Researchers analyzed 96 ancient genomes to understand the arrival and demographic structure of peoples with Steppe-related ancestry into late Neolithic, early Bronze Age Switzerland. Genetic analysis suggests a complex process involving gradual mixture of parallel, highly genetically structured societies.
Researchers developed CoproID, a reliable method to distinguish between human and dog feces based on ancient host DNA and microbiome composition. This technique enables the investigation of changes in the human gut microbiome throughout time, shedding light on food intolerances and other health issues.
The study reveals how ancient peoples in Arabia adapted to arid conditions through mobility, water management, and economic transformation. In contrast, southeastern populations relied on coastal resources during droughts, highlighting the importance of considering regional responses to climate change.
Researchers analyzed ancient teeth and rib bones to reveal significant dietary diversification at the onset of Mongolia's earliest empires. Millet-based foods increased in consumption, suggesting imperial support for agricultural efforts.
Researchers analyzed dental calculus from ancient Mongolians and found evidence of dairy consumption dating back to around 3000 BCE. The study suggests that migration played a key role in the introduction of dairy pastoralism to East Asia, with multiple animal species being used for milk production.
A new manuscript by Dr. Robert Spengler suggests that all earliest traits of plant domestication are linked to a mutualistic relationship in which plants recruited humans for seed dispersal. This concept, known as seed-dispersal-based evolution, explains why the first traits of domestication in crops were similar across different species.
Archaeological findings from India's Dhaba site reveal humans survived the massive Toba eruption with stone tools similar to those in Africa. The discovery contradicts theories of a 'volcanic winter' and supports genetic evidence of human interbreeding with archaic species.
Researchers reconstructed eight ancient Salmonella enterica genomes from human remains, revealing a link between the spread of farming culture and the emergence of human-adapted pathogens. The study highlights how constant exposure to pathogens enabled their evolution over 6,500 years.
New discoveries push back dates for early farming in the region by at least a millennium, providing evidence of adaptable ancient crop plants to new ecological constraints. The study also illustrates how humans cultivated crops at northern latitudes, challenging previous views on cultivation and labor practices in ancient Eurasia.
A new study uses novel methods to analyze tree rings, radiocarbon dating and genetic analysis to uncover past human influences on tropical forests. The research promotes conservation priorities by acknowledging the role of tropical trees in cultural and natural ecosystems.
Researchers identified five main European sign language lineages that dispersed globally from the late 18th century, tracing their evolution through a comprehensive database of manual alphabets and handshapes. The study provides new insights into the origins and spread of sign languages, highlighting unexpected connections between Aust...
The latest version of CLICS significantly increases the number of languages and concepts available, allowing researchers to study colexifications on a global scale. The database facilitates standardization of linguistic datasets and provides solutions to persistent challenges in linguistic research.
Researchers found that dogs and wolves perform equally well in coordinating their actions to obtain rewards, indicating shared basic cooperation abilities. The study suggests that these skills were present in the dog-wolf ancestor and have not been lost during domestication.
Researchers used a database of 2474 languages to study emotion concepts, revealing wide variation in emotional states but also universal structure constraining these concepts. This study provides evidence for the role of both cultural and biological evolution in shaping human emotions.
Researchers investigated ostrich eggshell bead diameters at 30 sites in Africa, increasing published data and revealing new trends that oppose longstanding beliefs. The study found regional variation with the spread of herding, suggesting contact between eastern and southern African communities.
New research from Mongolia uncovers historic tool production and wild resource use, shedding light on premodern reindeer domestication. However, the study also highlights the devastating impact of climate change on modern reindeer herders' livelihoods and cultural heritage.
Researchers found that humans' ability to recognize dog emotions is mainly acquired through age and experience, rather than being an evolutionarily selected trait. Participants who grew up in a cultural context with a positive attitude towards dogs were better at recognizing their emotions, regardless of whether they owned a dog themse...
