Feature Channels: Archaeology and Anthropology

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Released: 9-Feb-2011 8:00 AM EST
Ancient Teeth Raise New Questions About the Origins of Modern Man
Binghamton University, State University of New York

Eight small teeth found in a cave near Rosh Haain, central Israel, are raising big questions about the earliest existence of humans and where we may have originated, says Binghamton University anthropologist Rolf Quam. Part of a team of international researchers led by Dr. Israel Hershovitz of Tel Aviv University, Qaum and his colleagues have been examining the dental discovery and recently published their joint findings in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.

Released: 3-Feb-2011 11:00 AM EST
Trees Tell Tales of Mesoamerican Megadroughts
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

A new, detailed record of rainfall fluctuations in ancient Mexico that spans more than 12 centuries promises to improve understanding of the role drought played in the rise and fall of pre-Hispanic civilizations.

Released: 13-Jan-2011 4:25 PM EST
Website Follows Johns Hopkins Archaeologists in Egypt
 Johns Hopkins University

Follow along online as Johns Hopkins University Egyptologist Betsy Bryan and her team of students, artists, conservators and photographers return to their investigation of Mut Temple this month, focusing their attention to the area south of the temple's Sacred Lake. Bryan and her crew are resuming their excavation in Luxor, Egypt, and are sharing their work via "Hopkins in Egypt Today," their popular digital diary offering a virtual window into day-to-day life on an archaeological dig.

Released: 10-Jan-2011 5:20 PM EST
Longevity Unlikely to Have Aided Early Modern Humans
Washington University in St. Louis

Life expectancy was probably the same for early modern and late archaic humans and did not factor in the extinction of Neanderthals, suggests a new study by a Washington University in St. Louis anthropologist.

22-Dec-2010 3:00 PM EST
Researchers Find Neandertals’ Extinction Not Caused By Deficient Diets
George Washington University

Starch granules from plant food were discovered trapped in the dental calculus on 40-thousand-year-old Neandertal teeth, leading scientists to believe that Neandertals ate a wide variety of plants and included cooked grains as part of a more sophisticated, diverse diet similar to early modern humans.

Released: 30-Nov-2010 12:00 PM EST
Water Resources Played Important Role in Patterns of Human Settlement
University of New Hampshire

Once lost in the mists of time, the colonial hydrology of the northeastern United States has been reconstructed by a team of geoscientists, biological scientists and social scientists, including University of New Hampshire Ph.D. candidate Christopher Pastore.

Released: 22-Nov-2010 10:00 AM EST
Researchers Kick-Start Ancient DNA
Binghamton University, State University of New York

Binghamton University researchers recently revived ancient bacteria trapped for thousands of years in water droplets embedded in salt crystals. For decades, geologists have looked at these water droplets — called fluid inclusions — and wondered whether microbes could be extracted from them. Fluid inclusions have been found inside salt crystals ranging in age from thousands to hundreds of millions years old.

9-Nov-2010 8:00 AM EST
DNA Reveals Origins of First European Farmers
University of Adelaide

A team of international researchers led by ancient DNA experts from the University of Adelaide has resolved the longstanding issue of the origins of the people who introduced farming to Europe some 8000 years ago.

Released: 19-Sep-2010 6:55 AM EDT
Apollo Discovery Tells a New Story
University of Haifa

A rare bronze signet ring with the impression of the face of the Greek sun god, Apollo, has been discovered at Tel Dor, in northern Israel, by University of Haifa diggers.

Released: 16-Sep-2010 8:00 AM EDT
Research Shows Radiometric Dating Still Reliable (Again)
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Recent puzzling observations of tiny variations in nuclear decay rates have led some to question the science behind carbon-14 dating and similar techniques. However NIST scientists along with researchers from Oak Ridge and several universities tested the hypothesis that solar radiation might affect the rate at which radioactive elements decay and found no detectable effect.

Released: 16-Sep-2010 7:25 AM EDT
Goddess of Fortune Found in Sussita
University of Haifa

A wall painting (fresco) of Tyche, the Greek goddess of fortune, was exposed during the 11th season of excavation at the Sussita site, on the east shore of the Sea of Galilee, which was conducted by researchers of the University of Haifa.

Released: 11-Aug-2010 6:00 PM EDT
Lucy’s Tools: Animal Bone Marks Show Evidence of Stone Usage
Arizona State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Two Arizona State University researchers are members of an international team who conclude that human ancestors began using stone tools and eating meat some 800,000 years earlier than previous estimates.

