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☆ 11 of the most baffling archaeological finds of all time
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Humans were making rope nearly 40,000 years agoExperts think this ivory baton was used for rope making around 38,000 years ago. One artifact, an eight-inch piece of ivory with grooved holes, wasn't easy to identify. Archaeologists have found similar items, known as batons, in the UK and France. Made of ivory or antler, they have holes with grooves on the inside, and some have notches. Based on descriptions of rope-making with similar tools from the Middle Ages, the researchers recreated the process with a replica of the piece of ivory.

Persons: Nicholas Conard Organizations: of Tübingen Locations: Germany, France

☆ How Denisovans survived and thrived on ‘the roof of the world’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“We know that the Denisovans lived, occupied the cave and this Tibetan plateau for such a long time, we really want to know, how did they live there? Analysis of bone fragments unearthed during excavations at Baishiya Karst Cave have revealed what animals Denisovans butchered, ate and processed. Traces of Denisovan DNA found in present-day people suggest the ancient species likely once lived across much of Asia. Many of the bones recovered from Baishiya Karst Cave, like this spotted hyena vertebra, contain traces of human activities such as cut marks. Unlike Denisova Cave, which was occupied by early modern humans and Neanderthals as well as Denisovans, current evidence suggests that Denisovans were the only group of humans to live at Baishiya Karst Cave, Zhang said.

Persons: CNN — Denisovans, Denisovans, ”, Dongju Zhang, Zhang, Denisovan, Frido Welker, Xia Li, Welker, Dongju, Samantha Brown, ” Brown Organizations: CNN, Lanzhou University, Globe, Paleoanthropology, University of Copenhagen, Mass, Junior, Palaeoproteomics, Germany’s University of Tübingen Locations: Xiahe, China’s Gansu, —, China, Lanzhou, Cave, Altai, Siberia, Asia, Laos, Southeast Asia, Ganjia, Australia

☆ Ancient Skull With Brain Cancer Preserves Clues to Egyptian Medicine
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Jordan Pearson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Fluctuating disease rates, innovative treatments and talk of “moonshots” in the White House may make cancer seem like a modern scourge. But a new discovery highlights how humans dealt with the illness and hunted for cures as far back as the time of the ancient Egyptians. Scientists led by Edgard Camarós, a paleopathologist at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain were studying an approximately 4,600-year-old Egyptian skull when they found signs of brain cancer and its treatment. This discovery, reported in a study published Wednesday in the journal Frontiers in Medicine, suggests that ancient Egyptians studied brain cancer using surgery. If the cuts were made while the person was alive, they may have even attempted to treat it.

Persons: Edgard Camarós, ”, Camarós, Tatiana Tondini, Albert Isidro Organizations: University of Santiago, University of Tübingen, University Hospital Sagrat Locations: University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, Germany, Medicine

☆ Crows can count much in the same way as human toddlers, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Can crows count much like toddlers do? The research was inspired by toddlers learning to count, said lead study author Diana Liao, a neurobiologist and senior researcher at the Tübingen lab. “They understand abstract numbers … and then plan ahead as they match their behavior to match that number,” Williams said. The study by Liao and her colleagues isn’t even the first to consider whether crows can count. The crows’ counting abilities “seem to exceed the demands which survival makes for such abilities,” he wrote.

Persons: ”, Heather Williams, ” Williams, Diana Liao, Liao, caws Liao, peck, ” Liao, We’re, B.F, Skinner, Kevin McGowan, McGowan wasn’t, McGowan, they’re, Andreas Nieder, isn’t, Nicholas Thompson, Irene Pepperberg, Pepperberg, Alex, Thompson Organizations: CNN, University of, Williams College, Cornell, of Ornithology, University of Tübingen, Boston University, Tübingen Locations: Germany, Massachusetts, Ithaca , New York

☆ Paris has hiked parking charges on SUVs. Now cities like London are taking note
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

At a referendum in Paris last month, almost 55% voted in favor of a specific parking rate for sports utility vehicles (SUVs) for non-residents. The higher charges will apply to SUVs weighing more than 1.6 metric tons that are hybrid or have a combustion engine, as well as electric SUVs weighing over 2 metric tons. According to Jens Müller, deputy director and head of policy and research at the Clean Cities campaign group, "what happens in Paris usually doesn't stay in Paris." Its plans to introduce higher parking charges for heavier vehicles which is due to come into force next June. It's a nod to the fact that pollution isn't the only potential issue with SUVs, with space and safety also of concern.

