In Quebec, gravestones did not come into common use until the second half of the 19th century, so historical cemeteries contain many unmarked graves. Inspired by colleagues at Barcelona’s Pompeu Fabra University, a team of researchers in genetics, archaeology and…
Tag: NEW WORLD
Anonymous no more: combining genetics with genealogy to identify the dead in unmarked graves
In Quebec, gravestones did not come into common use until the second half of the 19th century, so historical cemeteries contain many unmarked graves. Inspired by colleagues at Barcelona’s Pompeu Fabra University, a team of researchers in genetics, archaeology and…
1 billion-year-old green seaweed fossils identified, relative of modern land plants
Virginia Tech paleontologists have made a remarkable discovery in China: 1 billion-year-old micro-fossils of green seaweeds that could be related to the ancestor of the earliest land plants and trees that first developed 450 million years ago. The micro-fossil seaweeds…
1 billion-year-old green seaweed fossils identified, relative of modern land plants
Virginia Tech paleontologists have made a remarkable discovery in China: 1 billion-year-old micro-fossils of green seaweeds that could be related to the ancestor of the earliest land plants and trees that first developed 450 million years ago. The micro-fossil seaweeds…
Coral reefs: Centuries of human impact
Coral reefs account for one-third of all biodiversity in the oceans and are vital to humanity. But long-standing human stressors including agricultural run-off and overfishing and more recent ocean warming from climate change have all contributed to large-scale coral reef…
Coral reefs: Centuries of human impact
Coral reefs account for one-third of all biodiversity in the oceans and are vital to humanity. But long-standing human stressors including agricultural run-off and overfishing and more recent ocean warming from climate change have all contributed to large-scale coral reef…
There’s a twist in the story of volcanism & mass extinctions, say CCNY researchers
An emerging scientific consensus is that gases–in particular carbon gases–released by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago contributed to some of Earth’s greatest mass extinctions. But new research at The City College of New York suggests that that’s not the…
There’s a twist in the story of volcanism & mass extinctions, say CCNY researchers
An emerging scientific consensus is that gases–in particular carbon gases–released by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago contributed to some of Earth’s greatest mass extinctions. But new research at The City College of New York suggests that that’s not the…
Hungry for hutia? Our taste for Bahamas’ ‘most peaceable rodent’ shaped its diversity
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Bahamian hutia, a large Caribbean rodent with a blissed-out disposition, presents a curious case study in how human food preferences can drive biodiversity, sometimes shaping it over 1,000 years. The hutia, which resembles a bristly beanbag,…
Hungry for hutia? Our taste for Bahamas’ ‘most peaceable rodent’ shaped its diversity
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Bahamian hutia, a large Caribbean rodent with a blissed-out disposition, presents a curious case study in how human food preferences can drive biodiversity, sometimes shaping it over 1,000 years. The hutia, which resembles a bristly beanbag,…
Study reveals pre-Hispanic history, genetic changes among indigenous Mexican populations
Recent highlights from the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution
Study reveals pre-Hispanic history, genetic changes among indigenous Mexican populations
Recent highlights from the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution
Study reveals pre-Hispanic history, genetic changes among indigenous Mexican populations
Recent highlights from the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution
Pachacamac Idol of ancient Peru was symbolically painted
Chemical analysis of the statue reveals its age and original polychromatic design
The colors of the Pachacamac idol, an Inca god, finally revealed
The legend of Pachacamac will not soon die. Since the 16th century, Spanish chroniclers have said that Hernando Pizarro had destroyed the idol of the deity when he conquered the Inca Empire in the Andes. But a carved wooden post…
Pachacamac Idol of ancient Peru was symbolically painted
Chemical analysis of the statue reveals its age and original polychromatic design
The colors of the Pachacamac idol, an Inca god, finally revealed
The legend of Pachacamac will not soon die. Since the 16th century, Spanish chroniclers have said that Hernando Pizarro had destroyed the idol of the deity when he conquered the Inca Empire in the Andes. But a carved wooden post…
Study puts the ‘Carib’ in ‘Caribbean,’ boosting credibility of Columbus’ cannibal claims
