Latest news with #huntergatherers
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Archaeologists Announce Major Neanderthal 'Fat Factory'
A team of archaeologists has announced a major finding relating to the Neanderthals. They announced the finding in the journal Science Advances. The scientists announced that they had discovered a "fat factory" at the edge of a German lake where they believe Neanderthals processed mammals for food 125,000 years ago. "We present archaeological data from the lake landscape of Neumark-Nord (Germany), where Last Interglacial Neanderthals processed at least 172 large mammals at a water's edge site," they wrote. "Their (partial) carcasses were transported to this location for the extraction of within-bone nutrients, particularly bone grease. This 'fat factory' constitutes a well-documented case of grease rendering predating the Upper Paleolithic, with the special task location devoted to extraction of nutritionally important lipids forming an important addition to our knowledge of Neanderthal adaptations," they added. According to the researchers, "These hunter-gatherers, similar to recent foragers, already focused heavily on the exploitation of within-bone nutrients—and particularly on bone grease—125,000 years ago." The time period in question was "an interglacial period when temperatures were similar to those of today," according to a news release on the findings issued by Universiteit Leiden. "At this location, researchers found that Neanderthals not only broke bones to extract marrow but also crushed large mammal bones into tens of thousands of fragments to render calorie-rich bone grease through heating them in water," the release says. "This discovery substantially shifts our understanding of Neanderthal food strategies, pushing the timeline for this kind of complex, labour-intensive resource management back in time tens of thousands of years." The researchers explained the importance of studying diet. "Diet played a key role in human evolution, making the study of past diet and subsistence strategies a crucial research topic within paleoanthropology," they wrote in the July 2 article. "Lipids are a crucial resource for hunter-gatherers, especially for foragers whose diet is based heavily on animal foods. Recent foragers have expended substantial amounts of energy to obtain this resource, including time-consuming production of bone grease, a resource intensification practice thus far only documented for Upper Paleolithic populations," they Announce Major Neanderthal 'Fat Factory' first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 10, 2025
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Ancient humans could have been in Americas 23,000 years ago: Study
(NewsNation) — Ancient footprints in New Mexico could change the timeline of history, putting humans in North America far earlier than previously thought. A new study has dated the footprints found at White Sands National Park, suggesting they could be as old as 23,000 years. That would mean they were created around the peak of the Last Glacial Maximum, the coldest part of the last ice age. At that time, the area was a vast wetland full of ice age animals. If the date is correct, the footprints are likely from hunter-gatherers who traveled to the Americas over the Bering Land Bridge when sea levels were lower. Hantavirus, rabies exposures confirmed at Grand Canyon National Park To arrive at the date, researchers radiocarbon-dated organic sediment in core samples from the site, which gave dates for the footprints and the entire lake and river system that once existed in the area. It's another piece of data in a scientific debate over when our ancient ancestors reached the Americas. For decades, scientists believed that the earliest humans to live in North America were the Clovis, around 13,000 years ago. But new discoveries suggest that indigenous people could have been in the area much earlier. Ancient footprints are rarely preserved, but about 60 footprints were found at White Sands, with the discovery reported in 2021. That study initially dated the prints between 21,000 and 23,000 years old. But a rebuttal a year later questioned the findings, which were radiocarbon dated using ditch grass seeds, which grow in water. Water plants get carbon from underwater, which may be older than carbon in the atmosphere and can cause samples to appear older than they actually are. Researchers used another technique to redate the site in 2023, which dated the time when quartz or feldspar grains in the tracks were last exposed to sunlight. They also used radiocarbon dating on conifer pollen found in the footprints. Those results also found the footprints were between 21,000 and 23,000 years old. Mattel introduces first Barbie with Type 1 diabetes While some scientists accepted the results, others were still skeptical, saying the samples weren't taken from the right layer. Now this third study offers more evidence, after researchers used radiocarbon-dated mud cores, finding the footprints to be between 20,700 and 22,400 years old, which supports the original estimate. Some scientists are still skeptical, suggesting underwater carbon issues could have also skewed sediment dates. There are also major questions that remain unanswered, including a lack of artifacts or settlements belonging to the people who left the tracks. It's possible that hunter-gatherers, who would have had few possessions but valued them, simply didn't leave anything behind when walking through the landscape. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
