http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/anthropology/ Anthropology News. Read about early human culture, civilizations and latest discoveries at ancient sites in our anthropology news. en-us Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:05:01 EST Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/anthropology/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101623.htm Using portable 3-D laser technology, scientists have electronically preserved a rare 110 million-year-old fossilized dinosaur footprint excavated in 1933, and built into the wall of a bandstand at a Texas courthouse. The laser image preserves an original track used to describe a species of dinosaur identified in 1935 as ichnospecies Eubrontes glenrosensis. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101623.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132706.htm Scientists have an ambitious new strategy for untangling the evolutionary history of humans and their biological relatives: Create a genetic menagerie made of the DNA of more than 10,000 vertebrate species. The plan, proposed by an international consortium of scientists, is to obtain, preserve, and sequence the DNA of approximately one species for each genus of living mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132706.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027170853.htm Isotopic measurements performed on fossil land snail shells found in ancient soils on the subtropical eastern Canary Islands resulted in oxygen isotope ratios that suggest the Spanish archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa has become progressively drier over the past 50,000 years, according to new research. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027170853.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026105742.htm The Batavians, who lived in the Netherlands at the start of the Christian era were far more Roman than was previously thought. After just a few decades of Roman occupation, the Batavians had become so integrated that they cooked, built and bathed in a Roman manner. A Dutch researcher discovered this during recent archaeological research. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026105742.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021115147.htm Researchers have carried out molecular genetic analysis of the Y chromosome (transmitted only by males) of the aboriginal population of the Canary Islands to determine their origin and the extent to which they have survived in the current population. The results suggest a North African origin for these paternal lineages which, unlike maternal lineages, have declined to the point of being practically replaced today by European lineages. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021115147.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091025205016.htm Why did Barack Obama win the US election and did the fact he is over six feet tall influence the voters? Researchers argue that due to 'a hangover from our evolutionary past' factors like age, sex, height and weight play a major part in the determining our choice of leaders. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091025205016.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020094100.htm Genetic information from an extinct species of bison preserved in permafrost for thousands of years could help improve modern agricultural livestock and breeding programs, according to researchers. Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020094100.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623150619.htm A new study describes recent excavations in Jordan that reveal evidence of the world's oldest known granaries. Scientists provide evidence that these granaries precede the emergence of fully domesticated plants and large-scale sedentary communities by at least 1,000 years. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623150619.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022122321.htm A new study of chimpanzees living in the wild adds to evidence that our closest primate relatives have cultural differences, too. The study shows that neighboring chimpanzee populations in Uganda use different tools to solve a novel problem: extracting honey trapped within a fallen log. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022122321.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020203420.htm Researchers report the oldest archaeological evidence of early human activities in a grassland environment, dating to two million years ago. The article highlights new research and its implications concerning the environments in which human ancestors evolved. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020203420.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019134711.htm Jerusalem's geology has been crucial in molding it into one of the most religiously important cities on the planet, according to a new study. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019134711.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014210431.htm Norwegian scientists have found "mummified" pine trees, dead for nearly 500 years yet without decomposition. Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014210431.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014111547.htm New findings from the Qesem Cave archaeological dig in Israel indicate that during the Lower Paleolithic Period people prepared and shared meat differently than in earlier times, providing new clues into our evolutionary development, economics and social behaviors. Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014111547.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008113341.htm Among the many surprises associated with the discovery of the oldest known, nearly complete skeleton of a hominid is the finding that this species took its first steps toward bipedalism not on the open, grassy savanna, as generations of scientists -- going back to Charles Darwin -- hypothesized, but in a wooded landscape. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008113341.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001110548.htm For the first time, scientists have thoroughly described Ardipithecus ramidus, a hominid species that lived 4.4 million years ago in what is now Ethiopia. Several new studies offer the first comprehensive, peer-reviewed description of the Ardipithecus fossils, which include a partial skeleton of a female, nicknamed "Ardi." Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001110548.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929203027.htm The world's largest living lizard species, the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), is vulnerable to extinction and yet little is known about its natural history. New research by a team of palaeontologists and archaeologists from Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia, who studied fossil evidence from Australia, Timor, Flores, Java and India, shows that Komodo Dragons most likely evolved in Australia and dispersed westward to Indonesia. Thu, 01 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929203027.