Released: 9-Aug-2010 2:00 PM EDT
Evidence Early Reptiles Were First Vertebrates to Live on Dry River Plains
Dalhousie University

It has long been suspected by scientists that reptiles were the first to make the continental interiors their home. A new discovery of trackways proves this theory.

Released: 1-Jul-2010 5:00 AM EDT
3,200-Year-old Bronze Tablet Identified as Battle Chariot Linchpin
University of Haifa

A 3,200-year-old round bronze tablet with a carved face of a woman, found at the El-ahwat excavation site near Katzir in central Israel, has been identified as part of a linchpin that held the wheel of a battle chariot in place.

Released: 21-Jun-2010 8:00 AM EDT
Ancient Egyptian History Is Comprehensively Documented
University of Haifa

This new, validated chronology, achieved by using radiocarbon documenting, has far-reaching implications for Middle Eastern and eastern Mediterranean archaeology," says Dr. Ezra Marcus of the University of Haifa.

Released: 14-Jun-2010 12:25 PM EDT
Research Team Explores Colonial Cemetery
Ithaca College

Forgotten soldiers and patriots from the American revolution could be rediscovered in New Jersey, thanks to a faculty-student research team from Ithaca College.

Released: 9-Jun-2010 12:05 PM EDT
Crocodile and Hippopotamus Served as “Brain Food” for Early Human Ancestors
 Johns Hopkins University

Fish really is “brain food.” And it seems that even pre-humans living as far back as 2 million years ago somehow knew it.

1-Jun-2010 1:55 PM EDT
Researchers Link Tooth Chipping with Early Humans’ Diets
George Washington University

Based on chip and tooth size, the research of George Washington University anthropologists Paul Constantino and Peter Lucas suggests that early humans consumed large, hard foods such as seeds and nuts and occasionally used high bite forces to do so.

28-May-2010 12:55 PM EDT
Archeologists Discover “Brain Food” in Early Human Ancestors’ Diet
George Washington University

A team of scientists now know what may have helped fuel the evolution of the human brain two million years ago. Archeologists working in Kenya unearthed evidence that our human ancestors ate a wide variety of animals including fish, turtles and even crocodiles. Based on analyses of animal bones and stone tools they excavated, the research team found that our early ancestors incorporated aquatic “brain food” in their diet.

23-May-2010 8:00 PM EDT
Scientists Rip Habitat Claim for ‘Breakthrough of the Year’
University of Utah

A purported human ancestor that was dubbed Science magazine’s 2009 Breakthrough of the Year is under fire from scientists who say there is scant evidence for claims that there were dense woods at the African site where the creature lived 4.4 million years ago.

Released: 27-May-2010 2:00 PM EDT
Early Human Habitat Was Savanna, Not Forest
 Johns Hopkins University

Pre-humans living in East Africa 4.4 million years ago inhabited grassy plains, not forests, a team of researchers has concluded.

Released: 12-May-2010 11:50 AM EDT
Bones Degrade and Fracture Differently Under Certain Environmental Conditions
Baylor University

A new Baylor University study looking at the different fracture properties of bones at various stages of degradation has found that bones degrade and fracture differently under certain environmental conditions like sun, shade or in water.

Released: 30-Apr-2010 11:55 AM EDT
Motherhood Lost Conversations: Educational Television Series Provides Innovative Approach to Pregnancy Loss
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

A devastating personal experience inspired Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Professor Linda Layne to devote two decades to studying issues surrounding pregnancy loss. Today, Layne, cultural anthropologist and Alma and H. Erwin Hale ’30 Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at Rensselaer, is a leading international advocate for reform. She has completed production on Motherhood Lost: Conversations, an educational television series developed in collaboration with Heather Bailey, producer, director, and lead graphic designer at George Mason University.

   
Released: 19-Apr-2010 3:50 PM EDT
Peruvian Mummies, Seashells Share Historical Climate Insight
University of Alabama

Shells from mollusks presented to the dead during ancient funeral ceremonies are keys to helping a geologist gauge ocean movements near the Peruvian coast from as much as 13,000 years ago.

14-Apr-2010 9:00 AM EDT
Professor’s Research Finds No Evidence of Cannibalism at Donner Party Campsite
Appalachian State University

Research conducted by Dr. Gwen Robbins, an assistant professor of biological anthropology at Appalachian State University, finds there is no evidence of cannibalism among the 84 members of the Donner Party who were trapped by a snowstorm in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the mid-1840s.

