Ancient African Coins and the History of Australia
May 20, 2013 | TheAge.com.au
Five copper coins about 1000 years old found on a beach by an Australian soldier during WWII may be strong evidence that ships from distant lands reached Australia hundreds of years earlier than what is written in history books. |
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Finding Clandestine Graves with Geophysics
May 14, 2013 | Keele University
Researchers at Keele University are developing new methods of finding clandestine graves using geophysical methods. Some of their methods are being adopted for use in forensic cases. |
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The Most Immediate Ancestor of Humans
April 16, 2013 | National Geographic
Some researchers believe that Australopithecus sediba should occupy the position of the most immediate ancestor of humans. |
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Lost Tribes of the Amazon
February 22, 2013 | SmithsonianMag.com
SmithsonianMag.com has an interesting article titled: “The Lost Tribes of the Amazon”. It describes some recent encounters with indigenous people in the Colombian headwaters of the Amazon. |
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NASA Debunks 2012 Doomsday
December 16, 2012 | NASA
In a Google hangout a group of NASA scientists discuss the Mayan Calendar and explain why December 21, 2012 will not be the end of the world. |
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Stolen Petroglyphs
November 19, 2012 | Los Angeles Times
Several Native American petroglyphs were stolen from a site near Bishop, California.
Related: Petroglyph Photos |
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Oldest Stone Tools – 71,000 YBP
November 11, 2012 | The Australian
Archaeologists working near Mossel Bay, South Africa have found small stone tools with an estimated age of 71,000 years. Prior to this, the earliest tools found have an age of about 65,000 years.
Related: Uses of Flint |
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Ancient Tsunami in Lake Geneva, Switzerland
November 4, 2012 | Latinos Post
About 1500 years ago a tsunami triggered by a delta collapse, traveled across Lake Geneva and swamped the area that is now the city of Geneva, Switzerland. |
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Excavating the Oldest Town in Europe
November 2, 2012 | BBC
Archaeolgists in Bulgaria are excavating a prehistoric town that is thought to be the oldest in Europe. The 4000+ year old site is thought to have been a salt-producing community. |
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When Did Human Impact on the Black Sea Begin?
October 17, 2012 | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
“Researchers use dramatic changes in sediment storage rates in the Danube River delta to determine that human impact upon the Black Sea began long before the Industrial Era.” Quoted from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution press release. |
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Pompeii in Ruins, Again
September 24, 2012 | Vancouver Sun
Although many structures in the city of Pompeii survived a volcanic eruption and World War II they have now fallen into ruins from a lack of maintenance. An article in the Vancouver Sun explains how history is being lost. |
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Neanderthals Were Right-Handed?
August 29, 2012 | MSNBC
Based upon superior muscularity of the right arm and wear patterns on teeth, researchers have determined that most Neanderthals were right-handed. |
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Most Popular News Items: 8/20-8/26
August 27, 2012 | Geology.com
Large Triceratops Discovered in Alberta
Mississippi River in Drought
Floating Pumice Trail in the Pacific
Lost Army of Cambyses II Discovered?
Tallest Sand Dunes in North America
One of the Best Teaching Tools on This Planet |
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Lost Army of Cambyses II Discovered?
August 19, 2012 | Discovery News
Archaeologists may have found the “Lost Army of Cambyses II” that perished in the Egyptian desert at about 500 BC.
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An Early Start for the Stone Age
August 15, 2012 | University of Colorado Boulder
“The Later Stone Age emerged in South Africa more than 20,000 years earlier than previously believed–about the same time humans were migrating from Africa to the European continent, says a new international study led by the University of Colorado Boulder.” Quoted from the University press release.
