Black Death immunity came at a cost to modern-day health A genetic variant that appears to have boosted medieval Europeans’ ability to survive the Black Death centuries ago may contribute — albeit in a small way — to an inflammatory disease afflicting people today.  Researchers used DNA collected from centuries-old remains to discern the fingerprints … Continue reading Black Death immunity came at a cost to modern-day health →

Wreckage of 17th-Century Swedish Warship Identified Swedish maritime archaeologists have discovered the long-lost sister ship of the 17th-century warship Vasa, which sank on its maiden voyage, the Swedish Museum of Wrecks has said. Launched in 1629, Äpplet (the Apple) was built by the same shipbuilder as the famed 69-metre Vasa, which was carrying 64 cannons … Continue reading Wreckage of 17th-Century Swedish Warship Identified →

Archaeologists Just Unearthed 10,500-Year-Old Human Remains In A German Bog Archaeologists in northern Germany have unearthed 10,000-year-old cremated bones at a Stone Age lakeside campsite that was once used for spearing fish and roasting hazelnuts, major food sources for groups of hunter-gatherers at that time. The site is the earliest known burial in northern Germany, … Continue reading Archaeologists Just Unearthed 10,500-Year-Old Human Remains In A German Bog →

Neanderthals, and humans co-existed in Europe for over 2,000 years: Study Neanderthals and humans lived alongside each other in France and northern Spain for up to 2,900 years, modelling research suggested Thursday, giving them plenty of time to potentially learn from or even breed with each other. While the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, … Continue reading Neanderthals and humans co-existed in Europe for over 2,000 years: Study →

Skeletons: Remains of 240 people under the Haverfordwest store The remains of more than 240 people, including children, have been unearthed by archaeologists working on the remnants of a medieval priory found beneath a former department store. The “hugely significant” discovery was made under the old Ocky White building in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire. Archaeologists believe the … Continue reading Skeletons: Remains of 240 people under the Haverfordwest store →

Possible Irish Sweathouse Unearthed in Australia Unlike the world’s great metropolitan centres, ghost towns don’t usually enter sister-city partnerships. But in a paddock north of Adelaide, at a place called Baker’s Flat, there are traces of a village that is, in some ways, an unacknowledged sibling to dozens of similarly half-forgotten hamlets on the other … Continue reading Possible Irish Sweathouse Unearthed in Australia →

Neanderthals seem to have been carnivores A new study published on October 17, 2022, in the journal PNAS, led by a CNRS researcher, uses zinc isotope analysis for the first time to determine the place of Neanderthals in the food chain. The results obtained suggest that they would indeed have been carnivores. Were Neanderthals carnivores? … Continue reading Neanderthals seem to have been carnivores →

Dairy Fat Detected in Neolithic Pottery from Central Europe A new study has shown milk was used by the first farmers from Central Europe in the early Neolithic era around 7,400 years ago, advancing humans’ ability to gain sustenance from milk and establishing the early foundations of the dairy industry. The international research, led by … Continue reading Dairy Fat Detected in Neolithic Pottery from Central Europe →

Megalithic Portal Tomb Identified in Ireland New research looks set to answer a long-standing question about the status of a mysterious tomb-like structure uncovered in Cork Harbour many years ago. Archaeologists have been split as to whether it was prehistoric or a more recent 19th-century “folly”. However, Connemara-based archaeologist Michael Gibbons now says there is … Continue reading Megalithic Portal Tomb Identified in Ireland →