Released: 8-Apr-2010 11:00 AM EDT
IU's Carlson Among Team of Scientists Announcing New Species of Prehistoric Man
Indiana University

Indiana University anthropologist Kristian J. Carlson today (April 8) joined an international team of six other scientists announcing discovery of the fossil remains of a new species of early man that could help rewrite the path of human evolution.

Released: 6-Apr-2010 10:20 AM EDT
Dig Looks at Society Just Before the Dawn of Urban Civilization
University of Chicago

A team of archaeologists is excavating a key site from the prehistoric society that formed the foundation of urban life in the ancient Middle East. The site already has yielded evidence of trade in obsidian, rich agricultural production and the development of copper processing — all of which flourished long before people invented the wheel.

Released: 31-Mar-2010 11:00 AM EDT
After $5 Million Renovation, Museum Brings Moundville Culture to Life
University of Alabama

A $5 million renovation of the Jones Archaeological Museum at Moundville Archaeological Park tells the story of the thriving Native American culture that built the site and let many beautiful artifacts, now on display.

Released: 29-Mar-2010 3:25 PM EDT
An Archaeological Mystery in a Half-ton Lead Coffin
University of Michigan

In the ruins of a city that was once Rome's neighbor, archaeologists last summer found a 1,000-pound lead coffin.

Released: 9-Mar-2010 10:25 AM EST
Jerusalem in Babylonia Explored in Conference at Saint Joseph's University
Saint Joseph's University

Saint Joseph's University's Ancient Studies program is sponsoring a conference focusing on a collection of recently discovered documents that shed light on a Jewish settlement in ancient Mesopotamia. “Jerusalem in Babylonia: New Discoveries from the Exilic Period,” will be held March 21-22 in the University's Campion Student Center.

Released: 4-Mar-2010 8:30 AM EST
Khirbet Qeiyafa is Identified as Biblical "Neta'im"
University of Haifa

The new identification of Khirbet Qeiyafa in the region of Israel's Elah Valley as "Neta'im" confirms the supremacy of the Kingdom of Israel in the 10th century BCE, during the times of King David.

11-Feb-2010 3:45 PM EST
Study Examines Family Lineage of King Tut, His Possible Cause of Death
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Using several scientific methods, including analyzing DNA from royal mummies, research findings suggest that malaria and bone abnormalities appear to have contributed to the death of Egyptian pharaoh King Tutankhamun, with other results appearing to identify members of the royal family, including King Tut’s father and mother, according to a study in the February 17 issue of JAMA.

Released: 26-Jan-2010 8:45 AM EST
Sea Level Has Been Rising and Falling Over Last 2,500 Years
University of Haifa

Rising and falling sea levels over relatively short periods do not indicate long-term trends. An assessment of hundreds and thousands of years shows that what seems an irregular phenomenon today is in fact nothing new," explains Dr. Dorit Sivan.

Released: 21-Jan-2010 12:05 PM EST
Sociologist’s New Book Uncovers Nationwide Problem with How Homelessness Is Handled
Texas Tech University

Jason Wasserman uncovers one of the biggest problems with how social assistance programs deal with the problem across the country.

Released: 19-Jan-2010 2:00 PM EST
Ancient Egyptian Cosmetics: “Magical” Makeup May Have Been Medicine for Eye Disease
American Chemical Society (ACS)

There’s more to the eye makeup that gave Queen Nefertiti and other ancient Egyptians royals those stupendous gazes and legendary beauty than meets the eye. Scientists in France are reporting that the alluring eye makeup also may have been used to help prevent or treat eye disease by doubling as an infection-fighter. Their findings are scheduled for the Jan. 15 issue of ACS’ Analytical Chemistry, a semi-monthly journal.

   
Released: 19-Jan-2010 12:15 PM EST
Translation Offers Multiple Perspectives on Colonial America
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Interpreting a Continent: Voices from Colonial America offers readers an opportunity to learn about the earliest days of the United States from those who were there and to consider colonial history from multiple perspectives.

Released: 12-Jan-2010 12:50 PM EST
Research Describes Missing 500-Years of Loggias, Porticos
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Using texts and images, a University of Arkansas researcher has for the first time reconstructed the time when the use of porticos – roof-covered structures supported by columns – gave way to loggias, or recessed porticos.

Released: 10-Jan-2010 7:00 AM EST
Most Ancient Hebrew Biblical Inscription Deciphered
University of Haifa

A breakthrough in research of Hebrew scriptures has shed light on the period in which the Bible was written. Prof. Gershon Galil of the University of Haifa has deciphered an inscription dating from the 10th century BCE and has shown that this is a Hebrew inscription.

