Feature Channels: Archaeology and Anthropology

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Newswise: Archaeologists discover innovative 40,000-year-old culture in China
Released: 3-Mar-2022 2:05 AM EST
Archaeologists discover innovative 40,000-year-old culture in China
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History

The discovery of a new culture suggests processes of innovation and cultural diversification occurring in Eastern Asia during a period of genetic and cultural hybridization.

Released: 28-Feb-2022 1:35 PM EST
Big Data Arrives on the Farm
Washington University in St. Louis

Digital technologies are beginning to make inroads into agriculture in lower-income countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Precision agriculture has the potential to remove farmers from the local circuits of information and create new dependencies on external commercial services, according to WashU expert Glenn Stone.

Newswise: New Genetic Analysis of Ancient Africans Creates a Clearer Picture of Life 50,000 Years Ago
18-Feb-2022 10:35 AM EST
New Genetic Analysis of Ancient Africans Creates a Clearer Picture of Life 50,000 Years Ago
Stony Brook University

Ancient DNA from the remains of nearly three dozen African foragers sheds new light on how groups across sub-Saharan Africa lived, traveled and settled prior to the spread of herding and farming. The study findings, to be published in Nature, produced the earliest DNA of humans on the continent.

Released: 16-Feb-2022 11:30 AM EST
‘Underground maps’ segment cities using fashion, AI
Cornell University

Cornell computer scientists have developed a new artificial intelligence framework to automatically draw “underground maps,” which accurately segment cities into areas with similar fashion sense and, thus, interests.

   
Newswise: Writing is not present in all
Released: 11-Feb-2022 2:05 PM EST
Writing is not present in all "complex" societies, but it can signal inequality
Field Museum

For more than a century written language was seen by anthropologists and other social scientists as a definitional feature of societal complexity or “advancement” (a term that is tinged with colonialism and racism).

Newswise: Identifying the portable toilets of the ancient Roman world
Released: 11-Feb-2022 1:05 PM EST
Identifying the portable toilets of the ancient Roman world
University of Cambridge

New research published today in the Journal of Archaeological Science Reports reveals how archaeologists can determine when a pot was used by Romans as a portable toilet, known as a chamber pot.

Newswise: First Modern Humans Arrived in Europe Earlier Than Previously Known
Released: 10-Feb-2022 11:10 AM EST
First Modern Humans Arrived in Europe Earlier Than Previously Known
Stony Brook University

Some 30 years of archeological and other types of scientific research around the ancient artifacts and human remains in the Grotte Mandrin, located in the Rhone River Valley in southern France, has revealed that humans may have arrived in Europe about 10,000 years earlier than originally thought.

Newswise: Climate drove 7,000 years of dietary changes in the Central Andes
Released: 9-Feb-2022 3:05 PM EST
Climate drove 7,000 years of dietary changes in the Central Andes
University of Utah

Identifying the factors that determine people’s diets is important to answer the bigger questions, such as how changing climates will influence unequal access to preferred foods. This study provides a blueprint to systematically untangle and evaluate the power of both climate and population size on the varied diets across a region in the past.

   
Newswise: Prehistoric human vertebra discovered in the Jordan Valley tells the story of prehistoric migration from Africa
Released: 2-Feb-2022 4:50 PM EST
Prehistoric human vertebra discovered in the Jordan Valley tells the story of prehistoric migration from Africa
Bar-Ilan University

A new study, led by researchers from Bar-Ilan University, Ono Academic College, The University of Tulsa, and the Israel Antiquities Authority, presents a 1.5 million-year-old human vertebra discovered in Israel's Jordan Valley.

Newswise: Researchers discover locations of ancient Maya sacred groves of cacao trees
Released: 31-Jan-2022 2:05 PM EST
Researchers discover locations of ancient Maya sacred groves of cacao trees
Brigham Young University

For as much as modern society worships chocolate, cacao — the plant chocolate comes from — was believed to be even more divine to ancient Mayas. The Maya considered cacao beans to be a gift from the gods and even used them as currency because of their value.

