The skeletal remains of the individual known as ‘Beachy Head Woman’ were rediscovered in 2012 within the collection of Eastbourne Town Hall. Since then, her story has garnered significant public interest. Radiocarbon dating reveals that she lived between 129 and 311 AD during the Roman occupation of Britain. Over the last decade, researchers have sought to uncover her geographic origins and ancestry. Initially believed to originate from sub-Saharan Africa or the Mediterranean, groundbreaking DNA research now indicates she shares strong genetic connections with the local population of Roman-occupied Britain and modern-day Britons.
A depiction of Beachy Head Woman’s face. Image credit: Face Lab, Liverpool John Moores University.
The journey of Beachy Head Woman began with her rediscovery in 2012, although uncertainty still surrounds her life. Radiocarbon dating placed her death between 129 and 311 AD, during the Roman occupation of Britain.
Analysis of her remains suggests she was aged between 18 and 25 at the time of death and stood just over 1.5 meters tall. A healed leg wound implies she endured a serious but non-fatal injury during her life.
Dietary analysis of her bones indicates a high seafood diet, revealing insights into her lifestyle.
“Using advanced DNA technology, we have made significant strides in uncovering the origins of this individual,” stated researcher Dr. William Marsh from the Natural History Museum in London.
“Our findings show that her genetic ancestry is most closely aligned with other individuals from the local population of Roman Britain,” he added.
The Beachy Head Woman’s remains were unearthed from a collection at Eastbourne Town Hall. Initial findings indicated that her skeleton was discovered at Beachy Head, a nearby geographic landmark, during the 1950s, though details of the excavation remain elusive.
Interest in Beachy Head Woman intensified when initial morphometric analyses suggested potential sub-Saharan African origins. This captivating narrative was exhibited at Eastbourne Museum, capturing widespread media attention.
In 2017, unpublished DNA findings implied a Mediterranean origin, possibly from Cyprus, rather than Africa. However, these conclusions are drawn from limited data, leaving many questions about Beachy Head Woman’s life unanswered.
“As our scientific knowledge continues to expand, it is our mission as researchers to seek further answers,” commented Dr. Selina Brace, also from the Natural History Museum in London.
“Thanks to technological advancements over the past decade since Beachy Head Woman’s reemergence, we are thrilled to share new comprehensive data and insights into her life,” she concluded.
For more details, you can refer to the team’s paper published this month in the Archaeology Journal.
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Andy Walton et al. Beachy Head Woman: Uncovering her origins using multi-proxy anthropological and biomolecular approaches. Archaeology Journal, published online on December 17, 2025. doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2025.106445
Astronomers using ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope have captured a stunning image of a large nebula that strikingly resembles the silhouette of a bat.
This VST image reveals a gaseous cloud formed like a space bat. The vibrant red glow is produced by hydrogen atoms energized by the powerful radiation from young stars within the cloud. Notable features include RCW 94, which makes up the right wing, and RCW 95, which forms the body, though the remaining bat elements lack official designations. Image credit: ESO / VPHAS+ Team / VVV Team.
“Located about 10,000 light-years away, this ‘space bat’ navigates between the southern constellations Circinus and Norma,” ESO astronomers stated.
“It spans an area of the sky equivalent to four full moons, seemingly foraging in the illuminated spots above.”
“This nebula acts as a stellar nursery, a vast area of gas and dust where new stars are born.”
“The young stars emit sufficient energy to excite surrounding hydrogen atoms, causing them to produce the striking red hue evident in this captivating image.”
“The dark filaments of the nebula resemble the skeletal structure of our space bat.”
“These formations accumulate cooler, denser gas compared to their surroundings, with dust particles obstructing visible light from the stars behind.”
“Named for its extensive catalog of bright star-forming regions in the southern sky, the most prominent clouds are RCW94, representing the right side of the bat, and RCW95, forming the body; however, the other parts of the bat remain unnamed.”
This remarkable image was captured by ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope (VST) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert.
“VST is ideally suited for capturing these large, eerie entities,” astronomers remarked.
“It features OmegaCAM, a cutting-edge 268-megapixel camera, enabling VST to photograph vast sections of the sky.”
“The image is a composite made from observations through various filters that capture different colors and wavelengths of light.”
“Most bat shapes, including the vivid red glow, were recorded in visible light as part of the VST Photometric Hα Survey of the South Galactic Plane and Bulge (VPHAS+).”
“Additional infrared data enhance the coloration of the densest regions within the nebula, obtained with ESO’s Visible Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) as part of the VISTA Variable of the Vía Láctea (VVV) survey.”
“Both surveys are accessible to anyone eager to delve into this limitless expanse of astrophotography.”
Approximately 4.3 billion years ago, during the early formation of our solar system, a massive asteroid collided with the far side of the moon, resulting in the creation of the South Pole-Aitken Basin—an enormous crater. This feature, the largest on the moon, spans over 1,200 miles in length and 1,000 miles in width. Its rectangular shape is attributed to a glancing impact rather than a direct hit. Challenging previous beliefs that the basin was formed by an asteroid coming from the south, recent research indicates that the narrowing shape of the basin towards the south suggests an impact from the north.
