sommestone

sommestone, 2 days ago to random

Wooden tools rarely survive in the Paleolithic record limiting our understanding of Pleistocene hunter-gather lifeways. With 187 wooden artifacts, Schöningen 13 II-4 provides the largest assemblage worldwide introduced here for the first time in full. Wooden tools include at least 10 spears and seven throwing sticks used in hunting next to 35 newly recognized pointed and rounded split woods likely used in domestic activities.

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2320484121

sommestone, 4 days ago to random

Discovery of the first ancestors of scorpions, spiders and horseshoe crabs

The fossil illustrated in the publication, one of the most abundant in the deposit, had never been described before. Measuring between 5 and 10 millimeters in size, it has been named Setapedites abundantis. This animal makes it possible, for the first time, to trace the entire lineage of chelicerates, from the appearance of the earliest arthropods to modern spiders, scorpions and horseshoe crabs
https://phys.org/news/2024-05-discovery-ancestors-scorpions-spiders-horseshoe.html

sommestone, 14 days ago to random

8,000 Years Ago, Humans Navigated Deep Into a Dark French Cave. The Question Is: How?

Deep in the cave, across a hazardous path including deep pits, they have found broken stalagmites more than 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles) past the entrance, suggesting the presence of humans – around 8,000 years ago.

Even by today's standards, the pits in the path are considered hazardous. This raises the question: how did ancient humans access the site, and get back out again?

https://www.sciencealert.com/8000-years-ago-humans-navigated-deep-into-a-dark-french-cave-the-question-is-how

sommestone, 19 days ago to random

Exploring the Baltinglass cursus complex: routes for the dead

The Baltinglass sites demonstrate a clear connection between the dead, major solar events and seasonal farming cycles. The rising of the sun over burial complexes during significant solar events may have symbolised the ascent of the dead into the heavens, their perceived rebirth and/or the blessing of the ancestors.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/exploring-the-baltinglass-cursus-complex-routes-for-the-dead/81B05D3592918A99143EAE71B083B436

sommestone, 1 month ago to random

1,500-year-old burial of lynx with 4 dogs stacked on it puzzles archaeologists

The discovery of a lynx buried with four dogs at an early-medieval settlement in Hungary is confounding archaeologists, as these wild cats are rarely found in archaeological digs
The fifth-to-sixth-century pit, which was about 4.6 feet (1.4 meters) deep, contained a complete lynx skeleton at the bottom and the skeletons of four dogs — likely pointers or German shepherds — layered on top of it
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/1500-year-old-burial-of-lynx-with-4-dogs-stacked-on-it-puzzles-archaeologists

sommestone, 1 month ago to random

Carvings in southern Peru may have been inspired by people singing while hallucinating

The researchers note that the carvings are very much like those done by the Tukano, early people living in what is now Colombia. Prior research has shown that most of those carvings were made during rituals by people consuming ayahuasca, which is made using hallucinogenic vines.

https://phys.org/news/2024-04-southern-peru-people-hallucinating.html

sommestone, 1 month ago to random

The contamination of in situ archaeological remains: A pilot analysis of microplastics in sediment samples using μFTIR

Highlights

• Microplastic (MP) particles are present in archaeological sediment samples.

• MP particles, of 16 polymers, were found in archived and contemporary samples.

• MP levels varied from 0 to 20,588 MP/kg dependant on location and depth.

• MPs may impact scientific value and preservation of archaeological deposits.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724000755?via%3Dihub

sommestone, 1 month ago to random

Visit Sueno's Stone, a large Pictish carved Monolith in Forres

Archaeologists believe Sueno's Stone was carved sometime between 800 and 900 AD, established by Radiocarbon Dating and by the depictions in the carvings. It is one of the largest surviving Pictish Stones in Scotland at over 6.5 metres tall and weighs 7.6 tons! Sueno's stone is made from red sandstone (sourced from Covesea near Lossiemouth) and covered in early medieval-period carvings.

https://www.livebreathescotland.com/suenos-stone/

sommestone, 1 month ago to random

New model makes it easier to build sustainable structures of textile-reinforced concrete

