Archaeology

Extinct dire wolves split off from other wolves nearly six million years ago and were only a distant relative of today's wolves, according to new research published in Nature today (13 January). Dire wolves, made famous in the TV show…

Study reveals that Earth-abundant minerals convert sunlight into chemical energy, hinting at the evolution of photosynthesis in early bacteriaCredit: Earth Science Frontiers Photosynthesis, the process by which plants and other…

Explosive past may inform threats of similar volcanoes todayCredit: U.S. Geological Survey Around 1085 AD, along the southern rim of Northern Arizona's elevated Colorado Plateau, a volcano erupted, forever changing ancient…

Some 11 thousand years ago, Africa's furthest west harbored the last populations to preserve tool-making traditions first established by the earliest members of our speciesCredit: Eleanor Scerri Fieldwork led by Dr Eleanor…

Most native species are going locally extinct, while introduced tropical species thriveCredit: © Paolo Albano The coastline of Israel is one of the warmest areas in the Mediterranean Sea. Here, most marine species have been at the…

Humans feeding leftover lean meat to wolves during harsh winters may have had a role in the early domestication of dogs, towards the end of the last ice age (14,000 to 29,000 years ago), according to a study published in Scientific…

~2.0 to 1.8 million year-old archaeological site demonstrates that early humans had the skills and tools to cope with ecological changeCredit: Michael Petraglia Olduvai (now Oldupai) Gorge, known as the Cradle of Humankind, is a UNESCO…

Paleo-tsunami may be the reason previous archaeological surveys found no evidence for low-lying coastal villages in the area over a 4000 year periodCredit: Photo by T. E. Levy Underwater excavation, borehole drilling, and modelling…

Archaeologists from Kuzbass created a 3D model of a part of the Tepsei archaeological site accommodating a dense cluster of prehistoric rock art Archeologists from Kemerovo State University are exploring the Tepsei site of Minusinsk Basin,…

Credit: Kristen Grace/Florida Museum GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- The history of the Caribbean's original islanders comes into sharper focus in a new Nature study that combines decades of archaeological work with advancements in genetic…

Discovery of 66 new Roman Army sites shows more clues about one of the empire's most infamous conflictsCredit: romanarmy.eu The discovery of dozens of new Roman Army sites thanks to remote sensing technology has revealed…

Credit: Courtesy of the Public Domain Review https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/londons-dreadful-visitation-bills-of-mortality Researchers from McMaster University have studied and analyzed thousands of weekly records…

Credit: NIGPAS With almost every aspect of their biology and anatomy adapted to their specialized parasitic lifestyle, fleas have long troubled evolutionary biologists. Their early evolution and position on the insect tree of life…

Credit: The University of Queensland A prehistoric croc measuring more than five metres long - dubbed the 'swamp king' - ruled south eastern Queensland waterways only a few million years ago. University of Queensland researchers…

The bizarre features of this mammal have scientists perplexed as to how it could have evolved; "it bends and even breaks a lot of rules" Credit: Andrey Atuchin Adalatherium is an important piece in a very large puzzle on early…

Credit: Nicholas Georgiadis In 1533, a Portuguese trading vessel carrying forty tons of gold and silver coins along with other precious cargo went missing on its way to India. In 2008, this vessel, known as the Bom Jesus,…

Credit: Photo by Nicholas Georgiadis CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- In 1533, the Bom Jesus - a Portuguese trading vessel carrying 40 tons of cargo including gold, silver, copper and more than 100 elephant tusks - sank off the coast of…

Credit: Frédérique Vincent, ethnographic conservator Ancient Egyptian mummies have many tales to tell, but unlocking their secrets without destroying delicate remains is challenging. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' Analytical…

Findings help map the lost land of PuntCredit: Figure by Jonathan Chipman and Nathaniel J. Dominy. Ancient Punt was a major trading partner of Egyptians for at least 1,100 years. It was an important source of luxury goods,…

Three 2,000-year-old cobs in Honduras show that people brought corn varieties back to Mesoamerica, possibly sparking productivity and shaping civilizationCredit: Thomas Harper Some 9,000 years ago, corn as it is known today…