The South Pole-Aitken Impact Basin on the far side of the Moon was formed by a southward impact. Image credit: Jeff Andrews-Hanna / University of Arizona / NASA / National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
“The downstream edge of the basin should have a thick layer of material that was excavated from the moon’s interior by the impact, while the upper edge should not,” explained Dr. Jeffrey Andrews-Hanna, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona.
“This suggests that the Artemis mission will target the downrange rim of the basin, an ideal site to examine the moon’s largest and oldest impact basins, where most of the ejecta, consisting of material from deep within the moon, are likely to be gathered.”
Historically, it has been believed that early moons were molten due to the energy released during their formation, resulting in a magma ocean that enveloped the entire moon.
As this magma ocean solidified, heavy minerals settled to create the Moon’s mantle, while lighter minerals floated upwards to form the Earth’s crust.
Nevertheless, certain elements were not incorporated into the solid mantle and crust, but instead became concentrated in the last liquid remnants of the magma ocean.
These “residual” elements, including potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus, are collectively known as KREEP.
Dr. Andrews-Hanna and his team noted that these elements appear to be especially abundant on the moon’s near side.
“If you’ve ever frozen a can of soda, you might have noticed that high fructose corn syrup doesn’t freeze all the way through and instead accumulates at the bottom of the liquid,” remarked Dr. Andrews-Hanna.
“We believe a similar phenomenon occurred on the moon with KREEP.”
“Over millions of years, as it cooled, the magma ocean crystallized into the crust and mantle.”
“Eventually, only a small amount of liquid remained trapped between the mantle and the crust, which is this KREEP-rich material.”
“The abundance of KREEP’s heat-producing elements somehow concentrated on the moon’s near side, causing it to heat up and initiate intense volcanic activity, thus creating the dark volcanic plains visible from Earth.”
“However, the process by which this KREEP-rich material became concentrated on the near side and how it evolved remains an enigma.”
“The moon’s crust is considerably thicker on the far side compared to the near side that faces Earth, a discrepancy that continues to puzzle scientists.”
“This asymmetry influences various aspects of the moon’s development, including the final stages of the magma ocean.”
“Our hypothesis posits that as the far side’s crust thickened, the underlying magma ocean was forced outward, akin to squeezing toothpaste from a tube, causing most of it to accumulate on the near side.”
A recent investigation of the Antarctic Aitken Basin has uncovered unexpected asymmetries supporting this scenario. The western ejecta blanket is rich in radioactive thorium, while the eastern side is not.
This indicates that the rift left by the impact formed a conduit through the moon’s crust, near the boundary separating the “normal” crust from the underlying layers that contain the final remnants of the KREEP-rich magma ocean.
“Our research shows that the distribution and composition of these materials align with predictions derived from modeling the later stages of magma ocean evolution,” stated Dr. Andrews-Hanna.
“The last remnants of the Moon’s magma ocean have reached the near side, where the concentration of radioactive elements is at its peak.”
“However, prior to this, there may have been a thin, patchy layer of magma ocean beneath parts of the far side, explaining the presence of radioactive ejecta on one flank of the Antarctic Aitken Basin.”
For further information, refer to the study published in the journal Nature.
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JC Andrews-Hanna et al. 2025. The southern impact excavated a magma ocean in the Moon’s South Pole Aitken Basin. Nature 646, 297-302; doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09582-y
Small towns in South Texas are urgently seeking alternative drinking water sources as persistent droughts threaten to deplete their main supply.
Mattis City typically relies on Lake Corpus Christi for its drinking water; however, the intensifying drought is projected to drop levels too low for safe extraction, according to Cedric Davis from the city.
“It’s not about completely running out of water,” said Davis. “It’s just challenging to access clean water from the lake, as the extraction process brings up sediment.”
That sediment can harm urban filtration and treatment systems, he noted. According to 2020 data from the US Census Bureau, Mattis has a population of approximately 4,300.
The situation in Texas underscores the escalating challenges faced in drought-affected areas nationwide, as climate change alters rainfall patterns and reduces the availability of safe drinking water.
In 2023, New Orleans experienced a drinking water emergency when saltwater infiltrated upstream due to unusually low levels in the drought-impacted Mississippi River.
Last year, ongoing drought and years of low precipitation led to alarmingly low reservoir levels in Mexico City, resulting in significant water shortages for North America’s most populous urban areas.
South Texas has a long history of dry spells, with much of the region categorized as facing “moderate” or “severe” drought conditions. The US Drought Monitor publishes updated color-coded maps weekly to illustrate the extent and severity of droughts nationwide.
Extreme dryness has resulted in falling water levels in Lake Corpus Christi.
