Archaeologists find ancient geoglyphs carved in the Amazon Jungle (from Treehugger, via Gadling)
With the aid of satellite imagery from Google Earth, soon archeologists in Brazil will be finding more and more large geometric designs carved into the ground in the Amazon rainforest. The geoglyphs are believed to have been sculpted by ancient people from the Amazon region around 700 years ago, though their purpose is still unknown. So far, nearly 300 geoglyphs have been identified, but with advances in satellite imaging—and increased clearing of the jungle coverage—scientists are hoping to discover many more of these strange, geometric designs.
One of the factors that contributed to so many geoglyphs being undetected prior to the aid of satallites is their enormous size. According to leading geoglyph scientist Alceu Ranzi, his latest discoveries—five sets of geometric shapes, with circles, squares and lines—can measure more than a mile from one extreme to another….
According to a report from Globo, the new marks were only discovered because the jungle coverage had been removed to due to deforestation in the Amazon. These structures are deep, with grooves are as large as 12 meters wide and four deep, but it is believed that they were built when jungle abounded—which would make their construction all the more difficult….
Logging Likely Caused Nazca Collapse (via BBC Earth News)
The ancient Nazca people of Peru are famous for the lines they drew in the desert depicting strange animal forms. A further mystery is what happened to this once great civilisation, which suddenly vanished 1,500 years ago.
Now a team of archaeologists have found the demise of the Nazca society was linked in part to the fate of a tree. Analysing plant remains they reveal how the destruction of forests containing the huarango tree crossed a tipping point, causing ecological collapse….
The huarango tree (Prosopis pallida) is a unique tree with many qualities and played a vital role in the habitat, protecting the fragile desert ecosystem, the scientists say. “It is the ecological keystone species in the desert zone enhancing soil fertility and moisture and underpinning the floodplain with one of the deepest root systems of any tree known,” Dr Beresford-Jones says.
The tree was also a useful resource. “This remarkable nitrogen-fixing tree was an important source of food, forage timber and fuel for the local people….”
Analysing plant remains and pollen in soil 1.5m deep, the team was able to trace an important sequence of events which show the clearing of woodland for agriculture….
Fossil finds extend human story (via BBC News)
An ancient human-like creature that may be a direct ancestor to our species has been described by researchers. The assessment of the 4.4-million-year-old animal called Ardipithecus ramidus is reported in the journal Science.
Even if it is not on the direct line to us, it offers new insights into how we evolved from the common ancestor we share with chimps, the team says. Fossils of A. ramidus were first found in Ethiopia in 1992, but it has taken 17 years to assess their significance….
Some of the characteristics of the animal’s skeleton are said to echo features seen in very ancient apes; others presage traits seen in later, more human-like species. The scientists say 1.2m-high (4ft) Ardi was good at climbing trees but also walked on two feet. However she did not have arched feet like us, indicating that she could not walk or run for long distances….
Ancient Colored Twine Found (via BBC News)
A Georgian cave has yielded what scientists say are the earliest examples of humans making cords. The microscopic fibres, discovered accidentally while scientists were searching for pollen samples, are around 30,000 years old. Some of the fibres are coloured and appear to have been dyed.
Giant Statues Give Up Hat Secret (via BBC News)
Archaeologists believe they have solved one ancient mystery surrounding the famous Easter Island statues. At 2,500 miles off the coast of Chile, the island is one of the world’s most remote places inhabited by people. Up to 1,000 years ago, the islanders started putting giant red hats on the statues.
The research team, from the University of Manchester and University College London, think the hats were rolled down from an ancient volcano. Dr Colin Richards and Dr Sue Hamilton are the first British archaeologists to work on the island since 1914. They pieced together a series of clues to discover how the statues got their red hats. An adze, a road, and an ancient volcano led to their findings.
Dr Richards said: “We know the hats were rolled along the road made from a cement of compressed red scoria dust.” Each hat, weighing several tonnes, was carved from volcanic rock. They were placed on the heads of the famous statues all around the coast of the island. However, precisely how and why the hats were attached is unknown.
Shawnee Lookout May Be Largest Continuously Occupied Hilltop Native American Site In United States
The discoveries continue to surprise for a team of University of Cincinnati students digging in Ohio’s Shawnee Lookout Park, with a major new mound being located and a rare kiln used to fire pottery excavated in recent weeks, along with even more evidence emerging to support the theory that the site could be the largest continuously occupied hilltop Native American site in the United States.
But perhaps most importantly from this year’s work, evidence was also found to bolster the theory that Shawnee Lookout was the largest continuously occupied hilltop settlement established by any Native American group. The dating of recent evidence found argues for cultural continuity at the site, meaning the Hopewell who lived at Shawnee Lookout up to 2,000 years ago are showing direct links to the Shawnee people who were living on the site less than 300 years ago…. (more @ ScienceDaily)
Tiny Ancient Shells - 80,000 Years Old - Point To Earliest Fashion Trend (via ScienceDaily)
Shell beads newly unearthed from four sites in Morocco confirm early humans were consistently wearing and potentially trading symbolic jewelry as early as 80,000 years ago. These beads add significantly to similar finds dating back as far as 110,000 in Algeria, Morocco, Israel and South Africa, confirming these as the oldest form of personal ornaments. This crucial step towards modern culture is reported this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Hobbits 'Are A Separate Species'
No, not from Lord of the Rings….
Scientists have found more evidence that the Indonesian “Hobbit” skeletons belong to a new species of human - and not modern pygmies. The three-metre-tall, 30kg (65lbs) humans roamed the Indonesian island of Flores, perhaps up to 8,000 years ago. Since the discovery, researchers have argued vehemently as to the identity of these diminutive people….
The team, which discovered the tiny remains in Liang Bua cave on Flores, contends that the population belongs to the species Homo floresiensis - separate from our own grouping Homo sapiens. They argue that the “Hobbits” are descended from a prehistoric species of human - perhaps Homo erectus - which reached island South-East Asia more than a million years ago.
Over many years, their bodies most likely evolved to be smaller in size, through a natural selection process called island dwarfing, claim the discoverers, and many other scientists.
However, some researchers argued that this could not account for the Hobbit’s chimp-sized brain of almost 400 cubic cm - a third the size of the modern human brain…. (continues @ BBC News)
Three Distinct Neanderthal Genetic Sub-Groups
The Neanderthals inhabited a vast geographical area extending from Europe to western Asia and the Middle East 30,000 to 100,000 years ago. Now, a group of researchers are questioning whether or not the Neanderthals constituted a homogenous group or separate sub-groups (between which slight differences could be observed).
Paleoanthropological studies based on morphological skeletal evidence have offered some support for the existence of three different sub-groups: one in Western Europe, one in southern Europe and another in the Levant.
Researchers…have given further consideration to the question of diversity of Neanderthals by studying the genetic structure of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and by analyzing the genetic variability….
[Using this genetic information,] the new study confirms the presence of three separate sub-groups and suggests the existence of a fourth group in western Asia…. (more @ ScienceDaily)
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