All articles tagged with #sulawesi
Scientists analyzing two 25,000–16,000 year-old skeletons from Sulawesi found abnormal tooth wear and chemical traces of arecoline, indicating betel nut chewing as far back as 25,000 years ago—well before agriculture—suggesting ancient people used the psychoactive substance (and possibly for pain relief) long before farming.
New archaeological analysis of Sulawesi foragers (25,000–16,000 years ago) finds deep grooves in teeth and traces of arecoline from betel nuts, suggesting ancient humans used betel nuts as pain relief long before farming, possibly creating a cycle of regular use and dental damage that points to the oldest known drug use.
Analysis of two ancient Sulawesi skeletons reveals deep tooth grooves and traces of arecoline, suggesting early foragers regularly sucked on abrasive betel nuts to get high—potentially the oldest evidence of psychoactive drug use, though the habit damaged their teeth and may have started as a remedy for tooth pain.
Griffith University researchers analyzing two ancient Sulawesi foragers (dated 25,000–16,000 and 7,600–6,300 years ago) found deep, rounded dental grooves caused by sucking whole betel nuts. Published in Science Advances, the study argues this may be the earliest evidence of drug use, suggesting psychoactive behavior predates farming-era alcohol and highlighting forager traditions as roots of some modern drug-taking practices.
A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck parts of Sulawesi, Indonesia, causing at least one death, injuries and structural damage; authorities evacuated guests and residents and warned of possible aftershocks, a reminder of the devastating 2018 Palu disaster in the region.
Archaeologists at Leang Bulu Bettue in Sulawesi uncovered 200,000-year-old evidence of an archaic human‑like population alongside early Homo sapiens, including a sustained tool‑making tradition. The findings in PLOS ONE suggest a long period of coexistence on the island, followed by a cultural shift about 40,000 years ago with the arrival of Homo sapiens and the emergence of symbolic behavior, indicating a major demographic and cultural transformation in Sulawesi’s prehistory. The site's deep stratigraphy also points to further discoveries that could reshape our understanding of human evolution in Wallacea.
NPR’s Far-Flung Postcards visits Torosiaje, a unique Bajau seafaring village built on stilts over Sulawesi’s coast, where residents protect and cultivate mangroves to revive fish habitats, shield the shoreline, and even harvest mangrove seeds for soap, medicine, skincare, and cake flour.
Dating of a Sulawesi hand stencil shows it is at least 67,800 years old, the oldest reliably dated cave art, implying early modern humans in Sulawesi with ties to Indigenous Australians and long-running art activity across 35,000 years, informing Sahul migration routes.
This week’s science roundup spans the world’s oldest known rock art—a 70,000-year-old Sulawesi hand stencil and a 2.6-million-year-old Paranthropus jaw—alongside the discovery of a massive sub-seafloor freshwater reservoir off the U.S. East Coast that could theoretically supply New York City for centuries, plus Earth being hit by one of the largest solar radiation storms in decades, with JWST findings continuing to upend ideas about early black holes.
Dating of 11 Sulawesi-area cave paintings places a hand stencil in Metanduno Cave on Muna Island at about 67,800 years old—the oldest known rock art. The stencil was made by pressing a hand to the wall and spraying pigment around it, suggesting modern humans traveling by dugout canoes who helped populate Sahul (New Guinea and Australia) around 65,000 years ago, with later charcoal and ocher drawings surrounding the stencil.
Archaeologists report what may be the oldest surviving artwork, a hand stencil on a Sulawesi cave wall dating to about 67,800 years ago (calcite overgrowth suggests the imprint is older). Found among 44 surveyed sites in Maros-Pangkep, Liang Metanduno’s stencil marks the earliest known modern-human presence in Wallacea and implies long-distance seafaring that could have reached Australia earlier than some estimates, highlighting a region with a deep, ongoing artistic tradition.
Dating from the Liang Metanduno cave on Sulawesi's Muna Island, hand stencils are about 67,800 years old, making them the oldest known cave art. The technique involved blowing pigment over a pressed hand, and the find suggests early Indonesians created sophisticated art long before similar European examples, with potential links to the ancestors of Aboriginal Australians.
Researchers report a red hand stencil in Sulawesi dating to about 68,000 years ago—the oldest cave art known—suggesting early symbolic behavior in Southeast Asia and challenging Europe-centered views on the origins of modern human creativity, with implications for early human migrations toward Sahul (Australia–New Guinea).
A faded hand outline in Liang Metanduno cave on Sulawesi is dated to at least 67,800 years ago via calcite overgrowth, potentially the oldest known rock art, created by spraying ochre over a hand; the find, along with other Sulawesi paintings dating to 51,200 years, supports early northern dispersal toward Sahul and suggests complex symbolic behavior by Homo sapiens, though attribution to specific hominin groups remains debated.
An ATR 42-500 turboprop operated by Indonesia Air Transport carrying 11 people vanished after losing radar contact while approaching Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in South Sulawesi. A multi‑agency search—with air force helicopters, drones and ground teams—was launched, aided by reports of debris with an Indonesia Air Transport logo seen on Mount Bulusaraung amid clouds and about 5-mile visibility. The aircraft reportedly deviated from its planned approach and radio contact was lost.