Archaeologists reconstruct an ancient Aryan bow
A unique compound bow from the Bronze Age nearly 2 meters tall was reconstructed from authentic materials by SUSU specialists as part of an international team. This weapon had the greatest accuracy, shooting distance and killing power in its time......»»
Ancient trees help to protect an endangered species
The oldest trees in the forest help to prevent the disappearance of endangered species in the natural environment, according to a study led by the University of Barcelona. This is the case of the wolf lichen—threatened throughout Europe—which now.....»»
New research reveals that chickens were widely raised across southern Central Asia from 400 BCE
Chickens are one of the most economically important animals in the world today. However, the story of their origins and dispersal across the ancient world is still poorly understood. In fact, new archaeological techniques have recently led to the rec.....»»
Archaeologists illuminate ancient culinary practices using chemical biomarkers
Ceramic pots endure the corrosive effects of thousands of years, and organic remains preserved inside the pores can shed light on the culture, values, diets, and daily life of societies. This research is achieved with the help of biomarkers......»»
Researchers explore the hagfish genome, reconstruct the early genomic history of vertebrates
A study by a group of researchers at the University of Kentucky in collaboration with scientists in four other countries has been published in Nature. Their study is titled "The hagfish genome and the evolution of vertebrates.".....»»
Ancient Adélie penguin DNA reveals that small repeats persist for hundreds of millions of years
Microsatellites are valuable tools for studying inheritance, genetic diversity, and population dynamics across a wide range of organisms including bacteria, plants, animals, and fungi. These short, repeating sequence motifs are a common feature of bo.....»»
Curiosity rover searches for new clues about Mars" ancient water
NASA's Curiosity rover has begun exploring a new region of Mars, one that could reveal more about when liquid water disappeared once and for all from the Red Planet's surface. Billions of years ago, Mars was much wetter and probably warmer than it is.....»»
Study reveals evidence of violence at a time of crisis in ancient Peru
The transition from the fifth to the fourth century BCE (Before the Common Era) seems to have been a critical period for the Central Andes, a region now part of Peru. Researchers have found evidence of turbulence during the passage from the Middle Fo.....»»
Faintest known star system orbiting the Milky Way discovered
A team of astronomers led by the University of Victoria and Yale University has detected an ancient star system traveling around our galaxy named Ursa Major III / UNIONS 1 (UMa3/U1)—the faintest and lowest-mass Milky Way satellite ever discovered,.....»»
Ancient isolation"s impact on modern ecology: How deep biogeographic divides drive divergent evolutionary paths
A new study led by Michigan State University researcher Peter Williams sheds light on the profound influence of deep geographic isolation on the evolution of mammals. Published in Nature Communications, the research reveals how long-lasting separatio.....»»
Research unlocks supernova stardust secrets
Curtin University-led research has discovered a rare dust particle trapped in an ancient extra-terrestrial meteorite that was formed by a star other than our sun......»»
Elephant hunting by early humans may explain proximity between extensive Paleolithic stone quarries and water sources
Archaeologists from Tel Aviv University have uncovered the mystery surrounding extensive Paleolithic stone quarrying and tool-making sites: Why did Homo erectus repeatedly revisit the very same locations for hundreds of thousands of years? The answer.....»»
Researcher uses machine learning to help digitize ancient texts from Indus civilization
The civilization of Indus River Valley is considered one of the three earliest civilizations in world history, along with Mesopotamia and Egypt. Bigger geographically than those two as it unfolded starting in 3300 BCE across what is now Pakistan and.....»»
Team proposes using AI to reconstruct particle paths leading to new physics
Particles colliding in accelerators produce numerous cascades of secondary particles. The electronics processing the signals avalanching in from the detectors then have a fraction of a second in which to assess whether an event is of sufficient inter.....»»
Estimating coastal water depth from space via satellite-derived bathymetry
Since ancient times, knowing the depth of coastal waters has been key to safe and successful navigation and to exploit the sea's resources. Today, bathymetry—the measurement of sea depth—is even more important, playing essential roles in our unde.....»»
Plant material on obsidian blades on Rapa Nui suggests settlers there visited South America and returned
A team of archaeologists affiliated with several institutions in Chile reports evidence that early settlers on the island of Rapa Nui sailed to South America, interacted with people living there and then returned. In their study, published in PLOS ON.....»»
Ancient giant dolphin discovered in the Amazon
Paleontologists from the University of Zurich have announced the discovery of a new species of freshwater dolphin in the Peruvian Amazon region. Surprisingly, its closest living relatives can be found in the river dolphins of South Asia......»»
Scientists find one of the most ancient stars that formed in another galaxy
The first generation of stars transformed the universe. Inside their cores, simple hydrogen and helium fused into a rainbow of elements. When these stars died, they exploded and sent these new elements across the universe. The iron running in your ve.....»»
Study reveals "cozy domesticity" of prehistoric stilt-house dwellers in England"s ancient marshland
A major report on the remains of a stilt village that was engulfed in flames almost 3,000 years ago reveals in unprecedented detail the daily lives of England's prehistoric fenlanders......»»
New archive of ancient human brains challenges misconceptions of soft tissue preservation
Soft tissue preservation in the geological record is relatively rare, and except where deliberate intervention halts the process of decay (like embalming or freezing), the survival of entire organs is particularly unusual. The spontaneous preservatio.....»»
Unlocking the climate secrets of North China with ancient tree rings
A study published in the Journal of Geographical Sciences reveals a novel method for reconstructing historical warm season temperatures in North China. Utilizing the blue intensity (BI) of tree rings of Picea meyeri, researchers have developed a 281-.....»»