News by Subject Archaeology

A lizard-like animal that lived 289 million years ago suffered from a bone condition similar to Paget's disease, according to a study published Aug. 7, 2019 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Yara Haridy of the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin and colleagues. This is the most ancient known case of such a disease.

The team of scientists, led by PhD Student Kimberley Chapelle, recognised that the dinosaur was not only a new species of sauropodomorph, but an entirely new genus. The specimen has now been named Ngwevu intloko which means 'grey skull' in the Xhosa language.

Australasian palaeontologists have discovered the world's largest parrot, standing up to 1m tall with a massive beak able to crack most food sources. The new bird has been named Heracles inexpectatus to reflect its Herculean myth-like size and strength -- and the unexpected nature of the discovery.

The auditory section of the inner ear, or the 'cochlea,' does not have the same shape from birth depending on whether one is a man or a woman. Demonstrated by a French-South African collaboration, an interdisciplinary effort evolving scientists primarily from the CNRS, UT3 Paul Sabatier, and l'Université Clermont Auvergne,1 these results have helped develop the first reliable method for sex determination, including among children and cases where DNA is missing or too altered.

Pre-modern energy-intensive industries have had long-lasting impacts on macro-ecological patterns. A new study published in Scientific Reports revealed that the impact of pre-modern ironwork starting over 1000 years ago can still be seen in the distributions of small mammals in Japan today. The study offers insights into the history of biodiversity and provides practical knowledge that can be used to develop sustainable societies in the Anthropocene and minimize the irreversible degradation of ecosystems.

The vast cultural and linguistic diversity of Latin American countries is still far from being fully represented by genetic surveys. Western South America in particular holds a key role in the history of the continent due to the presence of three major ecogeographic domains (the Andes, the Amazonia, and the Pacific Coast), and for hosting the earliest and largest complex societies. A new study in Molecular Biology and Evolution reveals signatures of history, ecology and cultural diversity in the genetic makeup of living rural populations.