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Categories: Anthropology: Cultures, Environmental: Wildfires
Published Smoke from the Black Summer wildfires in Australia impacted the climate and high altitude winds of the southern hemisphere for more than a year and a half


The 2019/20 wildfires in Australia transported more smoke into the atmosphere than observed ever before anywhere in the world. In the so-called Black Summer, three times as many particles reached high air layers as in the previous record wildfires in Canada during summer 2017. Research now reveals the climate impact of these huge fires: Smoke particles with a total mass of around one million tonnes spread across the southern hemisphere and affected the climate for about one and a half years by warming the upper atmosphere and cooling the lower atmosphere close to Earth's surface.
Published The impact of megafires on estuaries from Australia's 'Black Summer'


Estuaries are one of the most valuable biomes on Earth, and megafires -- like Australia's 2019/20 Black Summer fires -- represent an emerging threat to estuarine and coastal ecosystems, with the extent and proximity of the wildfire influencing the impact on estuaries.
Published The Southern Arc and its lively genetic history


A vast paleogenetic study reveals insights on migration patterns, the expansion of farming and language development from the Caucasus over western Asia and Southern Europe from the early Copper Age until the late middle ages.
Published Analysis of everyday tools challenges long-held ideas about what drove major changes in ancient Greek society


A modern scientific analysis of ancient stone tools is challenging long-held beliefs about what caused radical change on the island of Crete, where the first European state flourished during the Bronze Age: the 'Minoan civilization.'
Published Study of ancient skulls sheds light on human interbreeding with Neanderthals


Research has established that there are traces of Neandertal DNA in the genome of modern humans. Now an exploratory study that assessed the facial structure of prehistoric skulls is offering new insights, and supports the hypothesis that much of this interbreeding took place in the Near East -- the region ranging from North Africa to Iraq.
Published Wildfire experts provide guidance for new research directions


A new paper by dozens of wildfire experts across the nation highlights the need for a more strategic and interdisciplinary approach to pursuing wildfire research and protecting vulnerable communities.
Published Wood sharpens stone: Boomerangs used to retouch lithic tools


A new study into the multipurpose uses of boomerangs has highlighted the hardwood objects were used to shape the edges of stone tools used by Australian Indigenous communities. The research demonstrated how boomerangs could function as lithic (or stone) tool retouchers by investigating the use-wear generated on the boomerangs' surfaces during retouching activities. It was found that these use-wear impacts on boomerangs comparable to those observed on Paleolithic bone retouching tools, which date back to more than 200,000 years ago.
Published Dry lightning sparks some of the most destructive and costly wildfires in California


Researchers have developed the first long-term climatology of dry lightning -- lightning which occurs with less than 2.5mm of rainfall -- in central and northern California.
Published Air pollution, including during wildfires, shows ill effects in children


New research linking air pollution data from federal monitors in the Sacramento area of California, including during significant fires, is showing ill effects of pollution exposure among children, a new study suggests.
Published Wildfires disproportionately affect the poor


With fires raging from California to Alaska, the 2022 wildfire season is off to a violent start. It's an ominous sign of what promises to be another record-breaking fire season in the U.S. Roughly 2 million acres burned last month. And major fires are currently scorching Idaho, Utah and California, threatening tens of thousands of Americans' homes and livelihoods. Many of those at risk are lower-income Americans who face canceled homeowners insurance policies and rising premiums, according to new research.
Published Taking your time makes a difference


Researchers find that stem cells in the developing brain of modern humans take longer to divide and make fewer errors when distributing their chromosomes to their daughter cells, compared to those of Neanderthals.
Published Smoke from Western wildfires can influence Arctic sea ice


Sea ice and wildfires may be more interconnected than previously thought, according to new research.
Published High-status Danish Vikings wore exotic beaver furs


Beaver fur was a symbol of wealth and an important trade item in 10th Century Denmark, according to a new study.
Published Western U.S. wildfire smoke plumes are getting taller, researchers find


In recent years the plumes of smoke crawling upward from Western wildfires have trended taller, with more smoke and aerosols lofted up where they can spread farther and impact air quality over a wider area. The likely cause is climate change, with decreased precipitation and increased aridity in the Western U.S. that intensifies wildfire activity.
Published New model developed to predict landslides along wildfire burn scars


Researchers have augmented a physics-based numerical model to investigate and predict areas susceptible to debris flows. This augmented model eventually could be used in an early warning system for people living in high-risk areas, enabling them to evacuate before it's too late. Information from model simulations also could be used to design new infrastructure -- such as diversion bars that deflect fast-moving water away from homes and roads -- for high hazard zones.
Published New methodology helps predict soil recovery after wildfires


A team of investigators devised a new methodology to enable predictions of how plant growth and water quality would change in the wake of wildfires.
Published Wildfire-smoke observations fill gap in estimating soot's role in climate change


New research refining the amount of sunlight absorbed by black carbon in smoke from wildfires will help clear up a long-time weak spot in earth system models, enabling more accurate forecasting of global climate change.
Published Cats injured in wildfires at risk of deadly blood clots


Cats injured in California wildfires are at risk of forming deadly blood clots, according to new research.
Published California's trees are dying, and might not be coming back


The State of California is banking on its forests to help reduce planet-warming carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But that element of the state's climate-change solution arsenal may be in jeopardy, as new research reports that trees in California's mountain ranges and open spaces are dying from wildfires and other pressures -- and fewer new trees are filling the void.
Published DNA from ancient population in Southern China suggests Native Americans' East Asian roots


For the first time, researchers successfully sequenced the genome of ancient human fossils from the Late Pleistocene in southern China. The data suggests that the mysterious hominin belonged to an extinct maternal branch of modern humans that might have contributed to the origin of Native Americans.