Persons: it's, Jens Müller, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Edmund King, Belit Onay Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Clean Cities, CNBC, Paris Mayor, International Energy Agency, Times, Lyon, Grenoble, Transport, Environment, Vias Institute Locations: Paris, France, Europe, Bordeaux, Germany, Tübingen, Hanover, 200cm, Belgium

☆ Neanderthal glue points to complex thinking
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Neanderthals likely made a type of glue from two natural compounds to help them better grip stone tools, according to a new analysis of forgotten artifacts recently rediscovered in a Berlin museum. “The fact that Neanderthals made such a substance gives insight into their capabilities and their way of thinking,” he said. The stone tools were unearthed around 1910 at a French archaeological site called Le Moustier that scientists believe Neanderthals used between 120,000 and 40,000 years ago. Their study, published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, found that the makers of the stone tools used the adhesive to mold a handle rather than haft the tool to wood. P. SchmidtMicroscopic wear showed the stone tools appeared polished over the handheld part but not elsewhere, likely revealing abrasion from the movement of the tools within the ocher-bitumen grip.

Persons: Patrick Schmidt, ”, Moustier, Gunther Möller, Schmidt, It’s, sapiens, Marie, Hélène, ” Schmidt Organizations: CNN, University of Tübingen’s, French National Museum of, Schmidt Locations: Berlin, Paris, Europe, ocher, Italy, France

☆ For over 20 years, archaeologists in Germany thought a 35,000-year-old figurine they found was a horse. Now, they aren't sure whether or not it's a cave lion or cave bear.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The head was found in 1999, and for years, archaeologists believed it to be a horse. Now they're debating what animal is meant to be represented by the ancient carving, according to a press release from the University of Tübingen. In the press release, Nicholas Conard, a professor at the University, said there are two main theories: a cave lion or a cave bear. Conard himself believes that it's a cave bear — a prehistoric bear species that inhabited Europe — because the figurine's "pronounced bear hump" matches the height of its shoulders and appears to imitate a bear's gait. "It therefore makes sense to look extra carefully for the missing parts of this animal in the years to come."

Persons: Nicholas Conard, Conard, Fels, Ria Litzenberg Organizations: Service, University of Tübingen, University, Tubingen Locations: Germany, Wall, Silicon, Swabian Jura, —, Europe, Blaubeuren

☆ Big-headed Jurassic sea turtle’s fossil is the most complete ever found
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Few complete fossils of this Jurassic sea turtle, named Solnhofia parsonsi, have been discovered. Today’s marine turtle species all have elongated, rigid flippers to propel them through the ocean depths. But the newly described fossil’s limbs were stumpier than those of modern sea turtles relative to its body size. An artistic reconstruction shows the extinct sea turtle in its coastal marine environment. The newly described fossil presents a far more complete view of those limbs, showing that they differed dramatically from the extremities of sea turtles alive today.

Persons: Solnhofia, parsonsi, ”, Felix Augustin, Augustin, Márton Rabi, Peter Nickolaus S, ” Augustin, Rabi, ” Rabi, Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, geosciences, University of Tübingen, University of Tübingen’s, Scientific Locations: Europe, Germany, Bavaria, Switzerland

☆ A Pancaked Turtle Fossil’s 150-Million-Year-Old Tale
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Asher Elbein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The hyper-saline, oxygen-poor conditions of these waters prevented scavengers from disturbing the bodies of animals that died in the lagoons. The area’s latest find is a beautifully preserved — if pancaked — turtle. Described in an article published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One, the specimen represents an approach to marine life unlike that of any shelled reptile today. The turtle’s name is Solnhofia, said Felix Augustin, a paleontologist at the University of Tübingen in Germany and an author of the study. Originally named in 1975, for decades the creature was known only from a pair of skulls found in Bavaria and Switzerland.

Persons: Felix Augustin Organizations: University of Tübingen Locations: Bavaria, Germany, Switzerland

☆ 300,000-year-old footprints are some of the oldest in Europe and show how our ancient ancestors co-existed with rhinos and elephants on lake and river shores
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Kelly Burch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Three fossilized footprints belong to an extinct species of ancient humans dating back 300,00 years. The prints are among the oldest in Europe and are the oldest ever found in Germany. The fossilized prints were covered for millennia, until a mining company began clearing the area to access coal deposits. The fossilized prints of ancient humans and animals paints a picture of how these species may have co-existed. Researchers found the first ancient rhino print in EuropeThe human prints were surrounded by many more fossilized footprints from prehistoric animals.