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924141049.htm Today's Scandinavians are not descended from the people who came to Scandinavia at the conclusion of the last ice age but, apparently, from a population that arrived later, concurrently with the introduction of agriculture. This is one conclusion of a new study straddling the borderline between genetics and archaeology. Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924141049.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924093355.htm Recent research on the Cohen Y chromosome indicates the Jewish priesthood, the Cohanim, was established by several unrelated male lines rather than a single male lineage dating to ancient Hebrew times. Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924093355.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923143335.htm Researchers have found that evolution can never go backwards, because the paths to the genes once present in our ancestors are forever blocked. The findings come from the first rigorous study of reverse evolution at the molecular level. Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923143335.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921173412.htm The archaeological excavations at the royal palace in the ancient city of Qatna, north east of the Syrian city of Homs, have once again unfolded a remarkable archaeological discovery. The summer excavations, a German-Syrian collaboration located a rock tomb-cellar underneath the palace containing hundreds of artifacts as well as human bones from the period 1600-1400 BC. Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921173412.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915101355.htm Well-preserved craniodental fossil remains from two primate species have been discovered during excavations at an Algerian site. They reveal that the small primate Algeripithecus, which is 50 million years old and until now was considered as the most ancient African anthropoid, in fact belonged to another group, that of the crown strepsirhines. Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915101355.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909095100.htm The largest cache of rare coins ever found in a scientific excavation from the period of the Bar-Kokhba revolt of the Jews against the Romans has been discovered in a cave by researchers in Israel. Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909095100.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911134624.htm A giant African lake basin is providing information about possible migration routes and hunting practices of early humans in the Middle and Late Stone Age periods, between 150,000 and 10,000 years ago. Researchers have documented thousands of stone tools on the lake bed, which sheds new light on how humans in Africa adapted to several substantial climate change events during the period that coincided with the last Ice Age in Europe. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911134624.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824141045.htm Medically, crying is known to be a symptom of physical pain or stress. But now an evolutionary biologist looks to empirical evidence showing that tears have emotional benefits and can make interpersonal relationships stronger. Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824141045.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903163902.htm Analysis of ancient DNA suggests that Europe's first farmers were not the descendants of the people who settled the area after the retreat of the ice sheets. Instead, the early farmers probably migrated into major areas of central and eastern Europe about 7,500 years ago, bringing domesticated plants and animals with them. DNA analysis reveals little evidence of a direct genetic link between the hunter-gatherers and the early farmers. Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903163902.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903110816.htm The discoveries continue to surprise for a team of students digging in Ohio's Shawnee Lookout Park, with a major new mound being located and a rare kiln used to fire pottery excavated in recent weeks, along with even more evidence emerging to support the theory that the site could be the largest continuously occupied hilltop Native American site in the United States. Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903110816.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901172832.htm Humans and chimpanzees are genetically very similar, yet it is not difficult to identify the many ways in which we are clearly distinct from chimps. In a new study, scientists have made a crucial discovery of genes that have evolved in humans after branching off from other primates, opening new possibilities for understanding what makes us uniquely human. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901172832.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827123210.htm Researchers have calculated a general rate of one mutation in each 15 to 30 million DNA letters in humans. Using next-generation sequencing, researchers sequenced part of the Y chromosome from two distant male-line relatives. Despite 13 generations of separation -- with a common male ancestor 200 years ago -- they found only four letters that differed. Mutation is the ultimate source of human genetic variation and has implications for both evolutionary and disease genetics. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827123210.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831212951.htm Central Asian ethnic groups are more defined by societal rules than ancestry. Researchers found that overall there are more genetic differences within ethnic groups than between them, indicating that separate "ethnic groups" exist in the mind more than the blood. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831212951.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827101204.htm Shell beads unearthed from four sites in Morocco confirm early humans were consistently wearing and even trading symbolic jewelery as early as 80,000 years ago. These beads add to similar finds dating back as far as 110,000 in Algeria, Morocco, Israel and South Africa, confirming these as the oldest form of personal ornaments. Together these shells -- all from the Nassarius genus -- indicate a shared tradition passed along through cultures over thousands of years. Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827101204.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090825203332.htm Candomblé, a religion practiced primarily in South America and inspired by older African beliefs, makes much use of animal sacrifice. Researchers carried out interviews with priests, priestesses and adherents of the religion, documenting the role sacrifice plays in their beliefs. Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090825203332.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090820161131.htm Recent archaeological discoveries from far-flung corners of China are forcing scientists to reconsider the origins of ancient Chinese civilization -- and a new crop of young archaeologists are delving into the modern nation's roots. Mon, 24 Aug 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090820161131.