Tag Archives: hunting

60,000 Years Ago: The Origins of Poisoned Arrow Hunting in Africa

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The San people using poison arrows for hunting

The San people of southern Africa utilize poison arrows for hunting, a practice rooted in ancient traditions.

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Discoveries of plant poisons on 60,000-year-old arrowheads in South Africa suggest that ancient hunters harnessed toxic materials far earlier than previously believed.

Prior to this discovery, evidence for poisoned arrows extended back only about 8,000 years. However, a 2020 study of arrow tips dating from 50,000 to 80,000 years ago indicated they exemplified designs similar to modern poison arrows.

Led by Professor Marlies Lombard, researchers at the University of Johannesburg uncovered that the tips of 60,000-year-old arrowheads were coated in a sticky substance, though poison’s presence couldn’t initially be confirmed.

Recently, Professor Lombard and her team confirmed the presence of toxic alkaloids, such as bupandrin and epibufanisin, in five quartzite arrowheads retrieved from Umhlatuzana rock caves in KwaZulu-Natal province.

The scientists believe these toxins likely originated from milky exudates from the roots of the plant species Buffondistica, which could be applied directly to arrow tips or processed to create a potent resin.

“If we found this in just one artifact, it could have been a mere coincidence,” Lombard noted. “However, finding it in five out of ten artifacts strongly indicates it was systematically used 60,000 years ago.”

The same toxic sap is still employed by the San people today, suggesting an unbroken tradition lasting at least 60,000 years.

Toxic plant traces discovered on arrow points from the Umhlatuzana rock shelter

Marlies Lombard

The plant’s poison is lethal to rodents within 30 minutes and can induce nausea and coma in humans. For larger prey, the toxins likely slowed them down, allowing hunters to successfully track and kill them.

Professor Lombard speculates that the poison may have first been discovered when early humans ingested toxic bulbs, which could lead to illness or death. The plant also possesses antiseptic, antibacterial, and hallucinogenic qualities and is utilized in traditional medicine, though accidental overdoses still occur.

To verify their findings, researchers tested arrows collected by Carl Peter Thunberg, a Swedish naturalist who documented the use of poisoned arrows by indigenous hunters in the 1770s. These tests also revealed the presence of toxic alkaloids from the same plant species.

Sven Isaacson, a member of the research team at Stockholm University, noted that this discovery signifies an early example of sophisticated plant utilization. “While humans have utilized plants for nourishment and tools for millennia, this represents a distinct advancement — harnessing the biochemical attributes of plants to create drugs, medicines, and poisons.”

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  • Archaeology/
  • Ancient Humans

Source: www.newscientist.com

Evidence Suggests Early Humans Began Hunting Elephants 1.8 Million Years Ago

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Homo heidelbergensis hunting elephant

Ancient Humans Hunting Elephants—Evidence of Slaughtering Animals 1.8 Million Years Ago

Natural History Museum/Scientific Photography Library

Hunting an elephant is a formidable challenge, necessitating advanced tools and teamwork, offering an abundant source of protein.

A research team led by Manuel Dominguez-Rodrigo from Rice University in Texas suggests that ancient humans may have accomplished this feat approximately 1.78 million years ago in Tanzania’s Olduvai Gorge.

“Around 2 million years ago, our ancestors consistently consumed smaller game like gazelles and waterbucks but did not target larger prey,” says Dominguez-Rodrigo.

Later findings from Olduvai Gorge indicate a significant shift. This valley, abundant with both animal and human fossils formed over the past 2 million to 17,000 years, shows a marked increase in elephant and hippopotamus remains around 1.8 million years ago. However, establishing conclusive evidence of human involvement in hunting remains elusive.

In June 2022, Dominguez-Rodrigo and his team discovered what may be an ancient elephant slaughterhouse at Olduvai.

The site, dubbed the EAK site, revealed partial remains of an extinct elephant species, Elephas reki, surrounded by an array of stone tools that were much larger and sturdier than those utilized by hominins 2 million years ago. Dominguez-Rodrigo posits these tools were likely crafted by the ancient hominin Homo erectus.

“These include Pleistocene knives, known for their sharpness even today,” he notes, emphasizing their potential for butchering tasks.

Dominguez-Rodrigo and his colleagues believe these stone tools facilitated elephant slaughter. Some limb bones appear to have fractured shortly after the elephant’s demise, indicating the bones were still fresh or “green.” Unlike scavengers like hyenas that can strip meat, they can’t shatter the dense bone shafts of mature elephants.

“We discovered numerous bones in the field with fresh fractures, pointing to human use of hammer stones for processing,” he states. “These ‘green’ fractured bones are widespread in the 1.7-million-year-old landscape and bear distinct impact marks.”

However, there is a scarcity of cut marks on bones, which typically indicate butchering practices to extract meat.

It remains uncertain whether humans actively hunted the elephants or merely scavenged existing carcasses.

“What we can confirm is that they disassembled the bones—or portions of them—leaving behind tools and bones as evidence,” affirms Dominguez-Rodrigo.

He adds that the transition to hunting elephants wasn’t merely due to advancements in stone tools, but also hinted at an increase in social structure and cultural development among hominin groups.

However, Michael Pante, a researcher at Colorado State University, remains skeptical of the findings.

Pante contends that the evidence for human exploitation of this individual elephant is weak. The interpretation relies heavily on the proximity of stone tools and elephant remains, as well as the inferred fractures created by human attempts to access bone marrow.

Pante asserts that the earliest definitive evidence of hippo, giraffe, and elephant hunting in Olduvai dates back to around 80,000 years ago, as shown in the research of the 1.7-million-year-old HWK EE site.

“In contrast to the EAK site, the bones at HWK EE exhibit cut marks and are associated with thousands of other bones and artifacts within an archaeological context,” he explains.

