The Cross-Linguistic Data Formats Initiative sets out proposed guidelines for a standardized format for linguistic databases, providing a software package, basic ontology, and usage examples. This initiative aims to standardize data formats to facilitate sharing and re-use of data in comparative linguistics.
Researchers analyzed proteins in ancient ceramics to determine the diet of early farmers at Çatalhöyük. The study found evidence of cereals, legumes, dairy products, and meat, including specific species such as barley, wheat, peas, vetches, sheep, goats, cattle, and deer.
A collaborative art project on Reddit revealed the dynamics of cultural change, with artworks becoming increasingly interdependent as space ran out. The study corroborates the idea that cooperation is key to success in both biological and cultural contexts.
A team of researchers identified three sources of non-independence in cultural variables: phylogenetic non-independence, spatial autocorrelation, and covariation. By controlling for these factors, they found that parasites have no more explanatory power for cultural traits than other environmental factors like biodiversity and climate.
The Lothagam North Pillar Site is the earliest and largest monumental cemetery in eastern Africa, built by an egalitarian society of mobile pastoralists around Lake Turkana. The site's construction contradicts traditional theories about the emergence of social hierarchy and its relationship to monument building.
Studies of ancient plant remains from a medieval archaeological site in Uzbekistan have shown that fruits like apples, peaches, and melons were cultivated in Central Asia roughly a thousand years ago. The Silk Road played a significant role in the spread of these crops across Eurasia, contributing to their popularity in cuisines today.
Homo sapiens developed a unique ecological position as a global 'general specialist', occupying diverse and challenging environments. The species' ability to adapt to extreme settings stands in contrast to previous and coexisting hominins, suggesting how it became the last surviving hominin on Earth.
Human ancestors were scattered across Africa, with diverse habitats and shifting environmental boundaries leading to a staggering diversity of human forms. The mixing of these populations ultimately shaped our species.
A team of scholars found that the Deer Stone-Khirigsuur Culture used veterinary dental procedures to remove baby teeth causing young horses pain or difficulty feeding. This discovery reveals that equine veterinary care was developed in eastern Eurasia over 3,000 years ago.
Researchers have recovered ancient syphilis genomes from skeletal remains in Mexico, distinguishing between the subspecies that cause syphilis and yaws. The findings shed new light on the evolutionary history of syphilis, suggesting a complex history that challenges previous hypotheses.
A team of researchers analyzed two 3,800-year-old genomes, identifying the oldest sequenced strain with virulence factors characteristic of bubonic plague. The study suggests a Bronze Age origin for the disease, dating it back around 4,000 years.
Chemical analysis of rat remains from Polynesian islands shows changes humans made to local ecosystems, including native species extinctions and alterations to food webs. The study advances a new method for detecting human transformations of local ecosystems in the past.
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History launched the Color Game, an app designed to study language evolution by having players communicate specific colors using a series of black and white symbols. The game allows large numbers of participants to interact freely and build shared visual languages.
A new study on ancient leprosy DNA found diverse leprosy strains circulating in Medieval Europe, contradicting previous assumptions about the disease's origin. The research sequenced 10 medieval genomes, including the oldest to date from around 400 AD, revealing complex transmission dynamics.
A 78,000-year-old cave site in coastal Kenya reveals a sequence of human occupation and cultural complexity, with technological innovations starting at 67,000 years ago. The discovery challenges previous hypotheses about human migration out of Africa and provides new insights into the adaptability of early humans.
Researchers used stable carbon and oxygen isotope analysis to show that some individuals subsisted primarily on forest resources, while others relied on agriculture through trade. The study's findings are significant for the Wanniyalaeto people's battles to remain on their traditional hunting grounds.
The discovery of a 90,000-year-old Homo sapiens fossil in Saudi Arabia reveals early dispersals into Eurasia were more expansive than previously thought. The finding suggests that early humans colonized a broader region of southwest Asia than previously believed.
A team of researchers from institutions at the leading edge of palaeoproteomics have published guidelines to support good practices in the field and ensure robust, reproducible results. The guide aims to provide consistency to a new field, addressing issues such as data reporting standards, authentication measures, and lab contamination.
A new linguistic analysis by an international team has estimated that the Dravidian language family, spoken by 220 million people in South Asia, originated around 4,500 years ago. This estimate matches well with earlier studies and is supported by advanced statistical methods and hand-collected data from native speakers.
A study of 155 Austronesian societies found that intensive agriculture and social hierarchies were not causally linked, but rather part of a feedback loop. The results challenge the widely held view that material changes drive social evolution.
Scientists discovered genomic ancestry of Stone Age North Africans from Morocco, revealing a mix of Near Eastern and sub-Saharan African influences. The study, published in Science, sheds new light on human migration patterns and the history of our species.