“There isn’t enough rain to restore the lakes and reservoirs in South Texas,” said Davis, indicating that several municipal and small community areas will need to seek emergency solutions.
Davis mentioned that projections indicate lake levels may become critically low by late December. Thus, the city is initiating the drilling of two emergency wells to ensure a continued supply of drinking water.
Although the project is still in the planning stages, Davis expressed hope that the permitting process and lease agreement with the Texas Parks and Wildlife division could be expedited. If all goes well, excavation may commence by the end of October.
“If everything goes as planned and we can install the wells by late December, we should be fine,” stated Davis.
Nonetheless, city officials are exploring additional contingency options, including potentially expensive desalination plants and wastewater treatment and reuse systems.
The latter part of the first millennium in Central and Eastern Europe witnessed profound cultural and political changes. This transformative era is typically linked to the emergence of the Slavs, supported by textual documentation and corresponding archaeological findings. However, there remains no agreement on whether this archaeological horizon spread through transition, a process termed “slabization,” or a mix of both. Notably, the prevalent cremation practices observed during the initial phases of slab settlements lack sufficient genetic data. In a recent investigation, scientists sequenced the genomes of 555 ancient individuals, including 359 samples from the Slavic context dating back to the 7th century AD. The new findings reveal significant population movements in Eastern Europe between the 6th and 8th centuries, which replaced over 80% of the local gene pools in areas such as East Germany, Poland, and Croatia.
The seal of Yaroslav, the grand prince of Kiev from 1019 to 1054, and the father of Anna Yaroslav, the Queen of France. Image credit: Sheremetievs Museum.
The term “Slavs” first emerged to describe a nation in Constantinople during the 6th century and later gained recognition in the West.
Written records initially appeared north of the Lowward Now River and subsequently shifted to regions north of the Carpathian Basin, the Balkans, and the Eastern Alps.
Many areas were under the influence of the Avar Khaganate along the central Danube from around 567 AD to 800 AD.
Evidence indicates the presence of slab cultures in several regions of Eastern and Southeastern Europe during the 7th century.
Slavic settlements, previously inhabited by Roman, Germanic, and other pre-Slavic communities, transitioned to a simpler lifestyle, often represented archaeologically by small pithouse settlements, cremation burials, handmade and unembellished pottery, and a modest low-metal material culture associated with the Pragukorchak group.
Later, more sophisticated social structures and control emerged within the contact zone of the Byzantine-Christian West.
The Transformation of Europe by the Slavs
The first comprehensive ancient DNA analysis of medieval Slavic groups reveals that the rise of the Slavs was fundamentally a narrative of migration.
Their genetic signature points to origins in an area spanning southern Belarus to central Ukraine, aligning with longstanding linguistic and archaeological theories.
“Although direct evidence from the early Slavic core regions is still limited, our genetic findings provide initial substantial insights into the formation of Slavic ancestors, suggesting origins that may lie between the Donets and Don rivers.”
In this study, Dr. Gretzinger and colleagues gathered genome-wide data from 555 distinct ancient individuals from 26 sites throughout Central and Eastern Europe. They combined this with previously published data, creating comprehensive sampling networks for three regions.
New findings indicate that starting in the 6th century AD, large-scale migrations spread Eastern European ancestry throughout a vast area of central and eastern Europe, thus altering the genetic make-up of regions such as East Germany and Poland.
However, this expansion did not conform to a model of conquest or empire. Rather than obliterating existing military and structural hierarchies, newcomers founded new communities centered around extended families and patriarchal kinships.
This pattern was not uniform across all areas.
In eastern Germany, the changes were significant. Large, multi-generational lineages formed the backbone of society, and kinship networks became more broadly structured compared to the smaller nuclear families observed in earlier migration phases.
In contrast, areas such as Croatia experienced much less disruption in existing social patterns with the arrival of Eastern European groups.
Here, social structures often retained characteristics from previous periods, resulting in communities where new traditions harmonized with existing ones.
The regional diversity in social frameworks highlights that the spread of the Slavic group was not a one-size-fits-all process, but rather a dynamic adaptation to local contexts and histories.
“The expansion of the Slavs does not occur as a single event; it demonstrates that it is not a monolithic phenomenon, but each instance blends adaptation and integration according to its circumstances.”
Historical Overview of European Slabs: The timeline lists major historical events related to Central European Slabs. This map illustrates historical proof of the appearance of the slab (Sklavenoi – Slavvi – Winedi). The italic count indicates the date of the proven event, with each report date being in the bracket. Image credit: Gretzinger et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09437-6.
East Germany
The genetic data reveals a particularly significant narrative in East Germany.
Following the decline of the Kingdom of Thuringia, more than 85% of the region’s ancestry can be traced back to new arrivals from the east.
This reflects a shift from an earlier period of diverse populations, as epitomized by the Brucken site.
With the rise of the Slavs, this diversity gave way to a population composition resembling that of modern Slavic-speaking groups in Eastern Europe.