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New Evidence Suggests Early Use of Bows and Arrows by Homo Sapiens in Europe for Hunting

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In a newly published paper in this month’s iScience, researchers from the University of Tübingen and their collaborators present an interdisciplinary study of ancient stone and bone projectile points associated with Homo sapiens from the Lower Paleolithic era (40,000 to 35,000 years ago). This comprehensive research uses a blend of experimental ballistics, detailed measurements, and use-wear analysis, revealing that some of these prehistoric artifacts correspond not just to hand-thrown spears and javelin darts but also potentially to bow-propelled arrows.

Evidence suggests early humans may have used bows, arrows, and spear throwers in the Upper Paleolithic period. Image credit: sjs.org / CC BY-SA 3.0.

For decades, it was commonly believed that weapon technology evolved linearly, transitioning from hand-held spears to spear-throwing and eventually to bows and arrows.

However, lead researcher Keiko Kitagawa and her team at the University of Tübingen challenge this notion, arguing for a more complex evolution of weapon technology.

“Direct evidence of hunting weapons is rarely identified in the archaeological record,” they noted.

“Prehistoric hunting weapons encompassed a range from hand-held thrusting spears ideal for close-range hunting, to javelins and bow-headed arrows suitable for medium to long-range engagements.”

“The earliest known instances of such tools include wooden spears and throwing sticks, dating back 337,000 to 300,000 years in Europe.”

“Spear-throwing hooks first appeared during the Upper Solutrean period (around 24,500 to 21,000 years ago), gaining prominence in the Magdalenian culture of southwestern France (approximately 21,000 years ago), with nearly 100 specimens documented.”

Bows and arrows, however, have only surfaced from well-preserved sites like Mannheim-Vogelstang and Stermol in Germany, dated to about 12,000 years, and Lilla Roschulz-Mosse in Sweden, approximately 8,500 years, indicating they are significantly younger than other projectile technology.

Comparison of archaeological specimens from the Aurignac site with experimental examples from Vogelherd, Istritz, and Manot. Image credit: Kitagawa et al., doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.114270.

The authors propose that early modern humans may have concurrently experimented with various projectile technologies, adapting to diverse ecosystems and prey types.

The analysis reveals that the damage patterns on these ancient projectile points corresponded with what is expected from arrows shot from bows, as well as from spears and darts.

“We emphasize Upper Paleolithic bony projectiles, including split bases and megabases made from antler and bone, predominantly discovered in Aurignacian environments in Europe and the Levant, between 40,000 and 33,000 years ago,” the researchers explained.

“Our goal is to determine if the wear patterns and morphometry can identify the types of weapons associated with Aurignacian bone projectile tips.”

This discovery aligns with previous archaeological findings indicating that bows and arrows were utilized in Africa as far back as 54,000 years ago, predating earlier estimates and some of Europe’s archaeological record.

Importantly, the researchers do not assert that Homo sapiens invented the bow simultaneously across all regions, nor do they claim the bow was the only weapon used.

Instead, their findings suggest a rich technological diversity during the initial phases of human migration into new territories.

“Our study highlights the intricate nature of reconstructing launch technologies, which are often made from perishable materials,” the researchers stated.

“While it is impossible to account for all variables affecting the properties of the armature and resulting wear, we aspire to implement future experimental programs aimed at deepening our understanding of the projectiles that form a crucial component of hunter-gatherer economies.”

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Keiko Kitagawa et al. suggest that Homo sapiens may have utilized bows and arrows for hunting as early as the Upper Paleolithic period in Eurasia. iScience published online on December 18, 2025. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.114270

Source: www.sci.news

The Three-Legged Lion Discovers an Unconventional Hunting Technique

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Jacob was fitted with a tracking collar and lost his left hind leg in a poacher’s trap.

alex burakowski

A lion that suffered the loss of a leg due to a poacher’s trap has developed a remarkable new hunting technique, surprising conservation experts.

Last year, Jacob, an 11-year-old lion residing in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park, was observed swimming 1.5km (approximately 1 mile) through a river teeming with crocodiles, making this the longest recorded swim of its kind.

Typically, injured carnivores adapt by scavenging, stealing livestock, or, if fortunate, receiving assistance from their pride. However, Jacob, who has also lost an eye after an encounter with a buffalo, has only his younger brother Tib for support.

Many researchers believed he would eventually perish after losing his left hind leg in 2020. “However, he has demonstrated incredible resilience,” notes alexander braczkowski from the Cambra Lion Monitoring Project, supported by the Volcano Safari Partnership Trust, a Ugandan NGO dedicated to conservation and community progress.

Even Braczkowski, who has been observing Jacob since 2017, was astonished by his survival. Yet, the mystery has now been unraveled through thermal drone footage, revealing that this lion has begun to mimic the behavior of a leopard.

Unable to overpower his prey as a typical lion would, Jacob now ambushes them at short distances within dense foliage, employing stealth and agility.

According to Braczkowski, Jacob also hunts species typically avoided by other lions. The nocturnal footage has shown him hunting and successfully taking down 200kg wild pigs, either solo or in cooperation with his siblings.

“Jacob’s inability to sprint limits his ability to chase down prey,” Braczkowski noted. “It’s apparent that he has shifted his diet towards specific types of pigs. This adaptation further supports his leopard-like tactics and risk-taking behavior, but it’s essential for his survival, and it’s evidently working.”

Loss of limbs from traps is a “common” issue for big cats, according to Andrew Loveridge of Panthera, a non-profit organization focused on global wild cat conservation.

Jacob and his brother Tib wearing tracking collars

alex burakowski

Adaptation is also essential, he emphasized. Craig Packer from the University of Minnesota has studied lion behavior for decades, noting, “We’ve observed similar adaptive behavior in other lion populations, all of which had the advantage of four healthy limbs.”

