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Anthropology News -- ScienceDaily
Anthropology News. Read about early human culture, civilizations and latest discoveries at ancient sites in our anthropology news.

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Scientists identify contents of ancient Maya drug containers
'); document.write('Scientists have identified the presence of a non-tobacco plant in ancient Maya drug containers for the first time. The researchers detected Mexican marigold (Tagetes lucida) in residues taken from 14 miniature Maya ceramic vessels. The vessels also contain chemical traces present in two types of dried and cured tobacco.'); document.write('
Fossils\' soft tissues helping to solve puzzle that vexed Darwin
'); document.write('Remarkably well-preserved fossils are helping scientists unravel a mystery about the origins of early animals that puzzled Charles Darwin.'); document.write('
First human culture lasted 20,000 years longer than thought
'); document.write('Homo sapiens emerged in Africa around 300 thousand years ago, where their fossils are found with the earliest cultural and technological expressions of our species. This repertoire, commonly referred to as the \'Middle Stone Age\', remained widely in use across much of Africa until around 60-30 thousand years ago. New research in Senegal shows this \'first human culture\' persisted until 11 thousand years ago - 20 thousand years longer than previously thought.'); document.write('
Ancient DNA analysis reveals Asian migration and plague
'); document.write('Ancient DNA reveals a history of migrations, continuity, and diseases in northeastern Asia.'); document.write('
Unusual sex chromosomes of platypus, emu and pekin duck
'); document.write('Three studies uncovered the unusual sex chromosomes of platypus, emu and Pekin duck. Platypus have five pairs of sex chromosomes forming an unusual chain shape, while the sex chromosomes of emu and duck are not as different between sexes as those of human.'); document.write('
Oldest hominins of Olduvai Gorge persisted across changing environments
'); document.write('An approximately 2.0- to 1.8-million-year-old archaeological site demonstrates that early humans had the skills and tools to cope with ecological change.'); document.write('
Evidence for a massive paleo-tsunami at ancient Tel Dor
'); document.write('Underwater excavation, borehole drilling, and modelling suggests a massive paleo-tsunami struck near the ancient settlement of Tel Dor between 9,910 to 9,290 years ago, according to a new study.'); document.write('
Ancient DNA retells story of Caribbean\'s first people, with a few plot twists
'); document.write('The history of the Caribbean\'s original islanders comes into sharper focus in a new study that combines decades of archaeological work with advancements in genetic technology.'); document.write('
The ABCs of species evolution
'); document.write('Scientists propose that a family of transporter proteins has played an important role in species evolution. One protein in particular, called ABCA1, was likely crucial for vertebrate evolution by helping regulate when signals involved in cell proliferation, differentiation and migration enter a cell. This process was necessary for vertebrates to develop into more complex organisms with sophisticated body structures.'); document.write('
Ancient DNA sheds light on the peopling of the Mariana Islands
'); document.write('Compared to the first peopling of Polynesia, the settlement of the Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific, which happened around 3,500 years ago, has received little attention. Researchers have now obtained answers to long debated questions regarding the origin of the first colonizers of the Marianas and their relationship to the people who initially settled in Polynesia.'); document.write('
The aroma of distant worlds
'); document.write('Asian spices such as turmeric and fruits like the banana had already reached the Mediterranean more than 3000 years ago, much earlier than previously thought. A team of researchers has shown that even in the Bronze Age, long-distance trade in food was already connecting distant societies.'); document.write('
Study tracks elephant tusks from 16th century shipwreck
'); document.write('In 1533, the Bom Jesus - a Portuguese trading vessel carrying 40 tons of cargo including gold, silver, copper and more than 100 elephant tusks - sank off the coast of Africa near present-day Namibia. The wreck was found in 2008, and scientists say they now have determined the source of much of the ivory recovered from the ship.'); document.write('
A non-destructive method for analyzing Ancient Egyptian embalming materials
'); document.write('Ancient Egyptian mummies have many tales to tell, but unlocking their secrets without destroying delicate remains is challenging. Now, researchers have found a non-destructive way to analyze bitumen -- the compound that gives mummies their dark color -- in Ancient Egyptian embalming materials. The method provides clues to the bitumen\'s geographic origin and, in one experiment, revealed that a mummy in a French museum could have been partially restored, likely by collectors.'); document.write('
Mummified baboons shine new light on the lost land of Punt
'); document.write('Ancient Punt was a major trading partner of Egyptians for at least 1,100 years. It was an important source of luxury goods, including incense, gold, and living baboons. Located somewhere in the southern Red Sea region in either Africa or Arabia, scholars have debated its geographic location for more than 150 years. A new study tracing the geographic origins of Egyptian mummified baboons provides new insight into Punt\'s location, demonstrating the tremendous nautical range of early Egyptian seafarers.'); document.write('
Ancient DNA continues to rewrite corn\'s 9,000-year society-shaping history
'); document.write('Scientists report the fully sequenced genomes of three roughly 2,000-year-old cobs from the El Gigante rock shelter in Honduras. Analysis of the three genomes reveals that these millennia-old varieties of Central American corn had South American ancestry and adds a new chapter in an emerging complex story of corn\'s domestication history.'); document.write('