Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

Did neanderthals use glue? Researchers find evidence that sticks      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Neanderthals created stone tools held together by a multi-component adhesive, a team of scientists has discovered. Its findings, which are the earliest evidence of a complex adhesive in Europe, suggest these predecessors to modern humans had a higher level of cognition and cultural development than previously thought.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Mathematics: Modeling Physics: General
Published

Plasma scientists develop computer programs that could reduce the cost of microchips and stimulate American manufacturing      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fashioned from the same element found in sand and covered by intricate patterns, microchips power smartphones, augment appliances and aid the operation of cars and airplanes. Now, scientists are developing computer simulation codes that will outperform current simulation techniques and aid the production of microchips using plasma, the electrically charged state of matter also used in fusion research. These codes could help increase the efficiency of the manufacturing process and potentially stimulate the renaissance of the chip industry in the United States.

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

Innovation in stone tool technology involved multiple stages at the time of modern human dispersals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study illuminates the cultural evolution that took place approximately 50,000 to 40,000 years ago, coinciding with the dispersals of Homo sapiens across Eurasia. The insights gleaned from their examination of stone tool technology challenge the widely held notion of a rapid cultural and technological 'revolution' that enabled anatomically modern humans to surpass Neanderthals and other archaic humans. Instead, the research suggests a nuanced evolutionary process, unfolding gradually over an extended period, with changes occurring at various times. These findings challenge the conventional theory on the timing and nature of cultural transitions during this pivotal period in human history.

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: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
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One person can supervise 'swarm' of 100 unmanned autonomous vehicles      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Research involving has shown that a 'swarm' of more than 100 autonomous ground and aerial robots can be supervised by one person without subjecting the individual to an undue workload.

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.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Bringing together real-world sensors and VR to improve building maintenance      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new system that brings together real-world sensing and virtual reality would make it easier for building maintenance personnel to identify and fix issues in commercial buildings that are in operation.

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: Cultures Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

Excavated dolmen in Sweden one of the oldest in Scandinavia      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The first analysis results now confirm that the grave in Tiarp is one of the oldest stone burial chambers in Sweden. The researchers noted that some parts of the people buried in the grave are missing, such as skulls and thigh bones, posing intriguing questions for archaeologists.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

New research challenges hunter-gatherer narrative      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Analysis of the remains of 24 individuals from the Wilamaya Patjxa and Soro Mik'aya Patjxa burial sites in Peru shows that early human diets in the Andes Mountains were composed of 80 percent plant matter and 20 percent meat.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Woolly mammoth movements tied to earliest Alaska hunting camps      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have linked the travels of a 14,000-year-old woolly mammoth with the oldest known human settlements in Alaska, providing clues about the relationship between the iconic species and some of the earliest people to travel across the Bering Land Bridge. Isotopic data, along with DNA from other mammoths at the site and archaeological evidence, indicates that early Alaskans likely structured their settlements to overlap with areas where mammoths congregated. Those findings, highlighted in the new issue of the journal Science Advances, provide evidence that mammoths and early hunter-gatherers shared habitat in the region. The long-term predictable presence of woolly mammoths would have attracted humans to the area.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

'Smart glove' can boost hand mobility of stroke patients      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

This month, a group of stroke survivors in British Columbia will test a new technology designed to aid their recovery, and ultimately restore use of their limbs and hands. Participants will wear a new groundbreaking 'smart glove' capable of tracking their hand and finger movements during rehabilitation exercises.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Artificial intelligence helps unlock advances in wireless communications      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new wave of communication technology is quickly approaching and researchers are now investigating ways to configure next-generation mobile networks.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
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New study uses machine learning to bridge the reality gap in quantum devices      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study has used the power of machine learning to overcome a key challenge affecting quantum devices. For the first time, the findings reveal a way to close the 'reality gap': the difference between predicted and observed behavior from quantum devices.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
Published

Cult mentality: Monumental discovery in Italy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered an ancient Roman temple that adds significant insights into the social change from pagan gods to Christianity within the Roman Empire.