Archaeology

Archaeologists have identified the oldest genetically confirmed dog remains from a site in Turkey dating back 15,800 years, pushing the timeline for canine domestication by about 5,000 years. Additional remains from the UK, around 14,300 years old, show dogs were widespread across Europe during the hunter-gatherer era. The findings suggest early humans spread domesticated dogs through cultural exchanges.

March 25, 2026 Ti AI ṣe iroyin

Researchers have re-examined a 125,000-year-old straight-tusked elephant skeleton found in Germany in 1948, confirming that Neanderthals hunted and butchered the animal with a wooden spear lodged in its ribs. The findings, detailed in a recent Scientific Reports study, provide vivid evidence of Neanderthal big-game hunting skills. The elephant, a prime male over 3.5 metres tall, shows clear cut marks from flint tools.

Researchers analyzing ancient DNA say they have detected the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis in the remains of a domesticated sheep from Arkaim, a Bronze Age settlement in the southern Ural region of present-day Russia. The team reports this is the first known identification of a Bronze Age plague lineage in a nonhuman host from that period, a finding that could help explain how an early, pre-flea-adapted form of plague traveled widely across Eurasia.

February 28, 2026 Ti AI ṣe iroyin

Mexico's Secretariat of Culture rejected the sale of 195 pre-Hispanic artifacts offered on eBay by a user in Orlando, Florida, and requested their immediate return, deeming them national heritage. The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) verified their pre-Hispanic origin, initiating legal procedures for repatriation.

Researchers at Uppsala University have used ancient DNA to reveal that Stone Age burials in Sweden involved extended family members beyond immediate relatives. Analysis of shared graves at the Ajvide site on Gotland shows second- and third-degree kin were often buried together, suggesting strong community ties. The findings challenge assumptions about simple family structures in hunter-gatherer societies 5,500 years ago.

February 17, 2026 Ti AI ṣe iroyin

An international team of researchers has used ancient DNA to diagnose a rare genetic growth disorder in two individuals buried together over 12,000 years ago in southern Italy. The analysis reveals that the younger person suffered from acromesomelic dysplasia, while her likely mother had a milder form of short stature. This discovery highlights the deep history of rare genetic conditions in human populations.