These new communities were structured around large extended families and patriarchal lineages, with women of marriageable age often moving to form new households elsewhere, leaving their native villages.
Notably, the genetic heritage of these initial Eastern European settlers is still present among the Sorbs, the Slavic-speaking minority in East Germany.
Amidst centuries of cultural and linguistic changes, Sorbs maintain genetic profiles closely related to early medieval Slavic populations that settled in the region over a millennium ago.
Poland
In Poland, research notably challenges previous assumptions regarding long-standing population continuity.
Genetic findings indicate that early inhabitants of the region, beginning in the 6th and 7th centuries AD—especially descendants of a population closely tied to Northern Europe and Scandinavia—were nearly completely replaced by newcomers from the East, closely related to modern Poles, Ukrainians, and Belarusians.
While overwhelming population shifts occurred, genetic evidence also reveals small traces of intermingling with local populations.
These insights underscore both the magnitude of population change and the intricate dynamics shaping the ancestry of present-day Central and Eastern European languages.
Croatia
In Northern Balkans, the patterns observed differ markedly from those in northern immigrant regions, narrating a tale of both transformation and continuity.
Ancient DNA analyses from Croatia and surrounding areas illustrate a significant influx of ancestors from Eastern Europe, yet without total genetic replacement.
Instead, Eastern European immigrants integrated with diverse local populations to form hybrid communities.
Genetic studies show that in modern Balkan populations, the proportion of Eastern European ancestry varies significantly, often reaching around half or less of the current genetic mix.
In this context, Slavic migration wasn’t characterized by conquest but was a gradual process of intermarriage and adaptation, leading to the rich cultural, linguistic, and genetic diversity that defines the Balkans today.
A New Chapter in European History
In most instances, when early Slavic groups are referenced in archaeological and historical contexts, their genetic markers are consistent, indicating a shared ancestral origin, though regional variations reflect the extent of blending with local populations.
In the north, early Germanic communities mostly left, providing space for Slavic integration.
In the south, Eastern European migrants merged with established societies.
This patchwork integration elucidates the remarkable diversity present in the cultures, languages, and genetics of contemporary Central and Eastern European societies.
“The spread of the Slavs was likely the last significant demographic event to irreversibly reshape both the genetic and linguistic landscapes of Europe,” remarked Dr. Johannes Kraus, director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
The findings were published in the journal on September 3rd Nature.
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J. Gretzinger et al. Ancient DNA connects large-scale migration with the spread of the Slavs. Nature, published online on September 3, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09437-6
This article is adapted from the original release by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
China has been recognized as one of the primary locations for the domestication of Wild boar (SUSSCROFA). However, tracing back to the initial stages has proven to be complex. In a recent study, archaeologists examined pig dental calculus (mineralized deposits) from two early Neolithic sites in the lower Jotz River area of southern China: Jintushan (8,300–7,800 years ago) and Kuafukiao (8,200–7,000 years ago). Their findings indicate that pigs consumed food and waste associated with humans, including cooked starchy plants and Human whipworm (Trichuris trichiura). Eggs likely originated from food preparation and feces contaminated materials.
The domestication of certain animals, including pigs, is often linked to the Neolithic Age, when humans started moving from foraging to agricultural practices around 10,000 years ago.
Wild boars are substantial, aggressive creatures that generally live independently, foraging for food in the forest floor.
They possess larger heads, mouths, and teeth compared to domestic pigs.
“Most wild boars exhibit natural aggression, though some can be quite friendly and unafraid of humans,” stated Dr. Ziajin Wang from Dartmouth University.
“Proximity to humans provided them with easier access to food, reducing the need for a robust physique.”
“Over time, their bodies and brains shrunk by about one-third.”
To investigate the domestication of pigs and other animals, archaeologists frequently analyze skeletal structures and track morphological changes over time.
“This method can present challenges since decreases in body size typically occur later in the domestication timeline,” Dr. Wang noted.
“Behavioral changes likely preceded physical alterations, making animals more docile than aggressive.”
Thus, for this study, Dr. Wang and his team applied alternative methodologies, documenting the diet of pigs throughout their lifespan via molars from 32 pig specimens.
Through microfossil analysis of pig teeth, they examined dental calculus from the two earliest human-occupied sites in Jintushan and Kuafukiao, dating back at least 8,000 years.
The researchers identified 240 starch granules, revealing that pigs consumed pre-cooked foods (such as rice and mountain moss) alongside unidentified tubers, acorns, and wild grasses.
“These plants were present during that era and were found in human habitats,” Dr. Wang explained.
Previous studies identified rice in both locations, especially in Kuahuqiao, which benefited from intensive rice farming due to its access to freshwater compared to coastal areas.
Additional research indicated starch residues in crushed stones and ceramics from Kuahuqiao.
“Since pigs cannot cook their own food, it is likely that they were fed or scavenged human leftovers,” asserted Dr. Wang.
