Tag

Iceage

All articles tagged with #iceage

science24 days ago•51 min saved

Ice Age hunters singled out female mammoths in new genetic study

A study analyzing ancient DNA from 521 woolly mammoths across Eurasia and North America (about 50,000 years) found that roughly 70% of mammoths at human-accumulation sites were female, compared with about 34% female at natural settings. This suggests prehistoric hunters may have selectively targeted female-led herds, possibly because these groups moved more predictably or females and juveniles were easier to pin down. The research, spanning multiple sites including a major Polish site with over 100 mammoths, was published in Current Biology and adds detail to how Ice Age humans hunted mammoths and how such hunting could have influenced mammoth populations and extinction timelines.

via Yahoo|

#ancientdna #hunter-gatherers #iceage

science3 months ago•8 min saved

Ice-Age Tools in China Reframe Early Human Creativity

At Lingjing in central China, researchers uncovered deliberately crafted stone cores used to butcher game, showing planning and complex tool design by Homo juluensis. New uranium-thorium dating of calcite crystals inside a deer bone pushes the site's age to about 146,000 years, roughly 20,000 years older than previous estimates. This places sophisticated East Asian technology in a harsh ice-age context and suggests creativity and cognitive planning were already present under severe conditions, challenging the view that such innovation only arose in warmer times.

via SciTechDaily|

#archaeology #humanevolution #iceage

science7 months ago•84 min saved

Wolf-stomach tissue yields woolly rhino genome, reshaping ice-age extinction story

Scientists sequencing the woolly rhino genome from preserved muscle found in a 14,400-year-old wolf pup’s stomach reveal the rhino population remained viable in northern Siberia until near the end of the Ice Age, with extinction likely driven rapidly by climate warming rather than human hunting.

via Live Science|

#climatechange #extinction #genomesequencing

archaeology1 year ago•3 min saved

17,000-Year-Old Blue-Eyed Baby Remains Unearthed in Italy

The discovery of a 17,000-year-old blue-eyed baby boy's remains in Italy's Grotta delle Mura cave offers insights into the genetic diversity and social structure of ice age hunter-gatherers. DNA analysis reveals the child had blue eyes, dark skin, and curly hair, and belonged to the Villabruna cluster. The infant likely suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, possibly contributing to his early death. The findings highlight the challenges of limited genetic diversity and health risks in isolated prehistoric communities.

via The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel|

#ancientremains #archaeology #geneticdiversity

science1 year ago•2 min saved

2020 Siberian Woolly Rhino Find Reveals Neck Fatty Hump

Researchers have confirmed that a woolly rhino discovered in Siberia in 2020 had a fatty hump on its neck, resolving a long-standing mystery about ancient cave drawings depicting such a feature. The specimen, found in Yakutia and dated to approximately 32,000 years ago, was in good condition and showed a 13-centimeter hump, providing the first physical evidence of this characteristic in woolly rhinos. This discovery supports the idea that the hump served as an energy reserve during harsh winters.

via Phys.org|

#fattyhump #iceage #paleontology