Ancient news stories

This Jaw-Dropping Simulation Gives Us Our Best Look Yet at Baby Stars Being Born
19th May 2021 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Humans, Space

The birth of a star is a wild and magnificent thing….It’s not a process we’re likely ever going to be able to observe from start to finish – but an absolutely spectacular simulation brings us closer than we’ve ever been.

Tiny traces of DNA found in cave dust may unlock secret life of Neanderthals
17th May 2021 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Humans

Scientists have pinpointed major changes in Europe’s Neanderthal populations – from traces of blood and excrement they left behind in a Spanish cave 100,000 years ago.

Where do meteorites come from? We tracked hundreds of fireballs streaking through the sky to find out
17th May 2021 phys.org | Ancient, Space

If asked where meteorites come from, you might reply “from comets.” But according to our new research, which tracked hundreds of fireballs on their journey through the Australian skies, you would be wrong.

World’s Oldest Cave Paintings Are Fading—Climate Change May Be to Blame
17th May 2021 | scientificamerican.com | Ancient, Earth, Humans

New research reports that ancient rock art in Indonesian caves is degrading over time, as bits of rock slowly flake away from the walls. It’s a tremendous loss for human history — some of these paintings, which depict everything from animals to human figures to abstract symbols, date back about 40,000 years.

Animals to be formally recognised as sentient beings in UK law
13th May 2021 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Humans

Animals are to be formally recognised as sentient beings in UK law for the first time, in a victory for animal welfare campaigners, as the government set out a suite of animal welfare measures including halting most live animal exports and banning the import of hunting trophies.

Cerne Giant in Dorset dates from Anglo-Saxon times, analysis suggests
13th May 2021 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Humans

Sand samples examined by National Trust experts indicate hillside chalk figure was created in the 10th century.

Neanderthals carb loaded, helping grow their big brains
13th May 2021 | sciencemag.org | Ancient, Humans

Here’s another blow to the popular image of Neanderthals as brutish meat eaters: A new study of bacteria collected from Neanderthal teeth shows that our close cousins ate so many roots, nuts, or other starchy foods that they dramatically altered the type of bacteria in their mouths.

Is there a pattern to the universe?
10th May 2021 | livescience.com | Ancient, Space

For decades, cosmologists have wondered if the large-scale structure of the universe is a fractal — that is, if it looks the same no matter how large the scale.

Remains of nine Neanderthals found in cave south of Rome
10th May 2021 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Animal Life, Humans

Italian archaeologists have unearthed the bones of nine Neanderthals who were allegedly hunted and mauled by hyenas in their den about 100km south-east of Rome.

There’s Evidence Volcanoes Are Active on Mars, Raising Chances of Recent Habitability
10th May 2021 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Space

Evidence seems to be mounting for a geologically and volcanically active Mars. A new, close study of volcanic features on the surface of the red planet has found that a lava deposit on the Elysium Planitia appears to be very recent indeed – as in, within the last 50,000 years.

Fossil ‘balls’ are 1 billion years old and could be Earth’s oldest known multicellular life
7th May 2021 | livescience.com | Ancient, Earth

Scientists have discovered a rare evolutionary “missing link” dating to the earliest chapter of life on Earth. It’s a microscopic, ball-shaped fossil that bridges the gap between the very first living creatures — single-celled organisms — and more complex multicellular life.

Early humans used fire to permanently change the landscape tens of thousands of years ago in Stone Age Africa
7th May 2021 theconversation.com | Ancient, Earth, Humans

Fields of rust-colored soil, spindly cassava, small farms and villages dot the landscape. Dust and smoke blur the mountains visible beyond massive Lake Malawi. Here in tropical Africa, you can’t escape the signs of human presence. How far back in time would you need to go in this place to discover an entirely natural environment?

Archaeologists uncover oldest human burial in Africa
6th May 2021 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Humans

‘Quite spectacular’ discovery shows three-year-old child was carefully laid to rest nearly 80,000 years ago.

First-known pregnant mummy discovered
3rd May 2021 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

Researchers have discovered the world’s first-known pregnant mummy, dating from the first century in Egypt. The find was unexpected, as inscriptions on the mummy’s coffin suggested the remains inside belonged to a male priest, according to a new study.

These mysterious stone structures in Saudi Arabia are older than the pyramids
3rd May 2021 | nbcnews.com | Ancient, Humans

Thousands of monumental structures built from walls of rock in Saudi Arabia are older than Egypt’s pyramids and the ancient stone circles of Britain, researchers say – making them perhaps the earliest ritual landscape ever identified.

Discarded ostrich shells provide timeline for our early African ancestors
3rd May 2021 | eurekalert.org | Ancient, Animal Life, Humans

Archeologists have learned a lot about our ancestors by rummaging through their garbage piles, which contain evidence of their diet and population levels as the local flora and fauna changed over time.

News stories covering history, archaeology, ancient Egypt, and mysteries of the past.