Feature Channels: Archaeology and Anthropology

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Newswise: 5,000-year-old wine for Egyptian queen
Released: 9-Oct-2023 4:05 AM EDT
5,000-year-old wine for Egyptian queen
University of Vienna

A German-Austrian team led by archaeologist Christiana Köhler from the University of Vienna is investigating the tomb of Queen Meret-Neith in Abydos, Egypt. She was the most powerful woman in the period around 3,000 BC.

Newswise: Ginger pigment molecules found in fossil frogs
Released: 9-Oct-2023 3:05 AM EDT
Ginger pigment molecules found in fossil frogs
University College Cork

Palaeontologists at University College Cork (UCC) have found the first molecular evidence of phaeomelanin, the pigment that produces ginger colouration, in the fossil record.

Newswise: Study confirms age of oldest fossil human footprints in North America
3-Oct-2023 6:00 PM EDT
Study confirms age of oldest fossil human footprints in North America
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

New research reaffirms that human footprints found in White Sands National Park, New Mexico, date to the Last Glacial Maximum, placing humans in North America thousands of years earlier than once thought.

Newswise: Insights into early snake evolution through brain analysis
Released: 2-Oct-2023 8:05 AM EDT
Insights into early snake evolution through brain analysis
University of Helsinki

Recent study sheds new light on the enigmatic early evolution of snakes by examining an unexpected source: their brains. The results emphasise the significance of studying both the soft parts of animals’ bodies and their bones for understanding how animals evolved.

Newswise: Garumbatitian: A new giant dinosaur in the Lower Cretacic of the Iberian Peninsula
Released: 29-Sep-2023 4:05 AM EDT
Garumbatitian: A new giant dinosaur in the Lower Cretacic of the Iberian Peninsula
Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon

New study describes a new sauropod dinosaur that lived in the Iberian Peninsula 122 million years ago.

Released: 25-Sep-2023 3:05 PM EDT
Who will solve the puzzle of Bronze Age tin?
Tübingen University

Archaeometallurgists have been debating the exact origin of tin used in the Bronze Age for 150 years. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, and in the Bronze Age it was used to make a range of goods including swords, helmets, bracelets, plates and pitchers.

Released: 22-Sep-2023 12:05 PM EDT
Dinosaur feathers contain traces of ancient proteins, study finds
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Powerful X-rays generated at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory help researchers shed new light on feather evolution.

Newswise: Archaeologists discover world’s oldest wooden structure
Released: 20-Sep-2023 1:05 PM EDT
Archaeologists discover world’s oldest wooden structure
University of Liverpool

Half a million years ago, earlier than was previously thought possible, humans were building structures made of wood, according to new research by a team from the University of Liverpool and Aberystwyth University.

Released: 20-Sep-2023 8:05 AM EDT
Shipboard cannon found off the Swedish coast may be the oldest in Europe
University of Gothenburg

An international research team led by maritime archaeologist Staffan von Arbin of the University of Gothenburg has studied what might be Europe’s oldest shipboard cannon. The cannon was found in the sea off Marstrand on the Swedish west coast and dates back to the 14th century.

Newswise: Buried Ancient Roman Glass Formed Substance with Modern Applications
15-Sep-2023 4:05 PM EDT
Buried Ancient Roman Glass Formed Substance with Modern Applications
Tufts University

Researchers discover how molecules in ancient glass rearrange and recombine with minerals over centuries to form a patina of photonic crystals – ordered arrangements of atoms that filter and reflect light in very specific ways - an analog of materials used in communications, lasers and solar cells

Released: 15-Sep-2023 5:05 AM EDT
How just one set of animal tracks can provide a wealth of information
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

Rock faces in Namibia are decorated with hundreds of stone-age images not only of animals and human footprints, but also of animal tracks. These have been largely neglected to date as researchers lacked the knowledge required to interpret them.

Newswise: Plesiosaurs doubled their neck-length by gaining new vertebrae
Released: 5-Sep-2023 8:10 AM EDT
Plesiosaurs doubled their neck-length by gaining new vertebrae
University of Bristol

Plesiosaurs gained their famous long necks rapidly, researchers have shown.

Newswise: Researchers extract ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick, revealing a time capsule of plant life
Released: 22-Aug-2023 10:50 AM EDT
Researchers extract ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick, revealing a time capsule of plant life
University of Oxford

For the first time, a group of researchers have successfully extracted ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick.

Newswise: Atlatl weapon use by prehistoric females equalized the division of labor while hunting
Released: 18-Aug-2023 3:50 PM EDT
Atlatl weapon use by prehistoric females equalized the division of labor while hunting
Kent State University

A new study led by Archaeologist Michelle Bebber, Ph.D., an assistant professor in Kent State University’s Department of Anthropology, has demonstrated that the atlatl (i.e. spear thrower) functions as an “equalizer”, a finding which supports women’s potential active role as prehistoric hunters.

