Archaeology: General
Published

Neolithic groups from the south of the Iberian Peninsula first settled permanently in San Fernando (Cadiz) 6,200 years ago      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study reveals that the first farmers and herdsmen settled in Andalusia collected and consumed shellfish throughout the year, especially in winter.

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

Anthropologists' research unveils early stone plaza in the Andes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Located at the Callacpuma archaeological site in the Cajamarca Basin of northern Peru, the plaza is built with large, vertically placed megalithic stones -- a construction method previously unseen in the Andes.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: General Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Some Pre-Roman humans were buried with dogs, horses and other animals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Some people from an ancient community in what is now northern Italy were interred with animals and animal parts from species such as dogs, horses and pigs. The reasons remain mysterious, but might indicate an enduring companion relationship between these humans and animals, or religious sacrificial practices, according to a new study.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Innovations in depth from focus/defocus pave the way to more capable computer vision systems      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In an image, estimating the distance between objects and the camera by using the blur in the images as clue, also known as depth from focus/defocus, is essential in computer vision. However, model-based methods fail when texture-less surfaces are present, and learning-based methods require the same camera settings during training and testing. Now, researchers have come up with an innovative strategy for depth estimation that combines the best of both the worlds to solve these limitations, extending the applicability of depth from focus/defocus.

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

Scandinavia's first farmers slaughtered the hunter-gatherer population, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Following the arrival of the first farmers in Scandinavia 5,900 years ago, the hunter-gatherer population was wiped out within a few generations, according to a new study. The results, which are contrary to prevailing opinion, are based on DNA analysis of skeletons and teeth found in what is now Denmark.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Environmental: General
Published

Thailand's Iron Age Log Coffin culture      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A mortuary practice known as Log Coffin culture characterizes the Iron Age of highland Pang Mapha in northwestern Thailand. Between 2,300 and 1,000 years ago, individuals were buried in large wooden coffins on stilts, mostly found in caves and rock shelters.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Biometric Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General Physics: Optics
Published

A sleeker facial recognition technology tested on Michelangelo's David      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Many people are familiar with facial recognition systems that unlock smartphones and game systems or allow access to our bank accounts online. But the current technology can require boxy projectors and lenses. Now, researchers report on a sleeker 3D surface imaging system with flatter, simplified optics. In proof-of-concept demonstrations, the new system recognized the face of Michelangelo's David just as well as an existing smartphone system.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
Published

Prehistoric mobility among Tibetan farmers, herders shaped highland settlement patterns, cultural interaction, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using advanced geospatial modeling to compare environmental and archaeological evidence, researchers found evidence that connects ancient mobility and subsistence strategies to cultural connections forged among Tibetan farmers and herders in the Bronze and Iron Ages -- adding to understanding of how and why ancient communities built social relationships and cultural identities across the extreme terrain in Tibet.

Archaeology: General Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Did dementia exist in ancient Greek and Rome?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Did the ancient Greeks and Romans experience Alzheimer's? Medical texts from 2,500 years ago rarely mention severe memory loss, suggesting today's widespread dementia stems from modern environments and lifestyles, a new analysis shows.

Archaeology: General Environmental: General
Published

Archaeological evidence of seasonal vitamin D deficiency discovered      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Rickets ran rife in children following the Industrial Revolution, but new research has found factory work and polluted cities aren't entirely to blame for the period's vitamin D deficiencies.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
Published

Neanderthals and humans lived side by side in Northern Europe 45,000 years ago      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Archaeologists have debated whether Neanderthals or modern humans made stone tools that are found at sites across northern Europe and date from about 40,000 years ago. A new excavation at one site in Germany turned up 45,000-year-old bone fragments that, when analyzed for mitochondrial DNA, proved to be from Homo sapiens. This is the earliest evidence that modern humans overlapped with Neanderthals in northwest Europe, thousands of years before Neanderthals went extinct.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Evolutionary Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

How did humans learn to walk? New evolutionary study offers an earful      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study, which centers on evidence from skulls of a 6-million-year-old fossil ape, Lufengpithecus, offers important clues about the origins of bipedal locomotion courtesy of a novel method: analyzing its bony inner ear region using three-dimensional CT-scanning. The inner ear appears to provide a unique record of the evolutionary history of ape locomotion.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Robot trained to read braille at twice the speed of humans      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a robotic sensor that incorporates artificial intelligence techniques to read braille at speeds roughly double that of most human readers.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research Physics: General
Published

Utilizing active microparticles for artificial intelligence      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Artificial intelligence using neural networks performs calculations digitally with the help of microelectronic chips. Physicists have now created a type of neural network that works not with electricity but with so-called active colloidal particles.The researchers describe how these microparticles can be used as a physical system for artificial intelligence and the prediction of time series.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Scientists design a two-legged robot powered by muscle tissue      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Compared to robots, human bodies are flexible, capable of fine movements, and can convert energy efficiently into movement. Drawing inspiration from human gait, researchers from Japan crafted a two-legged biohybrid robot by combining muscle tissues and artificial materials. This method allows the robot to walk and pivot.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General
Published

Chats with AI shift attitudes on climate change, Black Lives Matter      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

People who were more skeptical of human-caused climate change or the Black Lives Matter movement who took part in conversation with a popular AI chatbot were disappointed with the experience but left the conversation more supportive of the scientific consensus on climate change or BLM. This is according to researchers studying how these chatbots handle interactions from people with different cultural backgrounds.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Autonomous synthesis robot uses AI to speed up chemical discovery      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Chemists have developed an autonomous chemical synthesis robot with an integrated AI-driven machine learning unit. Dubbed 'RoboChem', the benchtop device can outperform a human chemist in terms of speed and accuracy while also displaying a high level of ingenuity. As the first of its kind, it could significantly accelerate chemical discovery of molecules for pharmaceutical and many other applications.