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818182053.htm A new study has concluded that one key part of the immune system, the ability of vitamin D to regulate anti-bactericidal proteins, is so important that is has been conserved through almost 60 million years of evolution and is shared only by primates, including humans -- but no other known animal species. Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818182053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090820175901.htm The lowly appendix, long-regarded as a useless evolutionary artifact, won newfound respect two years ago when researchers proposed that it actually serves a critical function. The appendix, they said, is a safe haven where good bacteria could hang out until they were needed to repopulate the gut after a nasty case of diarrhea, for example. Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090820175901.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818083228.htm A prehistoric water-filled cave in the Dominican Republic has become a "treasure trove" with the announcement by archaeologists of the discovery of stone tools, a primate skull, and the claws, jawbone and other bones of several species of sloths. This rare find is expected to offer insight into both the earliest inhabitants of the Greater Antilles and an issue of worldwide concern -- the extinction of native birds and animals when humans arrive. Wed, 19 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818083228.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142506.htm An anthropologist has discovered that humans living at a Paleolithic cave site in central Israel between 400,000 and 250,000 years ago were as successful at big-game hunting as were later stone-age hunters at the site, but that the earlier humans shared meat differently. Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142506.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817073502.htm Massive burning of forests for agriculture thousands of years ago may have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide enough to alter global climate and usher in a warming trend that continues today, according to a new study in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews. Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817073502.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090812104219.htm A ruined temple, ancient frescos and even a long-dead king have been brought to life by a "visual time machine" developed by European researchers. Mon, 17 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090812104219.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090814111455.htm At one time or another most of us wonder where we came from, where our parents or grandparents and their parents came from. Did our ancestors come from Europe or Asia? As curious as we are about our ancestors, for practical purposes, we need to think about the ancestry of our genes, according to one anthropologist, who says our genetic ancestry influences the genetic traits that predispose us to risk or resistance to disease. Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090814111455.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142137.htm New evidence has been found showing that early modern humans living on the southern coast of Africa 72,000 years ago employed pyrotechnology -- the controlled use of fire -- to increase the quality and efficiency of their stone tool manufacturing process. This technology required a novel association between fire, its heat, and a structural change in stone with consequent flaking benefits; findings ignite notion of complex cognition in these early engineers. Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142137.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727130600.htm The Cheddar Gorge in Somerset was one of the first sites to be inhabited by humans when they returned to Britain near the end of the last Ice Age. According to new radio carbon dating humans were living in Gough's Cave 14,700 years ago. Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727130600.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810122133.htm Archaeological excavations at the site of a recently discovered temple in southeastern Turkey have uncovered a cache of cuneiform tablets dating back to the Iron Age period between 1200 and 600 BCE. Found in the temple's cella, or "holy of holies," the tablets are part of a possible archive that may provide insights into Assyrian imperial aspirations. Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810122133.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810162005.htm An analysis of wrist anatomy in humans, chimps, bonobos and gorillas indicates our own bipedalism probably did not evolve from a knuckle-walking ancestor. "Our data support the opposite notion, that features of the hand and wrist found in the human fossil record that have traditionally been treated as indicators of knuckle-walking behavior in general are in fact evidence of arboreality," researchers report. Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810162005.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090715131437.htm Archaeologists are now establishing a discipline devoted to the history of tool use in non-human primate species in order to better understand human evolution. Sun, 09 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090715131437.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804211128.htm Early relatives of spiders that lived around 300 million years ago are revealed in new three-dimensional models. Previous studies of the fossilized remains of Cryptomartus hindi allowed scientists to see some features of the creature, which had four pairs of legs and looked similar to a spider. Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804211128.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728223022.htm Genetic evidence is revealing that human populations began to expand in size in Africa during the Late Stone Age approximately 40,000 years ago. Scientists have found that sub-Saharan populations increased in size well before the development of agriculture. This research supports the hypothesis that population growth played a significant role in the evolution of human cultures in the Late Pleistocene. Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728223022.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803185836.htm A statistical analysis reveals distinct patterns in ancient Indus symbols, and creates a hypothetical model for the unknown language. Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803185836.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721091822.htm Researchers have recovered significant DNA information from a lost form of ancient barley that triumphed for over 3,000 years seeing off: five changes in civilization, water shortages and a much more popular form of barley that produces more grains. This discovery offers a real insight into the couture of ancient farming and could assist the development of new varieties of crops to face today's climate change challenges. Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721091822.htm