Recent genomic research on Greenland’s indigenous sled dogs, known as Qimmit, has provided new insights into the early migration patterns of Inuit populations. A study published in Science sequenced the genomes of 92 modern and ancient Qimmit, some preserved in bones, skin, and museum fur dating back as far as 800 years. This extensive analysis
Frozen for 2,500 years in Siberia’s Altai Mountains, a Pazyryk mummy’s tattoos reveal a world of artistry that would enchant modern tattooists. This mummy belongs to that of a 50-year-old woman whose skin (that was preserved in an icy tomb) bears vivid images of fauna found in her environment. Animals shown on her skin include
Recent excavations at Pompeii have confirmed what archaeologists long suspected but struggled to document: survivors of Mount Vesuvius’s catastrophic 79 AD eruption returned to live among the ruins. The Pompeii archaeological discovery, announced Wednesday by site directors, provides concrete evidence that people inhabited the devastated Roman city for centuries after the volcanic disaster that killed
For as long as humans have ventured into the seas, we’ve shared the waters together with sharks. These remarkable creatures hold the title for the world’s oldest evolutionary history of any living apex predator, with roots stretching back at least 400 million years—way older than the dinosaurs. While shark attacks are rare and often misunderstood,
Recent three-dimensional reconstruction of the thoracic cavity of Otzi the Iceman revealed anatomical features which could have contributed to his movements across temperature lowlands to intense Alpine environments. Published in Communications Biology, the research disputes existing theories that suggest prehistoric human ribcage structure evolved due to exposure to cold environments as a result of climate
At long last, scientists have confirmed the true identity of the remarkably intact skull nicknamed “Dragon Man.” Unearthed in Harbin, Northeast China, the skull was initially proposed as a separate species back in 2021. Recent findings now reveal that the skull is part of the extinct Denisovan lineage, a group of prehistoric hominids closely related