Slow cooking used to extract animal teeth for Stone Age jewellery
Prehistoric people used a culinary method similar to modern slow cooking to extract animal teeth for jewellery, archaeologists have found. Researchers from the University of York and University of Helsinki said the discovery showed Stone Age societies treated animal remains with "care". They said their findings suggested tooth extraction was a social activity and probably involved children. The researchers carried out experiments at a cemetery in eastern Latvia, where more than 2,000 animal teeth from 7,500 to 2,500 BC had been excavated.
Dr Andrew Needham, experimental archaeologist, said: "By testing different methods, it became clear that methods like cutting, hammering or pulling the teeth out of a fresh jaw is extremely difficult and often damages the teeth in the process. "But what we see in these thousands of animal teeth at grave sites is that they are usually complete and undamaged by any extraction method."
The teeth, most commonly derived from elk, wild boar and red deer, would be made into ornaments for the body and clothing.The researchers noted that this practice of cooking gives an insight into the relationship between humans and animals at the time, with Stone Age people leaving little waste behind from animal remains.Dr Aimée Little, from the University of York's department of archaeology, said: "Making personal ornaments from teeth was likely to have been a social activity linked to everyday cooking activities."It is easy to imagine that different members of Stone Age societies, including small children, were involved in their making, with the first stage of extracting teeth from mandibles happening as meals were being prepared."
Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
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BBC News
19 hours ago
- BBC News
Slow cooking used to extract animal teeth for Stone Age jewellery
Prehistoric people used a culinary method similar to modern slow cooking to extract animal teeth for jewellery, archaeologists have found. Researchers from the University of York and University of Helsinki said the discovery showed Stone Age societies treated animal remains with "care". They said their findings suggested tooth extraction was a social activity and probably involved children. The researchers carried out experiments at a cemetery in eastern Latvia, where more than 2,000 animal teeth from 7,500 to 2,500 BC had been excavated. Dr Andrew Needham, experimental archaeologist, said: "By testing different methods, it became clear that methods like cutting, hammering or pulling the teeth out of a fresh jaw is extremely difficult and often damages the teeth in the process. "But what we see in these thousands of animal teeth at grave sites is that they are usually complete and undamaged by any extraction method." The teeth, most commonly derived from elk, wild boar and red deer, would be made into ornaments for the body and researchers noted that this practice of cooking gives an insight into the relationship between humans and animals at the time, with Stone Age people leaving little waste behind from animal Aimée Little, from the University of York's department of archaeology, said: "Making personal ornaments from teeth was likely to have been a social activity linked to everyday cooking activities."It is easy to imagine that different members of Stone Age societies, including small children, were involved in their making, with the first stage of extracting teeth from mandibles happening as meals were being prepared." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
I'll cheers to that! Pub crawls boost happiness and trigger a sense of exploration, research reveals
If you needed any more of an excuse to get your friends together for a few drinks this weekend, science now has the answer. Pub crawls can boost happiness, promote exploration, and foster a unique sense of community, according to new research. This is because these marathon drinking sessions bring people together in a way that is difficult to replicate elsewhere. Professor Victoria Wells, a researcher from the University of York dubbed the 'Professor of Pubs', told MailOnline: 'For pub crawlers, the benefits go beyond the buzz. 'Crawls offer a blend of novelty, excitement, and camaraderie, a temporary break from routine that fosters emotional highs and shared rituals. 'Our research found they can boost individual happiness by creating opportunities for social interaction, promoting a sense of belonging, and encouraging exploration of local areas and perhaps venues they haven't visited before. 'With themed events, costumes, and travel between locations, participants can engage in a more immersive, festive, and often unforgettable experience than a night at a single local.' Professor Wells even says that experiencing a hangover together the next morning can be part of a unique shared experience. And, with an estimated UK 50 pubs closing every month, the researchers say that pub crawls could help to save the classic British boozer. Large, organised pub crawls are often rowdy affairs with hundreds of drunk partygoers spilling out onto the streets in the early hours. This has led many famous pub crawls, such as the Otley Run in West Yorkshire, to receive strong criticism from the local community. But this new study, published in the International Journal of Hospitality Management, found that a rowdy night on the town is often just what people need. The key to a pub crawl is that it makes drinking just one part of a bigger social, emotional, and geographic experience. Co-author Professor Kathryn Arnold, also of the University of York, told MailOnline: 'What makes a crawl unique is its experience joined with movement and variety. 'A pub crawl is like the tasting menu of nightlife - it's not just about one venue but the journey through several, each offering its own atmosphere, crowd, and drink choices.' As anyone who has been on a big pub crawl will know, different groups moving through the various pubs can form 'instant communities' with the people they meet. 