archaeology

Bird Navigation, Dark Matter, Biblical Archaeology, and More

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While we sleep this spring, billions of birds will be flying through the night from their wintering grounds to their breeding territories. Bird migration is a mind-bendingly astonishing phenomenon: these tiny creatures fly thousands of kilometers with enough precision to return to the same nesting site year after year. They use three types of compass, … Read more

Domestication: Geese may have been the first birds kept by humans 7000 years ago

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Goose bones from Stone Age China suggest the birds were being domesticated there 7000 years ago, which could mean they were domesticated before chickens Humans 7 March 2022 By Michael Marshall Chinese geese (Anser cygnoides f. domestica) blickwinkel/AGAMI/M. Guyt/Alamy Geese may have been domesticated as early as 7000 years ago in what is now China, … Read more

African heritage: 190 sites threatened by rising seas this century

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As sea levels rise due to climate change, heritage sites all around the African coast will come under increasing risk of flood damage – including Carthage and sites linked to the Ancient Egyptian civilisation Humans 10 February 2022 By Michael Marshall Sabratha, an ancient Roman town in what is now Libya Sklifas Steven/Alamy Stock Photo … Read more

Human evolution: 160,000-year-old fossil may be the first Denisovan skull we’ve found

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A partial skull from China represents the earliest human with a “modern” brain size. It could represent an unknown group of ancient humans, or perhaps one of the enigmatic Denisovans Humans 26 January 2022 By Michael Marshall Fragments of a large ancient human skull known as Xujiayao 6 Xiu-Jie Wu,Christopher J.Bae, Martin Friess, Song Xing, … Read more

‘Space archaeology’ research on the ISS will help design better space habitats

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A unique archaeological study of crew culture within the International Space Station (ISS) will focus on the orbiting habitat as a “microsociety in a miniworld.” This inside look at the ISS, called the International Space Station Archaeological Project (ISSAP), is expected to supply new insight into human life in space and issues of habitation design. … Read more

Archaeology: Ancient Andean leaders may have mixed hallucinogen with their beer

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A concoction of vilca seeds and fermented alcohol may have provided a mild hallucinogenic experience, enabling Wari leaders in South America to bond with their people Humans 12 January 2022 By Michael Marshall Anadenanthera colubrina, a tree species common to nearly all regions of South American Matt Lavin/Flickr Get high, make friends. Members of the … Read more

Ancient Egypt: Pharaoh’s mummy digitally unwrapped for first time

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Amenhotep I ruled Egypt from around 1525 to 1504 BC and his pristine mummy has never been unwrapped, but CT scans have now allowed us to peer inside Humans 28 December 2021 By Alex Wilkins Face mask of the never-before unwrapped mummy of pharaoh Amenhotep I S. Saleem and Z. Hawass One of the last … Read more

Archaeology: Stones smashed by horses can be mistaken for ancient human tools

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Horses kick and stamp on rocks to keep their hooves in good shape, and archaeologists have now realised this can result in a collection of sharp stones that look like the work of an ancient human toolmaker Life 1 December 2021 By Graham Lawton Horses climbing over rocks Shutterstock / Valentin Finaev Some stone tools … Read more

Early humans: Mystery hominin in East Africa had an unusual walking style

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A set of 3.7-million-year-old footprints were initially thought to have been left by a bear walking upright, but have now been reinterpreted as the prints of an unidentified hominin that walked a little bit like a modern catwalk fashion model Humans 1 December 2021 By Michael Marshall One of the hominin footprints preserved at Laetoli … Read more

Beer in Ancient Egypt: Wealthy people used porridge-like beer in their ceremonies 5600 years ago

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Centuries before the pharaohs emerged in Egypt, the local elites used a thick porridge-like beer in their ceremonies Humans 3 December 2021 By Jason Arunn Murugesu Reconstruction of beer cups and jars from early Egypt Dr. Renee The elite members of early Egyptian society – before the emergence of the pharaohs – probably drank beer, … Read more