New clues from 2 million-year-old tooth enamel tell us more about an ancient relative of humans: For nearly a century, scientists have been puzzling over fossils from a strange and robust-looking distant relative of early humans: Paranthropus robustus. It walked upright, and was built for heavy chewing with relatively massive jaws, and huge teeth with …
How I uncovered a potential ancient Rome wine scam: Dan Henson/Shutterstock Before artificial sweeteners, people satisfied their cravings for sweetness with natural products, including honey or dried fruit. Raisin wines, made by drying grapes before fermentation, were particularly popular. Historical records show these wines, some known as passum, were enjoyed in the Roman Empire and …
Ocean mud locks up much of the planet’s carbon – we’re digging deep to map these ancient stores: Damsea/Shutterstock Mud is messy. For some, it’s a plaything. To many, it can mean real hardship. Mud, though, is often overlooked, particularly when it lies out of sight. Deep down at the bottom of the sea, it …
COVID modelling reveals new insights into ancient social distancing – podcast: lindasky76/Shutterstock Five years since COVID emerged, not only has the pandemic affected the way we live and work, it’s also influencing the way researchers are thinking about the past. In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, archaeologist Alex Bentley explains how the pandemic …
Ancient DNA reveals Maghreb communities preserved their culture and genes, even in a time of human migration: Doukanet el Khoutifa, Tunisia, where some of the remains were found. Giulio Lucarini, CC BY-NC-ND The Neolithic period began in southwest Asia around 12,000 years ago. It marked a major shift in human history as societies transitioned from …
Ancient stone walls and power: what data science tools can reveal in African archaeology: Visibility has always been important in people’s decisions about where to live and how to arrange their spaces. People make connections with what they can see. Being able to see prominent landmarks, such as certain mountain peaks, rivers or ancestral sites, …
Rock art acoustics: South African study suggests that a distinct echo attracted ancient artists back to one site: Physics does not adequately explain reflected sound and echo effects. Take as example the echo-producing Echoplex, a magnetic tape device that influenced the soundtrack of a generation. Think of Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love (1969) and the …
Museum of the Bamoun Kings: ancient treasures from Cameroon find a spectacular new home: One of the most significant African museum openings of 2024 was the Musée des Rois Bamoun, or Museum of the Bamoun Kings, in Foumban, Cameroon. Housing over 10,000 objects, it offers more than 600 years of history in its display of …
Ancient human DNA from a South African rock shelter sheds light on 10,000 years of history: Oakhurst rock shelter is an archaeological site near the town of George on the southern coast of South Africa. It is set into a sandstone cliff above a stream in a valley forested by towering old yellowwood trees. Archaeologists …
Kamala Harris and her fellow Democrats used ancient Greek rhetorical tricks to keep their audiences spellbound: The Democratic Party has had a good week. I’ll start that again – the Democratic Party has had an amazingly good week. Not so long ago, the Democrats seemed down, if not actually out. Now, they’re not merely pulling …
Is your desk job killing your back? Ancient Egyptian scribes had the same aches and pains, say researchers: Tens of thousands of years ago, during a period of Egyptian history known as the Old Kingdom (around 2649–2130 BC), it was rare for people to be able to read and write. From an estimated population of …
Depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder linked with ancient viral DNA in our genome – new research: Hervs represent the remnants of infections from ancient viruses. james benjamin/ Shutterstock Around 8% of human DNA is made up of genetic sequences acquired from ancient viruses. These sequences, known as human endogenous retroviruses (or Hervs), date back hundreds …
An ancient system that could bring water to dry areas: Some of Africa’s dry areas face serious water shortages due to minimal rainfall. An ancient system of drawing water from aquifers, the “qanat system”, could help. Gaathier Mahed, an environmental scientist and expert on the management of groundwater, has studied the feasibility of these systems. …
Unusual ancient elephant tracks had our team of fossil experts stumped – how we solved the mystery: Elephants communicate underground by generating seismic waves. Anadolu Agency Over the past 15 years, through our scientific study of tracks and traces, we have identified more than 350 fossil vertebrate tracksites from South Africa’s Cape south coast. Most …
How writing ‘made us human’ – an ’emotional history’ from ancient Iraq to the present day: Evidence suggests that writing was invented in southern Iraq sometime before 3000BC. But what happened next? Anyone interested in this question will find How Writing Made Us Human by Walter Stephens both an enjoyable and stimulating read. It offers …
Madagascar cave art hints at ancient connections between Africa and Asia: Unique, prehistoric rock art drawings have been discovered in the Andriamamelo Cave in western Madagascar. I was part of a team that discovered and described these ancient treasures. They’re the first truly pictorial art, depicting images of nature with human-like and animal-like figures, to …
Victor Ekpuk is a Nigerian artist who uses ancient African graphic writing systems to unveil a stunning new display of creativity: Victor Ekpuk is an internationally renowned Nigerian artist known for his artwork inspired by ancient African writing and graphic writing systems. INTERwoven TEXTures is his first solo exhibition at the important Efi? gallery in …
Gingerbread is a delicious yet ancient staple of the holiday season — and its spices may have some surprising health benefits: The gingerbread house traces its origins to 18th-century Germany. Tatiana Gordievskaia/ Shutterstock No confectionery symbolises the holidays quite like gingerbread. While most of us associate gingerbread with edible houses and spiced loaves of cake-like …