that the two legendary trading regions of Punt and Adulis may have been the same place separated by a thousand years of history.
Published Ancient sea monster remains reveal oldest mega-predatory pliosaur



The fossils of a 170-million-year-old ancient marine reptile from the Age of Dinosaurs have been identified as the oldest-known mega-predatory pliosaur -- a group of ocean-dwelling reptiles closely related to the famous long-necked plesiosaurs. The findings are rare and add new knowledge to the evolution of plesiosaurs.
Published Researchers identify the oldest pieces of Baltic amber found on the Iberian Peninsula: imports began over 5,000 years ago



Baltic amber is a luxury material used in jewellery and handicrafts all over the world. Researchers have shown that Baltic amber arrived on the Iberian Peninsula at least in the 4th millennium BC, more than a millennium earlier than previously thought.