Study highlights need to replace ‘ancestry’ in forensics with something more accurate

A new study finds forensics researchers use terms related to ancestry and race in inconsistent ways, and calls for the discipline to adopt a new approach to better account for both the fluidity of populations and how historical events have…

Ancient ostrich eggshell reveals new evidence of extreme climate change thousands of years ago

Evidence from an ancient eggshell has revealed important new information about the extreme climate change faced by human early ancestors. The research shows parts of the interior of South Africa that today are dry and sparsely populated, were once wetland…

How can ‘shark dandruff’ contribute to coral reef conservation?

For 400 million years, shark-like fishes have prowled the oceans as predators, but now humans kill 100 million sharks per year, radically disrupting ocean food chains. Based on microscopic shark scales found on fossil- and modern coral reefs in Caribbean…

New book highlights need for Chaco Canyon preservation

Lincoln, Nebraska, July 1, 2021 — Carrie Heitman can still remember the moment when — as an undergraduate visiting for the first time — Chaco Culture National Historic Park became the cornerstone of her academic career in anthropology. “You have…

Neandertals had the capacity to perceive and produce human speech

BINGHAMTON, NY — Neandertals — the closest ancestor to modern humans — possessed the ability to perceive and produce human speech, according to a new study published by an international multidisciplinary team of researchers including Binghamton University anthropology professor Rolf…

Warm oceans helped first human migration from Asia to North America

New research reveals significant changes to the circulation of the North Pacific and its impact on the initial migration of humans from Asia to North America. The new international study led by the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at…

Glass beads from medieval sites suggest more complex trade networks

Article Title: “Compositional and provenance study of glass beads from archaeological sites in Mali and Senegal at the time of the first Sahelian states” Funding: This study has benefitted from funding by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant no 101211_163022…

A more resistant material against microorganisms is created to restore cultural heritage

Solar radiation, rain, humidity and extreme temperatures. Cultural heritage is exposed to an array of external factors that deteriorate it over time. Among them, the most aggressive may well be microbial contamination, caused by an ample ecosystem of fungi, algae,…