However, as Braczkowski observes, the lions in Queen Elizabeth Park typically target large, agile prey like antelopes and buffalo.

“Sometimes, lions exhibit leopard-like behavior, such as climbing trees,” he remarks, referencing George Schaller and his groundbreaking fieldwork on Serengeti lions in the 1960s, which provided valuable insights into predator-prey dynamics.

Even the tree-climbing lions maintain distinct hunting modalities, Schaller adds, highlighting that lions referred to as tripods (those missing limbs) usually rely on their pride for survival.

Braczkowski has tracked Jacob during his swims across the Kazinga Strait multiple times over the past two years, noting an average daily distance of 1.73 kilometers, which, while less than a healthy lion, marks a significant achievement for an injured animal, potentially driven by an insufficiency of suitable prey or the quest for a mate.

Jacob’s novel hunting strategy could become a replicable behavior that might help combat declines in lion populations facing habitat loss, climate change, and human encroachment. Consequently, Jacob holds significant “symbolic and genetic” importance, according to Braczkowski.

Schaller remarked that Jacob represents a beacon of resilience: “He’s akin to a fighter jet in the natural world.”

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Hunting Kit from 6,500 Years Ago Unearthed in West Texas

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Approximately 6,500 years ago, hunting kits included spear throwers, boomerang fragments, wood and stone tipped darts. These were discovered in a cave in West Texas near remnants of a small fire and a well-preserved pile of human waste, suggesting past human habitation.

Recently, archaeologists from Surros State University and Kansas University uncovered one of the oldest almost complete wooden and stone hunting weapons in North America. The findings are still being studied, but initial assessments indicate that one weapon may be around 7,000 years old.

Brion Schroeder, director of the Big Bend Research Center, expressed surprise at the discoveries, highlighting the unique insights into ancient hunting methods and tool maintenance.

Recent discoveries in a cave near Malfa, Texas have revealed hunting kits containing weapons and antelope skins likely used for clothing. The excavation, funded by the University of Kansas, aims to uncover ancient human artifacts in North America.

Dr. Schroeder and his team faced challenges from looters but persisted in their search for ancient artifacts. The depths of the cave yielded valuable insights into the hunting practices of early humans.

During the excavation, researchers unearthed parts of a hunting kit, suggesting the cave was used by hunters to store and repair their weapons. This sheds light on how ancient hunters maintained their tools and equipment.

The discovery of various tools and their arrangement indicates a systematic approach to hunting and tool maintenance by the ancient inhabitants of the cave.

Among the artifacts found is an atlatl, or spear thrower, considered one of the oldest in North America. The well-preserved wooden components of the atlatl provide valuable insights into ancient hunting techniques.

In addition to the atlatl, researchers discovered fragments of boomerangs, wooden darts, and stone tips, indicating a sophisticated approach to hunting and tool usage by ancient humans.

The discoveries offer a rare glimpse into the daily lives and hunting practices of ancient people, showcasing their advanced technology and strategic planning.

The age and completeness of the artifacts suggest a well-maintained weapon kit used by ancient hunters, providing valuable insights into their behavior and technology.

The discoveries shed light on the skills and foresight of ancient hunters, highlighting their ability to adapt to their environment and plan for their hunting expeditions.

Anthropology experts emphasize the rarity of finding well-preserved organic materials in ancient tools, showcasing the complexity of ancient hunting equipment beyond stone tools.

Ongoing analyses of the artifacts aim to uncover not only insights into ancient human diet and DNA but also the advanced weaponry used by early hunters. Collaboration with Indigenous groups ensures respectful research practices and eventual public sharing of findings.

The discoveries challenge preconceived notions of ancient hunting methods and highlight the intelligence and adaptability of early human societies.

Archaeologists and researchers emphasize the importance of these findings in understanding the behavior and technology of ancient hunting communities.

Source: www.nytimes.com

The reasons behind the islanders’ dolphin hunting practices

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The call of the conch shell evoked dolphin hunters from their beds. Under the moonlight, six men shuffled into the village church.

There the priest led them in a whispering prayer. The tide was high that day. The salt water was pooled in part of the village on Fanarey Island, part of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific.

They paddled out into wooden canoes before the first light, cutting through the darkness until they were miles away from the coast. After a few hours of scans, we saw one of the hunters, Leslie Hughi, slashing open the glassy water. He raised a 10-foot-long bamboo stick with a cloth tied to the end, warning others of his discovery. He then called his wife. He had found a dolphin. The hunt begins.

These men are among the last dolphin hunters in the Solomon Islands. Some critics say the massacre is cruel and unnecessary. But for some 130 residents of Fanarei, traditional hunts have taken on a new urgency as climate change threatens their homes. They say they need dolphins for their valuable teeth, used as local currency to buy land in the highlands and escape the sinking home.

Each tooth is worth three Solomon Islands dollars (about $0.36) (price set by the Chief of Fanarei), and a single dolphin hunt, which costs about $200, can bring tens of thousands of dollars, more than any other economic activity on the island.

“We regret killing the dolphin, but we really have no other option,” Fugi said. He mentioned that he would be willing to give up the hunt if there was an alternative way to secure his family’s future.

Crops can no longer be grown on about a third of the wana rays in New York City’s Central Park. Once fertile land has been ruined by erosion of salt water. The government promotes seaweed farming as a source of income, while overseas conservation groups provide cash to end the hunt. However, the ocean is both an existential threat and the most profitable resource for villagers. Government research suggests that the island could be underwater by the end of the century.

“For lowland islands like us, I witness with my own eyes how rising oceans affect our lives,” said Principal Wilson Fee, Fanaray.

