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 Mon, 12 May 2008 03:05:01 EDT Mon, 12 May 2008 03:05:01 EDT 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/2008/05/080508182219.htm DNA analysis of residents of Druze villages in Israel suggests these ancient religious communities offer a genetic snapshot of the Near East as it was several thousands of years ago. The Druze harbor a remarkable diversity of mitochondrial DNA types or lineages that appear to have separated from each other many thousands of years ago, according to a new study by multinational team. Mon, 12 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508182219.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508143324.htm New evidence from the Monte Verde archaeological site in southern Chile confirms its status as the earliest known human settlement in the Americas and provides additional support for the theory that one early migration route followed the Pacific Coast more than 14,000 years ago. Fri, 09 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508143324.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429204255.htm New findings suggest that the ancient human "cousin" known as the "Nutcracker Man" wasn't regularly eating anything like nuts after all. Researchers used a combination of microscopy and fractal analysis to examine marks on the teeth of members of an ancient human ancestor species and found that what it actually ate does not correspond with the size and shape of its teeth. This finding suggests that structure alone is not enough to predict dietary preferences and that evolutionary adaptation for eating may have been based on scarcity rather than on an animal's regular diet. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429204255.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075321.htm Researchers at the University of Cincinnati and Florida State University have confirmed evidence of domesticated sunflower in Mexico -- 4,000 years before what had been previously believed. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075321.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422203315.htm East Africa's Lake Tanganyika has a highly diverse fauna which closely resembles marine animals. A researcher has traced the origins of the Lake's freshwater herring to a marine invasion which occurred in West Africa 25 to 50 million years ago. The ancient freshwater capture of marine organisms may help to explain the origins of other species unique to this Lake. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422203315.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424130710.htm Over 600 complete mtDNA genomes from indigenous populations across the continent were analyzed and the data provided surprising insights into the early demographic history of human populations before they moved out of Africa. The extensive data analysis revealed that early human populations were small and isolated from each other for many tens of thousands of years. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424130710.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422083309.htm The world was in shock when in 2001 the Talibans destroyed two ancient Buddha statues in Afghanistan. Behind them, there are caves decorated with precious paintings from 5th to 9th century A.D. The caves also suffered from destruction but today they have become the source of a major discovery. Scientists have proved that the paintings were made of oil, hundreds of years before the technique was "invented" in Europe. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422083309.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416140928.htm Some primates have evolved big brains because their extra brainpower helps them live and reproduce longer, an advantage that outweighs the demands of extra years of growth and development they spend reaching adulthood, anthropologists have concluded in a new study. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416140928.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421154426.htm An anthropologist has reconstructed vocal tracts that simulate the sound of the Neanderthal voice. Using 50,000-year-old fossils from France and a computer synthesizer, the researcher has generated a recording of how a Neanderthal would pronounce the letter "e." Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421154426.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416221459.htm The scientists were investigating the lifestyle of two early elephants (proboscideans) Moeritherium and Barytherium that lived in the Eocene period, over 37 million years ago. By analysing isotopes in tooth enamel from Moeritherium they were able to deduce that it was very likely a semi-aquatic mammal, spending its days in water eating freshwater plants.' Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416221459.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416174634.htm The destruction and disappearance of ancient cultures mark the history of human civilization, making for fascinating stories and cautionary tales. The longevity of today's societies may depend upon separating fact from fiction, and archaeologists and seismologists are figuring out how to join forces to do just that with respect to ancient earthquakes. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416174634.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414145645.htm Researchers have uncovered the first clues about the ancient origins of a mother's intricate lifeline to her unborn baby, the placenta, which delivers oxygen and nutrients critical to the baby's health. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414145645.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080411123057.htm Israelis and Palestinians may not be able to agree right now on their present or future, but, if a pair of Los Angeles archaeologists have their way, they soon will see eye to eye on their past. Working tirelessly for the past five years, Ran Boytner, a University of California, Los Angeles archaeologist and Lynn Swartz Dodd, an archaeologist at the University of Southern California, have guided a team of prominent Israeli and Palestinian archaeologists to arrive at the first-ever agreement on the disposition of the region's archaeological treasures following the establishment of a future Palestinian state. