http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/cultures/ Cultures of the World. News and findings about early human cultures. Learn about trading, colonization, early language development and the showoff hypothesis. en-us Tue, 13 May 2008 01:05:01 EDT Tue, 13 May 2008 01:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/cultures/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. 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/2008/04/080424130710.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/2008/04/080421154426.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/2008/04/080416174634.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/2008/04/080402120504.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/2008/04/080403141109.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/2008/03/080331200242.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/2008/03/080328104302.htm The Aztecs, Mayans and ancient Egyptians were three very different civilizations with one very large similarity: pyramids. However, of these three ancient cultures, the Egyptians set the standard for what most people recognize as classic pyramid design: massive monuments with a square base and four smooth-sided triangular sides, rising to a point. The Aztecs and Mayans built their pyramids with tiered steps and a flat top. Sat, 29 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328104302.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/2008/03/080319104600.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/2008/03/080311203247.htm An amazing haul of 28 flint hand-axes, dated by archaeologists to be around 100,000 years-old, have been unearthed in gravel from a licensed marine aggregate dredging area 13km off Great Yarmouth. The find was made by a Dutch amateur archaeologist, who regularly searches for mammoth bones and fossils in marine sand and gravel delivered by British construction materials supplier Hanson to a Dutch wharf at Flushing, south west Netherlands. Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311203247.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/2008/02/080216175953.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/2008/02/080212131300.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/2008/02/080206154123.htm Languages change and evolve in rapid bursts rather than in a steady pattern. New research investigates thousands of years of language evolution, and looks at the way in which languages split and evolve. It has long been accepted that the desire for a distinct social identity may cause languages to change quickly, but it has not previously been known whether such rapid bursts of change are a regular feature of the evolution of human language. Thu, 07 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080206154123.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080129125405.htm An archaeologist discovered an intact ancient iron ore mine in South America that shows how civilizations before the Inca Empire were mining this valuable ore. The Nasca people may have used the red-pigmented mineral primarily for ceramic paints, but they also could have used it as body paint, to paint textiles and even to paint adobe walls. Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080129125405.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080118093728.htm The origins and current genetic relationships of Pacific Islanders have generated interest and controversy for many decades. Now, a new comprehensive genetic study of almost 1,000 individuals has revealed that Polynesians and Micronesians have almost no genetic relation to Melanesians, and that groups that live in the islands of Melanesia are remarkably diverse. Wed, 23 Jan 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080118093728.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080101193653.htm "Ritual punishment using barbed death spears was witnessed at European contact in the Sydney region," one of the researchers said. "The Narrabeen man provides early archaeological evidence for ritual or payback killing by spearing. The timing of this event is significant for understanding other archaeological indicators of increased social complexity across south-eastern Australia." Sat, 05 Jan 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080101193653.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080101193937.htm Analyzing the origins of jade used in ancient jewelery has revealed a trading arena that was active for more than 3,000 years and sprawled over 3,000km in Southeast Asia -- possibly the largest such network discovered in the region to date. Archaeologists used electron probe microanalysis to examine jade earrings excavated from sites all over Southeast Asia, and were able to pinpoint the origin of the precious stone to a source in Taiwan. Wed, 02 Jan 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080101193937.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213162036.htm Resting in less than 10 feet of Caribbean seawater, the wreckage of Quedagh Merchant, the ship abandoned by the scandalous 17th century pirate Captain William Kidd as he raced to New York in an ill-fated attempt to clear his name, has escaped discovery -- until now. An underwater archaeology team has just announced the discovery of the remnants. Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213162036.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071204100409.htm Tooth growth suggests rapid maturation in a Neanderthal child. Neanderthal life history, or the timing of developmental and reproductive events, has been under great debate during the past few decades. Across primates, tooth development, specifically the age of molar eruption, is related to other developmental landmarks such as weaning and first reproduction. Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071204100409.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071114200920.htm A new study documents ancient hunting effects on large-game species in the Maya lowlands of Central America, and shows political and social demands near important cities likely contributed to their population decline, especially white-tailed deer. Additional evidence from Maya culture and social structure at the end of the Classic period (approximately 250 to 800 A.D) strongly supports this assertion. Tue, 20 Nov 2007 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071114200920.