Parasite eggs from humans, specifically whipworms (which mature within the human digestive system), were also detected in pig dental calculus.
These tan, soccer-shaped eggs were found in 16 pig tooth specimens.
The pigs must have consumed human feces or contaminated food and water from such waste.
“Pigs have a well-known penchant for consuming human waste, further indicating that these pigs likely cohabitated with humans,” Dr. Wang remarked.
Statistical analysis of the dental structures of Kuafukiao and Jintan pig specimens revealed that their teeth are smaller and comparable to those of modern domestic groups in China.
“As humans began to settle and cultivate their own food, wild boars would have been drawn to these settlements,” Dr. Wang stated.
“These communities generated substantial waste, attracting scavengers in search of food.
This dynamic in animal domestication is termed a symbiotic pathway, where animals are drawn to human environments without the need for direct human action in adopting them.
Data also suggests that early interactions may include domesticated pigs under some level of human control, indicating a trajectory of prey pathways in the domestication process.
“Our study indicates that certain wild boars began their journey toward domestication by foraging human waste,” Dr. Wang concluded.
“This research also underscores the potential connection between pig domestication and the transmission of parasitic diseases in early settled communities.”
The study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Jiajing Wang et al. 2025. Early evidence of pig domestication in the lower Yangtze region of southern China (8,000 cal. bp). PNAS 122 (24): E2507123122; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2507123122
High-resolution UAV-based aerial survey of the massive Bronze Age fortress Domanissis Gora in Georgia, South Caucasus, reveals the extent of a large external fortification system and settlements that are largely undocumented in the region. The exceptional size of D. gora helps add a new dimension to population assembly models in Eurasia and other regions.
Aerial photo of the Domanisis Gora ruins. It shows where two canyons meet. Excavation work on the inner fortress in 2023 is visible in the foreground. Image credit: Nathaniel Erb-Satullo.
Fortified settlements in the South Caucasus appeared between 1500 and 500 BC and represent an unprecedented development in the region’s prehistory.
Located on the border between Europe, the Eurasian steppe and the Middle East, the Caucasus region has a long history as a crossroads of cultures with a unique regional identity.
In a new study, archaeologists focused on Domanisis Gora, a 60-80 hectare fortified settlement in Georgia that is exceptional in its preservation and size.
Dr. Nathaniel Erb Satullo of the Cranfield Institute of Forensic Sciences at Cranfield University and his colleagues wrote: “The fortifications of Domanisis Gora consisted of a double-walled fortified core and a much larger outer shell with additional fortifications. “There is,” he said.
“Two steep-sided gorges, 60 meters deep in places, supplement the defensive walls.”
“Previous research had noted that the site had an unusually large walled enclosure, but the site had not been systematically mapped.”
The researchers used the DJI Phantom 4 RTK drone, which can provide less than 2 cm relative position accuracy and very high-resolution aerial imagery.
To obtain high-precision maps containing man-made features, each feature in the aerial images was carefully checked to confirm its identity.
To understand how the landscape at the site has evolved, the orthophotos were compared to 50-year-old photos taken by a Cold War-era reconnaissance satellite that was declassified in 2013.
This gave scientists much-needed insight into which features are recent and which are old.
The team was also able to assess which areas of the ancient settlement were damaged by modern agriculture.
All of these data sets were integrated into geographic information system (GIS) software to help identify patterns and changes in the landscape.
“The drone takes approximately 11,000 photos and uses advanced software to combine these photos with a high-resolution digital elevation model and orthophotos, which show every point as if looking directly down. We created a composite photo,” said Dr. Elvusaturo.
The researchers found that the Domanisis Gora ruins were more than 40 times larger than originally thought, and included a large outer settlement protected by a kilometer-long wall.
“Using a drone, we were able to understand the importance of the site and document it in a way that would not be possible on the ground,” said Dr. Herv Saturo.
“Domanisis Gora is not only an important discovery for the South Caucasus region, but also has broader significance for the diversity of large-scale settlement structures and their formation processes.”
“We hypothesize that Domanicis gora may have expanded through interaction with mobile pastoral groups, with large settlements outside it expanding and contracting seasonally.”
“The site has now been extensively mapped and further research will be initiated to gain insight into areas such as population density and density, livestock movements and agricultural practices.”
The team’s paper was published in a magazine ancient.
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Nathaniel L. Erb-Saturo others. Megaforts of the South Caucasus: New data from southern Georgia. ancientpublished online on January 8, 2025. doi: 10.15184/aqy.2024.197
The El Niño Southern Oscillation, characterized by irregular shifts between unusually warm (El Niño) and cold (La Niña) conditions, has existed for at least 250 million years and is often of increasing magnitude, according to a new report. It is said that it has grown bigger. Studying modeling.
The El Niño Southern Oscillation, which occurs in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, is a characteristic mode of interannual climate change and has significant impacts on the Earth's climate and ecosystems. Image credit: Li others., doi: 10.1073/pnas.2404758121.
