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Categories: Archaeology: General, Offbeat: Earth and Climate
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.
Published Exploring the possibility of extraterrestrial life living in caves
(via sciencedaily.com) For millennia, caves have served as shelters for prehistoric humans. Caves have also intrigued scholars from early Chinese naturalists to Charles Darwin. A cave ecologist has been in and out of these subterranean ecosystems, examining the unique life forms -- and unique living conditions -- that exist in Earth's many caves. But what does that suggest about caves on other planetary bodies? In two connected studies, engineers, astrophysicists, astrobiologists and astronauts lay out the research that needs to be done to get us closer to answering the old-age question about life beyond Earth.
Published Footprints claimed as evidence of ice age humans in North America need better dating, new research shows
(via sciencedaily.com) The preserved footprints found in New Mexico's Lake Otero Basin would upend scientific understanding of how, and when, humans first arrived in North America, if they are accurately dated. A new study brings the age claim into question.
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.
Published Previously unknown monumental temple discovered near the Tempio Grande in Vulci
(via sciencedaily.com) Archeologists have identified one of the largest known sacred buildings of the Etruscans. The temple's strata offer insights into more than 1000 years of development of one of the most important Etruscan cities. The newly discovered temple is roughly the same size and on a similar alignment as the neighboring Tempio Grande, and was built at roughly the same Archaic time. This duplication of monumental buildings in an Etruscan city is rare, and indicates an exceptional finding.
Published First sentence ever written in Canaanite language discovered: Plea to eradicate beard lice
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have unearthed an ivory comb from 1700 BCE inscribed with a plea to eradicate lice. The finding provides direct evidence for the use of the Canaanite alphabet in daily activities some 3700 years ago.
Published Old bone links lost American parrot to ancient Indigenous bird trade
(via sciencedaily.com) For centuries, Indigenous communities in the American Southwest imported colorful parrots from Mexico. But according to a recent study, some parrots may have been captured locally and not brought from afar. The research challenges the assumption that all parrot remains found in American Southwest archaeological sites have their origins in Mexico. It also presents an important reminder: The ecology of the past can be very different from what we see today.
Published Human expansion 1,000 years ago linked to Madagascar's loss of large vertebrates
(via sciencedaily.com) The island of Madagascar -- one of the last large land masses colonized by humans - -sits about 250 miles (400 kilometers) off the coast of East Africa. While it's still regarded as a place of unique biodiversity, Madagascar long ago lost all its large-bodied vertebrates, including giant lemurs, elephant birds, turtles, and hippopotami. A human genetic study now links these losses in time with the first major expansion of humans on the island, around 1,000 years ago.
Published Ancient DNA analysis sheds light on the early peopling of South America
(via sciencedaily.com) Using DNA from two ancient humans unearthed in two different archaeological sites in northeast Brazil, researchers have unraveled the deep demographic history of South America at the regional level with some surprising results. Not only do they provide new genetic evidence supporting existing archaeological data of the north-to-south migration toward South America, they also have discovered migrations in the opposite direction along the Atlantic coast -- for the first time. Among the key findings, they also have discovered evidence of Neanderthal ancestry within the genomes of ancient individuals from South America.
Published Ancient genomes reveal hidden history of human adaptation
(via sciencedaily.com) The use of ancient DNA, including samples of human remains around 45,000 years old, has shed light on a previously unknown aspect of human evolution.
Published Biblical military campaigns reconstructed using geomagnetic field data
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers reconstructed the geomagnetic fields recorded in 21 archaeological destruction layers throughout Israel and used the data to develop a reliable new scientific tool for archaeological dating. The new tool enables the verification of Old Testament accounts of the Egyptian, Aramean, Assyrian, and Babylonian military campaigns against the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
Published UK's oldest human DNA obtained, revealing two distinct Palaeolithic populations
(via sciencedaily.com) The first genetic data from Palaeolithic human individuals in the UK -- the oldest human DNA obtained from the British Isles so far -- indicates the presence of two distinct groups that migrated to Britain at the end of the last ice age, according to new research. Published today in Nature Ecology and Evolution, the new study by UCL Institute of Archaeology, the Natural History Museum and the Francis Crick Institute researchers reveals for the first time that the recolonisation of Britain consisted of at least two groups with distinct origins and cultures.
Published Skaftö wreck's cargo tells a tale of 15th century trade routes
(via sciencedaily.com) Research has shown that the Skaftö wreck had probably taken on cargo in Gdansk in Poland and was heading towards Belgium when it foundered in the Lysekil archipelago around 1440. Modern methods of analysis of the cargo are now providing completely new answers about the way trade was conducted in the Middle Ages.
Published Central Asia identified as a key region for human ancestors
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study on early human migration shows that semi-arid and desert zones of Central Asia may have served as key areas for the dispersal of hominins into Eurasia during the Middle Pleistocene. Central Asia is positioned at a crossroads linking several zones important to hominin dispersal during this period, however much evidence from this region lacks context for dating and climate conditions, making it difficult to understand these dynamics.
Published A 10,000-year-old infant burial provides insights into the use of baby carriers and family heirlooms in prehistory
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers argue that they have found evidence of the use of baby carriers 10,000 years ago at the Arma Veirana site in Liguria, Italy.
Published In medieval Norway, high-class people had stronger bones
(via sciencedaily.com) In medieval Norway, high status individuals tended to be taller and to have stronger bones, possibly as a result of a favorable lifestyle, according to a new study.
Published Protecting very old trees can help mitigate climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Ancient trees -- those that are many hundreds, or even thousands, of years old -- play a vital role in biodiversity and ecosystem preservation by providing stability, strength, and protection to at-risk environments. A team of ecologists highlight the importance of preserving these monumental organisms and present a project initiative to ensure their protection and longevity.
Published Meet the first Neanderthal family
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have managed to sequence multiple individuals from a remote Neanderthal community in Siberia. Among these thirteen individuals, the researchers identified multiple related individuals -- among these a father and his teenage daughter. The researchers were also able to use the thirteen genomes to provide a glimpse into the social organization of a Neanderthal community. They appear to have been a small group of close relatives, consisting of ten to twenty members, and communities were primarily connected through female migration.
Published New analysis of obsidian blades reveals dynamic Neolithic social networks
(via sciencedaily.com) An analysis of obsidian artifacts excavated during the 1960s at two prominent archaeological sites in southwestern Iran suggests that the networks Neolithic people formed in the region as they developed agriculture are larger and more complex than previously believed. The study has applied state-of-the-art analytical tools to a collection of 2,100 obsidian artifacts.
Published Reign of Papua New Guinea Highland's megafauna lasted long after humans arrived
(via sciencedaily.com) A giant kangaroo that once roamed on four legs through remote forests in the Papua New Guinea Highlands may have survived as recently as 20,000 years ago -- long after large-bodied megafauna on mainland Australia went extinct, new research indicates. Palaeontologists, archaeologists and geoscientists, have used new techniques to re-examine megafauna bones from the rich Nombe Rock Shelter fossil site in Chimbu Province in a bid to better understand the intriguing natural history of PNG.