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Christopher Columbus’ accounts of the Caribbean include harrowing descriptions of fierce raiders who abducted women and cannibalized men – stories long dismissed as myths. But a new study suggests Columbus may have been telling the truth. Using…
Evolution on the vine: A history of tomato domestication in Latin America
The common cultivated tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L. var. lycopersicum ; or (SLL)) is among the world’s most widely grown vegetable crops, from big agricultural farms to heirloom grown varieties. In 2012, the domesticated ‘Heinz 1706’ tomato, an SLL, became…
Evolution on the vine: A history of tomato domestication in Latin America
The common cultivated tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L. var. lycopersicum ; or (SLL)) is among the world’s most widely grown vegetable crops, from big agricultural farms to heirloom grown varieties. In 2012, the domesticated ‘Heinz 1706’ tomato, an SLL, became…
Caribbean settlement began in Greater Antilles, say University of Oregon researchers
Rigorous reexamination of radiocarbon dating of sites on 55 islands shoots down the idea that colonization moved step by step from south to north
Caribbean settlement began in Greater Antilles, say University of Oregon researchers
Rigorous reexamination of radiocarbon dating of sites on 55 islands shoots down the idea that colonization moved step by step from south to north
Ancient events are still impacting mammals worldwide
Researchers find signatures of deep past in biodiversity patterns today
Ancient events are still impacting mammals worldwide
Researchers find signatures of deep past in biodiversity patterns today
Isotope analysis points to prisoners of war
Researcher at the University of Bonn investigates bones from the 1,400-year-old Maya mass grave of Uxul
Isotope analysis points to prisoners of war
Researcher at the University of Bonn investigates bones from the 1,400-year-old Maya mass grave of Uxul
Unique sledge dogs helped the Inuit thrive in the North American Arctic
A unique group of dogs helped the Inuit conquer the tough terrain of the North American Arctic, major new analysis of the remains of hundreds of animals shows. The study shows that the Inuit brought specialised dogs with them when…
Only eat oysters in months with an ‘r’? Rule of thumb is at least 4,000 years old
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Foodie tradition dictates only eating wild oysters in months with the letter “r” – from September to April – to avoid watery shellfish, or worse, a nasty bout of food poisoning. Now, a new study suggests people…
Ancient bone protein reveals which turtles were on the menu in Florida, Caribbean
MANCHESTER, England and GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Thousands of years ago, the inhabitants of modern-day Florida and the Caribbean feasted on sea turtles, leaving behind bones that tell tales of ancient diets and the ocean’s past. An international team of scientists…
Ancient bone protein reveals which turtles were on the menu in Florida, Caribbean
MANCHESTER, England and GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Thousands of years ago, the inhabitants of modern-day Florida and the Caribbean feasted on sea turtles, leaving behind bones that tell tales of ancient diets and the ocean’s past. An international team of scientists…
Ancient bone protein reveals which turtles were on the menu in Florida, Caribbean
MANCHESTER, England and GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Thousands of years ago, the inhabitants of modern-day Florida and the Caribbean feasted on sea turtles, leaving behind bones that tell tales of ancient diets and the ocean’s past. An international team of scientists…
Louisiana State University to host South-Central Conference on Mesoamerica Oct. 18-20, 2019
Louisiana State University (LSU) will host the 10th annual South-Central Conference on Mesoamerica, or SCCM. The conference, held Oct. 18-20, brings together faculty and students in the region to present the results of their research and importantly provides an opportunity…
Early hunter-gatherers interacted much sooner than previously believed
BINGHAMTON, NY – A nearly 4,000-year-old burial site found off the coast of Georgia hints at ties between hunter-gatherers on opposite sides of North America, according to research led by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York .…
Architects have recreated the Puerta de Triana (Triana Gate) in Seville
It connected the city with the metropolitan area; it was built in 1588 and demolished in 1868
Dishing the dirt on an early man cave
Microscopic study yields intriguing ancient Denisovan secrets
New artifacts suggest people arrived in North America earlier than previously thought
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Stone tools and other artifacts unearthed from an archeological dig at the Cooper’s Ferry site in western Idaho suggest that people lived in the area 16,000 years ago, more than a thousand years earlier than scientists previously…