The World’s Oldest Stash: Scientists Find 2,700-Year-Old Pot
The World’s Oldest Stash: Scientists Find 2,700-Year-Old Pot Nearly two pounds of still-green plant material found in a 2,700-year-old grave in the Gobi Desert has just been identified as the world’s oldest marijuana stash, according to a paper in the latest issue of the Journal of Experimental Botany. A barrage of tests proves the marijuana …
A Message From a Mysterious Ancient Culture in Siberia
A Message From a Mysterious Ancient Culture in Siberia On the right bank of the Askiz river, a unique archaeological site from the early first millennium C.E. has been found. It is ᴀssociated with the enigmatic Tashtyk culture in ancient Siberia and for a change, it sheds light not only on how they died, but …
Skulls suggest Romans in London enjoyed human blood sports
Skulls suggest Romans in London enjoyed human blood sports A joint research project between the Museum of London and the Natural History Museum has re-evaluated human remains discovered under the London Wall in 1988. The majority of the remains were recovered from an industrial site in the Walbrook Valley and have been curated by the …
Holey cow! Evidence of Stone Age veterinary ‘surgery’
Holey cow! Evidence of Stone Age veterinary ‘surgery’ A hole in the skull of a Stone Age cow was likely made by humans about 5,000 years ago, probably by a primitive veterinarian or trainee surgeon, scientists said. The hole appears to have been painstakingly carved into the animal’s head, but whether it was an operation …
Evidence of Surgery Some 5,300 Years Ago Identified in Spain
Evidence of Surgery Some 5,300 Years Ago Identified in Spain A team of several researchers from the University of Valladolid, in Spain and one from the Spanish National Research Council in Italy, has found evidence of the earliest ear surgery performed on a human being. In their paper published in the journal Scientific Reports, the …
How Studying Mummies Could Cure Modern Diseases
How Studying Mummies Could Cure Modern Diseases Earlier this year, scientists published a study of whole-body CT scans of 137 mummies: ancient Egyptians and Peruvians, ancestral Puebloans of southwest America, and Unangan hunter-gatherers of the Aleutian Islands. They reported signs of atherosclerosis—a dangerous artery hardening that can lead to heart attacks or stroke—in 34 per …
93-Million-Year-Old Killer Crocodile Discovered With a Baby Dinosaur in Its Stomach
93-Million-Year-Old “Killer” Crocodile Discovered With a Baby Dinosaur in Its Stomach Advanced nuclear and synchrotron imaging has confirmed that a 93-million-year-old crocodile found in Central Queensland devoured a juvenile dinosaur based on remains found in the fossilized stomach contents. The discovery of the fossils in 2010 was made by the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum …
Lavish Roman mosaic is biggest found in London for 50 years
Lavish Roman mosaic is biggest found in London for 50 years Archaeologists have uncovered the largest area of Roman mosaic found in London for more than half a century. The two highly decorated panels feature large, colourful flowers, geometric patterns and elaborate motifs in a style unique to the capital. It is thought it once …
Prehistoric Site in Portugal Yields 350-Year-Old Remains
Prehistoric Site in Portugal Yields 350-Year-Old Remains An African man who lived just 350 years ago was buried in a prehistoric shell midden in Amoreira in Portugal. This was very surprising because Amoreira and other midden sites in the Muge region are well known by archaeologists for the cemeteries of the last hunter-gatherers living in …
Inscribed Medieval Gold Brooch Recovered in England
Inscribed Medieval Gold Brooch Recovered in England A metal detectorist has discovered a medieval gold brooch with a series of Latin and Hebrew inscriptions. The artefact, found in Wiltshire in the U.K., may have mixed religion and magic in an attempt to give its user protection against illness or supernatural events. The Latin inscriptions translate …