30-06-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Genetic data reveals new details about Stone Age woman
Archaeologists have reconstructed the face of a Stone Age Belgian woman, revealing she had blue eyes and a dark complexion. Her fossil remains were unearthed in 1988 in the Margaux cave near Dinant, Belgium, dating back approximately 10,500 years. Genetic and archaeological data from Ghent University enabled the reconstruction, showing she belonged to the same hunter-gatherer population as Britain's Cheddar Man. The Margaux woman's slightly lighter skin compared to other Stone Age Western Europeans suggests greater diversity in skin pigmentation than previously thought. Scientists deduced her potential eye and skin colours from DNA analysis of her skull, though further research is needed for more precise details. Facial reconstruction of Stone Age Belgian woman reveals she had dark complexion
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Stone Age humans extracted animal teeth with flames, blades, and fleshy stews
In prehistoric communities across what is now northeastern Europe, decorative ornaments with animal teeth were a regular cultural practice. These decorative ornaments that have been dug up in gravesites of Stone Age hunter gatherers offer some insight into the daily lives of our ancestors. How the people in these settlements best removed the teeth from animal skulls has been a mystery. To figure out the potential answer, a team of archaeologists tested seven different teeth extraction methods. The findings are detailed in a study published June 20 in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences and reveal the two most effective methods. It also demonstrates that daily survival, individuality, and symbolism were quite intertwined in ancient societies. [ Related: Butchered skulls point to Europe's Ice Age cannibals. ] The study centers on the Zvejnieki cemetery site in northern Latvia. Dating back to about 7500 to 2500 BCE, more than 2,000 animal teeth have been excavated from the various graves. Earlier studies focused on the symbolic and decorative roles of these ornaments in burial rituals. Depending on the environment, the teeth of different carnivores and mammals, including bison, elk, reindeer, wild boar, wild horse, and even humans, have been used in these ornaments in northern Europe and beyond. To determine how the people living here extracted the teeth, the team on this study used experimental archaeology to test seven different extraction methods: Cutting– using blades can be used to cut teeth from the animal's jaw bones Percussion–crushing the jaw bones using cobbles and wooden tools to loosen the teeth Scavenging/air-drying–leaving the jaw bone outdoors for an extended period of time to soften the bone and decompose the soft tissues to extract the teeth by hand Soaking–soaking a jaw bone for several weeks to soften the bone and decompose the soft tissues so that the teeth can be extracted by hand Direct heat/fire–exposing the jaw to direct heat from an open fire to dry out the bone and extract the teeth Wet cooking–simmering the jaw in a ceramic pot to allow the tissues to detach and extract the teeth by hand Pit steaming–placing the entire head in a cooking pit to detach the soft tissues They found that wet cooking and pit steaming were the most effective techniques. Both allowed for high extraction rates, without damaging the teeth. Using wet cooking and pit steaming also ensured that the meat was edible and the bones could be used to make tools–ensuring that nothing on the animal was wasted. 'Our experiments show that tooth extraction was a deliberate, time-sensitive process embedded in daily life, especially cooking practices,' Aija Macāne, a study co-author and zooarchaeologist at the University of Helsinki in Finland, said in a statement. 'This challenges the assumption that teeth used for ornaments were simply scavenged or easily available.' According to the team, these findings indicate that tooth extraction was not merely a functional task, but served an integral role in broader cultural practices. Extracting these animal teeth intertwined food prep, making personal items to wear, and burial and death rituals. The study also calls for a reevaluation of what archeologists call the chaîne opératoire—or the sequence of actions that are involved in artifact production. A reassessment looking particularly at both ornament making and human–animal relationships could yield more insight into these millennia-old practices The team hopes that this work inspires further studies into the early stages of ornament production, including comparing prehistoric butchery practices and the extraction of both human and carnivore teeth. 'By better understanding the extraction process, we gain deeper insight into the life histories of tooth pendants—from animal capture and processing, to ornament crafting, use, and final deposition,' said Macāne.