By reinforcing concrete with textiles instead of steel, it is possible to use less material and create slender, lightweight structures with a significantly lower environmental impact. The technology to utilise carbon fibre textiles already exists, but it has been challenging, among other things, to produce a basis for reliable calculations for complex and vaulted structures.

https://nachrichten.idw-online.de/2024/03/27/new-model-makes-it-easier-to-build-sustainable-structures-of-textile-reinforced-concrete

sommestone, 1 month ago to random

4,000-year-old teeth illuminate the impact of changing human diets over the centuries

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have recovered remarkably preserved microbiomes from two teeth dating back 4,000 years, found in an Irish limestone cave. Genetic analyses of these microbiomes reveal major changes in the oral microenvironment from the Bronze Age to today. The teeth both belonged to the same male individual and also provided a snapshot of his oral health.

https://phys.org/news/2024-03-genetic-secrets-year-teeth-illuminate.html

sommestone, 1 month ago to random

Persian plateau crucial hub for early human migration out of Africa

Key findings from the research :

The Persian plateau as a hub for early human settlement: Using a novel genetic approach combined with paleoecological modeling, the study revealed the Persian Plateau as the region where from population waves that settled all of Eurasia originated.

This region emerged as a suitable habitat capable of supporting a larger population compared with other areas in West Asia
https://phys.org/news/2024-03-persian-plateau-unveiled-crucial-hub.html

sommestone, 1 month ago to random

Archaeologists discover a remarkable assemblage of petroglyphs and dinosaur footprints in Brazil

Remarkably, the study reveals that the creation of these petroglyphs did not overlap with or damage the existing dinosaur footprints, suggesting a thoughtful approach by their creators. Through meticulous analysis and dating of associated archaeological sites, researchers have tentatively dated these petroglyphs to a period spanning approximately 9400 to 2620 years BP.

https://archaeologymag.com/2024/03/assemblage-of-petroglyphs-and-dinosaur-footprints-in-brazil/

sommestone, 2 months ago to random

Battle to save pristine prehistoric rock art from vast new quarry in Norway | Norway

One of the largest and most significant sites of rock art in northern Europe is under “catastrophic” threat.

The Vingen carvings, in Vestland county, Norway, are spectacular, and include images of human skeletons and abstract and geometric designs. Even the hammer stones, the tools used by the ancient artists to create their compositions, have survived.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/02/battle-to-save-pristine-prehistoric-rock-art-quarry-vingen-carvings-vestland-norway

sommestone, 2 months ago to random

Neanderthals' usage of complex adhesives reveals higher cognitive abilities, scientists discover

Neanderthals created stone tools held together by a multi-component adhesive, a team of scientists has discovered. Its findings, which are the earliest evidence of a complex adhesive in Europe, suggest these predecessors to modern humans had a higher level of cognition and cultural development than previously thought.

https://phys.org/news/2024-02-neanderthals-usage-complex-adhesives-reveals.html

sommestone, 3 months ago to random

Scientists try out stone age tools to understand how they were used

Wood-processing technology is generally associated with a way of life starting approximately 10,000 years ago, although ground stone axes have been found from periods before this.
In sites around Australia and Japan, many ground edge artifacts from Marine Isotope Stage 3 (about 60,000 – 30,000 years ago) have been recovered.
The important question becomes what they were used for at such an early stage.

https://scienmag.com/scientists-try-out-stone-age-tools-to-understand-how-they-were-used/

sommestone, 3 months ago to random

How Ancient Roman Concrete Was Able to Last Thousands of Years

The benefits of hot mixing are twofold

First, when the concrete is heated to high temperatures, it allows chemistries that are not possible if you only used slaked lime, producing high-temperature-associated compounds that would not otherwise form. Second, this increased temperature significantly reduces curing and setting times since all the reactions are accelerated, allowing for much faster construction

https://www.sciencealert.com/we-finally-know-how-ancient-roman-concrete-was-able-to-last-thousands-of-years

sommestone, 3 months ago to random

The Sayburç reliefs: a narrative scene from the Neolithic

The Sayburç reliefs correspond to the style and themes of the Neolithic. Phalluses are the only elements identifying the sex of the figures, and emphasis is placed on predatory and aggressive aspects of the animal world, as represented by the depiction of dangerous features, such as teeth and horns, which has been observed at other sites.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/sayburc-reliefs-a-narrative-scene-from-the-neolithic/3A35B54B3265C7224CB225FE70EBDD02

sommestone, 3 months ago to random

A peek into the cooking pot: Burnt food remains document 5,000-year-old food preparation