… (continue for remaining content)

Source: www.nytimes.com

Exploring the Unusual Legacy of Xbox Kinect: Ghost Hunting, Porn, and Interactive Art | Games

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rBundle in 2010 with ELESHEST and XBOX 360, Kinect looked like the future, at least for a moment. Kinect, a camera that detects gestures and can reproduce on-screen in games, allowed players to control video games with their own body. It was a bit of a sense at first, and we were selling 1M units in the first 10 days. It remains The best-selling gaming peripherals ever.

However, the lack of games already dominated by the Nintendo WII, the unreliable performance and the motion control market have brought Kinect enthusiasm for it to cool down quickly. Microsoft released a new version of Kinect on the Xbox One in 2013, but only to become an embarrassing flop. Kinect Line was like that It was suddenly cancelled in 2017. The Guardian reached out to several people involved in the development of the surrounding area. Instead, people who were keen to discuss Microsoft’s Motion Featured Cameras didn’t use it in the game at all.

Theo Watson Co-founder of Design I/O a creative studio specializing in interactive installations – many of them use depth cameras including Kinect. “When Kinect came out, it was really like a dream situation,” he recalls. “There are probably more than 10 installations around the world, and now Kinects tracks people, but Kinect’s use of the game was blip.”

The assistant will show the Xbox 360 game Kinect Adventures during the 2010 media briefing. Photo: Mario Anzuoni / Reuters / Reuters

Watson turns 15 this year and speaks about Kinect with a rare joy. (“I can’t stop talking about depth cameras,” he adds. “That’s my passion.”) As part of a collaborative effort, Watson has contributed to making Microsoft’s gaming cameras open source, based on the work of Hector “Malkan” Martin. It quickly became clear that Kinect didn’t become the future of video games, as Microsoft originally wanted. Instead, it was a game changer in other ways: for artists, robot players, and… ghost hunters.

Kinect works with a structured optical system. In other words, it creates depth data by projecting an infrared dot cloud, reads the transformations of that matrix, and identifies the depth. From this data, its machine learning core was trained to “see” the human body. In games like Kinect Sports, the camera was able to convert the body to a controller. Meanwhile, for those who create interactive artwork, they cut out much of the programming and busy work needed by more basic infrared cameras.

“The best analogy is like going from black and white TV to color,” Watson says. “There was this whole extra world that was open for us.” The powerful depth camera, which was previously present, retailed for around $6,000 (£4,740), but Microsoft condensed it into a robust, lightweight device for $150 (£118).

Robotocists were also grateful that accessible sensors allowed vision and movement to create. “Previously, only plane 2D LIDAR information was available to detect obstacles and map the environment,” he said. Stereo LoveWe plan to release the latest version of our advanced depth detection camera and software soon. 2D LIDAR detects objects by projecting a laser and measuring the time it takes for light to reflect. However, Kinect can create detailed and accurate depth maps that provide more information. what Obstacles are a way to navigate it. “Before sensors like Kinect, Lucetti says, “Grass clusters are not perceived unlike rocks, and they have all the consequences associated with navigation.”

This type of depth camera now drives many autonomous robotics. Perseverance of the 2020s Mars Rover’s Autonav System and Apple’s facial identification technology. (Apple purchased Primesense, the Israeli company behind Kinect’s structured optical system in 2013.)

NASA’s Mars Patience Rover in 2020. Photo: NASA/UPI/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

Kinect’s technology was quickly digged into by open source sensors and more advanced motion sensing devices that are free to use. However, since Microsoft stopped manufacturing its Kinect line in 2017, the small cameras have enjoyed something vibrant and not vibrant, not completely violated after death. have Looking at South Korea’s unarmed zone And we worked on adjusting the topography and patient. With a CT scanner; It has been revealed that it is being used in a baggage hall at the airport. Newer Liberty International Airport terminal security camera c (United Airlines declined to comment on this), and Gamify Training for the US Military. Attached to drones, rescue robots, easy uses found in porn.

“I don’t know if anyone has a solid vision of what interactive sex Kinect is involved with,” says Kyle Machulis, founder of buttplug.io Another member of the OpenKinect team. The camera is deployed primarily as a complex controller for 3D sex games, and plays “a futuristic marketing role more than anything in actual consumer use,” says Matulis. In that role, it was a success. It attracted a surge in attention from Microsoft to somehow ban porn containing Kinect. It was an interesting experiment, but it turns out that the addition of novelty devices is not a turn-on for many porn users. What’s more, as Matulis says, when the camera malfunctions, “it looks pretty scary.”

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There is less concern for ghost hunters who thrive on the ambiguity of aging technology and rebranded Kinect as a “SLS” (structured light sensor) camera. They unfold a body tracking to find numbers that are invisible to the naked eye. Ghost Hunters are excited by the Kinect’s habit of “seeing” a body that is not actually there, believing that the numbers on these skeletal sticks are unequivocal expressions of spirits.

The paranormal investigator industry doesn’t care much about false positives as long as those false positives are perceived as paranormal. Freelance Science Performance They have a show dedicated to researching ghost hunting technology. “It’s very normal for a ghost hunter to use an infrared camera and torch to photograph himself in the dark. He bathes the scene with an IR light, using sensors that measure a specific pattern of infrared dots,” he says. Given that Kinect is specifically designed to recognize the human body with the data it receives, Kinect becomes a stranger. It didn’t do it Pick up unusual numbers in this context.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/M_6E_envpPA?wmode=opaque&feature=oembed" title="Connected Worlds" height="480" width="854" allowfullscreen="

Kinect has a living poem among people looking for evidence of life after death. On the right hand, the camera is still strong. Theo Watson points to me Connected Worldan exhibition held in the New York Science Hall of Fame since 2015. Of the many Kinect devices that enhance installation, they had to be replaced within 10 years of opening. One of them was a few weeks ago. Watson began stockpiling devices when Microsoft stopped production.

