Newswise Feature Channel: Archaeology and Anthropology

Have We Found All the Major Maya Cities? Not Even Close, New Research Suggests

Northern Arizona University — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 05:00:00 EST

Researchers' analysis of "found" lidar data from a completely unstudied corner of the Maya civilization revealed countless settlements that archaeologists never knew about. The study demonstrates, once and for all, that there's still plenty of the Maya world to uncover.

Underwater Caves Yield New Clues About Sicily's First Residents

Washington University in St. Louis — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 14:00:00 EST

Archaeological surveys led by scientists at Washington University in St. Louis suggest that coastal and underwater cave sites in southern Sicily contain important new clues about the path and fate of early human migrants to the island.

Study of Monkey Fossils Found in Cave Sheds Light on the Animals' Extinction Centuries Ago

Johns Hopkins Medicine — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 11:05:20 EST

By studying rare fossils of jaws and other skull parts of a long-extinct Caribbean monkey, a team of researchers that includes a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine professor says it has uncovered new evidence documenting the anatomy and ecology of an extinct primate once found on Hispaniola -- the Caribbean island on which Haiti and the Dominican Republic are located.

In November the Famous 'Lucy' Fossil Discovery Turns 50, Continues to Impact Human Origins Scientific Research

Arizona State University (ASU) — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 06:05:00 EST

Fifty years ago--on November 24, 1974--only a few years after humans' first steps on the moon, a young paleoanthropologist, Donald Johanson, walking in the dusty landscape of the Afar Rift Valley of Ethiopia discovered the first human ancestor fossil who reliably walked upright on two feet--"Lucy."

Scientists Turn to Human Skeletons to Explore Origins of Horseback Riding

University of Colorado Boulder — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 17:05:44 EST

A new, wide-ranging exploration of human remains casts doubt on a long-standing theory in archaeology known as the Kurgan hypothesis--which, among other claims, suggests that humans first domesticated horses as early as the fourth millennium B.C.

Arkansas University Starts Community Archaeology Project to Uncover Local History

University of Arkansas at Little Rock — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 10:05:45 EST

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has started a community archaeology project on campus, inviting local residents to join forces with students and faculty in uncovering the rich history of the area.

NASA's Roman Space Telescope to Investigate Galactic Fossils

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 10:10:09 EST

The universe may seem static, only capable of being captured in still frames, but that is far from the truth. It is actually ever-changing, just not on timescales clearly visible to humans. NASA's upcoming Roman Space Telescope will bridge this gap in time, opening the way to the dynamic universe.

Matching dinosaur footprints found on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean

Southern Methodist University — Sun, 25 Aug 2024 23:55:00 EST

An international team led by SMU paleontologist Louis L. Jacobs has found matching sets of Early Cretaceous dinosaur footprints on what are now two different continents. In terms of their geological and tectonic plates contexts, these dinosaur fossils were found to be almost identical.

Ancient DNA Sheds Light on the Genetic Diversity of Post-Roman Elites

Stony Brook University — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 12:05:01 EST

A new study of ancient DNA by a team of international researchers and co-led by Krishna R. Veeramah, PhD, of Stony Brook University, provides insight into the development and social structures of European rural communities following the fall of the Roman Empire. The findings, published in a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), suggest that early medieval elites, or those of higher social status, were initially made up of multiple families with distinct genetic ancestries. However, over time these families intermarried and also the local communities integrated genetically diverse newcomers from a variety of different social and cultural backgrounds.

Fossil hotspots in Africa obscure a more complete picture of human evolution

George Washington University — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 09:05:32 EST

New study shows how the mismatch between where fossils are preserved and where humans likely lived may influence our understanding of early human evolution.

Curious by Nature: Debunking Easter Island Collapse with Dr. Carl Lipo

Newswise — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 08:05:44 EST

Dr. Carl Lipo from Binghamton University studied Easter Island (Rapa Nui), where he has conducted extensive research on the famous moai statues and the island's history.

Genetics reveal ancient trade routes and path to domestication of the Four Corners potato

University of Utah — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 12:05:08 EST

Indigenous people brought a native potato to southern Utah, adding to the list of culturally significant plant species that pre-contact cultures domesticated in the Southwestern U.S. Genetic analysis revealed Solanum jamesii had been collected, transported and traded throughout the Colorado Plateau.

Research Team Discovers Lost Nile River Branch

University of North Carolina Wilmington — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 16:05:52 EST

Findings may explain location of largest Egyptian pyramid field

International experts descend on Adelaide to examine how 'vernacular' architectural insight can solve some of our biggest global challenges

University of South Australia — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 21:05:14 EST

Internationally renowned architectural scholars will descend upon Adelaide, South Australia, for a conference exploring the varied nature of modern vernacular studies and its insight for 21st century problems.

Insight into one of life's earliest ancestors revealed in new study

University of Bristol — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 05:00:00 EST

An international team of researchers led by the University of Bristol has shed light on Earth's earliest ecosystem, showing that within a few hundred million years of planetary formation, life on Earth was already flourishing.

Archaeologists report earliest evidence for plant farming in east Africa

Washington University in St. Louis — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 19:05:00 EST

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 previously uncovered.

New study adds to mystery of Cahokia exodus

Washington University in St. Louis — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 03:05:29 EST

WashU archaeologists dig into Cahokia's history to cast doubt on a popular theory about why the ancient city was abandoned.

First case of Down syndrome in Neandertals documented in new study

Binghamton University, State University of New York — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 14:05:22 EST

A new study published by an international multidisciplinary team of researchers including faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York, documents the first case of Down syndrome in Neandertals and reveals that they were capable of providing altruistic care and support for a vulnerable member of their social group.

Prehistoric Pompeii discovered: Most pristine trilobite fossils ever found shake up scientific understanding of the long extinct group

University of Bristol — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 14:00:00 EST

Researchers have described some of the best-preserved three-dimensional trilobite fossils ever discovered. The fossils, which are more than 500 million years old, were collected in the High Atlas of Morocco and are being referred to by scientists as "Pompeii" trilobites due to their remarkable preservation in ash.

The sound of conch-shell trumpets may have linked ancient Pueblo communities

Binghamton University, State University of New York — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 11:05:06 EST

In medieval Europe, villages were bound together by the sound of church bells, which summoned the community for reasons both sacred and secular. Desert communities in northwestern New Mexico may have been similarly organized around sound -- in this case, the blast of a conch-shell trumpet echoing out from the central great house.