Researchers analyzed 34 ancient genomes from the Black Death and succeeding plague epidemics in Europe to understand the genetic history of Yersinia pestis. The study found a single strain ancestral to all second pandemic strains, with lower genomic diversity during the initial outbreak.
New study reveals earliest microliths in South Asia and any rainforest environment worldwide, alongside tree-dwelling monkeys and tropical plants. The toolkits date back to 48,000-45,000 years ago and suggest the ecological flexibility of early Homo sapiens.
A new review highlights the role of advanced methods in understanding megafaunal extinctions, which occurred during dramatic climatic change and human dispersal. The study emphasizes the importance of combining different approaches to gain detailed insights into climate change, extinction chronologies, and species responses.
Researchers argue that viewing past human populations as discrete branches on an evolutionary tree is misleading and instead propose a dynamic changes in connectivity model, which better explains genetic diversity and fossil records. This shift in understanding could address complex questions in human evolutionary studies.
Researchers analyze fish bones from Early Neolithic Jiahu site in Henan Province, China, and find evidence of managed carp aquaculture from 6200-5700 BC. The study's findings suggest a sophisticated system of aquaculture development in prehistoric East Asia.
A new international study published in Science reveals that land use by early farmers and societies had a significant impact on global land cover by 3,000-4,000 years ago. The study uses crowdsourced archaeological data to assess long-term human impacts on the natural world.
Ancient DNA data from Roopkund Lake reveals diverse groups of people died at the lake in multiple events around 1000 years apart. The study, published in Nature Communications, found three distinct genetic groups among the skeletons, with ancestries related to present-day India, the eastern Mediterranean, and Southeast Asia.
A new study explores genetic roots of 26 populations from diverse regions and cultures of western South America and Mexico, revealing long-distance connections between speakers of the same language. Genetic analysis also found a distinct ancestry component in Amazonia present at high frequency in populations from Ecuador and Colombia.
Researchers found that ancient plants coevolved with megafaunal grazers to disperse their seeds, making them easy to harvest. The discovery sheds light on the early domestication of small-seeded grain crops like quinoa and amaranth.
A team of scientists analyzed ancient genomes from Ashkelon, finding a European-derived ancestry introduced around the time of the Philistines' arrival. This genetic component was diluted by local Levantine gene pool over centuries, suggesting intense admixture between foreign and native populations.
A chemical residue study in ancient incense burners from high-elevation burials in western China has provided the earliest clear evidence of cannabis use for its psychoactive properties. Researchers found that people were selecting plants with higher levels of THC and burning them as part of mortuary rituals.
Researchers found that rising sea levels destroyed evidence of shell middens at many prehistoric coastal sites, affecting our understanding of past coastal subsistence. Coastal erosion changed little during a period of significant sea-level rise and drop, with shells being deposited mostly on the direct shoreline.
Researchers analyzed human remains from 21 archaeological sites to study the impact and evolution of Yersinia pestis during the first plague pandemic. They reconstructed 8 new genomes from Britain, Germany, France, and Spain, revealing a previously unknown level of diversity in Y. pestis strains.
A study of ancient DNA from Siberia, Alaska, and Canada found that a significant genetic contribution from Paleo-Eskimos shaped the modern populations in the region. The researchers discovered that Paleo-Eskimos interbred with southern Native peoples and influenced the spread of Na-Dene languages.
Researchers argue that wetter climates may have allowed Homo sapiens to expand across deserts of Central Asia by 50-30,000 years ago. This new perspective challenges traditional views on human migration, suggesting that northern and central Asia were not impassable barriers.
Researchers tracing the history of apples from wild origins to domestication reveal that ancient megafauna and Silk Road trade routes played key roles. The modern apple is a hybrid of at least four wild populations, with genetic material originating from the Tien Shan Mountains of Kazakhstan.
Researchers have discovered that the Sino-Tibetan language family, including Chinese and Tibetan, originated about 7,200 years ago in North China among millet farmers. This finding was made using a phylogenetic analysis of ancient and modern languages, revealing complex patterns of evolution and expansion.
