ancient artifacts, archaeology, bronze statues, etruscans, italy, roman empire, romans, tuscan hills

Controversial Claims About Extinct Humans Are Stirring Up Evolution Research

In June, evolution researchers, led by palaeoanthropologist Lee Berger, published sensational claims about an extinct human species called Homo naledi online and in the Netflix documentary Unknown: Cave of Bones. They argued the small-brained H. naledi buried their dead in Rising Star Cave in South Africa more than 240,000 years ago, and may also have ...

Troy Oakes

A skull of Homo heidelbergensis.

Major New Research Claims Smaller-Brained Homo Naledi Made Rock Art and Buried Their Dead, but the Evidence Is Lacking

On September 13, 2013, speleologists Rick Hunter and Steven Tucker descended deep into South Africa’s Rising Star Cave system and discovered the first evidence of an extraordinary assemblage of hominin fossils. To date, the remains of more than 15 individuals belonging to a previously unknown species of extinct human, dubbed Homo naledi, have been found ...

Troy Oakes

Homo naledi skulls.

Study Finds Medieval Monks Were ‘Riddled With Worms’

Research examining traces of parasites in the remains of medieval Cambridge residents suggests that local monks were almost twice as likely as ordinary working townspeople to have intestinal worms — despite monasteries of the period having far more sanitary facilities. A new analysis of remains from medieval Cambridge shows that local Augustinian friars were almost ...

Troy Oakes

A monk leaning on his staff.

Oldest Wheel And Cart Tracks in the World Discovered in Northern Germany

It is intriguing to think how ancient human inventions paved the way for the progress of science and technology in our present day. Examples such as making metal weapons, developing tools for agriculture, the discovery of fire, etc. Archaeologists have always wondered about the origin of wheels, an invention that helped humans take a big ...

Jack Roberts

Different types of early wheels.

Ancient DNA Reveals Dramatic Population Change in Europe

Analyses of ancient DNA from the ancestry of modern Europeans have now painted a picture of dramatic population change in Europe from 45,000 to 7,000 years ago. The study is now helping to unlock the secrets of Europe’s Ice Age inhabitants. The genetic data was analyzed from 51 individuals. The results indicated that there were ...

Troy Oakes

Three 31,000-year-old skulls from Dolni Věstonice in the Czech Republic.

New Clues Answer Questions to Early Civilization in the United States

The discovery of a site, which dates back 14,550 years, shows that human civilizations existed in the southeastern United States much earlier than scientists previously believed by as much as 1,500 years. According to a research team led by a Florida State University professor, the discovery of stone tools alongside mastodon bones in a Florida ...

Troy Oakes

Female archaeologist with mastadon bones.

This 12-Million-Year-Old Dog May Not Have Been Man’s Best Friend

The discovery of a 12-million-year-old dog fossil has placed yet another species on the growing list of discoveries. However, this dog, which lived in a time when the massive megalodon shark roamed in the oceans, would not have been man’s best friend. The new canine species has been named Cynarctus wangi, named after Xiaoming Wang, ...

Troy Oakes

A drawing of cynarctus wangi.

The Chemical Fingerprint of Viking Artifacts

A new study examining the chemical make-up of iron artifacts from the Viking age aims to uncover new insights into where they came from that could reveal previously unknown information about historic events. Scientists from the University of Nottingham are leading the study, which will examine 90 iron Viking artifacts. These Viking artifacts are weapons ...

Troy Oakes

Two viking ships sailing.