   
Released: 18-Aug-2023 11:05 AM EDT
Scientists zero in on timing, causes of ice age mammal extinctions in southern California
Texas A&M University

The end of the last Ice Age also marked the end for more than three dozen genera of large mammals in North America, from mammoths and mastodons to bison and saber-toothed cats. Details concerning the precise timing and circumstances, however, have remained murky ever since.

9-Aug-2023 11:10 AM EDT
Ötzi: dark skin, bald head, Anatolian ancestry
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Research team used advanced sequencing technology to analyze Ötzi’s genome to obtain a more accurate picture of the Iceman’s appearance and genetic origins.

11-Aug-2023 10:40 AM EDT
China’s oldest water pipes were a communal effort
University College London

A system of ancient ceramic water pipes, the oldest ever unearthed in China, shows that neolithic people were capable of complex engineering feats without the need for a centralised state authority, finds a new study by UCL researchers.

Newswise: Global consortium creates large-scale, cross-species database and universal ‘clock’ to estimate age in all mammalian tissues
10-Aug-2023 12:40 PM EDT
Global consortium creates large-scale, cross-species database and universal ‘clock’ to estimate age in all mammalian tissues
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

An international research team details changes in DNA that researchers found are shared by humans and other mammals throughout history and are associated with life span and numerous other traits.

Newswise:Video Embedded extreme-cooling-ended-the-first-human-occupation-of-europe
VIDEO
7-Aug-2023 8:50 AM EDT
Extreme cooling ended the first human occupation of Europe
University College London

Paleoclimate evidence shows that around 1.1 million years ago, the southern European climate cooled significantly and likely caused an extinction of early humans on the continent, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

Newswise: Huge tipping events dominated the evolution of the climate system
Released: 9-Aug-2023 1:05 PM EDT
Huge tipping events dominated the evolution of the climate system
University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Science

An analysis of the hierarchy of tipping points suggests that during the last 66 million years two events set the scene for further climate tipping and for the evolution of the climate system in particular.

Released: 9-Aug-2023 11:55 AM EDT
New research links early Europeans’ cultural and genetic development over several thousand years
Uppsala University

A new DNA study has nuanced the picture of how different groups intermingled during the European Stone Age, but also how certain groups of people were actually isolated.

Newswise:Video Embedded video-dogs-with-less-complex-facial-markings-found-to-be-more-expressive-in-their-communication-with-humans
VIDEO
Released: 7-Aug-2023 12:10 PM EDT
[VIDEO] Dogs With Less Complex Facial Markings Found to Be More Expressive in their Communication with Humans
George Washington University

New study explores the relationship between a canine’s facial appearance and how expressive they appear to be when communicating with their human companions.

Released: 2-Aug-2023 9:45 AM EDT
UWF’s Florida Public Archaeology Network awarded $99,968 grant from NOAA’s NERRS Science Collaborative
University of West Florida

Florida Public Archaeology Network, a program of #UWF, has received a $99,968 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative.

Newswise: Researchers discover evolutionary evidence in ultra-marathon runners
Released: 2-Aug-2023 8:45 AM EDT
Researchers discover evolutionary evidence in ultra-marathon runners
Loughborough University

The brains of ultra-marathon runners taking part in gruelling long-distance races may hold clues about our evolutionary past, a new study has found.

Newswise: Using Gemstones’ Unique Characteristics To Uncover Ancient Trade Routes
27-Jul-2023 12:05 PM EDT
Using Gemstones’ Unique Characteristics To Uncover Ancient Trade Routes
American Institute of Physics (AIP)

Gems' unique elemental composition and atomic orientation act as a fingerprint, enabling researchers to uncover the stones’ past, and with it, historical trade routes. In AIP Advances, Khedr et al. employ three modern spectroscopic techniques to rapidly analyze gems found in the Arabian-Nubian Shield and compare them with similar gems from around the world. The authors identified elements that influence gems’ color, differentiated stones found within and outside the region, and distinguished natural from synthetic.

Newswise: The genetic heritage of our extinct ancestors
Released: 28-Jul-2023 8:20 AM EDT
The genetic heritage of our extinct ancestors
University of Vienna

An international research study led by the University of Vienna (Austria) and the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE) in Barcelona (Spain), recently published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, provides a better insight into the evolutionary history of gorillas.

