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History / Archeology - Health - 26.05.2023

Early toilets reveal dysentery in Old Testament Jerusalem
Study of 2,500-year-old latrines from the biblical Kingdom of Judah shows the ancient faeces within contain Giardia - a parasite that can cause dysentery. Toilets with cesspits from this time are relatively rare and were usually made only for the elite Piers Mitchell A new analysis of ancient faeces taken from two Jerusalem latrines dating back to the biblical Kingdom of Judah has uncovered traces of a single-celled microorganism Giardia duodenalis - a common cause of debilitating diarrhoea in humans.

History / Archeology - 24.05.2023

The elusive minority: non-binary gender in prehistoric Europe
Research team at Göttingen University analyse data from burial sites spanning nearly 4,000 years People tend to think that the idea that biological sex is linked with one-s role in society belongs in the past. But was it even the case in prehistory? Archaeologists at the University of Göttingen have investigated the representation of gender in Neolithic and Bronze Age graves (around 5500 BC to 1200 BC), in order to understand if the idea of gender in prehistoric Europe was really as -binary- as might be expected.

History / Archeology - Environment - 19.05.2023

Oldest architectural plans detail mysterious desert mega structures
An international team of researchers including the University of Freiburg identifies engravings in Jordan and Saudi Arabia as the oldest known scaled building plans in human history. Although human constructions have modified natural spaces for millennia, few plans or maps predate the period of the literate civilizations of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt.

History / Archeology - Life Sciences - 16.05.2023

Jaw shapes of 90 shark species show: Evolution driven by habitat
Analysis using X-ray computed tomography and 3D reconstructions An international research team led by Faviel A. López-Romero of the University of Vienna investigated how the jaw shape of sharks has changed over the course of evolution.

Earth Sciences - History / Archeology - 15.05.2023

South Africa’s desert-like interior may have been more inviting to our human ancestors
Study expands range of livable regions in interior South Africa nearly 200,000 years ago Study: Paleolakes and socioecological implications of glacial "greening” of the South African interior (available upon request) Lining the Cape of South Africa and its southern coast are long chains of caves that nearly 200,000 years ago were surrounded by a lush landscape and plentiful food.

Social Sciences - History / Archeology - 09.05.2023

Preceding the work: the search for a common language
Presentation of two research projects from the humanities and social sciences It is an unwritten law: scientific exchanges and interdisciplinarity are the basis for excellent research. How does interdisciplinary collaboration increase the gain in knowledge? What obstacles have to be overcome in everyday work? We take a closer look at these and other questions by presenting two research projects from the Humanities and the Social Sciences.

Environment - History / Archeology - 09.05.2023

Tooth enamel provides clues to hunter-gatherer lifestyle of Neanderthals
A study by an international team of researchers, led by the University of Southampton, has given an intriguing glimpse of the hunting habits and diets of Neanderthals and other humans living in western Europe. The scientists examined chemical properties locked inside tooth enamel to piece together how pre-historic people lived off the land around the Almonda Cave system, near Torres Novas in central Portugal almost 100 thousand years ago.

Environment - History / Archeology - 26.04.2023

Prolonged droughts likely spelled the end for Indus megacities
New research involving Cambridge University has found evidence - locked into an ancient stalagmite from a cave in the Himalayas - of a series of severe and lengthy droughts which may have upturned the Bronze Age Indus Civilization.

History / Archeology - 14.04.2023

The stained glass windows of Notre-Dame regain their light
While Notre-Dame de Paris is being rebuilt, scientists and restorers are working hand in hand to better understand and preserve its stained glass decoration Research engineer Karine Boulanger and heritage curator Élisabeth Pillet are part of the Glass working group of the scientific project set up by the CNRS and the Ministry of Culture.

History / Archeology - Life Sciences - 31.03.2023

Yak milk consumption among Mongol Empire elites
For the first time, researchers have pinpointed a date when elite Mongol Empire people were drinking yak milk, according to a study co-led by a University of Michigan researcher. By analyzing proteins found within ancient dental calculus, an international team of researchers provides direct evidence for consumption of milk from multiple ruminants, including yak.