Climate scientists are studying the El Niño phenomenon. That's because El Niño, a huge patch of unusually warm water on either side of the equator in the eastern Pacific Ocean, alters the jet stream and can dry out the northwest United States and soak the southwest with extreme rain.
The corresponding cold mass, La Niña, could push the jet stream northward, drying out the southwestern United States while also causing drought in East Africa and making South Asia's monsoon season more intense.
“Each experiment confirms an active El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), most of which are stronger than the current one, some of which are somewhat stronger, and some of which are slightly stronger,” said Dr. Shinen Hu of Duke University.
Hu and his colleagues used the same climate modeling tools used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to project climate change into the future, except they looked back in time.
This simulation is so computationally intensive that researchers were unable to model it continuously every year for 250 million years. Instead, they made 10 million year “slices” – 26 of them.
“The model experiments were affected by various boundary conditions, including differences in land-sea distribution (on different continents), differences in solar radiation, and differences in carbon dioxide,” Dr. Hu said.
Each simulation was run over thousands of model years for robust results and took several months to complete.
“At times in the past, the amount of solar radiation reaching Earth was about 2% lower than it is today, but global warming carbon dioxide was much more abundant, and the atmosphere and oceans were much more dense than they are today. It was very warm,” Dr. Hu said.
During the Mesozoic Era, 250 million years ago, South America was located in the middle of the supercontinent Pangea, and an oscillation occurred in the Panthalas Ocean to its west.
Current research shows that historically the two most important variables in ENSO magnitude appear to be the ocean's thermal structure and the “atmospheric noise” of ocean surface winds.
“Previous studies have mainly focused on ocean temperatures, but this study has paid less attention to surface winds, which appear to be very important,” Dr. Hu said.
“So part of the point of our research is that in addition to the thermal structure of the ocean, we also need to pay attention to atmospheric noise and understand how those winds change. .”
“Atmospheric noise, or wind, can act to give this pendulum a random kick.”
“We find that both factors are important in understanding why El Niño was much stronger than it is now.”
“If we want to make more reliable predictions of the future, we first need to understand the past climate.”
of study Published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Shan Li others. 2024. El Niño Southern Oscillation has been active continuously since the Mesozoic era. PNAS 121 (45): e2404758121;doi: 10.1073/pnas.2404758121
a New Researchpublished in the journal Geoscience Reviewhelps resolve one of the longest-running debates in paleoanthropology: when did early humans arrive in Europe?
Ancient humans. Image courtesy of Ninara / CC BY 2.0.
“chronology Homo “Migration out of Africa has expanded substantially over the past 40 years,” said paleoanthropologist Luis Hibbert of the University of Barcelona and his colleagues.
“In 1982, Homo The Asian volcano has been paleomagnetically dated to 900,000 years ago in Java and 700,000 years ago in Italy, Europe.
“Forty years later, the early Homo Outside of Africa, the South Caucasus dates back 1.8 million years, China 1.7-2.1 million years ago, and Java 1.5-1.3 million years ago.
“In Europe, several sites are found to have layers of paleomagnetic polarity reversal several metres deep, indicating that they are more than 770,000 years old.”
In the study, the authors used magnetostratigraphic dating, a method that uses the state of the Earth's magnetic field at the time the sediments were deposited, to date five paleontological localities in the Orce region of Spain.
“The technique is a relative dating method based on the study of the planet's magnetic pole reversals due to the dynamics of the Earth's interior,” they explained.
“These changes have no particular periodicity, but they are recorded in minerals and it is possible to establish periods from various magnetic events.”
“What's unique about these sites is that they are layered and sit within a very long sedimentary layer, over 80 metres long,” Dr Zibert said.
“Typically these sites are found in caves or within very short geological sequences, so it's not possible to develop long paleomagnetic sequences where you can find the different magnetic reversals.”
Global distribution of humans before 1 million years ago (orange) with major dated sites showing potential dispersal routes. The diagram shows Oldowan sites over 2 million years ago in Africa and over 1 million years ago in Eurasia (black dots). White dots indicate the earliest Acheulean sites in Africa (over 1.5 million years ago) and Eurasia (1 million to 800,000 years ago). The oldest Oldowan and Acheulean tools have been found in East Africa, over 2.5 million years ago and over 1.7 million years ago, respectively. In Asia, the oldest Oldowan and Acheulean tools have been found in the Caucasus (7) at 1.8 million years ago and in the Levantine Corridor (9) at 1.2 million years ago, respectively. In Europe, the oldest Oldowan and associated humans have been found in Spain (1, 2) and are debated to be between 1.6 and 900,000 years ago. Images/Photos Courtesy of: Gibert others., doi: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104855.
The oldest remains at the Orce site, which have no evidence of human activity, date to 1.6 million and 1.35 million years ago, according to the study.
The top three sites containing evidence of early humans are dated 1.32 million years ago (Venta Misena), 1.28 million years ago (Barranco Leon 5), and 1.23 million years ago (Fuente Nueva 3).