“Half of the projects on our website do not exist without Kinect,” he says. “If this camera had another decade, it still wouldn’t be running out of anything related to it.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

People in industrial societies sleep longer than those in hunting and gathering societies.

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Technology may be falsely blamed for lack of sleep

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Unlike our ancestors who lived in technologically advanced times, there is much written about how modern lifestyles mean that we no longer get enough sleep. However, an analysis of 54 sleep studies conducted around the world has shown that people in small, non-industrial societies actually sleep less than people in industrialized communities.

“Everyone I talk about in Canada and the US are talking about how bad their sleep is.” Leela Mackinnon At Toronto Mississauga University, Canada. “The numbers don't show that.”

It is often assumed that the rise of gadgets like big screen televisions and smartphones means that people today are less sleepy than in the recent past.

However, many studies reporting sleep declines over the past few decades are based on asking people how long they spend sleep. This is an unreliable measure. Even using this method, The results are mixedmany studies have found that there is no change or even an increase in sleep duration.

Studies based on more reliable measurements, such as using physical activity monitors and electrodes to monitor brain waves, have not declined over the last few decades. For example, we found a 2016 review of 168 studies. There is no decline Sleep period for the past 50 years.

However, these studies have been conducted in developed countries and reveal the question of whether people had more sleep before industrialisation. Wrist-based activity monitors are now available, making it easier to study sleep in a non-industrial society.

Such studies have revealed an incredible short period of sleep. For example, among hunter-gatherers, Sun sleeps on average 6.7 hours per night, Hatza sleeps 6.2 hours, and Bayaka sleeps 5.9 hours per night. The shortest time ever found is 5.5 hours of sleep in the HIMBA community in Namibia, a herdsman of nomadic livestock.

McKinnon and her colleagues David SamsonUniversity of Toronto, University of Mississauga, is also involved in several such research. They now compare sleep habits in industrialized societies, including the US, Australia and Sri Lanka, with people from small, non-industrial communities, including the Amazon, Madagascar and the Pacific indigenous people.

Overall, the analysis is based on 54 studies that include direct measures of sleep in people over 18 years of age without serious health conditions. In total, only 866 people are involved in these studies, but the dataset is the most comprehensive to date, says Samson. “It's the best now.”

Overall, these individuals slept on average 6.8 hours, while in non-industrial societies the average was 6.4 hours, while in industrial societies it was 7.1 hours.

The two also found that people from the industrial world were asleep for 74% of their time in bed.

McKinnon and Samson also evaluated the regularity of people's circadian rhythms using a measure called the circadian function index, where the score of 1 is perfect. In non-industrialized communities, the average was 0.7 compared to 0.63 in industrial societies.

Samson attributes the higher period of sleep and increased sleep efficiency in industrialized societies to conditions that encourage sleep more. “We see that we have some real benefits from the safety and security of our sleep scene,” he says. “There's no need to dodge the night or predators with rival human groups.”

Conversely, people in industrial areas are less exposed to clues that help to maintain a circadian rhythm, such as low night temperatures and bright daylight exposure. Although they did not appreciate this, both MacKinnon and Samson said that a low normal circadian rhythm would have a negative effect explaining why many people perceive their sleep as poor. I doubt there is a possibility of giving it.

What is not clear from the paper says that individuals in these 54 studies are representatives of the overall population. Nathaniel Marshall At Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. “Special sampling is required to make a statement about epidemiological prevalence,” he says.

Samson said he looked into whether large sample sizes could change results, and concluded that there was no significant difference.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Research shows that Clovis people utilized planted pikes for hunting large herbivores

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Historical and ethnographic sources document that portable pole-hafted weapons, or spears, were used for hunting and defense against large game in North and South America, Africa, Eurasia, and Southeast Asia for several millennia during the Late Holocene. Given the dominance of large game in North America during the Late Pleistocene, centuries when Clovis points emerged and spread across much of the continent between 13,050 and 12,650 years ago, pole-hafted weapons may have been used for hunting large herbivores or for defense against large carnivores.

A Clovis point with distinctive grooved flake scars. Image courtesy of S. Byram.

“This ancient Native American design was a remarkable innovation in hunting strategy,” said Dr Scott Byrum, a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley.

“This unique indigenous technology provides a window into hunting and survival techniques that have been used for thousands of years in many parts of the world.”

The team's discovery may help solve a mystery that has plagued archaeological communities for decades: how North American communities actually used Clovis stone tools, the most commonly unearthed remains from the Ice Age.

Clovis Points are named after the town of Clovis, New Mexico, where they were first discovered about a century ago. Clovis Points are formed from rocks such as chert, flint, and jasper.

They range in size from the size of a person's thumb to the size of a medium-sized iPhone, and have a clearly defined, sharp edge and grooved indentations on either side of their base.

Thousands of fossils have been discovered across the United States, some of which have been unearthed within preserved mammoth skeletons.

“Clovis points are often the only part recovered from a spear,” said Dr. June Sunseri of the University of California, Berkeley.

“The elaborately engineered bone hafts at the ends of the weapons are sometimes found, but the wood at the bases of the spears, and the rosin and string that made them work as a complete system, have been lost over time.”

“Furthermore, research silos limit such systems thinking about prehistoric weaponry, and if stone experts are not bone experts they may not get the full picture.”

“We need to think beyond simple artifacts. The key here is looking at this as an engineered system that requires multiple types of expertise in our field and in other fields.”

Building tools into powerful and effective systems would have been a priority for communities 13,000 years ago.

Tools had to be durable; there were only a limited number of suitable rocks that people could use to cross the land.

They might travel hundreds of miles without obtaining a long, straight stick suitable for making a spear.

