Category: Archaeology
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Nobel Prizes and ancient DNA – an explainer
The Nobel Prize was awarded to Svante Pääbo on 3 October for groundbreaking research based on ancient DNA. But what exactly is it and how does it impact our knowledge of human evolution and history?
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Ancient wolf DNA reveals the domestication history of dogs
When and where did dogs emerge from wolves? A new study provides interesting insights.
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A Brief History of Chickens
New research shows that the chicken was domesticated thousands of years earlier than previously supposed. But how and where did domestication first happen — and what’s the future of chickens?
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When Did Humans First Wear Clothes?
Clothes have been around for millennia. But when did we first begin wearing them? Surprisingly, lice reveal the answer.
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The Neanderthal Diet
Learn how ancient DNA studies are casting doubt on the supposedly carnivorous diet of Neanderthals, our most closely related hominin ancestor. In fact, figuring out what these extinct hominins ate might be the key that unravels the mystery of their early demise. Read on to learn how.
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What was the Black Death?
IN 1347 DEATH CAME to Europe. It ravaged for six years, and no one was spared. Old, young, rich and poor all died mysteriously. The mark of death was certain: Buboes would emerge in the groin or armpits, and within a few days, the victim would most likely die. Most experts agree that around 25…
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Aborigines Were Part of a Pacific Trade Network 3,000 Years Ago
New archaeological evidence is uprooting traditional ideas about ancient Australia’s isolation from the rest of the world, showing that Aboriginal islanders were trading with islands across the Pacific 3,000 years ago.
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Africa Was Interconnected 50,000 Years Ago
A newly released study suggests that ancient Africans were incredibly interconnected culturally, socially and economically 50,000 years ago.
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