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Categories: Anthropology: General, Geoscience: Geology

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

1,700-year-old spider monkey remains discovered in Teotihuacán, Mexico      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The complete skeletal remains of a spider monkey -- seen as an exotic curiosity in pre-Hispanic Mexico -- grants researchers new evidence regarding social-political ties between two ancient powerhouses: Teotihuacán and Maya Indigenous rulers. The remains of other animals were also discovered, as well as thousands of Maya-style mural fragments and over 14,000 ceramic sherds from a grand feast. These pieces are more than 1,700 years old.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology
Published

Exploring the deep: Drones offer new ways to monitor sea floor      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a novel method for measuring the earth's crust on the seafloor. A lightweight geodetic measurement device was mounted on a sea-surface landing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The mobility of this new system will enable rapid, efficient collection of real-time deep seafloor information, which is critical for understanding earthquake risk, as well as various other oceanographic observations.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Monitoring 'frothy' magma gases could help evade disaster      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Volcanic eruptions are dangerous and difficult to predict. A team has found that the ratio of atoms in specific gases released from volcanic fumaroles (gaps in the Earth's surface) can provide an indicator of what is happening to the magma deep below -- similar to taking a blood test to check your health. This can indicate when things might be 'heating up.' Specifically, changes in the ratio of argon-40 and helium-3 can indicate how frothy the magma is, which signals the risk of different types of eruption. Understanding which ratios of which gases indicate a certain type of magma activity is a big step. Next, the team hopes to develop portable equipment which can provide on-site, real-time measurements for a 24/7 volcanic activity monitoring and early warning system.

Geoscience: Geology Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Earth can regulate its own temperature over millennia, new study finds      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study confirms that the planet harbors a 'stabilizing feedback' mechanism that acts over hundreds of thousands of years to keep global temperatures within a steady, habitable range.

Geoscience: Geology
Published

Unlocking deep carbon's fate      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Carbon dioxide in the deep Earth may be more active than previously thought and may have played a bigger role in climate change than scientists knew before, according to a new study.

Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Geology
Published

Desert dust collected from glacier ice helps document climate change      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers are using dust trapped in glacier ice in Tibet to document past changes in Earth's intricate climate system -- and maybe one day help predict future changes.

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

Oldest evidence of the controlled use of fire to cook food, researchers report      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The remains of a huge carp fish mark the earliest signs of cooking by prehistoric human to 780,000 years ago, predating the available data by some 600,000 years, according to researchers.

Ecology: Trees Geoscience: Geology
Published

Evolution of tree roots may have driven mass extinctions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study has found evidence that the evolution of tree roots over 300 million years ago triggered mass extinction events through the same chemical processes created by pollution in modern oceans and lakes.

Geoscience: Geology Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

Earth's oldest stromatolites and the search for life on Mars      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The earliest morphological traces of life on Earth are often highly controversial, both because non-biological processes can produce relatively similar structures and because such fossils have often been subjected to advanced alteration and metamorphism. Stromatolites, layered organo-sedimentary structures reflecting complex interplays between microbial communities and their environment, have long been considered key macrofossils for life detection in ancient sedimentary rocks; however, the biological origin of ancient stromatolites has frequently been criticized.