Newswise: Leafy greens first dished up 3,500 years ago
Released: 28-Jan-2022 1:25 PM EST
Leafy greens first dished up 3,500 years ago
Goethe University Frankfurt

Over 450 prehistoric pots were examined, 66 of them contained traces of lipids, that is, substances insoluble in water.

Newswise: Ice-age remains near Sea of Galilee show ancient residents thrived as ice melted
Released: 27-Jan-2022 5:30 PM EST
Ice-age remains near Sea of Galilee show ancient residents thrived as ice melted
Hebrew University of Jerusalem

A new article published today in PLOS ONE by a Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU)’s Institute of Archaeology team and colleagues focused on the remains of a previously submerged fisher-hunter-gatherer camp on the shores of the Sea of Galilee from around 23,000 years ago.

Newswise: Scientists decode 450 years of boom and crisis in Europe from ages of building timber
Released: 26-Jan-2022 4:05 PM EST
Scientists decode 450 years of boom and crisis in Europe from ages of building timber
Frontiers

Tracking building activity across the years, estimated from felling year of timber from historical buildings, can yield an unrivaled economic record for premodern Europe.

Released: 24-Jan-2022 3:00 PM EST
New Study: Meat May Not Have Made Us Human, After All
University at Albany, State University of New York

The importance of meat eating in human evolution is being challenged by a new study from a team of five paleoanthropologists that includes the University at Albany’s John Rowan.

Newswise: New Study Calls Into Question the Importance of Meat Eating in Shaping Our Evolution
20-Jan-2022 10:25 AM EST
New Study Calls Into Question the Importance of Meat Eating in Shaping Our Evolution
George Washington University

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences calls into question the primacy of meat eating in early human evolution.

Newswise: The secrets of ancient Japanese tombs revealed thanks to satellite images
Released: 19-Jan-2022 4:55 PM EST
The secrets of ancient Japanese tombs revealed thanks to satellite images
Politecnico di Milano

A research group at the Politecnico di Milano analysed the orientation of ancient Japanese tombs – the so-called Kofun.

Released: 17-Jan-2022 8:00 AM EST
Making the invisible visible: tracing the origins of plants in West African cuisine
University of Bristol

A team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol, in co-operation with colleagues from Goethe University, Frankfurt, has uncovered the first insights into the origins of West African plant-based cuisine, locked inside pottery fragments dating back some 3,500 years ago.

Newswise: Ancient Mesopotamian Discovery Transforms Knowledge of Early Farming
Released: 11-Jan-2022 2:05 PM EST
Ancient Mesopotamian Discovery Transforms Knowledge of Early Farming
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Rutgers researchers have unearthed the earliest definitive evidence of broomcorn millet in ancient Iraq, challenging our understanding of humanity’s earliest agricultural practices. Their findings appear in the journal Scientific Reports.

Newswise: Medieval warhorses were surprisingly small in stature, study shows
Released: 10-Jan-2022 5:35 PM EST
Medieval warhorses were surprisingly small in stature, study shows
University of Exeter

Medieval warhorses are often depicted as massive and powerful beasts, but in reality many were no more than pony-sized by modern standards, a new study shows.

Newswise: Rare African script offers clues to the evolution of writing
Released: 10-Jan-2022 2:25 PM EST
Rare African script offers clues to the evolution of writing
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History

The world’s very first invention of writing took place over 5000 years ago in the Middle East, before it was reinvented in China and Central America.

Newswise: Europe’s earliest female infant burial reveals a Mesolithic society that honored its youngest members
Released: 14-Dec-2021 2:05 PM EST
Europe’s earliest female infant burial reveals a Mesolithic society that honored its youngest members
University of Colorado Denver

Working in a cave in Liguria, Italy, an international team of researchers uncovered the oldest documented burial of an infant girl in the European archaeological record.