Released: 26-Jul-2023 5:10 PM EDT
DNA analysis offers new insights into diverse community at Machu Picchu
Yale University

A genetic analysis suggests that the servants and retainers who lived, worked, and died at Machu Picchu, the renowned 15th century Inca palace in southern Peru, were a diverse community representing many different ethnic groups from across the Inca empire.

Released: 26-Jul-2023 1:15 PM EDT
Family trees from the European Neolithic
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

The Neolithic lifestyle, based on farming instead of hunting and gathering, emerged in the Near East around 12,000 years ago and contributed profoundly to the modern way of life.

Released: 25-Jul-2023 5:05 PM EDT
Mesoamerica a model for modern metropolises
University of Houston

Jakarta … San Francisco … Shanghai … Phoenix … Houston. These major cities and others around the globe have many similarities, but they share one particular commonality that is concerning for residents. They are among the global cities most affected by climate change.

Newswise: Early humans were weapon woodwork experts, study finds
Released: 19-Jul-2023 6:15 PM EDT
Early humans were weapon woodwork experts, study finds
University of Reading

A 300,000-year-old hunting weapon has shone a new light on early humans as woodworking masters, according to a new study.

Newswise: Early humans in the Hula Valley invested in systematic procurement of raw materials hundreds of thousands of years ago – much earlier than previously assumed
Released: 19-Jul-2023 10:45 AM EDT
Early humans in the Hula Valley invested in systematic procurement of raw materials hundreds of thousands of years ago – much earlier than previously assumed
Tel Aviv University

A new study from Tel Aviv University and Tel-Hai College solves an old mystery: Where did early humans in the Hula Valley get flint to make the prehistoric tools known as handaxes?

Newswise: Daughters breastfed longer, and women accumulated greater wealth in ancient California matriarchal society
Released: 12-Jul-2023 4:05 PM EDT
Daughters breastfed longer, and women accumulated greater wealth in ancient California matriarchal society
University of Utah

Women buried at the ancestral Ohlone site of Kalawwasa Rummeytak in the San Francisco Bay Area in California were breastfed longer and accumulated greater wealth than the men. Isotopic analysis indicates that after marriage, men lived with their wives’ families and women tended to remain in their birth community. This study is the first of its kind to uncover wealth-driven patterns in maternal investment among ancient populations.

Newswise: Hidden details of Egyptian paintings revealed by chemical imaging
6-Jul-2023 1:05 PM EDT
Hidden details of Egyptian paintings revealed by chemical imaging
PLOS

On-site analysis of paint layering identifies history of alterations in ancient paintings.

   
Released: 10-Jul-2023 11:00 AM EDT
American University Anthropologist and Global Health Expert Available to Comment on Immigration, Immigrant Health
American University

As the summer migrant labor season is in full swing in the U.S., health inequities and other social disparities that affect these communities become more visible. Over 3 million people in the U.S. work temporarily or seasonally in farm fields, orchards, canneries, plant nurseries, fish/seafood/meat packing plants, and more.

   
Newswise: Testing Yields New Evidence of Human Occupation 18,000 years ago in Oregon
Released: 6-Jul-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Testing Yields New Evidence of Human Occupation 18,000 years ago in Oregon
University of Oregon

University of Oregon archaeologists have found evidence suggesting humans occupied the Rimrock Draw Rockshelter outside of Riley, Oregon more than 18,000 years ago.

   
Newswise: 64a2da0a59448_Image1ArchaeologySouth-EastHandaxemeasurement.jpg
3-Jul-2023 10:30 AM EDT
Giant stone artefacts found on rare Ice Age site in Kent
University College London

Researchers at the UCL Institute of Archaeology have discovered some of the largest early prehistoric stone tools in Britain.

26-Jun-2023 8:05 AM EDT
Humans' ancestors survived the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs
University of Bristol

A Cretaceous origin for placental mammals, the group that includes humans, dogs and bats, has been revealed by in-depth analysis of the fossil record, showing they co-existed with dinosaurs for a short time before the dinosaurs went extinct.

Newswise: Discovery of more artefacts on the Australian continental shelf shows Flying Foam Passage must be a protected archaeological site
Released: 26-Jun-2023 4:50 PM EDT
Discovery of more artefacts on the Australian continental shelf shows Flying Foam Passage must be a protected archaeological site
Flinders University

The new discovery of ancient stone artefacts at an underwater spring off the WA Pilbara coast has confirmed the location is a submerged archaeological site where more ancient Aboriginal artefacts are likely hidden beneath the sea.

Newswise: Cave excavation pushes back the clock on early human migration to Laos
Released: 21-Jun-2023 2:15 PM EDT
Cave excavation pushes back the clock on early human migration to Laos
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

15 years of archaeological work in the Tam Pa Ling cave in Laos has yielded a reliable chronology of early human occupation of the site, scientists report in Nature Communications. Excavations reveal that humans lived in the area for at least 70,000 years – and likely even longer.