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080411123057.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408112112.htm Archaeologists have reconstructed the history of the evolution of human population and answered questions about history, using DNA extracted from skeleton remains at the Aldaieta necropolis. It is clear that the genetic analysis of skeleton remains, despite the labor-intensive work involved and the problem of authenticity of the results, has provided an essential contribution in the reconstruction of the biological history of human populations. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408112112.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407162341.htm It is common for professional archaeologists and paleoanthropologists working in Africa to populate western museums with foreign artifacts by excavating and permanently removing them from history rich communities in Africa. The first museum of its kind has now been established in Mozambique and it will officially open in August. The Museu Local aims to be an interactive cultural heritage center. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407162341.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408132122.htm Researchers have developed a technique to detect the ancestry of disease genes in mixed human populations. The technique determines how a set of DNA markers shows the ancestral origin of locations on each chromosome. The team constructed an algorithm for the technique that selects panels of DNA markers that render the best picture of ancestral origin of disease genes. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408132122.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402120504.htm Archaeologists find ancient Jerusalem may be a model for today's corporations. As today's corporations know well, the strategy was all about location. Where did they set up their branch offices? In the "suburbs." Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402120504.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403185958.htm Archaeologists have discovered the oldest known remains of human ancestors in Western Europe. The fossil is about 1.2 million years old. That's 500,000 years older than the previous oldest known humanlike fossils from the area. The new find bolsters the view that Homo reached Europe not long after leaving Africa almost 2 million years ago. Fri, 04 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403185958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401184955.htm The Y chromosome retains a remarkable record of human ancestry, passed directly from father to son. In an article in Genome Research, scientists have utilized recently described genetic variations on Y chromosome region that does not undergo recombination to significantly refine the Y chromosome haplogroup tree. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401184955.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403141109.htm DNA from dried human excrement recovered from Oregon's Paisley Caves is the oldest found yet in the New World -- dating to 14,300 years ago, some 1,200 years before Clovis culture -- and provides apparent genetic ties to Siberia or Asia, according to an international team of 13 scientists. Exactly who these people living in the Oregon caves were is not known. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403141109.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402071551.htm Changes in the environment in the last few thousand years may have protected some East Asians against alcoholism. Scientists have long known that many Asians carry variants of genes that help regulate alcohol metabolism. Some of those genetic variants can make people feel uncomfortable, sometimes even ill, when drinking small amounts of alcohol. As a result of the prevalence of this gene, many, but not all, communities in countries such as China, Japan and Korea have low rates of alcoholism. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402071551.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331172519.htm Insight into why females of some species undergo menopause while others do not has proven elusive despite an understanding of the biological mechanisms behind the change. However, new research suggests that menopause is an adaptation to minimize reproductive competition between generations of females in the same family unit. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331172519.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331200242.htm Gold has long been more than a fashion statement, and wearing jewelry and other adornments made of it often connotes prestige. And it did not take long for ancient people to figure that out. Scientists have unearthed what is, to date, the oldest collection gold artifacts found in the Americas. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331200242.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319114619.htm Oceangoing sailing rafts plied the waters of the equatorial Pacific long before Europeans arrived in the Americas, and carried trade goods for thousands of miles all the way from modern-day Chile to western Mexico, according to new findings by MIT researchers in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Sat, 22 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319114619.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320183657.htm A shape comparison of the most complete fossil femur (thigh bone) of one of the earliest known pre-humans, or hominins, with the femora of living apes, modern humans and other fossils, indicates the earliest form of bipedalism occurred at least six million years ago and persisted for at least four million years. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320183657.