Neanderthals Used Toothpicks, New Research Reveals (Heritage Daily 22/03/21)
Neanderthals from around 46,000 years ago used ‘toothpicks and oral hygiene’ an international team of scientists have found
Archaeologists uncover 3,000-year-old gold mask in southwest China (CNN 22/03/21)
The remains of a gold mask are among a huge cache of 3,000-year-old artifacts found at an archaeological site in China’s Sichuan province.
Lunch Break Science #23| Ashley Hammond
Lunch Break Science is a weekly online series featuring short lectures or interviews with Leakey Foundation scientists Lunch Break Science #23| Ashley Hammond Meet Leakey Foundation grantee Ashley Hammond and learn how fossils, especially the pelvis, are an indicator of locomotor evolution through time.
Ancient Maya Ambassador’s Bones Show Life of Privilege and Hardship (Heritagedaily 16/03/21)
An important Maya man buried nearly 1,300 years ago led a privileged yet difficult life. The man suffered malnutrition or illness as a child, but as an adult he helped negotiate an alliance between two powerful dynasties that ultimately failed.
Israeli experts announce discovery of more Dead Sea scrolls (Phys.org 16/03/21)
Israeli archaeologists on Tuesday announced the discovery of dozens of Dead Sea Scroll fragments bearing a biblical text found in a desert cave and believed hidden during a Jewish revolt against Rome nearly 1,900 years ago.
What fueled humans’ big brains? Controversial paper proposes new hypothesis (Live Science 12/03/21)
As the largest animals on the landscape disappeared, the scientists propose, human brains had to grow to enable the hunting of smaller, swifter prey.
Ancient Christian ruins discovered in Egypt reveal ‘nature of monastic life’ (The Guardian 14/03/21)
Archaeologists unearth monks’ cells and churches with biblical inscriptions dating back to fourth century AD.
Shivering in the Pleistocene (CENIEH 11/03/21)
CENIEH researchers have used a thermoregulation model that simulates heat loss to show that humans in Middle Pleistocene Europe could adapt to harsh environmental conditions without making use of fire.
Prehistoric women were successful big-game hunters, challenging beliefs about ancient gender roles (Phys.org 11/03/21)
Archeological evidence from Peru has revealed that some ancient big-game hunters were in fact women, challenging what science writer James Gorman wrote was “one of the most widely held tenets about ancient hunters and gatherers -that males hunted and females gathered.”
‘Blinged out’ female ruler may be evidence of powerful women during Bronze Age (Science 10/3/21)
A new analysis of a richly adorned female ruler buried in a Bronze Age palace suggests women could also occupy the throne.
Genetic analysis of ancient massacre reveals instance of indiscriminate killing (Phys.org 10/3/21)
Genetic analysis provides clarity and also prompts further questions around an ancient massacre in Potočani, Croatia, in a study published March 10, 2021 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Mario Novak from the Institute for Anthropological Research, Croatia, Ron Pinhasi from the University of Vienna, Austria, David Reich from Harvard Medical School and Harvard University, U.S.,…
Humans evolved to be the water-saving ape (Eurekalert 05/03/21)
New study suggests humans evolved to run on less water than our closest primate relatives.