Related: What is Flint? |
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Native American Engineering in Arizona
August 14, 2012 | Arizona Experience
“Around 600 CE the Hohokam people began to construct irrigation canals. They excavated trenches up to 12 feet deep by hand, using a digging stick. The trenches drew off Salt River water and fanned into a network of smaller canals that brought a steady supply of water to fields. Between 1100 CE and 1450 CE, 500 miles of canals irrigated 110,000 acres. The food produced by this advanced irrigation system is believed to have supported up to 80,000 people—the highest population density in the prehistoric Southwest.” Quoted from an article on the Arizona Experience website. |
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A Variety of Data from Coprolite Analysis
August 5, 2012 | University of Oregon
Dating of organic materials and DNA extracted from human coprolites discovered in Oregon’s Paisley Caves enabled researchers to date projectile points to at least 13,200 years, bracket the geographic origin of projectile point technologies, point to a Siberia-east Asian origins of the people who used the points and possibly confirm the authenticity of what is the oldest direct evidence for humans in the Americas. |
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Archaic Humans in Africa Until 25,000 YA
July 29, 2012 | New York Times
DNA studies suggest that archaic species of humans may have persisted in Africa until as late as 25,000 years ago. |
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World War II German Sub Found Off Nantucket
July 29, 2012 | The Telegraph
A German submarine damaged by depth charges was found on the sea floor about 70 miles east of Nantucket. Researchers discovered the sub after a long search using side-scan sonar. |
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Landslide Unearths Huge Munitions Cache
July 24, 2012 | The Telegraph
A small landslide along a beach near Hornsea, England unearthed a large cache of World War II munitions. |
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Three Waves of Native Americans
July 17, 2012 | BBBC
The largest survey of Native American DNA supports the idea that North America was settled by three waves of people from Asia. |
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Flint: A Tool and Weapon for 2,000,000 Years
July 9, 2012 | Geology.com
Flint has been used to make tools and weapons for over 2 million years. This article explores the history of flint use and some of the locations where early people produced it. |
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Oldest Pottery Found in China
July 2, 2012 | New York Times
Fragments of the oldest pottery ever found were discovered in southern China. They are estimated to be 20,000 years old. |
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Europe’s Oldest Cave Art
June 19, 2012 | University of Bristol
Paleolithic paintings in El Castillo cave in Northern Spain date back at least 40,800 years – making them Europe’s oldest known cave art. Quoted from the University of Bristol press release.
Related: Rock Art: Petroglyphs and Pictographs |
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The Geological Fingerprint of War
June 6, 2012 | Jackson School of Geosciences
“Earle McBride and Dane Picard were traveling across France doing geologic field work in 1988 when they took time out to play tourists at Omaha Beach, site of one of the most ferocious battles during the D-Day invasion more than 40 years earlier.”
About the image: “McBride reported that 4 percent of the sand is made up of these bits of shrapnel ranging in size from very fine to course (0.06 to 1 millimeter).” Quotes from the Jackson School of Geosciences press release. |
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Oldest Musical Instruments Found
May 28, 2012 | BBC
Archaeologists working at a cave in Germany found flutes made from bone and ivory that have been dated to between 42,000 and 43,000 years old. |
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The Pompeii of Indonesia?
May 14, 2012 | Popular Archaeology
Excavations near the base of Tambora volcano reveal furnished buildings with dead occupants buried under a thick layer of volcanic ash. |
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Map by John White
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Clue to the Fate of the “Lost Colony”
May 8, 2012 | New York Times
In the late 16th century over 100 English colonists vanished without a trace from what was hoped to become a permanent English settlement in present-day North Carolina. The use of technology to examine a 16th century map may have revealed clues of their fate. |
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$2 Billion in Marine Treasure?
March 5, 2012 | The Sydney Morning Herald
Marine treasure hunters claim to have located the SS Port Nicholson, a Britsh ship that was torpedoed by a German submarine in 1942. It was carrying over $2 billion in precious metals and industrial diamonds. |
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Links Between Asians and the Earliest Native Americans
February 1, 2012 | University of Pennsylvania
“A tiny mountainous region in southern Siberia may have been the genetic source of the earliest Native Americans, according to new research by a University of Pennsylvania-led team of anthropologists.” Quoted from the NSF press release. |
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