Daily Mail
18-06-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Scientists give 10,000-year-old woman a face: Incredible reconstruction reveals lady with 'lighter skin than most' and BLUE eyes
At first glance, it looks like a photo of an modern-day tribesperson, wearing a decorative headdress and an earnest expression. But this is actually an eerily-realistic synthetic reconstruction of a woman from Belgium who lived and died 10,500 years ago. Scientists and artists have reconstructed the face of the Margaux woman, whose remains were found in a cave in Belgium's Meuse Valley. Part of an early civilization of hunter-gatherers, she had 'average skin colour', much lighter than expected, and light blueish-grey eyes. The eerily-realistic bust also sports a shaven head, a leather feathered hairband and decorative markings on her shoulders made with ochre and charcoal. A homo sapien just like us, she would have roamed the densely-forested lands and rivers in the search for food shortly after the last ice age. For now, she's known as the Margaux woman, but the public are invited to choose a proper name for her. Experts say she belonged to the same Western European hunter-gatherer population as the famous Cheddar Man from Gough's Cave, Somerset. Skeletal remains of the Mesolithic woman were originally discovered in 1988 in the Margaux cave near the Belgian city of Dinant. Around 35 years later, researchers were able to extract well-preserved DNA from the skull to learn more about her appearance, including eye and skin colour. Like the Cheddar Man, the Belgian woman had blue eyes, but her skin was slightly lighter than that of many other individuals from the same period. 'This indicates greater diversity in skin pigmentation than we previously thought,' said Maïté Rivollat, chief geneticist of the project. Two Dutch twin brothers – Adrie and Alfons Kennis, described as 'palaeo-anthropological artists' – then used the insights to create the reconstruction, mostly made of a combination of resin and silicone. The Kennis brothers have made many previous reconstructions of Neanderthals and other prehistoric hominids, including Ötzi the Iceman. Professor Isabelle De Groote, project leader and researcher in human origins at Ghent University, said this woman was about 35 to 60 at time of death. 'In anthropology, it is difficult to be more accurate than this with just a preserved skull and jaw,' she told MailOnline. Who was the Margaux woman? The Margaux woman was a hunter-gatherer who lived and roamed Europe 10,500 years ago. Skulls of her and an estimated eight other women were found in the back of Margaux Cave, Belgium in the 1980s. There were also other parts of their skeletons found but these were all commingled so experts could not assign them to the different individuals. But it is unclear what the ancient lady died of, as the skull does not reveal 'an obvious sign of death'. 'It is rare that we see this in a skeleton because most causes of death do not show on the skeleton but we do not see a blow to the head in her, for example,' Professor De Groote added. Naturally, around 10,000 years ago, Europe was a very different place to what it is today, the academic explained. 'The Mesolithic people of Belgium, around 10,000 years ago, lived as hunter-gatherers in forested landscapes,' she told MailOnline. 'They settled in campsites such as Abri du Pape, where they built hearths and crafted flint tools. 'Their diet was diverse, including wild game like deer and boar, fish, birds, and plant foods such as hazelnuts, which were a key resource. 'They used animal parts for clothing, tools, and bindings, and may have domesticated dogs. 'Their lifestyle was closely tied to the natural environment, relying on seasonal resources and skilled foraging and hunting. 'They would have moved around a lot, but returned to their favourite campsites and the burials caves.' Through an online poll, the public are invited to choose a name for the woman out of three options – Margo, Freya and Mos'anne. Margo refers to the cave in which she was found, while Freya and Mos'anne refer to the hills and river basin in which the caves are located, respectively. People can vote for their favourite name until the end of June by clicking 'vote' at the top of the project's website. Then from September, she will be visiting museums across Belgium as part of a travelling exhibition. The full list of locations includes University of Ghent, Andenne Museum Space and Gallo-Romeins Museum in Tongeren. The Neolithic Revolution was the world's first verifiable revolution in agriculture. It began in Britain between about 5000 BC and 4500 BC but spread across Europe from origins in Syria and Iraq between about 11000 BC and 9000 BC. The period saw the widespread transition of many disparate human cultures from nomadic hunting and gathering practices to ones of farming and building small settlements. The revolution was responsible for turning small groups of travellers into settled communities who built villages and towns. Some cultures used irrigation and made forest clearings to better their farming techniques. Others stored food for times of hunger, and farming eventually created different roles and divisions of labour in societies as well as trading economies. In the UK, the period was triggered by a huge migration or folk-movement from across the Channel. Today, prehistoric monuments in the UK span from the time of the Neolithic farmers to the invasion of the Romans in AD 43. Many of them are looked after by English Heritage and range from standing stones to massive stone circles, and from burial mounds to hillforts. Stonehenge, the most famous prehistoric structure in Europe, possibly the world, was built by Neolithic people, and later finished during the Bronze Age. Neolithic structures were typically used for ceremonies, religious feasts and as centres for trade and social gatherings.
