A global analysis found that almost everyone on Earth experiences at least one poor environmental condition, with the greatest burdens falling on low-income and Indigenous communities.

New research from the University of Sydney has uncovered compelling evidence that brings us closer to solving the mystery behind one of the most unique archaeological sites in the Andes. Monte Sierpe (translated as ‘serpent mountain’ and known colloquially as the ‘Band of Holes’) is located in the Pisco Valley of southern Peru and consists of over 5000 precisely aligned holes. This striking, yet puzzling, site has baffled researchers and public audiences for decades.  

To shed new light on this ambiguous feature of Peru’s ancient landscape, an international research team led by Dr Bongers combined microbotanical analysis of sediment samples from the holes with high-resolution aerial imagery, presenting new insights into Monte Sierpe’s organisation and use at both micro and macro scales. Sediment analysis and drone photography of Monte Sierpe supports a new interpretation of this mysterious landscape feature as an Indigenous barter marketplace and accounting system.

Published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, the ADBA model is the first to integrate both organic and inorganic carbon limitations for mixotrophic algal growth in real anaerobic digestion (AD) effluent. The model accurately predicts the growth of Chlorella vulgaris CA1 and indigenous bacteria, capturing their competitive interactions, nutrient uptake, and light inhibition effects. With just 25 parameters and 8 state variables, it balances simplicity and realism, offering a practical tool for optimizing algal biomass production and wastewater treatment.

Prof Carla Jaimes Betancourt, an anthropologist focusing on the Amazon, is a researcher at the Department of Anthropology of the Americas at the University of Bonn and co-director of the BASA Museum housed at the university. Her research, promoting collaborative archaeology with local Indigenous People, focuses on the social complexity in the southwestern Amazon and processes of expansion and formation of ethnic groups in the South American lowland.

In a newly published Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology article, she and co-authors present the results of interdisciplinary and collaborative archaeological research conducted in the southwestern Amazon. In the following editorial, she highlights the rich cultural heritage found at the sites and the importance of protecting these landscapes where humans have thrived for thousands of years.

As global oyster populations decline and fisheries collapse, archaeologists may be able to inform effective management with valuable, long-term perspectives of the human-oyster connections stretching back millennia.