Released: 4-Jan-2010 5:00 PM EST
Ongoing Evolution Among Modern Humans: the View from the Teeth
Washington University in St. Louis

An international team of researchers, including Erik Trinkaus, professor of Anthropology at Washington University in Saint Louis, has reanalyzed the complete immature dentition of a 30,000 year-old-child from the Abrigo do Lagar Velho, Portugal. The new analysis of the Lagar Velho child shows that these “early modern humans” were “modern” without being “fully modern.”

Released: 15-Dec-2009 9:30 PM EST
Among Apes, Teeth Are Made for the Toughest Times
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Researchers at NIST and George Washington University have shown that the teeth of some apes are formed primarily to handle the most stressful times when food is scarce. Their findings imply that if humanity is serious about protecting its close evolutionary cousins, the food apes eat during these tough periods must be included in conservation efforts.

Released: 9-Dec-2009 7:30 PM EST
Ancient Book of Mark Found Not So Ancient After All
University of Chicago

A biblical expert at the University of Chicago, Margaret M. Mitchell, together with other experts has concluded that one of the University Library’s most enigmatic possessions, an alleged early version of the Book of Mark, is a forgery. The book will remain in the library for other scholars to use in studying the authenticity of ancient books.

Released: 8-Dec-2009 3:40 PM EST
The Impact of the Diffusion of Maize to the Southwestern United States
Washington University in St. Louis

An international group of anthropologists offers a new theory about the diffusion of maize to the Southwestern United States and the impact it had.

Released: 4-Dec-2009 5:00 PM EST
Researchers Uncover Pictured Rocks History
Northern Michigan University

Northern Michigan University geography researchers completed a three-year study that offers new insights on the history of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Released: 24-Nov-2009 2:20 PM EST
Researcher Moves Closer to Understanding Cause of Mass Extinction
George Washington University

Years of scientific debate over the extinction of ancient species in North America have yielded many theories. However, new findings from J. Tyler Faith, GW Ph.D. candidate in the hominid paleobiology doctoral program, and Todd Surovell, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Wyoming, reveal that a mass extinction occurred in a geological instant.

Released: 12-Nov-2009 1:15 PM EST
Linguist to Assist in Salvaging Remains of Comanche Language, Devising College Course
Texas Tech University

A Texas Tech University professor will work on project to document, revitalize and teach the Comanche language.

Released: 10-Nov-2009 3:00 PM EST
Migration's Impact on the New South, Labor Focus of Professor's Book
University of Alabama at Birmingham

In a new book Migration and the Transformation of the Southern Workplace Since 1945 (University of Florida Press), University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Professor of History Colin Davis, Ph.D., along with his co-editor, Robert Cassanello, present a collection of seven essays that examine the impact that migration and globalization are having on labor in the American South.

Released: 9-Nov-2009 8:30 AM EST
Remains of Minoan-style Painting Discovered in Canaanite Palace
University of Haifa

The remains of a Minoan-style wall painting, characterized by a blue background, the first of its kind to be found in Israel, was discovered in the course of the recent excavation season at Tel Kabri.

Released: 4-Nov-2009 9:00 AM EST
Archaeologist Available to Discuss Movie “2012” and Maya Prophecy
University of New Hampshire

Despite claims in the soon-to-be released movie “2012” that the end of the world is near as purportedly foretold by the Maya prophecy, the end of the current Maya calendar on Dec. 21, 2012, does not predict a global cataclysm, according to a University of New Hampshire archaeology professor and Maya scholar.

Released: 1-Nov-2009 9:00 AM EST
12/21/2012: Apocalypse Now, Later or Never?
Saint Joseph's University

Will the year 2012 spell the end of life on Earth as we know it? Columbia Pictures’ upcoming disaster movie "2012" suggests that it will. Based loosely on interpretations of the Mayan long count calendar, which ends its 5,125-year cycle on December 21, 2012, the movie’s trailer features the tagline, “Mankind’s earliest civilization warned us this day was coming.” But judging by the track records of other ancient apocalyptic traditions, we probably have nothing to worry about, says Allen Kerkeslager, Ph.D., associate professor of theology at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.

Released: 21-Oct-2009 11:00 PM EDT
Research Suggests Ancient ‘Lucy’ Species Ate a Different Diet than Previously Thought
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Research examining microscopic marks on the teeth of the “Lucy” species Australopithecus afarensis suggests that the ancient hominid ate a different diet than the tooth enamel, size and shape suggest, say a University of Arkansas researcher and his colleagues.



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