The new findings show that cereals indeed played an important dietary role and that wild plants enriched the food spectrum of the earliest farmers in the north. The barley was harvested when milky ripe and prepared in a similar way to the green spelt traditionally produced in Baden-Württemberg. The emmer was processed in a sprouted state, which gave the porridge a sweet flavor.

https://phys.org/news/2024-01-peek-cooking-pot-burnt-food.html

sommestone, 4 months ago to random

Laser mapping reveals oldest Amazonian cities, built 2500 years ago

Now, there’s evidence that another human society—the oldest yet—left its mark on the region: A dense network of interconnected cities, now hidden beneath the forest in Ecuador’s Upano Valley, has been revealed by the laser mapping technology called lidar. The settlements, described today in Science, are at least 2500 years old, more than 1000 years older than any other known complex Amazonian society.

https://www.science.org/content/article/laser-mapping-reveals-oldest-amazonian-cities-built-2500-years-ago?utm_source=press.coop

sommestone, 4 months ago to random

New research identifies renowned rock art sites ‘chosen’ for vantage

We also identify that during the period when the sea level was rising, rock art was preferentially made in areas with long distance views over areas that had open woodlands at the time.
So we can suggest these views may helped facilitate hunting, or even to more closely watch areas at a time when many people were being displaced by the rising water.

https://scienmag.com/new-research-identifies-renowned-rock-art-sites-chosen-for-vantage/

sommestone, 4 months ago to random

When giant mushrooms ruled the Earth

For 130 years a giant tree-like stump had baffled paleontologists. Was it a plant, an alga, a lichen or something entirely different? A fossil dug up in Saudi Arabia gave the last word in a new study – it was a humongous fungus.

A fungus called Prototaxites towered more than 24 feet (8m) over most of the land plants of the Silurian Period and was as much as three feet (1m) wide.

https://eartharchives.org/articles/when-giant-mushrooms-ruled-the-earth/

sommestone, 5 months ago to random

Menga dolmen

Moving and placing such large stones, they state, would have involved massive planning and engineering, particularly for the capstone, which, as its name implies, was laid across the top of the chamber to serve as a roof. The researchers say it weighs approximately 150 tons.
They point out that placing such large rocks would have involved the use of scaffolds and ropes, and transporting them would have required level roads.

https://phys.org/news/2023-12-closer-menga-dolmen-greatest-feats.html

sommestone, 5 months ago to random

Beneath Brazil Are Cave Formations as Otherworldly as Another Planet

The aragonite flower is unique in the world. The world’s second largest of the rare speleothem grows in the Caverna da Torrinha.
The formation of calcium carbonate resembles a flower, hence its name. This cave features a helictite with an aragonite flower on its tip, which has become the symbol of this cave .

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/beneath-brazil-are-cave-formations-as-otherworldly-as-another-planet

sommestone, 5 months ago to random

Trilobites rise from the ashes to reveal ancient map

Ten newly discovered species of trilobites, hidden for 490 million years in a little-studied part of Thailand, could be the missing pieces in an intricate puzzle of ancient world geography.

Trilobites are extinct sea creatures with half-moon-shaped heads that breathed through their legs.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231121175322.htm

sommestone, 5 months ago to random

‘Dolomite Problem’: 200-year-old geology mystery resolved
For 200 years, scientists have failed to grow a common mineral in the laboratory under the conditions believed to have formed it naturally. Now, a team of researchers have finally pulled it off, thanks to a new theory developed from atomic simulations.

Dolomite is very abundant in rocks older than 100 million years, but nearly absent in younger formations.

https://scienmag.com/dolomite-problem-200-year-old-geology-mystery-resolved/