Researchers just traced two turquoise ceramic fragments found amongst 9000+ other sherds from remote Mongolian herding camps back to medieval Persia. How luxury goods ended up in the middle of the Gobi Desert remains a mystery. sciencespectrumu.com/lost-in-the-...

Humans were making fire WAY earlier than we thought. A new study reveals evidence of deliberate fire-making 400,000 years ago, 350,000 years earlier than previous records. Ancient hominins carried pyrite to strike sparks and ignite flames in Barnham, UK medium.com/the-academic...

Humans were making fire WAY earlier than we thought. A new study reveals evidence of deliberate fire-making 400,000 years ago, 350,000 years earlier than previous records. Ancient hominins carried pyrite to strike sparks and ignite flames in Barnham, UK medium.com/the-academic...

Researchers just traced two turquoise ceramic fragments found amongst 9000+ other sherds from remote Mongolian herding camps back to medieval Persia. How luxury goods ended up in the middle of the Gobi Desert remains a mystery. sciencespectrumu.com/lost-in-the-...

New research proposes the Bayeux Tapestry was created for monks at St. Augustine's Abbey to view during mealtimes. Its remarkable preservation may be due to decades spent in storage after construction delays left its original purpose forgotten. medium.com/the-academic...

New research reveals what likely killed off the "hobbits" of Flores Island; a centuries-long drought that began around 61,000 years ago. Scientists analyzed stalagmite oxygen isotopes and found summer rainfall collapsed by 56% drying up the rivers they depended on medium.com/fossils-et-a...

Roman soldiers kept Indian macaques as exotic pets in ancient Egypt. These monkeys were status symbols imported across the Indian Ocean and buried with elaborate grave goods. Sadly, most died young from poor nutrition: fed bread and dates instead of their natural diet. medium.com/the-academic...

A new study reanalyzed the remains of macaws and parrots excavated from Chaco Canyon. These exotic birds were housed in special rooms with perches, fed corn and pinyon nuts, and carefully buried after death ~1000 years ago medium.com/the-academic...

Giant mega-sharks ruled Australia's ancient seas 15 million years earlier than scientists thought. Overlooked fossils from the 1980s reveal 6-8 meter predators weighing over 3 tons that dominated coastal waters medium.com/science-spec...

A new study reanalyzed the remains of macaws and parrots excavated from Chaco Canyon. These exotic birds were housed in special rooms with perches, fed corn and pinyon nuts, and carefully buried after death ~1000 years ago medium.com/the-academic...

Genomics Reveals Snow Leopards Have Always Been Rare #SciComm🧪 by @grrlscientist.bsky.social #BigCats🐅 #SnowLeopard🐾 #Genomics🧬 #diversity #Ecology #Evolution grrlscientist.medium.com/genomics-rev...

Scientists determined the sex of four 2-million-year-old hominins using proteins preserved in tooth enamel. One small-toothed individual turned out to be male, challenging the assumption that size variation in Paranthropus robustus was due to sexual dimorphism. medium.com/fossils-et-a...

Researchers just revealed tattoos invisible to the naked eye on 27 Nubian individuals spanning 1,700 years. Christianity appears to have expanded the practice from adult women to include men and even infants medium.com/science-spec...

DNA analysis reveals the "first Black Briton" wasn't Black at all. The Beachy Head Woman, a Roman-era skeleton made headlines in 2014 when craniofacial analysis suggested African descent, has now been confirmed through modern genetic testing to be of local British ancestry medium.com/the-academic...

Scientists have finally solved the mystery of Liaoningosaurus, the tiny "paradoxical" armored dinosaur from China. Bone microscopy revealed that ALL known specimens were actually juveniles, including the first ankylosaur hatchling ever found. The adults? Still missing. medium.com/fossils-et-a...

The Chinchorro people created the world's oldest mummies over 7000 years ago, possibly as art therapy to cope with infant loss from arsenic-poisoned water. Grieving parents may have transformed deceased children into elaborate works of art as a form of ritual healing. medium.com/teatime-hist...

Scientists just confirmed an 11-meter mosasaur lived in freshwater rivers during the Late Cretaceous, not the ocean like we thought. Multiple isotope analyses of a tooth from North Dakota's Hell Creek Formation proved this apex predator adapted to river life. medium.com/fossils-et-a...

