Ancient news stories

A Stone Age child buried with bird feathers, plant fibers and fur
3rd November 2022 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

The study, led by Archaeologist Tuija Kirkinen, was aimed at investigating how these highly degraded plant- and animal-based materials could be traced through soil analysis.

Magic mushrooms’ psilocybin can alleviate severe depression when used with therapy
3rd November 2022 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Humans, Misc.

Nearly third of patients on largest trial using psychedelic compound went into rapid remission.

Evidence that human evolution driven by major environmental pressures discovered
2nd November 2022 cosmosmagazine.com | Ancient, Humans

Analyses of more than one thousand ancient genomes dating as far back as 45,000 years ago have found historic signals showing genetic adaptation was more common than previously thought.

Ancient DNA analysis sheds light on the early peopling of South America
2nd November 2022 phys.org | Ancient, Humans

The Americas were the last continent to be inhabited by humans. An increasing body of archaeological and genomic evidence has hinted to a complex settlement process. This is especially true for South America, where unexpected ancestral signals have raised perplexing scenarios for the early migrations into different regions of the continent.

Rare medieval script discovered on stone carved by Scotland’s ‘Painted People
1st November 2022 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

Archaeologists and volunteers have discovered a stone bearing a mysterious inscription and carved birds that the Picts of Scotland crafted more than a millennium ago.

The mysterious Viking runes found in a landlocked US state
1st November 2022 | bbc.com | Ancient, Humans

Did Vikings find their way to a remote part of Oklahoma? Some in a small community believe so, thanks to controversial runic carvings found in the area.

Neanderthal extinction may have been caused by sex, not fighting
1st November 2022 | nhm.ac.uk | Ancient, Humans

Making love, not war, might have put the Neanderthals on a path to extinction.

Why Humans Have Always Been Fascinated by Snakes—From Ayahuasceros to Egyptians
31st October 2022 doubleblindmag.com | Ancient, Animal Life, Humans

There are few animals as frightening and as fascinating as the snake. So why exactly have we obsessed over them for 70,000 years?

Ancient Snail From 99 Million Years Ago Discovered With Hairs Growing on Shell
31st October 2022 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Animal Life, Earth

A snail preserved in amber with an intact fringe of tiny delicate bristles along its shell is helping biologists better understand why one of the world’s slimiest animals might evolve such a groovin’ hairstyle.

2,100-year-old burial of Aphrodite ‘priestess’ discovered in Russia
28th October 2022 | livescience.com | Ancient, Humans

Russian archaeologists have unearthed an intricately detailed silver medallion of the Greek goddess Aphrodite in the 2,100-year-old grave of a young woman, possibly a priestess, on the northeastern coast of the Black Sea.

Traces of ancient ocean discovered on Mars
28th October 2022 phys.org | Ancient, Space

A recently released set of topography maps provides new evidence for an ancient northern ocean on Mars. The maps offer the strongest case yet that the planet once experienced sea-level rise consistent with an extended warm and wet climate, not the harsh, frozen landscape that exists today.

Why Is The Milky Way Wobbling? How Cosmic Ripples Reveal An Ancient Galactic Collision Ripping Apart An Iconic Constellation
27th October 2022 | forbes.com | Ancient, Space

It’s Milky Way season. If you ever wanted to see the arc of our galaxy stretching across the night sky, get yourself to a dark sky destination away from light pollution in the next couple of weeks, and you’ll get a great view as soon as it gets dark.

A new spin on the paleo diet: Ancient humans routinely practiced cannibalism
27th October 2022 bigthink.com | Ancient, Humans

Our Paleolithic ancestors ate each other. We (Homo sapiens) did it. Neanderthals did it. Homo erectus and Homo antecessor did it. It’s highly likely that almost all hominins have practised cannibalism in some form. The only questions are “why” and “how much”?

Archaeologists unearth 2,700-year-old rock carvings in Iraq
27th October 2022 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Humans

Archaeologists in northern Iraq have unearthed 2,700-year-old rock carvings featuring war scenes and trees from the Assyrian empire, an archaeologist has said.

Ancient 15,000-Year-Old Viruses Found in Melting Tibetan Glaciers
27th October 2022 | sciencealert.com | Ancient, Earth

Ancient creatures are emerging from the cold storage of melting permafrost, almost like something out of a horror movie.

Asteroid that wiped out dinosaurs triggered global mega-tsunami
26th October 2022 | theguardian.com | Ancient, Animal Life, Earth, Space

It is no surprise that a 14km-wide asteroid slamming into the Gulf of Mexico would generate one hell of a tsunami, but this is the first time anyone has worked out how big and how far-reaching it would have been.

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