In the years after Columbus’ voyage, burning of New World forests and fields diminished significantly – a phenomenon some have attributed to decimation of native populations by European diseases. But a new University of Utah-led study suggests global cooling resulted in fewer fires because both preceded Columbus in many regions worldwide.

The University of Reading has been awarded funding for a research project aiming to transform our understanding of how Christianity impacted daily life in Anglo-Saxon England.

The 12th-century German “Chronicle of the Emperors” (Kaiserchronik) – widely regarded by scholars as one of the most important literary works of the European Middle Ages – is to receive a landmark new edition.

Ceramics found on the coast of the Adriatic attest to a hitherto unknown artistic culture which flourished during the last Ice Age, thousands of years before pottery was commonly used.

New method less prone to contamination, provides further insight into immune response

The truth behind some of the world’s most famous historical myths, including Homer’s epic, the Iliad, has been bolstered by two researchers who have analysed the relationships between the myths’ characters and compared them to real-life social networks.

Scientists have long speculated that high diabetes rates among Native Americans may have roots in the evolutionary past. “Thrifty” genes that helped ancient hunter-gatherers store fat for survival during famine may contribute to diabetes in modern times of plenty.

Over recent months the Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) has been closely following the proposed management of the wreck of HMS Victory (1744), an internationally important shipwreck and grave of over 1100 Royal Navy sailors, which was lost in a storm in the English Channel in October 1744.

C Santa Barbara professor of anthropology Lynn Gamble and her students were recently presented with a rare opportunity: Excavate a Chumash Indian site that might be the location of the original Santa Barbara.

Innovative research by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the University of Bradford used laser microscopes to explore how stone tools were used in prehistory, and the process has helped streamline surface measurement techniques for modern manufacturers.

The traditional image of Neanderthals as gritty people who spent most of their time out hunting might not be entirely accurate, according to a new study revealing that they may have had to devote hours to daily subsistence tasks instead.

An international team of researchers, led by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the University of York, has provided the first molecular evidence that Neanderthals not only ate a range of cooked plant foods, but also understood its nutritional and medicinal qualities.