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Categories: Archaeology: General, Environmental: Ecosystems
Published Underwater jars reveal Roman period winemaking practices
(via sciencedaily.com) Winemaking practices in coastal Italy during the Roman period involved using native grapes for making wine in jars waterproofed with imported tar pitch, according to a new study.
Published Thawing permafrost is shaping the global climate
(via sciencedaily.com) How is climate change affecting the permanently frozen soils of the Arctic? What will the consequences be for the global climate, human beings, and ecosystems? And what can be done to stop it?
Published Ice Age wolf DNA reveals dogs trace ancestry to two separate wolf populations
(via sciencedaily.com) An international group of geneticists and archaeologists have found that the ancestry of dogs can be traced to at least two populations of ancient wolves. The work moves us a step closer to uncovering the mystery of where dogs underwent domestication, one of the biggest unanswered questions about human prehistory.
Published Genome of voracious desert locust sequenced
(via sciencedaily.com) The first high-quality genome of the desert locust -- those voracious feeders of plague and devastation infamy and the most destructive migratory insect in the world -- has been produced. The genome of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is enormous at just under 9 billion base pairs, nearly three times the size of the human genome. The size of the desert locust's chromosomes is remarkable; compare them to those of the model fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the first insect genome ever assembled. Many of the desert locust's individual chromosomes are larger than the entire fruit fly genome. Next to the fruit fly, it's like an 18-wheeler next to a compact car.
Published The heat is on: Traces of fire uncovered dating back at least 800,000 years
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists reveal an advanced, innovative method that they have developed and used to detect nonvisual traces of fire dating back at least 800,000 years -- one of the earliest known pieces of evidence for the use of fire. The newly developed technique may provide a push toward a more scientific, data-driven type of archaeology, but -- perhaps more importantly -- it could help us better understand the origins of the human story, our most basic traditions and our experimental and innovative nature.
Published Proactive approaches needed to enable ecosystems to adapt to climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) As the need to address climate change becomes increasingly urgent so too does the concurrent need for proactive stewardship of the Earth's rapidly changing biosphere, according to new research.
Published Indigenous communities used the Caribbean Sea as an aquatic highway
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers recently turned to pottery to tease apart the navigational history of the Caribbean, analyzing the composition of 96 fired clay fragments across 11 islands. The study was conducted in the Greater Antilles and marks the first time that pottery artifacts from the Lucayan Islands -- The Bahamas plus the Turks and Caicos Islands -- have been analyzed to determine their elemental composition and origin.
Published 1,700-year-old Korean genomes show genetic heterogeneity in Three Kingdoms period Gaya
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists have successfully sequenced and studied the whole genome of eight 1,700-year-old individuals dated to the Three Kingdoms period of Korea (approx. 57 BC-668 AD). The first published genomes from this period in Korea and bring key information for the understanding of Korean population history.
Published Melting Arctic ice could transform international shipping routes, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Melting ice in the Arctic Ocean could yield new trade routes in international waters, reducing the shipping industry's carbon footprint and weakening Russia's control over trade routes through the Arctic, a study found.
Published More digging needed to see whether bones of fallen Waterloo soldiers were sold as fertilizer, as few human remains have ever been found
(via sciencedaily.com) Launched on the anniversary of the conflict, a new study suggests that mystery still surrounds what happened to the bodies of Waterloo militaries.
Published Mangrove and reef restoration yield positive returns on investment for flood protection, study shows
(via sciencedaily.com) Restoration of mangroves and coral reefs can be a cost-effective solution for coastal flood reduction in more than 20 countries across the Caribbean. Researchers used methods from the risk and insurance industry to provide rigorous valuations of these natural defenses and show that they can deliver a positive return on investment, with the benefits from reduced flood damage exceeding the costs of restoration. The results point toward new opportunities to support restoration efforts with funds from sources that support hazard mitigation, climate adaptation, and disaster recovery, including FEMA.
Published Are new corals in Sydney dangerous invaders or harmless refugees?
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study has found that invading subtropical corals will survive and thrive in coastal Sydney, which could spell trouble for existing Sydney coral species.
Published Newly documented population of polar bears in Southeast Greenland sheds light on the species' future in a warming Arctic
(via sciencedaily.com) A new population of polar bears documented on the southeast coast of Greenland use glacier ice to survive despite limited access to sea ice. This small, genetically distinct group of polar bears could be important to the future of the species in a warming world.
Published Off-season cattle grazing to help control fire danger from invasive cheatgrass
(via sciencedaily.com) Cheatgrass, an invasive annual grass that has invaded Nevada rangelands, is responsible for much of the increasing wildfire danger in the Intermountain West. However, scientists have discovered that fire danger can be reduced through the application of targeted cattle grazing in the dormant growing season by attracting the cattle with stations containing protein feed supplements.
Published Olive trees were first domesticated 7,000 years ago, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study has unraveled the earliest evidence for domestication of a fruit tree, researchers report. The researchers analyzed remnants of charcoal from the Chalcolithic site of Tel Zaf in the Jordan Valley and determined that they came from olive trees. Since the olive did not grow naturally in the Jordan Valley, this means that the inhabitants planted the tree intentionally about 7,000 years ago.
Published Unique Viking shipyard discovered at Birka
(via sciencedaily.com) Archaeologists have located a unique Viking Age shipyard site at Birka on Björkö in Lake Mälaren. The discovery challenges previous theories about how the maritime activities of the Viking Age were organized.
Published Co-existing mangrove-coral habitats have a new global classification system
(via sciencedaily.com) By coexisting more closely with mangroves, tropical coral species may have found an alternative habitat where they can thrive in the face of climate change.
Published Origins of the Black Death identified
(via sciencedaily.com) The Black Death, the biggest pandemic of our history, was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and lasted in Europe between the years 1346 and 1353. Despite the pandemic's immense demographic and societal impacts, its origins have long been elusive. Now, scientists have obtained and studied ancient Y. pestis genomes that trace the pandemic's origins to Central Asia.
Published Seagrass meadows are reliable fishing grounds for food
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study in Ocean and Coastal Management shows that seagrass fisheries provide a reliable safety-net for poor, since fishermen perceive those habitats to maintain large fish catches over time. Surprisingly, even more so than coral reef fisheries, which people normally associate with small-scale fishery.
Published A warming climate decreases microbial diversity
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers conducted an eight-year experiment that found that climate warming played a predominant role in shaping microbial biodiversity, with significant negative effect.