“So obviously you don't want to risk throwing or breaking your gear when you're not sure if you're going to catch the animal,” Dr Byrum said.

“People who analyse metal military artefacts know about it because it was used to halt horses in war.”

“But before that, it wasn't really known for other situations, like wild boar hunting or bear hunting.”

“It's a common theme in literature, but for some reason it hasn't been talked about much in anthropology.”

To evaluate their spear hypothesis, the researchers built a test platform to measure the force that the spear system could withstand before the tip broke off or the shaft stretched.

A low-tech, static version of an animal attack using reinforced replica Clovis point spears allowed us to test how different spears reach their breaking point and how their extension systems respond.

This builds on previous experiments in which researchers fired stone-tipped spears into clay and ballistic gel, which may have been as painful as a needle prick to a nine-tonne mammoth.

“The energy that a human arm can generate is completely different from the energy that a charging animal can generate. It's an order of magnitude different,” Dr Jun said.

“These spears were designed to protect the wielder.”

“The sophisticated Clovis technology, developed uniquely in North America, is a testament to the ingenuity and skill used by indigenous peoples to coexist with ancient lands and now-extinct megafauna,” said Kent Lightfoot, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

Team result Published in a journal PLoS One.

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RS Byram others2024. Clovis projectile points and foresharps subjected to reinforced weapon compression: modelling the encounter between Stone Age spears and Pleistocene megafauna. PLoS One 19 (8): e0307996; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0307996

This article is a version of a press release provided by the University of California, Berkeley.

Source: www.sci.news

Newly discovered archaeological site illuminates Neanderthal hunting skills and adaptability

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Archaeological sequence Abrik Pissarro ruins The southeastern Pre-Pyrenees About MIS4 (about 71,000 years ago), a little-known period in Neanderthal history.

Iberian Neanderthals sampled wild mushrooms, pine nuts, and forest moss. Image by Abel Grau, CSIC Communication.

A team of archaeologists led by the Australian National University has collected hundreds of thousands of artefacts at the Abric Pizarro site, including stone tools, animal bones and other evidence, providing crucial data about Neanderthal lifestyles.

The discovery reveals that Neanderthals were able to adapt to their environment, calls into question archaic humans' reputation as slow-footed cavemen, and sheds light on their survival and hunting abilities.

“Our results show that Neanderthals knew how to best exploit their area and territory, and were able to withstand harsh climatic conditions,” said archaeologist Sophia Samper-Caro of the Australian National University.

“The amazing finds at Abric Pizarro show how adaptable the Neanderthals were. The animal bones we found show that they made good use of the fauna around them, hunting red deer, horses and bison, but also eating freshwater turtles and rabbits. This suggests a level of planning that is rarely associated with Neanderthals.”

“These new findings call into question the widely held belief that Neanderthals only hunted large animals such as horses and rhinos.”

“The bones we found contain cut marks, providing direct evidence that Neanderthals were able to hunt small animals.”

“The bones at this site are so well preserved that you can see traces of how the Neanderthals handled and butchered these animals.”

“Analysis of stone tools also shows a great deal of diversity in the types of tools made, indicating that Neanderthals were capable of exploiting the resources available in their region.”

By uncovering this critical transition period, archaeologists are one step closer to solving a mystery that has vexed researchers for decades: what caused the Neanderthals to go extinct?

“The discovery of sites like Abric Pizarro from this particular, poorly documented period gives us information about how Neanderthals lived and shows that they were thriving at a time when modern humans were not yet in the area,” Dr Samper-Caro said.

“The unique site of Abric Pissarro offers us a glimpse into the behaviour of Neanderthals in the landscape they roamed for hundreds of thousands of years.”

“The Neanderthals disappeared about 40,000 years ago. All of a sudden, we modern humans showed up in this part of the Pyrenees and the Neanderthals disappeared. But before that, the Neanderthals had been living in Europe for almost 300,000 years.”

“They obviously knew what they were doing. They knew the area and they knew how to survive for a long period of time.”

“One of the most fascinating aspects of this site is that it provides unique information about a time when Neanderthals lived alone in harsh conditions and how they thrived before the arrival of modern humans.”

Thanks to modern excavation techniques, Abric Pizarro and other nearby sites provide detailed data for understanding Neanderthal behavior.

“We make a 3D plot of each and every bone found that is larger than one or two centimetres,” Dr Sampar Karo said.

“This slows down the work – excavations at some sites have been going on for over 20 years – but the result is that the sites are documented with unparalleled accuracy.”

“We're interested in how all these different pieces of data, from stone tools to bones to hearths, relate to each other.”

“This more thorough excavation will provide archaeologists with information about how Neanderthals lived and how long they were in the area.”

“It's not just the individual item that gives us clues, but knowing where it is found in relation to other items at the site helps us understand how and when Neanderthals visited these sites. Did they settle there or were they just passing through?”

of result Appears in Journal of Archaeological Sciences.

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Sophia C. Samper-Caro others2024. Living dangerously: Abrik Pissarro, a MIS 4 Neanderthal site in the lowermost foothills of the southeastern Pre-Pyrenees (Lleida, Iberian Peninsula). Journal of Archaeological Sciences 169: 106038; doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2024.106038

Source: www.sci.news

The mystery of Cretaceous shark hunting techniques revealed through detailed fossil analysis

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Petitcodus shark fossil discovered in Mexico

Roman Vullo

A fossil shark that thrived during the Cretaceous period has been found and has shed light on how sharks hunted and their place on the evolutionary tree.

Fossil shark teeth Ptychodus have been in museums for over 200 years. While some members of this group grew to be enormous, the anatomy of others was largely unknown.

This lack of information left researchers uncertain about the shark’s overall appearance and feeding habits, but the wide, flat teeth suggest it was capable of eating hard-shelled prey.