Scientists have finally solved the mystery of Liaoningosaurus, the tiny "paradoxical" armored dinosaur from China. Bone microscopy revealed that ALL known specimens were actually juveniles, including the first ankylosaur hatchling ever found. The adults? Still missing. medium.com/fossils-et-a...

DNA analysis reveals the "first Black Briton" wasn't Black at all. The Beachy Head Woman, a Roman-era skeleton made headlines in 2014 when craniofacial analysis suggested African descent, has now been confirmed through modern genetic testing to be of local British ancestry medium.com/the-academic...

Scientists discovered the world's first fossilized buttock-drag mark & it was made by a dassie (rock hyrax) 126,000 years ago in South Africa. The 95cm groove in ancient sand dunes also contains what may be fossilized dung, making it one of ichnology's most unusual finds. medium.com/teatime-hist...

A new study of 189 ancient Patagonian hunter-gatherers reveals that even the severely injured were cared for, not abandoned. 💔❤️ 3,000 years ago, survival wasn’t just of the fittest, it was of the kindest. medium.com/the-academic...

New study finds that "juvenile T. rex" fossils actually belong to a separate species called Nanotyrannus, settling a decades-long debate in paleontology. This discovery completely rewrites what we thought we knew about T. rex development and behavior. medium.com/fossils-et-a...

Roman soldiers kept Indian macaques as exotic pets in ancient Egypt. These monkeys were status symbols imported across the Indian Ocean and buried with elaborate grave goods. Sadly, most died young from poor nutrition: fed bread and dates instead of their natural diet. medium.com/the-academic...

The Chinchorro people created the world's oldest mummies over 7000 years ago, possibly as art therapy to cope with infant loss from arsenic-poisoned water. Grieving parents may have transformed deceased children into elaborate works of art as a form of ritual healing. medium.com/teatime-hist...

Scientists just confirmed an 11-meter mosasaur lived in freshwater rivers during the Late Cretaceous, not the ocean like we thought. Multiple isotope analyses of a tooth from North Dakota's Hell Creek Formation proved this apex predator adapted to river life. medium.com/fossils-et-a...

Recent study reveals how China's Jiahu settlement survived the 8.2k climate catastrophe while neighboring communities collapsed. The population actually grew through immigration, developed labor specialization, and accelerated agricultural innovation during the crisis medium.com/science-spec...

Maya children got their ears pierced before they could walk or wear clothes. Recent research shows ear ornaments were tied to the soul (ik'/life breath) and were one of the earliest rites of passage for Maya kids, often by 3-4 months old. medium.com/the-academic...

Scientists traced DNA from China's mysterious hanging coffins to confirm the modern Bo people are direct descendants of ancient cliff-burial practitioners. The tradition began 3,400+ ya on China's SE coast before spreading inland, with coffins placed on sheer cliffs. medium.com/the-academic...

Archaeologists discovered a buried cache of 60 pristine Aboriginal stone tools in Queensland, Australia, only the second such find ever. The tools were likely meant for trade along ancient routes but were abandoned when colonial violence made retrieval too dangerous. medium.com/teatime-hist...

A silver bangle from El Argar (2200-1550 BC) represents the first evidence of lost-wax casting in Bronze Age Western Europe. Surface analysis revealed diagnostic features including wax-carved grooves and a preserved fingerprint impression. medium.com/science-spec...

Scientists traced DNA from China's mysterious hanging coffins to confirm the modern Bo people are direct descendants of ancient cliff-burial practitioners. The tradition began 3,400+ ya on China's SE coast before spreading inland, with coffins placed on sheer cliffs. medium.com/the-academic...

Scientists discovered that repeated tail fractures in hadrosaurids were likely caused by aggressive mating with heavier males crushing females' vertebrae. This could help paleontologists identify female duck-billed dinosaurs in the fossil record 🦕 medium.com/fossils-et-a...

Archaeologists discovered a solitary 4,000ya Kerma burial in Sudan's Bayuda Desert. His grave contained beads, an upside-down bowl (possibly symbolizing death's transformation), and a jar filled with bonfire remains that reveal the region once had grasslands and forests medium.com/science-spec...