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071105120612.htm The earliest birds acted more like turkeys than common cuckoos, according to a new article. By comparing the claw curvatures of ancient and modern birds, the researchers provide new evidence that the evolutionary ancestors of birds primarily made their livings on the ground rather than in trees. Tue, 06 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071105120612.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071025160653.htm Questions about human migration from Asia to the Americas have perplexed anthropologists for decades, but as scenarios about the peopling of the New World come and go, the big questions have remained. Do the ancestors of Native Americans derive from only a small number of "founders" who trekked to the Americas via the Bering land bridge? How did their migration to the New World proceed? What, if anything, did the climate have to do with their migration? And what took them so long? Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071025160653.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071024152622.htm As archaeologists in the last half century have set about reconstructing the prehistory of Southeast Asia, data from one country--centrally located Laos--was conspicuously missing. Little archaeology has occurred in Laos since before World War II, and beginning in the mid-1970s, Laos shut its doors completely to outside researchers. Fri, 26 Oct 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071024152622.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071018123649.htm Adaptive changes in a human gene involved in speech and language were shared by our closest extinct relatives, the Neandertals according to a new article. The human form of the gene arose much earlier than scientists had estimated previously. This raises the possibility that Neandertals possessed some of the prerequisites for language. Sun, 21 Oct 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071018123649.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071018145955.htm For amateur genealogists and Americans searching for their roots, the prospect of tracking one's DNA to a specific country, region or tribe with a take-home kit is highly alluring. But while the popularity of genetic ancestral testing is rising -- particularly among African-Americans -- the technology is flawed and could spawn unwelcome societal consequences, according to researchers. Sat, 20 Oct 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071018145955.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071017145252.htm Evidence of early humans living on the coast in South Africa, harvesting food from the sea, employing complex bladelet tools and using red pigments in symbolic behavior 164,000 years ago, far earlier than previously documented, is now being reported. Wed, 17 Oct 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071017145252.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071014173548.htm Scientists used functional brain imaging to assess resting-state brain activity in chimpanzees as a potential window into their mental world and to compare chimpanzee brain activity to that of humans. Results suggest chimpanzees may engage in thought processes similar to those of humans at rest as well as thought processes that are quite different. The findings are significant because they show the uniqueness of humans as well as our similarity to our closest living primate relative. Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071014173548.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071012160147.htm The sequencing of Neanderthal nuclear DNA from fossil bone held promise for finally answering the question of whether the Neanderthals are ancestors of ours. However, two recent studies came to very different conclusions regarding the ancestral role of Neanderthals. Sun, 14 Oct 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071012160147.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070920145343.htm Analysis of the earliest known hominid fossils outside of Africa has revealed that the first human ancestors to inhabit Eurasia were more primitive than previously thought. The fossils, dated to 1.8 million years old, show some modern aspects of lower limb morphology, such as long legs and an arched foot, but retain some primitive aspects of morphology in the shoulder and foot. The species had a small stature and brain size more similar to earlier species found in Africa. Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070920145343.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070911073902.htm The earliest humans almost certainly walked upright on two legs but may have struggled to run at even half the speed of modern man, new research suggests. They proposes that if early humans lacked an Achilles tendon, as modern chimps and gorillas do, then their ability to run would have been severely compromised. Wed, 12 Sep 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070911073902.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070909092349.htm The tunic believed to have been worn by Saint Francis of Assisi preserved in the Church of Saint Francis in Cortona (Province of Arezzo) dates back to the period in which the saint lived, whereas the tunic preserved in the Church of Santa Croce in Florence was made after his death. Carbon 14 measurements, which allow a relic to be dated, show that the tunic in Santa Croce dates back to some time between the late 13th century and late 14th century and thus could not have belonged to the "Poor Man of Assisi", who died in 1226. These and other discovers were made possible through the analysis of the relics with a tandem particle accelerator, which was performed by the Laboratory of Nuclear Techniques for Cultural Heritage of the INFN of Florence. Tue, 11 Sep 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070909092349.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070910085142.htm In excavations in the City of David aimed at exposing the main road in Jerusalem from the time of the Second Temple period, the city's main drainage channel was discovered. According to the writings of Josephus Flavius, the residents of the city fled to this channel at the time of the revolt in order to hide from the Romans. Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070910085142.