Persons: —, paleobotany, Flavio Altamura, Benoit Clarys, Jordi Serangeli, Serangeli, Altamura, antiquus Organizations: Service, University of Tübingen, Senckenberg Locations: Europe, Germany, Lower Saxony, Heidelberg, Schöningen, Siberia, Asia

☆ Archeologists made a game-changing discovery at Greece's oldest dig site where ancient humans used to roam 700,000 years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Nicholas Paphitis | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Archeologists discovered simple stone tools that date back an estimated 700,000 years. The discovery was made at Greece's oldest site where ancient humans were thought to exist. The Greek site was one of five investigated in the Megalopolis area during a five-year project involving an international team of experts, a Culture Ministry statement said. This skull from a member of the deer family was also discovered at the dig site Megalopolis, southern Greece. These stone tools, discovered at the dig site Megalopolis, southern Greece, date back about 700,000 years ago.

Persons: —, Panagiotis Karkanas, Eleni Panagopoulou, Katerina Harvati, Homo antecessor, antecessor, directorss, Nikos Efstratiou, Efstratiou, Megalopolis Organizations: Service, Ministry, Greek Culture Ministry, American School of Classical Studies, Athens, University of Tübingen, Associated Press, Greece's University of Thessaloniki Locations: ATHENS, Greece, Europe, Spain, Germany, Megalopolis, Mycenae, Olympia, Pylos

☆ Scientists say they made a mind-reading AI that can turn brain scans into a readout of your thoughts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Scientists say they trained AI to recreate a story from a brain scan. The AI was able to read their brainwaves and recreate the story accurately, per a study. The AI was able to accurately predict what the story was about by reading only the participant's brainwaves, per the study. The story doesn't come out exactly like it was told An annotated diagram shows how the AI can read brainwaves and generate a story. The technique can't break into private thoughtsScientists used this brain scanner to collect brainwaves to feed to the AI.

☆ Ancient Egyptian zodiac symbols were found in a temple after archaeologists cleared away 2,000 years' worth of grime
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ancient Egyptian star signs were found under a thick layer of soot and dust in the Temple of Esna. The colors in the full set of Egyptian zodiac symbols are vivid after being protected by the grime. The set is just one of three full sets of ancient Egyptian zodiac signs uncovered in Egyptian temples, said Dr. Daniel von Recklinghausen, a Tübingen Egyptologist who worked on the project. These zodiac symbols were uncovered in the latest series of renovations, which revealed the designs in brilliant colors. Ancient Egyptians adopted astrology late in their reignThese symbols show the decans, which are zodiac symbols representing the 12 hours of the night.

☆ Genetics study lays bare Ice Age drama for humans in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Tom Bjoerklund/Handout via REUTERSMarch 1 (Reuters) - Europe was no balmy paradise during the Ice Age, with the vast glaciers that blanketed large parts of the continent rendering wide swathes inhospitable for humans. While some populations hunkered down and survived in relatively warmer parts of Europe, including France, Spain and Portugal, others died out on the Italian peninsula, the study showed. "It refreshes our knowledge of how human beings survived the Ice Age," added paleogeneticist and study co-author He Yu of Peking University in China. Homo sapiens arose roughly 300,000 years ago in Africa, then spread worldwide, reaching Europe at least 45,000 years ago. The only people who survived this harshest period in Europe were hunter-gatherers who had found refuge in portions of France and the Iberian peninsula, the study found.

☆ 300,000-year-old markings hint at a rare example of Stone Age clothing: huge cave-bear skins
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

300,000-year-old cave markings in Germany suggest Stone Age humans were wearing clothes. Humans skinned huge cave bears to keep warm, per markings on bones analyzed by experts. This phalange, a bone from the paw of a cave bear, suggests that humans skinned cave bears and wore their pelts 300,000 years ago. The findings, published December 23 in the peer-reviewed Journal of Human Evolution, provided some of the earliest evidence of humans wearing clothing. Another sign is that all the cave bear bones and teeth found in the archeological site were from adults, which is "usually considered an indication of hunting," said Verheijen.

☆ Flatheaded dinosaur lived on island of dwarfed creatures
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A previously unknown dinosaur with a remarkably flat head lived around 70 million years ago on an island home to dwarfed prehistoric creatures. Discovered in what’s now western Romania, the Transylvanosaurus platycephalus (flatheaded reptile from Transylvania) was 2 meters (6 feet) long — a relatively small size for a dinosaur, according to a new study. The dinosaur’s bones were able to survive for tens of millions of years because the sediments of an ancient riverbed protected them. Ten dinosaur species have already been identified during excavations in the region, with the first dinosaur discovered in 1900. “Almost every terrestrial animal on this island was pretty small,” Augustin said via email.

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