Latest news with #EasternChina
South China Morning Post
07-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
Chinese man smashes train window after collision traps passengers on hot day
Passengers on a train in eastern China's Jinhua were trapped after the vehicle collided with a freight train on July 2. One man, finding the heat unbearable, broke a window for fresh air as the air conditioning had been off for more than two hours. He was later taken away by police and reprimanded. Advertisement
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Women likely ruled in Stone Age China, DNA analysis of 4,500-year-old skeletons reveals
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Women headed communities in eastern China about 4,500 years ago, a DNA analysis reveals. While analyzing the ancient DNA of skeletons buried in Stone Age cemeteries in China, archaeologists discovered that the society was organized in an extremely rare way: Everyone belonged to one of two clans headed by women, and people were buried in their maternal clans for at least 10 generations. At the archaeological site of Fujia in eastern China, researchers discovered two cemeteries roughly 330 feet (100 meters) apart flanking an ancient residential area. More than 500 burials were excavated and radiocarbon-dated to between 2750 and 2500 B.C. In a study published June 4 in the journal Nature, an international team of researchers detailed their analysis of the DNA of 60 skeletons discovered at Fujia — 14 from the north cemetery and 46 from the south cemetery. All 14 people from the north cemetery shared the same type of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is transmitted only from mother to child. This suggests that all of the people had the same maternal lineage, the researchers wrote in the study. In the south cemetery, the researchers identified a different mitochondrial DNA lineage that was shared by 44 of the 46 people they tested. And when the researchers analyzed the Y chromosomes from the male skeletons, they found a high degree of diversity. Together, those findings suggest that the fathers of those buried in the cemeteries came from different lineages while the mothers were related. "By integrating mtDNA and Y-chromosome analyses, we provide evidence that most individuals at Fujia, irrespective of their sex, were buried according to their maternal lineage," the researchers wrote in the study. In particular, both teenage and adult males were buried exclusively in their maternal clans, which "aligns with the common norms of a matrilineal society," according to the study. Such findings of ancient societies organized along maternal lines are rare. Only three other studies have used DNA analysis to identify matrilineal communities: Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, Celtic elites in southern Germany, and the Durotriges in Iron Age Britain. Similar practices, however, have been found in contemporary Southeast Asian matrilineal societies. Related: 'Overkill' injuries on Bronze Age skeletons reveal fierce feuding in ancient China Deeper analysis revealed high rates of "consanguinity" — marrying a blood relative — over the span of 10 generations. While many people likely married their second or third cousins, four individuals showed signs of mating with first cousins or closer relatives. While such consanguinity may not be the preferred marriage pattern, it inevitably occurs when you have small, closed-off societies, the researchers wrote. RELATED STORIES —Complete Bronze Age town with elite tombs discovered in northern China —Lavish 2,200-year-old tomb unearthed in China may be that of ancient king —2,200-year-old grave in China contains 'Red Princess of the Silk Road' whose teeth were painted with a toxic substance This "unique social organization" has not been found previously in Stone Age East Asian populations, according to the researchers. "It is exciting to find a matrilineal society in Neolithic China," Yu Dong, an archaeologist at Shandong University who was not involved in the study, said in a statement. The Fujia study provides key insights into the social and environmental conditions during the transition from smaller to more complex societies, the researchers wrote. Future DNA and archaeological research should help clarify matrilineal social organization in early human societies, they added.
Al Arabiya
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Arabiya
Fugitive capybara caught by China zoo after two months on the run
Officials have captured the last member of a runaway capybara gang that escaped from a zoo in eastern China two months ago, a statement said Tuesday. The missing female rodent, named 'Doubao' -- 'Bean Bun' in Chinese -- absconded from an enclosure at the Yangzhou Zhuyuwan Scenic Area along with two other capybaras in early April. Doubao remained at large for weeks after her companions were caught by zoo officials. 'The runaway child has returned home!' the zoo wrote in a social media post. The capybara walked into a humane trap early Tuesday morning and was returned to her enclosure by zoo staff. Despite spending two months on the run, Doubao gained weight and her fur was still 'smooth and glossy,' the zoo said. 'It looks like she was doing well out there!' it added. A video published by the zoo showed Doubao sniffing around a cage and pawing at its sides while a person can be heard saying 'welcome home Doubao.' Capybaras are native to South America but in recent years have become popular attractions at zoos worldwide, with the semi-aquatic rodents becoming unlikely darlings of the internet. The zoo said the trio made their April breakout when another capybara Bazong -- 'Big Shot' -- broke through a fence. Bazong was later found relaxing in a lake. It took seven or eight zoo staff to trap the second accomplice, Duoduo or 'Hide Hide,' in a rubbish bin. But Doubao eluded capture, with the zoo in May issuing a mock wanted poster accusing her of engaging in a mass jailbreak. Officials at one point offered a reward of frozen fried rice, a carton of eggs, capybara-themed merchandise and lifetime entry to the zoo to anyone with information about her whereabouts.
