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Public Release: 18-Jun-2013
 Nature CommunicationsStone Age technological and cultural innovation accelerated by climate According to a study by the Universitat Autňnoma de Barcelona, the University of Cardiff and the Natural History Museum in London, technological innovation during the Stone Age occurred in fits and starts and was climate-driven. Abrupt changes in rainfall in South Africa 40,000 to 80,000 years ago triggered the development of technologies for finding refuge and the behavior of modern humans. This study was recently published in Nature Communications. Contact: Rainer Zahn
Public Release: 14-Jun-2013
ScienceGenome decoding of the medieval leprosy pathogen From skeletons and biopsies, an international team of scientists was successful in reconstructing a dozen medieval and modern genomes of the leprosy-causing bacteria Mycobacterium leprae. Contact: Almut Nebel
Public Release: 13-Jun-2013
SciencePutting flesh on the bones of ancient fish This week in the journal Science, Swedish and Australian researchers present the miraculously preserved musculature of 380 million year old fossil fishes, revealed by unique fossils from a locality in north-west Australia. The finds will help scientists to understand how neck muscles and abdominal muscles -- "abs" -- evolved. Contact: Per Ahlberg
Public Release: 13-Jun-2013
ScienceUnraveling the genetic mystery of medieval leprosy Why was there a sudden drop in the incidence of leprosy at the end of the Middle Ages? Biologists and archeologists reconstruct the genomes of medieval strains of the pathogen responsible by exhuming human remains from centuries old graves. Their results are published in the journal Science and bring new hope for understanding epidemics. Contact: Lionel Pousaz
Public Release: 12-Jun-2013
PLOS ONEFossil kangaroo teeth reveal mosaic of Pliocene ecosystems in Queensland The teeth of a kangaroo and other extinct marsupials reveal that southeastern Queensland 2.5-5-million-years ago was a mosaic of tropical forests, wetlands and grasslands and much less arid than previously thought. The chemical analysis of tooth enamel that suggests this diverse prehistoric habitat is published June 12 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Shaena Montanari from the American Museum of Natural History and colleagues from other institutions. Contact: Jyoti Madhusoodanan
Public Release: 11-Jun-2013
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesNew archaeogenetic research refutes earlier findings When did modern humans settle in Asia and what route did they take from mankind's African homeland? A University of Huddersfield professor has helped to provide answers to both questions. But he has also had to settle a controversy. Contact: Megan Beech
Public Release: 10-Jun-2013
International Journal of Nautical ArchaeologyMysterious monument found beneath the Sea of Galilee Prof. Shmulik Marco of Tel Aviv University and his fellow researchers have discovered a mysterious monument beneath the waves of the Sea of Galilee. The site resembles early burial sites in Europe and was likely built in the early Bronze Age. Contact: George Hunka
Public Release: 5-Jun-2013
PLOS ONEOver 120,000-year-old bone tumor in Neandertal specimen found The first case of a bone tumor of the ribs in a Neanderthal specimen reveals that at least one Neanderthal suffered a cancer that is common in modern-day humans, according to research published June 5 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by David Frayer from the University of Kansas and colleagues from other institutions. Contact: Souri Somphanith
Public Release: 4-Jun-2013
Nature CommunicationsAn 'extinct' frog makes a comeback in Israel The first amphibian to have been officially declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature has been rediscovered in the north of Israel after some 60 years and turns out to be a unique "living fossil," without close relatives among other living frogs. Contact: Jerry Barach
Public Release: 3-Jun-2013
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesDiet likely changed game for some hominids 3.5 million years ago, says CU-Boulder study A new look at the diets of ancient African hominids shows a "game changer" occurred about 3.5 million years ago when some members added grasses or sedges to their menus, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder. 
National Science Foundation, National Research Foundation of South Africa, Leakey Foundation, Wenner-Gren Foundation
Contact: Matt Sponheimer
Public Release: 3-Jun-2013
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesNew biomolecular archaeological evidence points to the beginnings of viniculture in France France is renowned the world over as a leader in the crafts of viticulture and winemaking -- but the beginnings of French viniculture have been largely unknown, until now. Imported ancient Etruscan amphoras and a limestone press platform, discovered at the ancient port site of Lattara in southern France, have provided the earliest known biomolecular archaeological evidence of winemaking -- and point to the beginnings of a Celtic or Gallic vinicultural industry in France circa 500-400 BCE.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Evan Lerner
Public Release: 3-Jun-2013
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesA grassy trend in human ancestors' diets Most apes eat leaves and fruits from trees and shrubs. New studies spearheaded by the University of Utah show that human ancestors expanded their menu 3.5 million years ago, adding tropical grasses and sedges to an ape-like diet and setting the stage for our modern diet of grains, grasses, and meat and dairy from grazing animals.
