News
40,000-year-old Paleolithic carvings may be the precursor to human writing
1+ day, 6+ hour ago (652+ words) Ice Age carvings of dots and crosses show information patterns that match early proto-cuneiform, a new PNAS study finds. (CREDIT: AI-generated image / The Brighter Side of News) A new computational analysis argues otherwise. Linguist Christian Bentz of Saarland University and…...
Neanderthal males preferred human females, genetic study finds
2+ day, 6+ hour ago (12+ words) Neanderthal males preferred human females, genetic study finds'The Brighter Side of News...
Iron Age mass grave reveals targeted violence against women and children
4+ day, 20+ hour ago (15+ words) Iron Age mass grave reveals targeted violence against women and children'The Brighter Side of News...
1.9 million-year-old finding points to the earliest evidence of humans outside of Africa
1+ week, 2+ day ago (873+ words) Researcher at the site of "Ubeidiya. It lies three km south of the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret) on what is today the flanks of the western escarpment of the Jordan Valley. (CREDIT: University of Tulsa) When a stone sits…...
773,000-year-old Moroccan cave fossils reveal human and neandertal evolutionary split
2+ week, 1+ day ago (949+ words) A precisely dated Moroccan cave sequence places hominin jaws and teeth at 773,000 years old, near a key split in our lineage. (CREDIT: Kennis brothers / Natural History Museum) For anyone trying to picture the human family tree, the hardest part often…...
Rich medieval Danes bought graves ‘closer to God’, study finds
2+ week, 3+ day ago (14+ words) Rich medieval Danes bought graves "closer to God, study finds'The Brighter Side of News...
New study finds AI depictions of Neanderthals are outdated and wrong
3+ week, 1+ day ago (798+ words) The species, known scientifically as Homo neanderthalensis, has been debated for more than a century. (CREDIT: Advances in Archaeological Practice) Over the past 40 years, phones and computers have turned into the world's largest library. Answers now arrive in seconds. With…...
Neanderthal enzyme appears to play a significant role in athletic performance
3+ week, 1+ day ago (699+ words) Ancient Neandertal DNA weakened a muscle enzyme still affecting athletic performance and health in people today. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) Deep in your muscles, an enzyme called AMPD1 helps turn chemical fuel into usable energy. When it does not work well, muscles tire…...
New DNA study reveals Beachy Head Woman was local to Roman Britain
1+ mon, 5+ day ago (285+ words) This digital image was generated from a 3D scan of Beachy Head Woman's skull. The skin, hair and eye pigmentation were informed by ancient DNA results. (CREDIT: Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University) "Early interpretations of the findings sparked considerable…...
Archaeologists find Europe’s oldest known blue pigment use
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (1124+ words) Azurite traces on a Final Palaeolithic stone from Germany suggest Ice Age people used blue pigments, likely on skin or fabrics now lost. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) "This challenges what we thought we knew about Palaeolithic pigment use, said Dr. Izzy Wisher,…...