Life Sciences - History / Archeology - 30.03.2023

Ancient African empires’ impact on migration revealed by genetics
Traces of ancient empires that stretched across Africa remain in the DNA of people living on the continent, reveals a new genetics study led by UCL researchers. Published in Science Advances , the collaboration between UCL geneticists working alongside anthropologists, archaeologists, historians and linguists in Africa and beyond found evidence for when different peoples intermixed across the continent.

History / Archeology - Environment - 24.03.2023

Researchers aim for first in-depth study of historic and prehistoric terrace building
We all know the images of Southeast Asia's vast rice fields neatly terraced against the hills. In Europe too, there used to be terraces, mostly bordered by hedges, which have been overtaken as agricultural practices have been scaled up. Archaeologists and geomorphologists from VUB and KU Leuven are now studying the typology of those terraces.

Astronomy / Space Science - History / Archeology - 20.03.2023

Research team uncovers further ceiling paintings in the temple of Esna
An Egyptian-German research team has uncovered yet another series of colorful ceiling paintings at the Temple of Esna in Upper Egypt. The researchers reported that the Egyptian restoration team, led by Ahmed Emam, succeeded in completely restoring and re-coloring a representation of the heavens. The images, executed in relief, include a complete depiction of the signs of the zodiac.

History / Archeology - 02.03.2023

Important find in the Cheops pyramid of Gizeh
TUM researchers confirm assumed chamber An international research team has discovered a previously unknown chamber in the Cheops pyramid of Giza. As early as 2016 measurements had given reason to assume the existence of a hidden hollow space in the vicinity of the chevron blocks over the entrance. Now scientists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have used ultrasound and endoscopy to make an important contribution to confirming this assumption.

History / Archeology - 02.03.2023

Five discoveries that changed our understanding of how the ancient Egyptians created mummies
Centuries after the first golden coffins were taken to Europe, ancient Egyptian mummies still vividly capture people's imaginations. Perhaps we're awed by the grandeur of their rituals and tradition. But new discoveries keep challenging scientists' perception of these ancient rites. As a biomedical Egyptologist, I study mummies to learn about life in ancient populations.

History / Archeology - Environment - 01.03.2023

Hunter-gatherers resettled central Europe from southwest 18,000 years ago
International research team creates largest genome analysis of ice-age ancestors to date Who resettled Central Europe after the last ice age when the ice sheets were at their greatest? This has been a topic of debate for over 100 years. Now an international research team led by the University of Tübingen and including the University of Göttingen, has conclusively proved the genetic history of European ancestors using the largest genome data set of European hunter-gatherers ever compiled.

History / Archeology - Earth Sciences - 28.02.2023

Steel Was Already Used in Europe 2900 Years Ago
Team headed by Freiburg researcher has discovered earliest use of steel in Europe - on Iberian stone pillars from the Final Bronze Age A study by an international and interdisciplinary team headed by Freiburg archaeologist Dr. Ralph Araque Gonzalez from the Faculty of Humanities has proven that steel tools were already in use in Europe around 2900 years ago.

History / Archeology - Linguistics / Literature - 07.02.2023

Seven NWO Open Competition grants for UU Humanities scholars
Seven Utrecht University Humanities scholars have been awarded a grant by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) in the Open Competition SGW programme.

History / Archeology - 06.02.2023

Mysterious skeleton revealed to be that of unusual Lady Anchoress of York Barbican
Analysis of a skeleton from the York Barbican Collection at the University of Sheffield has revealed a new and unique perspective on the life of a medieval anchoress The new study suggests the skeleton could belong to that of Lady Isabel German, who lived a life of solitude in York in the 15th Century New radiocarbon dating and isotopic analysis of the bones has provided a new insight into the life of Lady German The collection and investigation

Environment - History / Archeology - 02.02.2023

Evolution of wheat spikes since the Neolithic revolution
Recerca Around 12,000 years ago, the Neolithic revolution radically changed the economy, diet and structure of the first human societies in the Fertile Crescent of the Near East. With the beginning of the cultivation of cereals —such as wheat and barley— and the domestication of animals, the first cities emerged in a new social context marked by a productive economy.