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070904175340.htm By 1763, the world of Cherokee Indians in the Southeastern U.S. was in tatters. The French and Indian War had wracked the sprawling Cherokee settlements that stretched from the headwaters of the Savannah River in South Carolina and Georgia to the Overhills towns in eastern Tennessee. Though 75 years would pass before the Trail of Tears would banish the remnants of the nation west to Oklahoma, the tribe watched hopelessly as much of its history rapidly faded. Researchers have long wondered why the Cherokee settled where they did, building clusters of small towns in fertile river valleys in mostly mountainous areas. Two new studies show for the first time that long-held assumptions about Cherokee settlement patterns may have been incomplete at best. Fri, 07 Sep 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070904175340.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070905161208.htm In a groundbreaking study, two Harvard scientists have for the first time extracted human DNA from ancient artifacts. The work potentially opens up a new universe of sources for ancient genetic material, which is used to map human migrations in prehistoric times. Before this, archaeologists could only get ancient DNA from relics of the human body itself, including prehistoric teeth, bones, fossilized feces, or -- rarely -- preserved flesh. Such sources of DNA are hard to find, poorly preserved, or unavailable because of cultural and legal barriers. Thu, 06 Sep 2007 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070905161208.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070903204822.htm The earliest domesticated pigs in Europe, which many archaeologists believed to be descended from European wild boar, were actually introduced from the Middle East by Stone Age farmers, new research suggests. While archaeologists already know that agriculture began about 12,000 years ago in the central and western parts of the Middle East, spreading rapidly across Europe between 6,800 -- 4000 BC, many outstanding questions remain about the mechanisms of just how it spread. This research sheds new and important light on the actual process of the establishment of farming in Europe. Tue, 04 Sep 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070903204822.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070830150109.htm A field survey of the ancient city of Tell Brak indicates that urbanization did not originate with a centralized political power, but as the result of individualized or small-group decisions. To understand patterns of population growth in the earliest urban areas, archaeologists surveyed the spatial distribution of artifacts at Tell Brak, located in northern Mesopotamia, in what is today northern Iraq and northeastern Syria. Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070830150109.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070813101018.htm Chance, not natural selection, best explains why the modern human skull looks so different from that of its Neanderthal relative. The scientists concluded that Neanderthals did not develop their protruding mid-faces as an adaptation to icy Pleistocene weather or the demands of using teeth as tools, and the retracted faces of modern humans are not an adaptation for language, as some anthropologists have proposed. Instead, random "genetic drift" is the likeliest reason for these skull differences. Thu, 16 Aug 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070813101018.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070813095003.htm Men with large jaws, flaring cheeks and large eyebrows are sexy, at least in the eyes of our ancestors, researchers at the Natural History Museum have discovered. Facial attractiveness played a major role in shaping human evolution, as studies on our fossil ancestors have shown our choice of sexual partner has shaped the human face. Wed, 15 Aug 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070813095003.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070805133952.htm Excavations of an underwater Stone Age archaeological settlement dating back 8000 years took place at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton. The team of archaeologists will take the sections to laboratories where they will painstakingly excavate through the layers of sediment revealing materials that have lain unseen beneath the seabed for over 8000 years. Tue, 14 Aug 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070805133952.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070807145140.htm In 1942, a human braincase was found in Romania during phosphate mining. The skull's geological age has remained uncertain. Now, new radiocarbon analysis directly dates the skull to approximately 33,000 years ago, placing it in the Upper Paleolithic. Though this braincase is in many ways similar to other known specimens from the period, the fossil also presents a distinctly Neanderthal feature, ubiquitous among Neanderthals, extremely rare among archaic humans, and unknown among prior modern humans. Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070807145140.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070801174826.htm Chronology and adaptability of early humans in different paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental settings are important topics in the study of human evolution. China houses several early-human (Paleolithic) archaeological sites along the Nihewan Basin near Mongolia, some with artifacts that date back about 1 million years ago. Researchers analyzed one site where several stone artifacts and mammalian bone fragments have been found buried in basin silts. Thu, 02 Aug 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070801174826.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070627225459.htm Foods of the kind that were consumed during human evolution may be the best choice to control diabetes type 2. A study from Lund University, Sweden, found markedly improved capacity to handle carbohydrate after eating such foods for three months. Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070627225459.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619164133.htm Neanderthal man was not as stupid as has been made out says a new study published by a University of Leicester archaeologist. In fact Neanderthals were far removed from their stereotypical image and were innovators, says Dr Terry Hopkinson of the School of Archaeology and Ancient History in a paper published in Antiquity. Wed, 20 Jun 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619164133.htm