U-M archaeologists study the changes in climate and river pattern that led to the success of an ancient city in Sudan.

For thousands of years, humans have used a variety of waterproofing materials on ships and boats, but traditionally non-wood materials used in shipbuilding have been overlooked in the research. Now, scientist analyzed the coatings of a Roman Republic shipwreck and were able to use pollen trapped in the coatings to identify the vegetation of the landscapes where the ship was constructed and repaired successively. They found several layers of coatings were applied, likely at different ports or shipyards throughout the Adriatic Sea. The team said this work helps gain a more complete understanding of the ship’s ‘life stages’ and diverse shipbuilding traditions.

Beavers are spreading northwards into the Arctic and a new study provides detailed evidence of their expansion by dating the changes they have been making to the tundra landscape. The research, which combines tree ring analysis (looking at beaver browsing scars) with satellite imagery of surface water (highlighting dams), has allowed scientists to track and date beaver movements in remote areas of the Canadian Arctic.

The Korean Peninsula plays a significant role in tracing the spread of domestic chickens across East Asia. Recently, researchers from Hanyang University ERICA presented the first biomolecular evidence of prehistoric chickens on the Korean Peninsula, confirming they were reared managed during the Proto-Three Kingdoms period. This methodology can now be applied to the vast collections of animal bones housed in Korean museums.