These chronologies suggest that the Strait of Gibraltar acted as a filter bridge for African species such as hominins. Theropithecus Oswaldand the early Pleistocene hippopotamus.
“This new dating adds to other evidence and supports European colonization through the Strait of Gibraltar rather than the alternative route back to the Mediterranean via Asia,” the scientists said.
“We also support the hypothesis that they arrived from Gibraltar, as no older evidence has been found elsewhere along the alternative route.”
“Our results show a dating gap between the earliest occupation of Asia, 1.8 million years ago, and the earliest occupation of Europe, 1.3 million years ago. This means that African humans arrived in southwestern Europe more than 500,000 years after they first left Africa around 2 million years ago.”
“These differences in human expansion can be explained by the fact that Europe is isolated from Asia and Africa by difficult-to-surmount biogeographical barriers both to the east (the Bosphorus, the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmara) and to the west (the Strait of Gibraltar),” Dr. Zibert said.
“When humans arrived in Europe, they had the technology necessary to cross the maritime barrier, just as happened a million years ago on the Indonesian island of Flores.”
“In this sense, the Gibraltar route currently requires crossing a sea channel of up to 14 kilometres, although in the past this distance could have been shorter at certain times due to the tectonically active nature of the region and sea-level changes favourable for migration.”
“We found that African animals were migrating through Gibraltar both 6.2 million years ago and 5.5 million years ago, when the Strait of Gibraltar was very narrow.”
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Lewis Guibert othersMagnetic strata dating of Europe's oldest human remains. Geoscience ReviewPublished online July 2, 2024; doi: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104855
origin and spread of chicken (Gallus Gallus) The question throughout the ancient world is one of the most puzzling questions about Eurasian livestock. The lack of agreement regarding the time and center of origin is due to problems in morphological identification, lack of direct dating, and poor preservation of thin and fragile bird bones. In a new study, archaeologists examined ancient chicken eggshells from 13 different sites spanning 1,500 and a half years. Their results indicate that chickens were widely domesticated in southern Central Asia from the 4th century BC to the Middle Ages and may have dispersed along the ancient Silk Road.
Compilation of evidence on ancient chickens of Central Asia: SEM images of Bash Tepa eggshells. Morphologically distinct breathing holes highlighted at 30x (a), 150x (b), and 750x (f) magnification. (c) A ceramic egg with a clay ball, excavated in Bukhara from the 10th century AD to the 12th century AD. (d) Bactrian Sophites coin of 300 BC. (g) Fragments of the Bash Tepa ossuary dating from the last centuries BC. There is clearly a chicken drawn on the top. (h) Part of an eggshell collected from the Bukhara site. Color (basically all white) and burnt were evident on many of the shells.Image credit: Peters other., doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-46093-2.
Dr Kari Peters, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, said: “With the introduction of genetic and molecular techniques, the debate over the origin and spread of domesticated chickens has intensified in recent years. “An old debate over a mysterious bird is being reignited.” colleague.
“Historical sources demonstrate that chickens were prominent in southern Europe and southwest Asia by several centuries BC.”
“Similarly, art historical depictions of chickens and anthropomorphic rooster-human chimeras are recurring motifs in Central Asian prehistoric and historical traditions. It remains a mystery when this critically important bird spread along the trans-Eurasian exchange route.”
“Experts agree that domestication traits evolved in island populations of junglefowl in South Asia. Red Jungle Fowl (Gallus Gallus Subspecies Spediceus) It is located somewhere in a vast range from Thailand to India. ”
“However, scholars have also presented widely differing dates and routes of spread, and part of this confusion may be due to unclear identification of birds in ancient art, and the morphological characteristics of chicken bones that have not been identified. This is due to the overlap with that of wild birds.
“Furthermore, their fragile, hollow bones and eggshells are much less likely to be preserved, recovered, and identified than in other animals.”
In a new study, the authors found evidence that egg production was prominent in Central Asia starting in the centuries BC and continuing into the Middle Ages.
“We show that chickens were widely domesticated in Central Asia from about 400 BC to 1000 AD, and likely dispersed along the ancient Silk Road,” the researchers said.
“The abundance of eggshells further suggests that the birds were laying eggs out of season.”
“It was this ability to produce large numbers of eggs that made domestic chickens so attractive to ancient peoples.”
To reach these conclusions, researchers collected tens of thousands of eggshell fragments from 13 sites along the Silk Road's main Central Asian corridor.
They then used a biomolecular analysis method called ZooMS to determine the source of the eggs.
Similar to genetic analysis, ZooMS can identify species from animal remains such as bones, skin, and shells, but it relies on protein signals rather than DNA. This makes it a faster and more cost-effective option than genetic analysis.
“Our study shows the potential of ZooMS to shed light on human-animal interactions in the past,” said Dr. Peters.