Newswise: Neanderthal cave engravings are oldest known – over 57,000 years old
15-Jun-2023 10:10 AM EDT
Neanderthal cave engravings are oldest known – over 57,000 years old
PLOS

Markings on a cave wall in France are the oldest known engravings made by Neanderthals, according to a study published June 21, 2023 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Jean-Claude Marquet of the University of Tours, France and colleagues.

Newswise: First hominin muscle reconstruction shows 3.2 million-year-old ‘Lucy’ could stand as erect as we can
Released: 14-Jun-2023 2:25 PM EDT
First hominin muscle reconstruction shows 3.2 million-year-old ‘Lucy’ could stand as erect as we can
University of Cambridge

A Cambridge University researcher has digitally reconstructed the missing soft tissue of an early human ancestor – or hominin – for the first time, revealing a capability to stand as erect as we do today.

Newswise: A rare glimpse of our first ancestors in mainland Southeast Asia
Released: 13-Jun-2023 8:00 PM EDT
A rare glimpse of our first ancestors in mainland Southeast Asia
Macquarie University

What connects a fossil found in a cave in northern Laos with stone tools made in north Australia? The answer is, we do. When our early Homo sapiens ancestors first arrived in Southeast Asia on their way from Africa to Australia, they left evidence of their presence in the form of human fossils that accumulated over thousands of years deep in a cave.

Newswise: Genomics and archaeology rewrite the Neolithic Revolution in the Maghreb
Released: 13-Jun-2023 12:40 PM EDT
Genomics and archaeology rewrite the Neolithic Revolution in the Maghreb
University of Cordoba

Cultural exchanges and interbreeding between African hunter-gatherers, Neolithic European farmers, and East-Saharan herders shaped changes in lifestyles, cultural expression and genetic makeup in the Maghreb between 5500 and 4500 BC, according to a study published today in Nature.

Newswise: The first prehistoric wind instruments discovered in the Levant
Released: 9-Jun-2023 6:05 PM EDT
The first prehistoric wind instruments discovered in the Levant
CNRS (Centre National de Recherche Scientifique / National Center of Scientific Research)

Although the prehistoric site of Eynan-Mallaha in northern Israel has been thoroughly examined since 1955, it still holds some surprises for scientists. Seven prehistoric wind instruments known as flutes, recently identified by a Franco-Israeli team.

Newswise: Curly hair kept early humans cool
Released: 8-Jun-2023 12:25 PM EDT
Curly hair kept early humans cool
Loughborough University

Tightly curled scalp hair protected early humans from the sun’s radiative heat, allowing their brains to grow to sizes comparable to those of modern humans. Loughborough University researchers in the UK worked with Penn State University to study heat transfer through human hair wigs and the environment to examine how diverse hair textures affect heat gain from solar radiation.

Newswise: Ancient genomes show that the farming lifestyle in northwestern Africa was ignited by oversea-migrants from Iberia 7,400 years ago
Released: 7-Jun-2023 7:50 PM EDT
Ancient genomes show that the farming lifestyle in northwestern Africa was ignited by oversea-migrants from Iberia 7,400 years ago
Uppsala University

A genomic analysis of ancient human remains from Morocco in northwest Africa revealed that food production was introduced by Neolithic European and Levantine migrants and then adopted by local groups.

Released: 7-Jun-2023 12:50 PM EDT
The evolutionary origins and advantages of masturbation
University College London

Masturbation is common across the animal kingdom but is especially prevalent amongst primates, including humans.

   
Newswise: Professor Receives Prestigious U.S. Fulbright Award to Explore the ‘Big Questions of Democracy and Development in Nepal’
Released: 5-Jun-2023 3:30 PM EDT
Professor Receives Prestigious U.S. Fulbright Award to Explore the ‘Big Questions of Democracy and Development in Nepal’
University of Northern Colorado

Richard Bownas has a personal connection to Nepal. Rather than keeping that to himself, Bownas will be focusing his work and research around the Nepalese Civil War traveling to the country from January to July 2024 to conduct an oral history project. He's able to do this through a U.S. Fulbright award.

Newswise: Early toilets reveal dysentery in Old Testament Jerusalem
Released: 26-May-2023 12:35 PM EDT
Early toilets reveal dysentery in Old Testament Jerusalem
University of Cambridge

A new analysis of ancient faeces taken from two Jerusalem latrines dating back to the biblical Kingdom of Judah has uncovered traces of a single-celled microorganism Giardia duodenalis – a common cause of debilitating diarrhoea in humans.

   


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