Recently, Professor Roman Vullo at the University of Rennes in France discovered six well-preserved full-body fossils of Ptychodus in Mexico, placing the shark in the order Lamniformes alongside modern shark species like great whites and basking sharks.

What makes this discovery interesting is that while modern white sharks are known for hunting in open waters, Ptychodus were fast swimmers and voracious eaters in the open ocean, preying on armored pelagic fish like large ammonites and sea turtles.

Despite the small size of the studied specimens, estimated to be less than 3 meters long, researchers believe some members of the genus reached lengths of about 9.7 meters – twice the size of a great white shark. Females tended to be larger, measuring between 4.6 and 4.9 meters in length.

During the Cretaceous period, Ptychodus sharks played a significant role in the marine food chain. They likely competed with large marine reptiles with crushing dentition, which may have led to their extinction before the end-Cretaceous extinction event.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Paleontologists dispute research backing underwater tracking and hunting of Spinosaurus

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The lifestyle of spinosaurids has been a topic of intense debate since important new skeletal parts were uncovered. Spinosaurus aegyptius Different lifestyles of this species have been proposed in the literature. Some claim that they were more or less semi-aquatic, hunting fish from the edges of bodies of water or by walking or swimming on the surface. Others suggest that it was entirely aquatic and an underwater tracking predator.

A pair of animals that do things better than any animal that has ever evolved. Spinosaurus aegyptius About 95 million years ago, pterosaurs soared overhead on the northern coast of Africa and invaded nearby waters in search of prey. Image credit: Daniel Navarro.

Paleontologists generally agree that Spinosaurus aegyptius were fish-eaters, but how exactly these dinosaurs caught their prey is the subject of active debate, with some researchers suggesting that they hunted on the coast and others walked or swam in shallow water, and other researchers have suggested that it was an aquatic tracking predator.

One recent study used a fairly new statistical method called phylogenetic flexible discriminant analysis (pFDA) to analyze the density and proportion of organisms and supported the latter hypothesis. spinosaurus skeleton.

In a new study, University of Chicago professor Paul Sereno and colleagues critically evaluated the methods of previous research and identified significant flaws.

“spinosaurusand its close relatives, are fascinating due to their unusual anatomical features, the rarity of specimens, and the fact that scientists
had not discovered bones in any parts of their bodies until very recently. they stated.

“Unlike other carnivorous dinosaurs, there is strong evidence that it lived near water and ate fish and other aquatic organisms.”

“This has caused a lot of controversy as to how it is done. spinosaurus It was alive—was it a fast-swimming predator chasing fish like a sea lion? Or maybe it’s a predator lurking at the water’s edge, grabbing at you with its clawed hands like a gigantic version of a brown bear chasing a salmon, or poking its head into the water like a seven-ton heron from hell. I wonder if it was? ”

The authors began by asking new questions about bone density, such as how to digitize thin sections, where to slice through the femur and ribs, and whether to include bones from multiple individuals.

Some modern aquatic mammals, like manatees, have dense bones that bulge to help them stay underwater, like a scuba diver’s weight belt.

Large land animals such as elephants and dinosaurs also have dense bones to support their increased weight.

most modern birds and many dinosaurs spinosaurus Air sacs are attached to the inside of the lungs and bones and act like a life jacket to prevent submersion.

Assessing the aquatic abilities of extinct species such as spinosaurus All these factors must be considered.

Given the complexity of understanding the meaning of bone density, paleontologists reevaluated how statistical methods used in previous studies were applied to support the following claims: . spinosaurus It was a deep diver.

pFDA's approach is similar to machine learning, training classification algorithms based on groups of species whose lifestyles are well understood.

In principle, researchers could use algorithms to estimate the likelihood of the existence of poorly understood species such as: spinosaurus classified into some behavioral group.

“But in reality, there are challenges that need to be overcome,” said Intellectual Ventures researcher Nathan Myhrvold.

“Unfortunately, this technique doesn’t work well unless you have a large amount of data and do apples-to-apples comparisons to ensure that the data meets certain statistical assumptions.”

“None of these requirements were met in the previous study, so the results did not stand up to review.”

This new paper should help paleontologists understand the pitfalls of pFDA and other types of extensive statistical analysis and how to avoid them.

Researchers show that it is important to use consistent and objective criteria when deciding which species to include or exclude, and how to categorize their behavior .

The results of this study also demonstrate the importance of considering measurement error and individual differences when assessing bone mineral density.

“We think spinosaurus“As one of the largest predators to have ever evolved, this animal needed extra bone strength to support its weight on its relatively short hind legs,” Professor Sereno said.

“spinosaurus They could walk in channels more than 6 feet deep without floating, and could use their claws and jaws to ambush fish of any size, even while keeping their toes firmly planted in the mud. I stayed. ”

of study It was published in the magazine PLoS ONE.

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NP Myhrvold other. 2024. Diving dinosaur? Considerations regarding the use of bone density and pFDA to infer lifestyle. PLoS ONE 19 (3): e0298957; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298957

Source: www.sci.news

Enormous Stone Age hunting structure uncovered in the Baltic Sea

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A team of German archaeologists has discovered a gigantic Stone Age structure submerged at a depth of 21 meters in the Western Baltic Sea. This structure was probably built by hunter-gatherers over 10,000 years ago and was eventually sunk about 8,500 years ago. Since then, it has remained hidden under the sea, leading to pristine preservation that has inspired research into lifestyles and territorial development in the wider region.

An artist's reconstruction of the Brinker Wall in Mecklenburg Bay, Germany. Image credit: Michał Grabowski.

The massive Stone Age structure was discovered in Mecklenburg Bay, about 10 kilometers northwest of the German coast of Relic.