Researchers analyzed DNA from 763 individuals across the region, finding three distinct east-west genetic groupings correlating with ecological zones. The study reveals previously unknown genetic connections and shifts in ancestry over time, shedding light on human migration and cultural transfer in inner Eurasia.
A new study uses dendrochronology and historical survey to investigate the effects of human populations on Amazonian forests. The research reveals that pre-colonial populations left lasting imprints on the region's forest structure and resources.
A new study confirms that Anatolian hunter-gatherers adopted farming and were later descended by early Anatolian farmers. The findings provide genetic support for archaeological evidence that local hunter-gatherers developed agriculture independently, rather than being introduced by a large migration of farmers.
Two studies analyzing ancient DNA from 300 individuals reveal two Paleolithic lineages in Iberia dating back to 19,000 years ago. The findings also show that hunter-gatherers contributed to the genetic make-up of farmers arriving from the Near East between 2500-2000 BC.
Researchers analyzed sea otter use of large rocks as 'anvils' to break open shells, leaving behind recognizable damage patterns and shell middens. The study suggests that sea otters may exhibit handedness, with a consistent pattern of striking the mussels against points and ridges on the rocks.
A new method using rapid laser imaging has expanded the number of analyzed shell records, allowing for greater accuracy and longer time periods in reconstructed records. This technique enables researchers to study human and ecological responses to past climate changes, gaining insights into future climate change impacts.
A new study reveals that Homo sapiens colonized the South Asian rainforest by hunting primates and other small mammals 45,000 years ago. The researchers found remains with cut-marks and burning at the oldest human archaeological site in Sri Lanka, alongside sophisticated bone and stone tools.
A recent genetic study published in Nature Communications analyzed genome-wide data from 45 individuals in the North Caucasus region, revealing a complex interaction between populations from the Eurasian steppe and the Caucasus Mountains during the Bronze Age. The study shows that despite harsh mountain terrain, groups living throughou...
A new study reviews palaeoecological information associated with hominin dispersals into Southeast Asia and Oceania, highlighting human species' ability to specialize in 'extreme' settings. This specialization stands in contrast to other hominin taxa, reaffirming the importance of studying environmental adaptations of Homo sapiens.
A 45-60 year old medieval woman found to have lapis lazuli pigment in her dental calculus, suggesting she was an accomplished painter of illuminated manuscripts. The analysis challenges long-held beliefs about women's role in manuscript production and uncovers a remarkable life history.
Researchers have dated Acheulean presence in Arabian Peninsula to less than 190,000 years ago, revealing early humans occupied site until arrival of Homo sapiens. The site, Saffaqah, features youngest Acheulean tools yet found in southwest Asia.
The study found the earliest evidence of Siberian ancestry in Fennoscandia in a population inhabiting the Kola Peninsula, Russia, dating to around 4,000 years ago. Ancient DNA from Finland reveals that people genetically similar to present-day Saami people inhabited areas in much more southern parts of Finland than the Saami today.
Researchers found that dogs search for additional information significantly more often when they have not seen where the reward is hidden. However, their searching flexibility was limited compared to primates and humans.
Researchers discovered dairy pastoralism in Mongolia as early as 1300 BC through cultural transmission rather than population replacement or migration. Milk proteins were found in tooth tartar and dental calculus of ancient Mongolians, indicating the livestock were cattle, sheep, and goats introduced by Western Steppe herders.
Researchers analyzed ancient animal bones using ZooMS to discover that people were herding sheep, goat, and cattle by at least 4300 years ago. This technique provides new insights into the human story across Central Asia and opens up a whole new world of archaeological research possibilities.
New study finds stone tools and cut-marks at Ti's al Ghadah site in Saudi Arabia, dated to 500,000-300,000 years ago, suggesting early hominins inhabited relatively humid grasslands. Stable isotope analysis reveals aridity levels similar to those in eastern Africa's open savanna settings.