A study published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology found that dogs create a mental representation of target objects while tracking scent trails. Dogs show hesitation when finding an unexpected toy and later retrieve it equally quickly regardless of initial expectation.
A new study using ancient and modern genome-wide data found that Papuan ancestry replaced early Austronesian-Lapita population in Vanuatu, yet the original Austronesian languages persisted. This provides a unique case of demographic history where genetic ancestry but not language was replaced.
An international team analyzed ancient DNA from 38 northern Europeans, uncovering that Scandinavia was settled via southern and northern routes. Agriculture arrived in northern Europe through migrating farmers and pastoralists. The study provides new insights into population dynamics of prehistoric northern Europe.
Researchers from Max Planck Institute and Harvard University use ancient DNA analysis to uncover the possible cause of a devastating epidemic in Oaxaca, Mexico. The study found evidence of Salmonella enterica Paratyphi C, a pathogen that causes enteric fever, in skeletons of victims of the cocoliztli epidemic.
A new study reveals that the original inhabitants of the Chachapoyas region in Peru remained genetically distinct from the Inca Empire, resisting forced assimilation. The research uses DNA analysis to challenge traditional accounts of the Incas' conquest of the area.
Recent studies reveal that humans left Africa multiple times prior to 60,000 years ago, interbred with other hominins in Eurasia, and left genetic traces in modern human populations. The analysis confirms the traditional 'Out of Africa' model can no longer be seen as the full story.
Researchers sequenced ancient plague genomes from 4,800 to 3,700 years ago, revealing a possible introduction of Yersinia pestis into Europe during the Neolithic period. The study suggests that the plague spread along with the migration of steppe nomads and may have played a role in genetic turnover of European populations.
New research suggests that early European farmers lived side-by-side with hunter-gatherers, slowly mixing and assimilating them over time. The study found that hunter-gatherer heritage increased in the farming populations, indicating a gradual integration rather than replacement or extermination.
Research reveals surprising patterns in letter orientation, favoring certain symmetries and angles, with no evidence of long-term evolution through cultural transformation or selection. The study analyzed over 100 scripts from around the world, finding that human cognitive preferences directly affect character shape.
A recent study published in PNAS found that language grammatical structures change more quickly than vocabulary, influenced by contact with unrelated languages. Researchers analyzed 81 Austronesian languages and discovered striking differences in the rates of change between grammar and lexicon.
Researchers found that mobile women brought new cultural objects and ideas, which increased during the Bronze Age, promoting technological development. Genetic analysis revealed diversity of female lineages from outside the region, indicating integration into local communities.
Researchers used ancient DNA and proteins to confirm chicken introductions in Zanzibar (7th-8th century AD) via maritime trade. Black rats also appear in islands around the same time, suggesting they arrived as stowaways on trade vessels.
Tens of thousands of years of human impact on tropical forests have had significant consequences, including extinctions, soil erosion, and reduced biodiversity. However, indigenous agricultural strategies can minimize environmental damage when implemented sustainably.
The study analyzed genome-wide data from 19 individuals and found that the Minoans descended primarily from Neolithic Western Anatolia and Greece. Modern Greeks are genetically closely related to the Mycenaeans, indicating a large degree of population continuity in Greece.
Researchers identify major transitions in human cultural evolution using computational methods and large cross-cultural datasets. The study reveals the complex processes underlying our cultural histories, including changes from small kin-based groups to colossal nation states.
The study suggests that a hominin migration out of Africa occurred between 470,000 and 220,000 years ago, introducing their mitochondrial DNA to the Neanderthal population. This event reconciles discrepancies in nuclear and mitochondrial DNA phylogenies, providing new insights into human evolution.
A recent study has successfully recovered and analyzed ancient DNA from Egyptian mummies, providing new insights into the genetic history of ancient Egyptians. The research found that modern Egyptians share more ancestry with Sub-Saharan Africans than ancient Egyptians did, and were most closely related to ancient populations in the Ne...
A new genomic study on southern Mediterranean populations from Sicily and Southern Italy reveals a shared genetic background extending to Cyprus, Crete, Anatolia, and the Aegean islands. This shared Mediterranean ancestry may have originated in prehistoric times as a result of multiple migration waves.
A new study using precision chronology sheds light on the origins of Mongolia's nomadic horse culture, revealing that domestic horse ritual spread rapidly across the Mongol Steppe at around 1200 BC. This finding challenges previous hypotheses about the development of horsemanship and its relationship to climate change.
Researchers tested automated approaches to analyze large linguistic datasets, finding that some methods detected cognates correctly with high accuracy. The study suggests a promising future for combining algorithms and expert knowledge to uncover human prehistory and cultural evolution.
Researchers found that tropical forests provided a stable source of subsistence for human hunter-gatherers in New Guinea. Stable isotope analysis revealed prehistoric diets and lifestyles, indicating that foraging continued alongside agricultural experimentation.