Newswise: Isotope analyses unlock Iron Age secrets
Released: 14-Dec-2021 8:05 AM EST
Isotope analyses unlock Iron Age secrets
Flinders University

Elemental and lead isotope analyses of ancient copper ingots are unlocking secrets of Early Iron Age trade routes and how indigenous Mediterranean communities functioned from about 2,600 years ago.

Newswise: Gold jewellery from the time of Nefertiti found in Bronze Age tombs in Cyprus
Released: 1-Dec-2021 2:30 PM EST
Gold jewellery from the time of Nefertiti found in Bronze Age tombs in Cyprus
University of Gothenburg

Archaeologists from the University of Gothenburg have concluded an excavation of two tombs in the Bronze Age city of Hala Sultan Tekke in Cyprus.

Released: 24-Nov-2021 4:30 PM EST
Collapse of ancient Liangzhu culture caused by climate change
University of Innsbruck

Referred to as "China's Venice of the Stone Age", the Liangzhu excavation site in eastern China is considered one of the most significant testimonies of early Chinese advanced civilisation.

Released: 23-Nov-2021 2:05 PM EST
Prehistoric mums may have cared for kids better than we thought
Australian National University

A new study from The Australian National University (ANU) has revealed the death rate of babies in ancient societies is not a reflection of poor healthcare, disease and other factors, but instead is an indication of the number of babies born in that era.

Released: 17-Nov-2021 6:20 PM EST
Perceptual links between sound and shape may unlock origins of spoken words
University of Birmingham

Most people around the world agree that the made-up word ‘bouba’ sounds round in shape, and the made-up word ‘kiki’ sounds pointy – a discovery that may help to explain how spoken languages develop, according to a new study.

Released: 15-Nov-2021 5:05 PM EST
Easternmost Roman aqueduct discovered in Armenia
University of Münster

Archaeologists from the University of Münster and the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia have discovered remains of a Roman arched aqueduct during excavation work on the Hellenistic royal city of Artashat-Artaxata in ancient Armenia.

Released: 10-Nov-2021 12:05 PM EST
FSU experts available to comment on Thanksgiving traditions
Florida State University

By: Bill Wellock | Published: November 10, 2021 | 9:46 am | SHARE: As millions of people across the United States prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, Florida State University experts are available to talk with reporters working on articles about gratitude, the myth and reality of the holiday and the role turkeys have played for Indigenous peoples long before Europeans settled the U.

Newswise:Video Embedded university-of-kentucky-awarded-14-million-nsf-grant-to-launch-world-class-cultural-heritage-lab
VIDEO
Released: 8-Nov-2021 1:50 PM EST
University of Kentucky Awarded $14 Million NSF Grant to Launch World-Class Cultural Heritage Lab
University of Kentucky

Thanks to a $14 million infrastructure grant from the National Science Foundation, the University of Kentucky is poised to tell multiple heritage science stories in new, groundbreaking ways.

Newswise: A Child of darkness
Released: 4-Nov-2021 3:55 PM EDT
A Child of darkness
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

An international team of researchers, led by Professor Lee Berger from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa (Wits University) has revealed the first partial skull of a Homo naledi child that was found in the remote depths of the Rising Star cave in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Released: 28-Oct-2021 1:55 PM EDT
Researchers Use New X-ray Technique to Conserve Henry VIII’s Favorite Warship
Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science

Researchers from Columbia Engineering, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), University of Sheffield, Mary Rose Trust, and University of Copenhagen used a new X-ray technique developed by Columbia and ESRF to discover that there are zinc-containing nanoparticles lodged within the wooden hull of the Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s favorite warship. These nanoparticles are leading to deterioration of the remains of the ship, which sank in battle in 1545 and was raised from the Solent in 1982.