The stone wall is made up of 1,673 individual stones, typically less than 1 meter in height, arranged side by side over a distance of 971 meters in a way that refutes their natural origin through glacial movement or ice-intrusion ridges.

This wall, known as the Brinker Wall, was built by hunter-gatherers who roamed the area after humans left. viserian ice sheet.

Running adjacent to the sunken shoreline of a paleo-lake (or swamp), whose youngest stage dates to 9,143 years ago, the structure was probably used for hunting. Eurasian reindeer (Langifer Tarandus).

“At that time, the population of all of Scandinavia was probably less than 5,000,” said Dr. Marcel Bradmeler, a researcher at the University of Rostock.

“One of their main food sources was herds of reindeer, which moved seasonally across sparsely vegetated post-glacial landscapes.”

“This wall was probably used to guide reindeer into the bottleneck between the adjacent shore and the wall, or into the lake, allowing Stone Age hunters to kill reindeer more easily with their weapons. Ta.”

Form of a southwest to northeast oriented ridge with a blinker wall and adjacent mounds.Image credit: Geersen et al. everyone, doi: 10.1073/pnas.2312008121.

The Brinker Wall is one of the oldest recorded man-made hunting structures on Earth and one of the largest known Stone Age structures in Europe.

Dr Jacob Geersen, also from the University of Rostock, said: “Our research shows that the natural origin of the submarine stone walls or modern constructions associated with, for example, the laying of submarine cables or stone extraction is unlikely. ” he said. .

“The orderly arrangement of many small stones connecting large, immovable rocks opposes this.”

The researchers used modern geophysical methods to create detailed 3D models of the Brinker Wall and reconstruct the ancient landscape.

A team of scientific divers from the University of Rostock and the West Pomeranian Mecklenburg State Department of Culture and Monuments also visited the site once and inspected it.

The main purpose of the dive was to assess the nature of the stone wall and investigate possible archaeological remains on the surrounding seabed.

They concentrated in two places: the western edge of the structure and the large stone in the center where the blinker wall turns.

No artifacts or dateable organic material were found in the immediate vicinity of the two dive sites, but a small wood sample was recovered from Holocene deposits approximately 10 m south of the structure.

3D model of the section of blinker wall adjacent to the large boulder at the west end of the wall. The photo was taken by Philip Huy of the University of Rostock. The scale bar at the top right corner of the image is 50 cm. Image credit: Geersen other., doi: 10.1073/pnas.2312008121.

“A number of well-preserved Stone Age sites are known along the coast of Wismar Bay and Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, but these are located at much shallower depths, and most of them are Mesolithic and Neolithic. It dates from the Stone Age (7,000-2,500 BC),” said Dr. Jens Auer, a researcher at the Mecklenburg-West Pomeranian Department for the Preservation of Cultural Monuments.

“There is evidence that similar stone walls exist in other parts of Mecklenburg Bay. These will also be investigated systematically,” added Dr. Jens Schneider von Daimling, a researcher at the University of Kiel.

“Overall, this research could make a significant contribution to understanding the lives, organization, and hunting methods of early Stone Age hunter-gatherers.”

team's paper Published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Jacob Giesen other. 2024. Submerged Stone Age hunting architecture in the Western Baltic Sea. PNAS 121 (8): e2312008121; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2312008121

Source: www.sci.news

Uncommon footage captures killer whale guiding its calf in hunting and launching a dolphin high into the air

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A rare video was captured this week by a whale-watching trip off the coast of San Diego, showing an orca teaching its baby how to hunt by headbutting a dolphin and flipping it over multiple times in the air.

Wildlife filmmaker Domenic Biagini, who shot the footage, described the scene, saying: “The killer whale catches the dolphin, but when the dolphin slows down, he releases it after it is subdued and brings the baby killer whale with him to catch it himself.” “Seeing that level of communication and understanding was like watching a family.”

Biagini owns Gone Whale Watching, one of several companies that spotted a pod of six orcas off the coast of San Diego on Monday. He said the orca hunt took about 30 minutes, which was much longer than the average orca hunt because he was teaching orca pups.

According to marine biologist Alisa Shulman Janiger, killer whales are among the ocean’s apex predators and are known to incorporate their large size and speed into their hunting strategies. She added that it is common for orcas to slow down the prey and show the children how to hunt.

Shulman-Janiger explained that the killer whales in the video are so young that their eye patches are yellow instead of white, a color that eventually fades as they get older.

Where do whales come from?

Shulman Janiger said the whale in Biagini’s footage is an eastern tropical Pacific orca, which typically lives in waters off Mexico and Central America. They are rarely seen in the relatively warm, calm waters of Southern California.

Speaking about the hunting behavior, Biagini said, “We try to explain to our guests that while what whales do to dolphins can sometimes be very gruesome, this is normal and healthy.”

Biagini also mentioned that after Monday’s hunt, the killer whales approached the boat to see what was going on and began to poke their heads out of the water, which is a behavior known as spy hopping.

‘Remember us at your Thanksgiving feast’: Killer whales celebrate the hunt

Biagini said the killer whales often celebrate after a successful hunt and zigzag back and forth through the water. He compared it to the feeling of happiness and smiling after a Thanksgiving meal.

Additionally, Biagini expressed concern about the increasing number of boats getting close to orcas to film social media videos, urging people to film animals in the most ethical way.

Danger of flocking to whale watching

Biagini also raised concerns about the number of boats surrounding the pod of killer whales, stating that too many boats with inexperienced operators could interfere with their hunting behavior or lead to collisions.

In a video he shot, a man driving a boat by himself abandons the wheel to lean out onto the deck to record the video.

Overall, Biagini emphasized the importance of being stewards of animals and approaching them in an ethical way.

Source: www.nbcnews.com