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Categories: Anthropology: Early Humans, Archaeology: General
Published Taking your time makes a difference
(via sciencedaily.com) 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 Octopus lures from the Mariana Islands found to be oldest in the world
(via sciencedaily.com) An archaeological study has determined that cowrie-shell artifacts found throughout the Mariana Islands were lures used for hunting octopuses and that the devices, similar versions of which have been found on islands across the Pacific, are the oldest known artifacts of their kind in the world.
Published Oldest DNA from domesticated American horse lends credence to shipwreck folklore
(via sciencedaily.com) Feral horses have roamed freely across the island of Assateague off the coast of Maryland and Virginia for hundreds of years, but exactly how they got there has remained a mystery. In a new study, ancient DNA extracted from a 16th century cow tooth from one of Spain's first Caribbean colonies turns out to be from a horse. Analysis of the DNA suggest that old folk tales claiming that horses were marooned on Assateague following the shipwreck of a Spanish galleon are likely more fact than fiction.
Published Ancient DNA clarifies the early history of American colonial horses
(via sciencedaily.com) A newly identified 16th century horse specimen is among the oldest domestic horses from the Americas known to date, and its DNA helps clarify the history of horses in the Western Hemisphere, according to a new study.
Published High-status Danish Vikings wore exotic beaver furs
(via sciencedaily.com) Beaver fur was a symbol of wealth and an important trade item in 10th Century Denmark, according to a new study.
Published Early hunting, farming homogenized mammal communities of North America
(via sciencedaily.com) Whether by the spear or the plow, humans have been homogenizing the mammal communities of North America for 10,000-plus years, says a new analysis of 8,831 fossils representing 365 species.
Published Floors in ancient Greek luxury villa were laid with recycled glass
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Several 1700 years old decorative mosaic floors have been excavated in a luxury villa located in present-day Turkey, once overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. New chemical analyzes reveal that recycled glass was used in laying the mosaic floors.
Published In search of the lost city of Natounia
(via sciencedaily.com) The mountain fortress of Rabana-Merquly in modern Iraqi Kurdistan was one of the major regional centers of the Parthian Empire, which extended over parts of Iran and Mesopotamia approximately 2,000 years ago. The researchers studied the remains of the fortress.
Published When did the genetic variations that make us human emerge?
(via sciencedaily.com) The study of the genomes of our closest relatives, the Neanderthals and Denisovans, has opened up new research paths that can broaden our understanding of the evolutionary history of Homo sapiens. A new study has made an estimation of the time when some of the genetic variants that characterize our species emerged. It does so by analyzing mutations that are very frequent in modern human populations, but not in these other species of archaic humans.
Published DNA from ancient population in Southern China suggests Native Americans' East Asian roots
(via sciencedaily.com) 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.
Published Rare deep-sea brine pools discovered in Red Sea
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers recently discovered rare deep-sea brine pools in the Gulf of Aqaba, a northern extension to the Red Sea. These salty underwater lakes hold secrets into the way oceans on Earth formed millions of years ago, and offer clues to life on other planets.
Published The importance of elders
(via sciencedaily.com) In a new paper, researchers challenge the longstanding view that the force of natural selection in humans must decline to zero once reproduction is complete. They assert that a long post-reproductive lifespan is not just due to recent advancements in health and medicine. The secret to our success? Our grandparents.
Published Unlocking the secrets of the ancient coastal Maya
(via sciencedaily.com) After more than a decade of research, scientists share what they have learned about the people who lived on a stretch of coastline in Quintana Roo Mexico over a span of 3,000 years.
Published Study points to Armenian origins of ancient crop with aviation biofuel potential
(via sciencedaily.com) Camelina, an oilseed plant grown in modern-day Ukraine, may have been a more important and widespread crop than previously thought. New findings could inform breeding programs to improve this crop for biofuels applications.
Published How placentas evolved in mammals
(via sciencedaily.com) The fossil record tells us about ancient life through the preserved remains of body parts like bones, teeth and turtle shells. But how to study the history of soft tissues and organs, which can decay quickly, leaving little evidence behind? In a new study, scientists use gene expression patterns, called transcriptomics, to investigate the ancient origins of one organ: the placenta, which is vital to pregnancy.
Published New genetic research on remote Pacific islands yields surprising findings on world's earliest seafarers
(via sciencedaily.com) New genetic research from remote islands in the Pacific offers fresh insights into the ancestry and culture of the world's earliest seafarers, including family structure, social customs, and the ancestral populations of the people living there today.
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 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 Fossils in the 'Cradle of Humankind' may be more than a million years older than previously thought
(via sciencedaily.com) For decades, scientists have studied these fossils of early human ancestors and their long-lost relatives. Now, a dating method developed by geologists just pushed the age of some of these fossils found at the site of Sterkfontein Caves back more than a million years. This would make them older than Dinkinesh, also called Lucy, the world's most famous Australopithecus fossil.
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.