Seeing the wood for the trees: How archaeologists use hazelnuts to reconstruct ancient woodlands
If we could stand in a landscape that our Mesolithic ancestors called home, what would we see around us? Scientists have devised a method of analyzing preserved hazelnut shells to tell us whether the microhabitats around archaeological sites were hea.....»»
DNA analyses show the plague may have caused the downfall of Stone Age farmers
Ancient DNA from bones and teeth hints at a role of the plague in Stone Age population collapse. Contrary to previous beliefs, the plague may have diminished Europe's populations long before the major plague outbreaks of the Middle Ages, new research.....»»
Australian amber has revealed "living fossils" traced back to Gondwana 42 million years ago
Amber is fossilized tree resin. Unlike traditional fossils found on land or in the sea, amber can preserve ancient life forms in incredible detail. It's often considered the "holy grail" of paleontology worldwide......»»
Archaeologists find ancient temple and theater in Peru
A team of archaeologists, led by Field Museum scientist Luis Muro Ynoñán, has unearthed the remains of what appears to be a four-thousand-year-old temple and theater in coastal Peru......»»
Archaeologists report earliest evidence for plant farming in east Africa
A trove of ancient plant remains excavated in Kenya helps explain the history of plant farming in equatorial eastern Africa, a region long thought to be important for early farming but where scant evidence from actual physical crops has been previous.....»»
How a global collaboration is helping protect biodiversity
Ask a 10-year-old to name some extinct animals and they can usually rattle off ancient species such as the Tasmanian Tiger, Woolly Mammoth and Dodo. Some may even be able to tell you what the animals used to look like without searching online......»»
This Ancient Technology Is Helping Millions Stay Cool
Cheap, low-energy evaporative cooling devices are keeping water, food, people, and even whole buildings cool across India......»»
Geochronological study analyzes the most ancient sedimentary levels at the Galería site
Isabel Hernando-Alonso, a researcher at the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), is the lead author of a geochronological study published in the journal Quaternary Geochronology, in which the electron spin resonance.....»»
Researchers engineer poplar trees to synthesize valuable chemical squalene, normally harvested from shark livers
What do poplar trees, sharks and biofuels have in common? While it might sound a bit like a riddle, a team led by Michigan State University biochemists has reported exciting findings concerning all three in the quest for cleaner energy......»»
Disease has killed most of UK"s elm trees since the 1960s—but there are signs they may be making a comeback
Elm trees were once stalwarts of the UK countryside that towered out of hedgerows, lined fields and woodlands. Glance at the landscape paintings of John Constable for a vague idea of what has been lost. Elm timber made ships, chairs and even water pi.....»»
From fields to policy: Conserving China"s agricultural heritage systems
Agricultural heritage systems, the custodians of ancient farming practices, face unprecedented challenges from climate change and urbanization. A recent study presents a detailed geographical analysis coupled with strategic management approaches to c.....»»
Researchers use 1,000 historical photos to reconstruct Antarctic glaciers before a dramatic collapse
In March 2002, the Larsen B Ice Shelf collapsed catastrophically, breaking up an area about one-sixth the size of Tasmania......»»
Egalitarian oddity found in the Neolithic
Men, women, and immigrants all seemed to have similar dietary inputs. Enlarge / A skeleton found during 1950's excavations at the Barman site. (credit: Université de Genève) Did ancient people practice equality? While.....»»
Pongamia trees grow where citrus once flourished, offering renewable energy and plant-based protein
An ancient tree from India is now thriving in groves where citrus trees once flourished in Florida, and could help provide the nation with renewable energy......»»
Evidence shows ancient Saudi Arabia had complex and thriving communities, not struggling people in a barren land
To date, little has been known about people living in north-western Saudi Arabia during the Neolithic—the period traditionally defined by the shift to humans controlling food production and settling into communities with agriculture and domesticate.....»»
Ancient volcanic eruption not a catalyst for early Homo sapiens cultural innovations, researchers say
An international team of researchers from the Universities of Tübingen (Dr. Armando Falcucci), Siena, and Bologna analyzed the cultural remains left by groups of early Homo sapiens at Grotta di Castelcivita in southern Italy, dating back to before t.....»»
Five common English words we don"t know the origins of—including "boy" and "dog"
The naming process, the act of naming the items of the world, is as old as the first words spoken by our ancestors. We can reconstruct the stages of this process through etymology, which studies the historical development of the lexicon of a language.....»»
Bone remains indicate extinct humans survived on the Tibetan plateau for 160,000 years
Bone remains found in a Tibetan cave 3,280 m above sea level indicate an ancient group of humans survived here for many millennia, according to a new study published in Nature......»»
Study reveals ancient Nile floods were highly variable during wetter climates
Global warming as well as recent droughts and floods threaten large populations along the Nile Valley. Understanding how such a large river will respond to an invigorated hydrological cycle is therefore a pressing issue. Insights can be gained by stu.....»»
Climate Change Has Fried Earth So Badly Trees Won’t Save You Today—But I Will
The people of Phoenix will suffer under extreme heat this summer. The city has workers for that......»»
Team plans 3D modeling project for France"s natural history collections
France's natural history collections contain nearly 6% of the world's total natural specimens across multiple institutions, and the e-COL+ project aims to capture and reconstruct these specimens in 3D for easy access and 3D printing around the world......»»