Mesolithic chewing gum reveals ancient diet and dental woes

About 10,000 years ago, a group of hunter-gatherers were hanging out in what is now south-western Sweden chewing pieces of birch tar. New analysis of that substance reveals that they may have had very modern dental issues.Continue ReadingCategory: Scie… Continue reading Mesolithic chewing gum reveals ancient diet and dental woes

With help of lasers, mystery of giant ‘King Kong’ ape’s demise finally solved

For two million years, a 10-feet-tall (305-cm), 660-pound (330-kg) ape towered over other fauna and thrived in its lush forest habitat, until it mysteriously vanished during the late middle Pleistocene. And until now, the extinction of Gigantopithecus … Continue reading With help of lasers, mystery of giant ‘King Kong’ ape’s demise finally solved

Swedish Vikings were surprisingly good dentists, research finds

Researchers have examined the teeth of Swedish Vikings and found that aside from evidence of decay and loss, they engaged in surprisingly advanced dental practices not dissimilar from modern practices to relieve toothache. The study provides a rare ins… Continue reading Swedish Vikings were surprisingly good dentists, research finds

Triple test confirms age of oldest human footprints in North America

In 2021, archeologists caused a stir with the announcement that a set of fossilized human footprints in New Mexico dated back more than 20,000 years – several millennia earlier than humans were thought to have set foot in North America. Now two extra d… Continue reading Triple test confirms age of oldest human footprints in North America

Oldest wooden structure, half a million years old, predates our species

Archaeologists excavating the oldest known wooden structure, dating back around 476,000 years

Stone Age builders may have been using other materials as well, according to a new study. Archaeologists have discovered the oldest evidence of artificial structures made of wood, dating back almost half a million years – predating the appearance of our own species and suggesting our relatives settled down much earlier than we thought.

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DNA “time capsule” extracted from 2,900-year-old brick

Time capsules are a fun way to get a glimpse into everyday life in the past, and now scientists have opened one from almost 3,000 years ago. The team successfully extracted DNA from inside an ancient clay brick, revealing a variety of plants from the a… Continue reading DNA “time capsule” extracted from 2,900-year-old brick

The special on the menu tonight: A 2,000-year-old curry

The earliest base for a Southeast Asian curry has been identified on a sandstone slab excavated from the Óc Eo site in Vietnam.Continue ReadingCategory: ScienceTags: Australian National University, Vietnam, Culture, Fossils, Archeology Continue reading The special on the menu tonight: A 2,000-year-old curry

Giant Ice Age hand-axe unearthed in the UK’s Medway Valley

Researchers from University College London’s Institute of Archaeology have uncovered a cache of 800 stone artefacts dating to more than 300,000 years ago. The find includes one of the largest hand-axes ever unearthed in Britain.Continue ReadingCategory… Continue reading Giant Ice Age hand-axe unearthed in the UK’s Medway Valley

Earliest evidence yet of butchery and cannibalism among ancient humans

Looking for evidence of bite marks that hinted at prehistoric predators hunting our ancient relatives, one researcher has instead found clues to the oldest record of butchering and potential cannibalism instead.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, Scienc… Continue reading Earliest evidence yet of butchery and cannibalism among ancient humans