'By moving together through venues, groups form bonds through shared experiences, whether it's singing on the street, toasting in unison, or navigating a tricky costume,' says Professor Arnold. In some cases, traditional pub crawls like the Transpennine Ale trail and Leeds Heritage Pub Tours become local rituals which help create a sense of belonging. Although this might sound a bit like an excuse for a night on the town, the role that pubs play in our communities is extremely important. Studies have shown that pubs foster community connections, support local economies, and help to preserve local traditions. However, pubs are now facing extreme economic pressures which is pushing many into closure. Around 50 pubs close each month, with the Campaign for Real Ale reporting that 303 pubs closed in the first three months of 2025 alone. Introducing a new pub crawl can prove 'transformative' for local economies and breathe life back into these dying drinking spots. Pub crawls increase footfall in quiet times, such as the winter, and build hubs of economic activity through collaboration with other venues. According to their study, investing in pub crawls or pub trails in towns and cities across the country could help protect the one million jobs supported by the drink industry. Co-author Dr Nadine Waehning told MailOnline: 'For pubs, crawls can be lucrative in attracting new customers, boosting revenue, and showcasing what makes each venue special. Think of it as a hospitality open house.' Although big pub crawls often attract criticism for fostering antisocial behaviour, the researchers say that well-managed pub crawls can bring benefits for everyone. 'It is about working out if a pub crawl is right for the venue and if so what type,' Dr Waehning said. 'Done right, a pub crawl can be a real win-win for both patrons and pubs.' WHEN DID HUMANS START DRINKING BEER? Humans have had a long history of consuming alcohol. It is believed the primitive cultures of Mesopotania could have been brewing malted barley scraps as far back as 10,000BC but there are no records of it. The earliest proof of beer-drinking dates back to Northern China 9,000 years ago. This ancient brew was made using hawthorn fruit, Chinese wild grapes, rice and honey, and is the oldest known fermented beverage in history - older even than wine. To make it the corn was milled and moistened in the maker's mouth to convert starches in the corn into fermentable sugars - before it was 'spat' into the beer. Throughout history, the consumption of alcohol may have helped people become more creative, advancing the development of language, art and religion. This is because alcohol lowers inhibitions and makes people feel more spiritual. It is believed the Egyptians started brewing beer around 5,000BC, according to the papyrus scrolls. They were brewing things like dates, pomegranates and other indigenous herbs. At around 3150 BC, the Egyptians used industrial-scale breweries to provide beer for the workers who built the pyramids of Giza. Eventually beer made its way from the Middle East to Europe where an abundance of barley crops provided lots of raw ingredient for brewers. Experts have now found evidence of brewing in Greece during the Bronze Age. Researchers believe that these prehistoric people enjoyed getting merry with alcoholic drinks for feasts all year-round and not just when the grapes were ripe. Not only was it considered nutritional it was also a safe alternative to drinking water. It was in the Middle Ages that malted barley became the main source of fermented sugar and beer became the beverage we are familiar with today.
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Telegraph
The fish that is getting smaller to slip through nets
The average size of eastern Baltic cod is shrinking as a result of overfishing, scientists have claimed. The fish are thought to have evolved to slip through nets, according to a study which directly links human influence to changes in their DNA. The research, published in the Science Advances journal, also blamed decades of overfishing for the dwindling numbers of the species. 'When the largest individuals are consistently removed from the population over many years, smaller, faster-maturing fish gain an evolutionary advantage,' said Prof Thorsten Reusch, senior author of the study and head of the marine ecology research division at Geomar Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. 'What we are observing is evolution in action, driven by human activity. This is scientifically fascinating, but ecologically deeply concerning.' Researchers examined tiny ear bones, called otoliths, of 152 cod caught in the Baltic Sea's Bornholm Basin between 1996 and 2019. The otoliths record annual growth, similar to tree rings, and showed the genomes of fast-growing cod had nearly disappeared, while slower-growing, smaller fish had a higher survival rate. Overall, the average body length of the fish had roughly halved from 40cm to around 20cm since the 1990s. Dr Kwi Young Han, a biologist and first author of the study, said: 'For the first time in a fully marine species, we have provided evidence of evolutionary changes in the genomes of a fish population subjected to intense exploitation, which has pushed the population to the brink of collapse.' The EU banned the fishing of eastern Baltic cod in 2019 following years of period of overfishing. However, scientists warned its population may never fully recover. Prof Reusch said: 'Evolutionary change unfolds over many generations. Recovery takes far longer than decline, and it may not even be possible… despite the fishing ban, there's no sign of a rebound in body size.' Dr Han added: 'Our results demonstrate the profound impact of human activities on wild populations, even at the level of their DNA. 'They also highlight that sustainable fisheries are not only an economic issue, but also a matter of conserving biodiversity, including genetic resources.'