“The identification of these shell fragments as chickens and their abundance throughout the sediment layers at each site led us to an important conclusion: this bird was They must have been laying eggs more frequently than their wild ancestor, the red junglefowl, which nests once every year.''In a year, they typically lay six eggs per clutch. ”
“This is the earliest evidence of seasonal spawning loss seen in the archaeological record,” said Dr. Robert Spengler, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology.
“This is an important clue for a deeper understanding of the human-animal mutualism that led to domestication.”
team's paper It was published in the magazine nature communications.
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C. Peters other. 2024. Archaeological and molecular evidence for ancient chickens in Central Asia. Nat Commune 15, 2697; doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-46093-2
Baleen whales (mysterious animals) are the largest animals on Earth. How they achieved such enormous sizes is still debated, and research to date has focused primarily on when they grew, rather than where they grew. was. Paleontologists now report on the remains of a toothless baleen whale (chaeomysticete) from South Australia. At an estimated length of 9 meters, it is the largest baleen whale from the early Miocene. Analysis of body size over time shows that ancient baleen whales in the Southern Hemisphere were larger than those in the Northern Hemisphere.
Mysterious gigantism from the early Miocene. Image credit: Ruairidh Duncan
It was previously thought that the onset of the Ice Age in the Northern Hemisphere about 3 million years ago triggered the evolution of truly gigantic baleen whales.
The new study, led by Dr James Rule of Monash University and the Natural History Museum in London, reveals that this evolutionary size jump did, in fact, occur as early as 20 million years ago, and in the exact opposite direction in the southern hemisphere. I made it.
The major discovery came from a study of 16- to 21-million-year-old fossils held in Museum Victoria’s collection.
This specimen, the anterior end of the lower jaw of a large edentulous baleen whale, was discovered in 1921 on a cliff face on the banks of the Murray River in South Australia, but was largely unrecognized in collections.
In their study, Dr. Ruhl and colleagues explain how whales evolved to be larger in the southern hemisphere rather than the northern hemisphere, and that whales have been larger in the southern hemisphere throughout their evolutionary history (about 20 million to 30 million years). It was shown that
The discovery highlights the vital importance of the Australian and wider Southern Hemisphere fossil record in putting together a global picture of whale evolution.
The Murray River whale fossil confounds that theory, although previous leading theories were based primarily on fossils found in the northern hemisphere.
“The Southern Hemisphere, and Australia in particular, has always been overlooked as a frontier for fossil whale discovery,” says Dr Eric Fitzgerald, a palaeontologist at Museums Victoria Research Institute.
“Like the Murray River whale, the fossil whale discoveries in the south have shaken up whale evolution, giving us a more accurate, truly global picture of what was happening in the oceans in ancient times. .”
Researchers have discovered that the tip of a baleen whale’s jaw can expand depending on its body size.
They estimated the baleen whale to be about 9 meters long.
“The largest whales alive today, such as the blue whale, reach the length of a basketball court,” Dr. Ruhl said.
“About 19 million years ago, Murray River whales were nine meters long, already a third of this length. So baleen whales were well on their way to becoming ocean giants.”
of result will appear in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
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James P. Rule other. 2023. A huge baleen whale emerges from its cold cradle in the south. Procedure R. Soc. B 290 (2013): 20232177; doi: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2177
This spotted hyena (Crokuta Crokuta) is a natural in front of the camera, while its mother and siblings watch closely in the background. This playful shot was taken by Wim van den Heever in Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya.
Southern Stingray
As the sun rises over the coast of the Cayman Islands, southern rays (Dashatis Americana) are captured in this striking split-level snap by the photographer, Alex Mustard, as they wander on a sandy beach.
Slug Sucking Sap
A brightly fluorescent animal known as the sap-sucking slug (Costasiella crocimae) is captured by Mustard, crawling on green algae just off the coast of northern Indonesia. This sea slug has a special ability to preserve the chloroplasts of the algae they feed on, allowing them to photosynthesize.
Eurasian Brown Bear
Deep in the forests of Finland, Andy Rouse took an action shot of a Eurasian brown bear (Ursus Arctos Arctos) after a short soak in the pond, the body trembles dry. These mammals can weigh up to 480 kilograms and are common in Eastern Europe and Russia.
Spotted Fritillary Larva
In the grasslands of the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria, Guy Edwards took a colorful photo of a spotted fritillary (Melitaea Didyma) larvae. It eventually transforms into a butterfly, its wings becoming bright orange with brown spots.
White Winged Snowfinch
The majestic white-winged snowfinch (Montifringilla Nivalis) is captured braving a snowstorm in the Swiss Alps by Mateusz Piesiak. It is a relatively large and sturdy bird, reaching up to 19 centimeters in height.
Fruit Bat
This bewildered fruit bat has its nose and throat swabbed as part of an effort in the Republic of Congo to better understand how zoonotic diseases such as Ebola are transmitted to people. Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society and Congo Medical Research Foundation collected blood and saliva samples from about 100 fruit bats.
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