Archaeologists studied the only known ancient Peruvian trophy head with a cleft lip. Evidence suggests people with cleft lips held special status in ancient Peru, often becoming priests or shamans. His preserved head may have been a powerful spiritual relic medium.com/the-academic...

Archaeologists studied the only known ancient Peruvian trophy head with a cleft lip. Evidence suggests people with cleft lips held special status in ancient Peru, often becoming priests or shamans. His preserved head may have been a powerful spiritual relic medium.com/the-academic...

Archaeologists discovered a solitary 4,000ya Kerma burial in Sudan's Bayuda Desert. His grave contained beads, an upside-down bowl (possibly symbolizing death's transformation), and a jar filled with bonfire remains that reveal the region once had grasslands and forests medium.com/science-spec...

Scientists have confirmed that sticky brown substances in Egyptian alabaster vessels were opium. Only a handful of vessels are known, including in King Tut's tomb. These were gifted to Persian elites & prized enough to take into the grave, where the opium was often looted medium.com/the-academic...

🐟Scientists discovered the only fossils of their kind: decapitated fish heads from 150 million years ago with their digestive tracts still attached. These Aspidorhynchus predators were violently beheaded by larger hunters, preserving their last meals frozen in time. medium.com/fossils-et-a...

Scientists discovered that repeated tail fractures in hadrosaurids were likely caused by aggressive mating with heavier males crushing females' vertebrae. This could help paleontologists identify female duck-billed dinosaurs in the fossil record 🦕 medium.com/fossils-et-a...

Archaeologists discovered a unique patolli game board at a Maya site in Guatemala but unlike typical scratched boards, this one was crafted as a mosaic. The board was intentionally built into the floor during construction before being built over. medium.com/the-academic...

Scientists have confirmed that sticky brown substances in Egyptian alabaster vessels were opium. Only a handful of vessels are known, including in King Tut's tomb. These were gifted to Persian elites & prized enough to take into the grave, where the opium was often looted medium.com/the-academic...

🐟Scientists discovered the only fossils of their kind: decapitated fish heads from 150 million years ago with their digestive tracts still attached. These Aspidorhynchus predators were violently beheaded by larger hunters, preserving their last meals frozen in time. medium.com/fossils-et-a...

Isotope analysis proves Andean condors once thrived on Peru's northern coast during the Wari Empire (600-1000 CE), feeding almost entirely on marine carrion. This archaeological evidence could support conservation efforts to reintroduce condors to their ancestral habitats medium.com/the-academic...

Bronze Age cultures in northwest China were brewing alcohol 4,000+ years ago using rice and Monascus mold in a fermentation method called "qu." Archaeologists found evidence in 42 pottery vessels from burial sites it seems the ancient dead got one last drink for the road. medium.com/teatime-hist...

New study reveals rats, not just humans, drove Easter Island's deforestation. The invasive rodents devastated palm forests through relentless seed predation. The real lesson is about unintended consequences when invasive species enter vulnerable island ecosystems medium.com/the-academic...

New study finds that "juvenile T. rex" fossils actually belong to a separate species called Nanotyrannus, settling a decades-long debate in paleontology. This discovery completely rewrites what we thought we knew about T. rex development and behavior. medium.com/fossils-et-a...

In 2022, Norwegian police seized 30 ancient Carthaginian coins from a smuggler who claimed they were part of a massive 200kg hoard looted from Tunisia's coast. Scientists traced the bronze coins back to Carthage around 205 BC, likely minted during the Second Punic War 🪙 medium.com/the-academic...

Sarmatians once ruled the Hungarian plains for 400+ years & battled Rome, yet no modern nation claims them as ancestors. New DNA study of 156 genomes reveals the origins of these steppe warriors. How does an entire warrior civilization just vanish from collective memory? medium.com/teatime-hist...

The "Plague of Akhetaten" that supposedly devastated ancient Egypt's sun god city, likely never happened. New evidence shows normal burial practices, expected death rates, and orderly abandonment, not the chaos of an epidemic.🏺 medium.com/science-spec...

Early Scythian art looked nothing like its famous golden successors. The earliest art was only rams, snakes, birds & felines rendered in bronze & bone, all functional horse gear & weapons, no personal adornment. The iconic "Scythian style" we know today evolved much later medium.com/the-academic...