Hunter-gatherers facilitated a cultural revolution through small social networks
Hunter-gatherer ancestors, from around 300,000 years ago, facilitated a cultural revolution by developing ideas in small social networks, and regularly drawing on knowledge from neighbouring camps.
Medieval hospital was ‘last resort’ for Black Death victims
‘A Black Death mass grave at Thornton Abbey: the discovery and examination of a fourteenth-century rural catastrophe’ Hugh Willmott, Peter Townend, Diana Mahoney Swales, Hendrik Poinar, Katherine Eaton & Jennifer Klunk Archaeologists have found a mass grave at Thornton Abbey in Lincolnshire, England.
Cognitive experiments give a glimpse into the ancient mind
Symbolic behaviour - such as language, account keeping, music, art, and narrative - constitutes a milestone in human cognitive evolution.
Skeleton discovered in submerged caves at Tulum sheds new light on the earliest settlers of Mexico
A new skeleton discovered in the submerged caves at Tulum sheds new light on the earliest settlers of Mexico, according to a study by Wolfgang Stinnesbeck from Universität Heidelberg, Germany.
Early North Americans may have been more diverse than previously suspected
Ancient skulls from the cave systems at Tulum, Mexico suggest that the earliest populations of North America may have already had a high level of morphological diversity, according to a study published by Mark Hubbe from Ohio State University, USA, Alejandro Terrazas Mata from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico, and colleagues.
Shocking truth behind Takabuti’s death revealed
Takabuti, the famous ancient Egyptian mummy on display at the Ulster Museum, suffered a violent death from a knife attack, a team of experts from National Museums NI, University of Manchester, Queen’s University Belfast and Kingsbridge Private Hospital have revealed.
Vesuvius victims died slower than believed
‘A re-evaluation of manner of death at Roman Herculaneum following the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius’.
Residents of Herculaneum fleeing the devastating eruption of Vesuvius...
3,000-year-old teeth solve Pacific banana mystery
Humans began transporting and growing banana in Vanuatu 3000 years ago, a University of Otago scientist has discovered.
Anthropologists confirm existence of specialized sheep-hunting camp in prehistoric Lebanon
Anthropologists at the University of Toronto (U of T) have confirmed the existence more than 10,000 years ago of a hunting camp in what is now northeastern Lebanon - one that straddles the period marking the transition from nomadic hunter-gatherer societies to agricultural settlements at the onset of the last stone age.
Study shows human ancestors could have consumed hard plant tissues without damaging their teeth
Hard plant foods may have made up a larger part of early human ancestors' diet than currently presumed, according to a new experimental study of modern tooth enamel from Washington University in St. Louis.
Study puts the ‘Carib’ in ‘Caribbean,’ boosting credibility of Columbus’ cannibal claims
Christopher Columbus' accounts of the Caribbean include harrowing descriptions of fierce raiders who abducted women and cannibalized men - stories long dismissed as myths.
Otago scientist excavates medieval Uzbek cemetery
An Otago scientist has been digging up human remains in the backyards of Uzbek villagers to discover how people lived in the Middle Ages.
Scientists explore Egyptian mummy bones with x-rays and infrared light
Experiments at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) are casting a new light on Egyptian soil and ancient mummified bone samples that could provide a richer understanding of daily life and environmental conditions thousands of years ago.
Study reveals that humans migrated from Europe to the Levant 40,000 years ago
Who exactly were the Aurignacians, who lived in the Levant 40,000 years ago? Researchers from Tel Aviv University, the Israel Antiquities Authority, and Ben-Gurion...
Ancient bone protein reveals which turtles were on the menu in Florida, Caribbean
Thousands of years ago, the inhabitants of modern-day Florida and the Caribbean feasted on sea turtles, leaving behind bones that tell tales of ancient diets and the ocean's past.
