Articles tagged with Holocene
A new study reveals that ancient bacterial genomes from teeth of human remains found at four hunter-gatherer cemeteries in East Siberia reconstructed the earliest forms of plague. The findings suggest that these early strains were highly lethal and carried a unique superantigen, increasing the severity of infection.
Researchers analyzed 11,000-year-old bowhead whale fossils to reveal the devastating impact of commercial whaling on the species' genetics. The study found that genetic diversity will continue to decline, severely impacting the species' resilience to climate change.
A recent study by the University of Adelaide found that K'gari's largest lakes dried out around 7,500 years ago due to a strong drying event. The researchers also discovered that wind patterns may have influenced rainfall on the island, putting its lakes at risk of drying again in the future.
A new book by Peter Turchin analyzing data from over 800 societies reveals that warfare was the central driver of social complexity, leading to the development of institutions for cooperation and prosociality. The Great Holocene Transformation offers insights into the evolution of human societies over 10,000 years.
A new study traces the transformation of mammal communities across six continents over 50,000 years, finding that farming and hunting reshaped ecosystems. Only a handful of domesticated species, including cattle and horses, spread globally, altering native mammal populations.
A new study has mapped the history of infectious diseases across millennia, offering insights into how human-animal interactions transformed our health landscape. The research analyzed ancient DNA from over 1,300 prehistoric individuals, revealing that zoonotic diseases became more widespread around 5,000 years ago.
A 30-meter sediment core from the Great Blue Hole in Belize provides the longest recorded storm frequency data for the Atlantic, with 574 storm events over 5,700 years. The research reveals a steady increase in tropical storms and hurricanes in the southwestern Caribbean due to climate change.
A new study reveals that palaeolithic hunter-gatherers on Cyprus are responsible for the disappearance of two species of megafauna: dwarf elephants and hippos. The research suggests that these small human populations could have driven both species to extinction due to their hunting practices.
A new study reveals Andean tropical glaciers are the smallest in over 11,700 years due to increasing temperatures and human-induced climate change. This region is a hot spot for understanding the cryosphere's changing state, with implications for higher-latitude glaciers.
Researchers discovered stone artifacts on the Tibetan plateau that suggest long-distance cultural exchanges between residents and those living on its perimeter. The findings, published in Quaternary Science Reviews, reveal a more complex social dimension than previously thought.
A recent study reveals that humans inhabited a lava tube in northern Saudi Arabia for thousands of years, with evidence of repeated occupation and a transition to oasis agriculture. The site provides valuable insights into the history of human settlement in the region.
Researchers from Kobe University found that a 7,300-year-old volcanic eruption was the largest of the Holocene era. The team analyzed seismic imaging and sediment samples to determine the event's magnitude and impact on the climate.
Researchers crafted replicas of Early Upper Paleolithic stone age tools and used them for various tasks. They found that combining macroscopic and microscopic traces can help identify tool functions, potentially pushing back the timeline for woodworking innovation.
A team of scientists has discovered and analyzed the oldest direct evidence of basketry among hunter-gatherer societies and early farmers in southern Europe. The esparto grass objects from Cueva de los Murciélagos date back to the Mesolithic period, between 9,500 and 6,200 years ago.
A pioneering study using deep-sea corals reveals that ocean currents did not fuel the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide over the past 11,000 years. The research suggests that biogeochemical cycles redistributing nutrients and carbon in the ocean and on land may have influenced this rise.
Researchers at the Complexity Science Hub found that periodic outbreaks of warfare can account for boom-bust patterns in population dynamics of early farming societies. The study suggests that social conflict played a crucial role in shaping the population dynamics of these societies, contrary to previous assumptions that climate chang...
A unique analysis of 205 fossil pollen records provides insights into past ecosystem dynamics in Asia during the Holocene. The study finds that vegetation change has been generally heterogeneous across space and time, but has become more homogeneous due to human activity.
Geneticists used Ashaninka DNA to uncover a strong hint of a South-to-North migration that led to the transition from an archaic to ceramic culture in Caribbean islands. The study provides new insights into pre-colonial American history and highlights the importance of microgeographic studies.
Researchers analyzed ancient genomes from ten individuals up to 7,500 years old in Siberia, revealing a previously unknown hunter-gatherer population that contributed to many contemporaneous and subsequent populations across North Asia. The genetic data show a mix of paleo-Siberian and Ancient North Eurasian people, with links to hunte...
Researchers combined nuclear fallout records with coral skeletons to define the Anthropocene period, which marks a milestone for humanity's impact on Earth's environment. The study provides clear evidence of plutonium fallout from 1954, linking sediments and coral records.
An international research team applied a new dynamical model and exceptional historical data to examine major explanations for cultural complexity evolution. The study found little support for many influential theories, including the transition to agriculture and conflict theories.