Newswise: Publication of 500-year-old manuscript exposes medieval beliefs and religious cults
Released: 27-Oct-2021 8:35 AM EDT
Publication of 500-year-old manuscript exposes medieval beliefs and religious cults
Taylor & Francis

A rare English illuminated medieval prayer roll, believed to be among only a few dozen still in existence worldwide, has been analysed in a new study to expose Catholic beliefs in England before the Reformation in the sixteenth century.

Released: 26-Oct-2021 10:10 AM EDT
What Big Teeth You Have: Tooth Root Surface Area Can Determine Primate Size
North Carolina State University

Researchers have developed formulas that can calculate the body size of a primate based on the root size of its teeth. The formulas could allow researchers to make use of partial and incomplete fossils in order to learn how ancient primates – including human ancestors – interacted with their environment.

Newswise: First-Ever Africa-Wide Great Ape Assessment Reveals Human Activity, not Habitat Availability, is Greatest Driver of Ape Abundance
Released: 21-Oct-2021 9:15 AM EDT
First-Ever Africa-Wide Great Ape Assessment Reveals Human Activity, not Habitat Availability, is Greatest Driver of Ape Abundance
Wildlife Conservation Society

The first-ever Africa-wide assessment of great apes – gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees – finds that human factors, including roads, population density and GDP, determine abundance more than ecological factors such as forest cover.

Released: 20-Oct-2021 2:00 PM EDT
How has scientific agreement on the anthropogenic nature of climate change evolved in 10 years?
Institute of Physics (IOP) Publishing

Scientific support for the link between human activity and climate change has strengthened to the extent that there is now near universal agreement.

15-Oct-2021 2:45 PM EDT
Global Standards Created for the Ethics of Ancient DNA Research
Stony Brook University

Ancient DNA (aDNA) research enables scientists to uncover more information than ever on past peoples. But this wide availability of aDNA brings ethical questions to the forefront. Now a team of more than 60 scholars have created a set of ethical guidelines regarding aDNA as a way to govern such research.

Newswise: Ancient poop shows people in present-day Austria drank beer and ate blue cheese up to 2,700 years ago
Released: 13-Oct-2021 1:55 PM EDT
Ancient poop shows people in present-day Austria drank beer and ate blue cheese up to 2,700 years ago
Cell Press

Human feces don’t usually stick around for long—and certainly not for thousands of years. But exceptions to this general rule are found in a few places in the world, including prehistoric salt mines of the Austrian UNESCO World Heritage area Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut.

Released: 13-Oct-2021 9:55 AM EDT
Primates’ ancestors may have left trees to survive asteroid
Cornell University

When an asteroid struck 66 million years ago and wiped out dinosaurs not related to birds and three-quarters of life on Earth, early ancestors of primates and marsupials were among the only tree-dwelling (arboreal) mammals that survived, according to a new study.

Newswise: Roman noblewoman’s tomb reveals secrets of ancient concrete resilience
Released: 8-Oct-2021 12:00 PM EDT
Roman noblewoman’s tomb reveals secrets of ancient concrete resilience
University of Utah

Over time, concrete cracks and crumbles. Well, most concrete cracks and crumbles. Structures built in ancient Rome are still standing, exhibiting remarkable durability despite conditions that would devastate modern concrete. One of these structures is the large cylindrical tomb of first-century noblewoman Caecilia Metella. New research shows that the quality of the concrete of her tomb may exceed that of her male contemporaries’ monuments because of the volcanic aggregate the builders chose and the unusual chemical interactions with rain and groundwater with that aggregate over two millennia.

Released: 5-Oct-2021 3:55 PM EDT
Late persistence of human ancestors at the margins of the monsoon in India
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History

The longest lasting tool-making tradition in prehistory, known as the Acheulean, appears more than 1.5 million years ago in Africa and 1.2 million years ago in India, and mainly consists of stone handaxes and cleavers (Figure 1).

