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Cultures News -- ScienceDaily
Cultures of the World. News and findings about early human cultures. Learn about trading, colonization, early language development and the showoff hypothesis.

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New study calls into question the importance of meat eating in shaping our evolution
'); document.write('A new study calls into question the primacy of meat eating in early human evolution.'); document.write('
Modern humans developed a more effective protection against oxidative stress
'); document.write('Very few proteins in the body have a change that makes them unique compared to the corresponding proteins in Neanderthals and apes. Researchers have now studied one such protein, glutathione reductase, which protects against oxidative stress. They show that the risk for inflammatory bowel disease and vascular disease is increased several times in people carrying the Neanderthal variant.'); document.write('
Anthropologists study the energetics of uniquely human subsistence strategies
'); document.write('Among our closest living relatives -- the great apes -- we humans are unique: We have larger brains, reproduce more quickly and have longer life spans. These traits are obviously valuable, but the extra energy required to sustain them is quite significant. So how did we manage to afford them?'); document.write('
Nits on ancient mummies shed light on South American ancestry
'); document.write('For the first time, scientists have recovered ancient human DNA from the sticky glue head lice use to attach their eggs to their host\'s hair. The new technique was trialled on mummified remains and the DNA has revealed clues about how the people died and the movements of populations thousands of years ago.'); document.write('
How DNA is preserved in archaeological sediments for thousands of years
'); document.write('The analysis of ancient DNA preserved in sediments is an emerging technology allowing for the detection of the past presence of humans and other animals at archaeological sites. Yet, little is known about how DNA is preserved in sediment for long periods of time. Scientists have now shed light on the matter by isolating DNA from solid blocks of undisturbed sediment that are embedded in plastic resin. The study reveals that ancient human and animal DNA is concentrated in small \'hot spots\', particularly in microscopic particles of bone or feces. Micro-sampling of such particles can recover substantial amounts of DNA from ancient humans, such as Neanderthals, and other species and link them to archaeological and ecological records at a microscopic scale.'); document.write('
From giant elephants to nimble gazelles: Early humans hunted the largest available animals to extinction for 1.5 million years, study finds
'); document.write('A new study tracks the development of early humans\' hunting practices over the last 1.5 million years -- as reflected in the animals they hunted and consumed. The researchers claim that at any given time early humans preferred to hunt the largest animals available in their surroundings, which provided the greatest quantities of food in return for a unit of effort.'); document.write('
Ostrich eggshell beads reveal 50,000-year-old social network across Africa
'); document.write('New archeological study shows ancient connection between populations 3,000 km apart, and provides first direct link between climate change and ancient human social behavior.'); document.write('
Discovering sources of Roman silver coinage from the Iberian Peninsula
'); document.write('Despite its prior status as a luxury commodity, silver became widely used for coinage in the Roman world from the 7th century BCE onward and provided a standardized monetary system for ancient Mediterranean civilizations. However, the sources of silver used to produce Roman coinage have largely been used up, making it difficult to determine which deposits Roman miners exploited.'); document.write('
Winter is coming: Researchers uncover the surprising cause of the little ice age
'); document.write('New research provides a novel answer to one of the persistent questions in historical climatology, environmental history and the earth sciences: what caused the Little Ice Age? The answer, we now know, is a paradox: warming.'); document.write('
Earliest adorned female infant burial in Europe significant in understanding evolution of personhood
'); document.write('Ten thousand years ago, a group of hunter-gatherers buried an infant girl in an Italian cave with a rich selection of their treasured beads and pendants, showing that even the youngest females were recognized as full persons in their society. The excavations and analysis of the discovery offer insight into the early Mesolithic period, from which few recorded burials are known.'); document.write('
Ethiopian monuments 1,000 years older than previously thought
'); document.write('Rising as high as 20 feet, ancient stone monoliths in southern Ethiopia are 1,000 years older than scientists previously thought, according to a new study. A research team used advanced radiocarbon dating to determine the often phallic-shaped monoliths, or stelae, at the Sakaro Sodo archeological site in Ethiopia\'s Gedeo zone were likely created sometime during the first century A.D.'); document.write('
Collapse of ancient Liangzhu culture caused by climate change
'); document.write('Referred to as \'China\'s Venice of the Stone Age\', the Liangzhu excavation site in eastern China is considered one of the most significant testimonies of early Chinese advanced civilization. More than 5000 years ago, the city already had an elaborate water management system. Until now, it has been controversial what led to the sudden collapse. Massive flooding triggered by anomalously intense monsoon rains caused the collapse, as geologists and climate researchers have now shown.'); document.write('
Prehistoric mums may have cared for kids better than we thought
'); document.write('A new study has revealed the death rate of babies in ancient societies is not a reflection of poor healthcare, disease and other factors, but instead is an indication of the number of babies born in that era.'); document.write('
DNA analysis confirms 2,000-year-old sustainable fishing practices of Tsleil-Waututh Nation
'); document.write('Ancient Indigenous fishing practices can be used to inform sustainable management and conservation today, according to a new study. Working with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and using new palaeogenetic analytical techniques, the results of a new study provides strong evidence that prior to European colonization, Coast Salish people were managing chum salmon by selectively harvesting males.'); document.write('
Humans hastened the extinction of the woolly mammoth
'); document.write('New research shows that humans had a significant role in the extinction of woolly mammoths in Eurasia, occurring thousands of years later than previously thought. An international team of scientists has revealed a 20,000-year pathway to extinction for the woolly mammoth.'); document.write('