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318224409.htm Azhii peralai: from the deep ... large waves. This is the expression for 'tsunami' in Tamil, the oldest language in southern India. For an ancient dialect to have its own phrase for destructive waves triggered by earthquakes, the people of Tamil Nadu likely experienced tsunamis periodically through the centuries, say scientists. In other words, the catastrophic Indian Ocean event in December 2004 that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries -- including 15,000 in India -- was hardly a one freak occurrence, he says, and people could have been much better prepared for it. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318224409.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320120714.htm Anthropologists provide evidence that the first Americans came to this country 1,000 to 2,000 years earlier than the 13,500 years ago previously thought, which could shift historic timelines. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320120714.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319104600.htm New research adds to the evidence that chance, rather than natural selection, best explains why the skulls of modern humans and ancient Neanderthals evolved differently. The findings may alter how anthropologists think about human evolution. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319104600.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080316124416.htm Archaeologists have found an amulet inscribed with a Jewish prayer in a Roman child's grave dating back to the 3rd century CE at a burial ground in the Austrian town of Halbturn. The 2.2-centimeter-long gold scroll represents the earliest sign of Jewish inhabitants in present-day Austria. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080316124416.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310170636.htm Researchers have found evidence for the earliest transport use of the donkey and the early phases of donkey domestication, suggesting the process of domestication may have been slower and less linear than previously thought. Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310170636.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310151958.htm Since the reporting of the so-called "hobbit" fossil from Flores in Indonesia, debate has raged as to whether these remains are of modern humans (Homo sapiens), reduced in stature, or whether they represent a new species, Homo floresiensis.Now researchers describe fossils of small-bodied humans from Palau, who inhabited the island between 1,400 and 3,000 years ago and share some features with the H. floresiensis specimens. Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310151958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304100410.htm Throughout the 12th and 13th centuries -- during the time of the Crusades -- ceramic vessels reached Acre from: Mediterranean regions, the Levant, Europe, North Africa, and even China -- reveals new research, which examined trade of ceramic vessels. Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304100410.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304191213.htm When most of us think of Ancient Egypt, visions of pyramids and mummies fill our imaginations. For a team of paleontologists interested in fossil mammals, the Fayum district of Egypt summons an even older and equally impressive history that extends much further back in time than the Sphinx. Six new bat species dating to around 35 million years ago, which sheds new light on the early evolution of bats, have just been discovered Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304191213.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303113353.htm Imagine future archaeologists trying to understand Illinois, California or New York based on a few excavations in each of those states. They might excavate small areas in city centers, since those sites would probably be the first ruins they would come across. Meanwhile, the archaeologists they might fail to notice or study farms, suburbs, shopping malls, canals and airports. Although still relatively unknown to the general public, an archaeological method that is being practiced at several locations around the world helps scientists overcome such bias toward large, readily noticeable sites. Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303113353.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303120343.htm Three-billion year-old zircon microcrystals found in northern Ontario are proving to be a new record of the processes that form continents and their natural resources, including gold and diamonds. Measuring no more than the width of a human hair, the 200-million-year growth span of these ancient microcrystals is longer than any previously discovered. Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303120343.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080229101002.htm Archaeologists have discovered of one of the largest dinosaur-era marine reptiles ever found -- an enormous sea predator known as a pliosaur estimated to be almost 15 meters (50 feet) feet long. The 150 million year-old Jurassic fossil was discovered on the remote Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, at 78 degrees north latitude, approximately 1300 km (800 miles) from the North Pole. "Although we didn't get the entire skeleton, we found many of the most important parts, including portions of the skull, teeth, much of the neck and back, the shoulder girdle, and a nearly complete forelimb (paddle)" said one of the researchers, "Amazingly, the paddle alone is nearly 10 feet long." Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080229101002.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080228124415.htm An area of the brain involved in the planning and production of spoken and signed language in humans plays a similar role in chimpanzee communication, researchers report in Current Biology. The results suggest that the "neurobiological foundations" of human language may have been present in the common ancestor of modern humans and chimpanzees. Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080228124415.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226162953.htm Anthropologists have discovered how the ancient Maya produced an unusual, widely studied blue pigment that was used in offerings, pottery, murals and other contexts across Mesoamerica from A.D. 300 to 1500. Production of the renowned, extremely stable pigment was part of ritual sacrifices at Chichén Itzá. Thu, 28 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226162953.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080225134239.htm An intrepid archaeologist is well on her way to dislodging the prevailing assumptions of scholars about the people who built and used Maya temples. Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080225134239.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217102131.htm The evolution of human speech was far more complex than is implied by some recent attempts to link it to a specific gene a professor of computational linguistics. Some researchers in recent years have speculated that mutations in a gene called Foxp2 might have played a fundamental role in the evolution of human language. Thu, 21 Feb 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217102131.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220161704.htm Scientists have produced the largest and most detailed worldwide study of human genetic variation. Like astronomers who build ever-larger telescopes to peer deeper into space, population geneticists are using the latest genetic tools to probe DNA molecules in unprecedented detail, uncovering new clues to humanity's origins. The latest study characterizes more than 500,000 DNA markers in the human genome and examines variations across 29 populations on five continents. Thu, 21 Feb 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220161704.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080216175953.htm The process of natural selection can act on human culture as well as on genes, a new study finds. Scientists have shown for the first time that cultural traits affecting survival and reproduction evolve at a different rate than other cultural attributes. Speeded or slowed rates of evolution typically indicate the action of natural selection in analyses of the human genome. Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080216175953.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214144412.htm A ubiquitous but little-known marine organism, the choanoflagellate, is the last one-celled ancestor of humans and provides insight into how cells learned to assemble into multicelled organisms. The genome of the choanoflagellate Monisiga brevicollis has now been sequenced and offers clues to the origin of the glue that holds many-celled animals together and how cells learned to communicate. Wed, 20 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214144412.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214130334.htm A pioneering new study in Current Anthropology finds that branding, and our attachment to them, far predates modern capitalism, and indeed modern Western society. Labels on ancient containers, which have long been assumed to be simple identifiers, as well as practices surrounding the production and distribution of commodities, actually functioned as branding strategies. Furthermore, these strategies have deep cultural origins and cognitive foundations, beginning in the civilizations of Egypt and Iraq thousands of years ago. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214130334.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217143838.htm A Brown University biologist says the best way to communicate evolution in a religious America is to acknowledge that there is indeed a "design" in living things. He says scientists should embrace the concept of "design" in a way that supports evolutionary theory. He argues that science itself, including evolutionary biology, is predicated on the idea of "design" -- the correlation of structure with function that lies at the heart of the molecular nature of life. Mon, 18 Feb 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217143838.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212131300.htm Archaeologists have found the earliest evidence ever discovered of an ancient Egyptian agricultural settlement, including farmed grains, remains of domesticated animals, pits for cooking and even floors for what appear to be dwellings. The archaeological team also found a bracelet made of a type of shell only found along the Red Sea, suggesting a possible trade link with the cradle of agriculture in the Near East. In addition, they unearthed clay floors of what may have been simple structures -- possibly posts with some kind of matting overhead. Mon, 18 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212131300.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080215103148.htm A 40,000-year-old tooth has provided scientists with the first direct evidence that Neanderthals moved from place to place during their lifetimes. The tooth, a third molar, was formed when the Neanderthal was aged between seven and nine. It was recovered in a coastal limestone cave in Lakonis, in Southern Greece. The strontium isotope readings, however, indicated that the enamel formed while the Neanderthal lived in a region made up of older volcanic bedrock. The findings could help answer a long-standing debate about the mobility of the now extinct Neanderthal species. Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080215103148.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213090524.htm The human journey from Asia to the New World was interrupted by a 20,000-year layover in Beringia. Furthermore, the New World was colonized by approximately 1,000 to 5,000 people -- a substantially higher number than the 100 individuals of previous estimates. The developments help shape understanding of how the Americas came to be populated -- not through a single expansion event but in three distinct stages separated by thousands of generations. Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213090524.htm