Newswise: 614247fb6f1cc_02.JPG
Released: 1-Oct-2021 2:00 PM EDT
The latest research news in Archaeology and Anthropology
Newswise

“Throw me the idol; I’ll throw you the whip!” - From Raiders of the Lost Ark

     
Released: 1-Oct-2021 12:05 PM EDT
Space Archaeology study: life & culture on the International Space Station
Flinders University

In an out of this world study, space archaeologists are reconstructing life on the International Space Station (ISS) over the past two decades, to better understand space culture and get an inside look at how astronauts interact with their tools and colleagues when above Earth.

Released: 30-Sep-2021 8:35 AM EDT
Researchers turn to stones to find the ancient origin of Bitcoin
University of Oregon

Many investors compare Bitcoin to gold as a store of value, even referring to Bitcoin as “digital gold,” a comparison believed to be one of the drivers of Bitcoin’s meteoric rise over the past several months. But according to a paper by researchers at the University of Oregon, Bitcoin may be less like gold and more similar to ancient stone money. In “Banking on Stone Money: Ancient Antecedents to Bitcoin,” published in January 2020 in the journal Economic Anthropology, Scott M. Fitzpatrick of the University of Oregon Department of Anthropology teamed with Inman Research Scholar and finance professor Stephen McKeon of the Lundquist College of Business to explore Bitcoin’s precedents as “rooted in the ancient past, which involved the production, movement, and use of traditional forms of ‘currency,’ the most visible and prominent of which were the famous stone money of Yap.”

Released: 29-Sep-2021 12:40 PM EDT
Early Pacific Islanders May Have Been the First Conservationists
University of Oregon

Sustainability is a 21st century buzzword, but a new interdisciplinary study shows that some communities have been conducting sustainable practices for at least a thousand years. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and coauthored by University of Oregon archaeologist Scott Fitzpatrick, the study integrates data from archaeology, history and paleoecology to gain new insight into human-environmental interactions in the deep past. Focused on tropical island archipelagoes including Palau in Micronesia, the interdisciplinary data suggest that human-driven environmental change created feedback loops that prompted new approaches to resource management. The data from Palau point to human impacts on marine ecology beginning about 3,000 years ago, impacts that affected fish populations and therefore one of ancient Palau’s most important food sources.

Newswise: Study reveals extent of impact of human settlement on island ecosystems
Released: 28-Sep-2021 5:10 PM EDT
Study reveals extent of impact of human settlement on island ecosystems
University of Southampton

Research has shed new light on the impact of humans on islands’ biodiversity. The findings show how human colonization altered forest across the islands of Macaronesia including the loss of landscape authenticity.

Newswise: Ancient DNA analysis sheds light on dark event in medieval Spain
Released: 24-Sep-2021 2:45 PM EDT
Ancient DNA analysis sheds light on dark event in medieval Spain
University of Huddersfield

An international research team led by the University of Huddersfield's Archaeogenetics Research Group, including geneticists, archaeological scientists, and archaeologists, has published the genome sequence of a unique individual from Islamic medieval Spain – al-Andalus - the results of which have shed light on a brutal event that took place in medieval Spain.

Released: 22-Sep-2021 8:50 AM EDT
Human whistled languages may offer model for how to study dolphin communication
Frontiers

Whistling while you work isn’t just a distraction for some people.

Released: 21-Sep-2021 9:00 AM EDT
Drone helps researchers find fresh water in the sea at Easter Island
Binghamton University, State University of New York

Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York have demonstrated the effectiveness of using drones to locate freshwater sources at Easter Island.

Released: 17-Sep-2021 2:15 PM EDT
A new species of otter discovered in Germany
Taylor & Francis

Researchers from the Universities of Tübingen and Zaragoza have discovered a previously unknown species of otter from 11.4-million-year-old strata at the Hammerschmiede fossil site.

Released: 16-Sep-2021 2:45 PM EDT
Scientists pretend to be Neanderthals to explore how they caught birds in caves for food
Frontiers

Neanderthals, our closest relatives, became extinct between 40,000 to 35,000 years ago.



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