National Science Foundation, others
Contact: Lee J. Siegel
Public Release: 30-May-2013
Meteoritics and Planetary ScienceAncient Egyptians accessorized with meteorites Researchers at The Open University and The University of Manchester have found conclusive proof that Ancient Egyptians used meteorites to make symbolic accessories. Contact: Aeron Haworth
Public Release: 30-May-2013
Current BiologyScientists discover that turtles began living in shells much earlier than once thought Unique among Earth's creatures, turtles are the only animals to form a shell on the outside of their bodies through a fusion of modified ribs, vertebrae and shoulder girdle bones. The turtle shell is a unique modification, and how and when it originated has fascinated and confounded biologists for more than two centuries. A Smithsonian scientist and colleagues recently discovered that the beginnings of the turtle shell started 40 million years earlier than previously thought. Contact: Kelly Carnes
Public Release: 30-May-2013
ScienceHuman activity echoes through Brazilian rainforest The disappearance of large, fruit-eating birds from tropical forests in Brazil has caused the region's forest palms to produce smaller, less successful seeds over the past century, researchers say. The findings provide evidence that human activity can trigger fast-paced evolutionary changes in natural populations. Contact: Natasha Pinol
Public Release: 29-May-2013
Analytical ChemistryRe-creating the original colors of treasured ivory carvings from the ancient past The fabled ivory carvings from the ancient Phoenician city of Arslan Tash -- literally meaning "Stone Lion" -- may appear a dull monochrome in museums today, but they glittered with brilliant blue, red, gold and other colors 2,800 years ago, a new study has confirmed after decades of speculation. It appears in the ACS journal Analytical Chemistry. Contact: Michael Bernstein
Public Release: 24-May-2013
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesUnderstanding the past and predicting the future by looking across space and time In a new paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and elsewhere validate a fundamental assumption at the very heart of a popular way to predict relationships between complex variables. Contact: Jessica Blois
Public Release: 24-May-2013
AntiquityThe ascent of man: Why our early ancestors took to 2 feet A new study by archaeologists at the University of York challenges evolutionary theories behind the development of our earliest ancestors from tree dwelling quadrupeds to upright bipeds capable of walking and scrambling. Contact: Sheila Perry
Public Release: 23-May-2013
NatureMonkey teeth help reveal Neanderthal weaning Studies on monkeys at the California National Primate Research Center at UC Davis have helped US and Australian researchers calculate when a Neanderthal infant was weaned.
US Environmental Protection Agency, NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Science Foundation, National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council, Harvard University
Contact: Andy Fell
Public Release: 23-May-2013
Scientists announce top 10 new species An amazing glow-in-the-dark cockroach, a harp-shaped carnivorous sponge and the smallest vertebrate on Earth are just three of the newly discovered top 10 species selected by the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University. A global committee of taxonomists -- scientists responsible for species exploration and classification -- announced its list of top 10 species from 2012 today, May 23. Contact: Sandra Leander
Public Release: 23-May-2013
AntiquityKing Richard III found in 'untidy lozenge-shaped grave' A world first academic peer-reviewed paper on the University of Leicester's Search and Discovery of Richard III reveals the slain king was buried in hastily dug grave. Contact: Richard Buckley
Public Release: 22-May-2013
Journal of Archaeological ScienceNew archaeological 'high definition' sourcing sharpens understanding of the past A new method of sourcing the origins of artefacts in high definition is set to improve our understanding of the past. Contact: Amy Stone
Public Release: 21-May-2013
Comprehensive analysis of impact spherules supports theory of cosmic impact 12,800 years ago About 12,800 years ago when the Earth was warming and emerging from the last ice age, a dramatic and anomalous event occurred that abruptly reversed climatic conditions back to near-glacial state. According to James Kennett, UC Santa Barbara emeritus professor in earth sciences, this climate switch fundamentally -- and remarkably -- occurred in only one year, heralding the onset of the Younger Dryas cool episode. Contact: Sonia Fernandez
Public Release: 21-May-2013
Nature Communications14 closely related crocodiles existed around 5 million years ago 14 species of crocodile lived in South America around 5 million years ago, at least seven of which populated the coastal areas of the Urumaco River in Venezuela at the same time. Paleontologists from the University of Zurich have found evidence of an abundance of closely related crocodiles that remains unparalleled to this day. As they were highly specialized, the crocodiles occupied different eco-niches. When the watercourses changed due to the Andean uplift, however, all the crocodile species became extinct. Contact: Marcelo Sánchez-Villagra
Public Release: 20-May-2013
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesThe mammoth's lament: UC research shows how cosmic impact sparked devastating climate change Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds evidence of a major cosmic event near the end of the Ice Age. The ensuing climate change forced many species to adapt or die. Contact: Tom Robinette
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