A study published in PLOS ONE reveals Cueva de Ardales was a canvas for artwork and burial place for Neanderthals and modern humans from 65,000 to 35,000 years ago. The site provides a unique history of human activity in Spain and sheds light on the development of European culture.
A new SDSU study used radiocarbon dating to determine the timing of the last seven periods of filling during the Late Holocene, revealing six earlier lake fills between 1618–1636 and 1486–1503. The research sheds light on both the history of human occupation in the area and its seismic past.
Researchers at USTC reconstructed precipitation patterns in East Asian monsoon region during the Holocene and proposed a driving mechanism. The study suggests that low-latitude seasonal insolation changes, modulated by Western Pacific Subtropical High, control monsoon precipitation variation.
Paleoseismic trenching reveals three surface-rupturing earthquakes occurred approximately 8,800, 4,200, and 1,000 years ago on the Gales Creek fault. The study suggests that earthquakes occur about every 4,000 years on the fault, posing significant seismic hazard to the Portland metro area.
Researchers analyzed sediment cores to find natural sea-ice extent variation since last ice age, contrasting with recent decline. Perennial ice in western and central areas persisted even during warm periods, while southeastern part experienced seasonal ice-free conditions.
A study links iron levels in a Greenland ice core to Asian dust patterns over the past 110,000 years. The findings suggest that changes in solar radiation drove hemispheric-scale dust input, with more complex Fe fertilization effects during the Holocene.
New research at the 'Joe's Garden' site in Papua New Guinea reveals insights into past subsistence patterns, including the consumption of starchy plants like tree nuts and tubers. The findings confirm the long-term survival of these microfossils in an equatorial context.
A team of researchers discovered human skeletons on forest islands in southwestern Amazonia that date back up to 10,000 years, indicating the presence of hunter gatherers with early signs of agriculture. The findings provide strong evidence for the antiquity and origin of these sites.
Researchers re-dated giant ground sloth remains, challenging popular hypothesis that megamammals survived into the Holocene. Their findings suggest humans hunted and butchered the animal near a swamp during the end of the Pleistocene.
A new study reveals that sambaqui societies living in coastal Atlantic Forest areas between 8,000 and 1,000 years ago consumed a range of plants and had a more diversified economy than previously believed. Analysis of their middens shows evidence of plant cultivation and high consumption of carbohydrates.
A study suggests that increased Southern Ocean upwelling may be responsible for the Holocene's 20 ppm rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide, which stabilized the climate and facilitated human civilization. This process weakened the biological pump, allowing more carbon dioxide to leak into the atmosphere.
Researchers at Takarkori site in Libya discovered over 200,000 seeds showing early form of agriculture by hunter-gatherers. Insects were not responsible for seed concentrations, confirming human activity in collection and storage.
Phytolith dating suggests rice domestication occurred at Shangshan in China around 9,400 cal yr BP, or possibly earlier. The study found that rice bulliform phytoliths with more than nine fish scales were present in early occupation stages, indicating the beginning of rice domestication.
Researchers simulated conditions 10,000 years ago to discover teosinte, a wild grass believed to be corn's ancestor, exhibited characteristics similar to corn under past conditions. This finding suggests early farmers may have played less of a role in selecting for desirable traits than previously thought.
The paper presents findings on strain rates measured in travertine in the Rio Grande rift, age dating of the Neoarchean Rum Jungle complex, and the first lithosphere-scale illustration of the structural evolution of the Black Sea Basin. Geodynamic modeling also reveals internal structures produced during craton formation.
This new field guide delves into the geological history of the southeastern United States, spanning from the Triassic to the Precambrian period. The guide offers in-depth excursions along various regions, including coastal plains, highlands, and fault systems.
Researchers have developed a detailed volcanic hazard map for the island of Gran Canaria by analyzing 13 new radiocarbon ages. The map indicates that the area of greatest volcanic activity is in the north east of the island, which has experienced 24 eruptions over the past 11,000 years.
A new study reveals that glaciers in New Zealand's Southern Alps have fluctuated frequently over the past 7,000 years, with some advances and declines not seen in the Northern Hemisphere. The research uses a refined method to date young moraines, allowing for more accurate reconstructions of glacial advances worldwide.
A new study using cosmogenic dating reveals that New Zealand's largest glaciers moved out of step with their northern hemisphere counterparts for the past 7,000 years. The research provides a glacial timeline and shows regional climate variations in both hemispheres.
Native C4 plants faced disastrous consequences during prolonged severe droughts in the middle Holocene, contrary to expectations. Weedy C3 plants adapted well due to their ability to exploit limited water resources, highlighting a key difference between C3 and C4 plant responses.