Music Had Charms to Soothe Prehistoric Man
Flute find suggests early ancestors more culturally sophisticated than thought WEDNESDAY, June 24 (HealthDay News) -- The discovery of a cache of prehistoric flutes suggests that music soothed the savage beast in early man as far back as 35,000 years ago. German paleontologists foun...Micro-world of Prehistoric Bacteria Found in Amber
In a breakthrough that could shed light on the development of life on our planet, scientists in Germany have isolated a veritable "micro world" of bacteria// , fungi and other tiny organisms dating back 220 million years in tiny nuggets of amber. The microbes existed in the Triassic period, a...Assessing the challenges of urban health through anthropology
...es, chronic illness and technology that can affect the health and well-being of the urban citizenry. The panel discussions will cover urban health in prehistoric and historic populations; health disparities and clinical trials; health and technology in underserved urban neighborhoods; chronic illness; and gende...'Iceman' Mummy Has No Modern Kin
...eport that the mummy is the oldest human to have had his or her mitochondrial DNA decoded. "What you're looking at really is a little museum of our prehistoric genome," Laitman said. "This is a really great and unique opportunity to look back into the past and see things on a very fine-tuned level that we can...Hormones May Be to Blame for Women's Cavity Rates
...t. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Women can blame those extra cavities on their hormones, a new study suggests. A comprehensive review of dental records in prehistoric and current human populations found that women have more dental health issues than men because of reproduction and fertility issues linked to female-s...Pursuit of Females Dates Way, Way Back
...suggest men fighting over women took place even in prehistoric times. FRIDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News...men? Nothing new there, based on the findings of a prehistoric mass grave in southwest Germany. Durham Univer...suggest violence took place over mates as early as prehistoric times, scientists said. German skeletal expert...Monkey Gene That Blocks AIDS Viruses Evolved More Than Once
...ided a strong evolutionary advantage, the Harvard researchers said. It may be possible that the combination genes developed to prevent infection by prehistoric viruses related to modern HIV, they suggested. If this is true, it could mean that an AIDS-like epidemic is not unique to the current time, and such o...Evolution Tips the Balance in Mom's Favor
...Whitcome. "It seems part and parcel of the challenges of bipedalism [walking on two feet rather than four]." These changes would have allowed women in prehistoric times to continue to forage for food, as well as quickly avoid predators, she said. Whitcome's study included 19 pregnant women between the ages of...DNA Sample Suggests Greenland was Much Warmer During Last Ice Age
...d to current levels, he said. Harp said the silty ice found underneath the huge Greenland glacier created a perfect, natural 'freezer' to preserve the prehistoric DNA. Scientists have, in the past, found older organic matter, but they have not found any uncontaminated DNA that is as old or older than th...Just in Time for Winter, a New Berry That's Good for Your Health
...he many types of viruses that will be trying to invade it during the winter months and beyond." The benefits of the elderberry can be traced back to prehistoric times. Evidence of this use has been seen in Stone Age villages located at sites in Italy and Switzerland; recipes were also discovered showing black ...Toothsome research: Deducing the diet of a prehistoric hominid
In an unusual intersection of materials science and anthropology, researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and The George Washington University (GWU) have applied materials-science-based mathematical models to help shed light on the dietary habits of some of manki...Largest prehistoric snake on record discovered in Colombia
Scientists have recovered fossils of a 60-million-year-old South American snake whose length and weight might make today's anacondas and reticulated pythons seem a bit cuter and more cuddly. Named Titanoboa cerrejonensis by its discoverers, the size of the snake's vertebrae suggest it weighed...At 2,500 pounds and 43 feet, prehistoric snake is the largest on record
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Scientists have recovered fossils from a 60-million-year-old South American snake whose length and weight might make today's anacondas and reticulated pythons seem a bit cuter and more cuddly. Named Titanoboa cerrejonensis by its discoverers, the size of the snake's verte...Male dinosaurs may have been prehistoric babysitters, study shows
COLLEGE STATION, Dec 18, 2008 Those ferocious Hollywood meat-eating dinosaurs you're used to seeing in the movies very possibly had a much softer side: the males might even have been sort of prehistoric babysitters, according to a far-flung study conducted by a Texas A&M University researcher. ...Getting warmer? Prehistoric climate can help forecast future changes
The first comprehensive reconstruction of an extreme warm period shows the sensitivity of the climate system to changes in carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) levels as well as the strong influence of ocean temperatures, heat transport from equatorial regions, and greenhouse gases on Earth's temperature. ...Envisat radar surveillance protects endangered prehistoric fish
A satellite surveillance zone within the southern Indian Ocean is helping protect the endangered Patagonian toothfish from pirate fishing vessels. Perched between Africa, India, Australia and Antarctica, the windswept French territory of the Kerguelen Islands is one of the remotest places on Eart...Climate model links higher temperatures to prehistoric extinction
Virginia Commonwealth University immunologists studying mast cells, known to play a central role in asthma and allergic disease, have identified a hormone-like molecule that can kill these cells by programming them to die in studies with mice. The findings move researchers another step closer to...Down Under dinosaur burrow discovery provides climate change clues
...fish burrows from the same area. Martin teaches a seminar at Emory on modern-day animal tracking, a skill that he says aids him in finding signs of prehistoric life. "It's important to do as much field work as possible, because it gives your mind a better library of search images," he says. ...Scientists 'rebuild' giant moa using ancient DNA
... Scientists have performed the first DNA-based reconstruction of the giant extinct moa bird, using prehistoric feathers recovered from caves and rock shelters in New Zealand. Researchers from the University of Adelaide and Landcare Research in New Zealand ha...Domestication of Capsicum annuum chile pepper provides insights into crop origin and evolution
...e data, Dr. Kim et al. hypothesize that chiles were independently domesticated several times from geographically distant wild progenitors by different prehistoric cultures in Mexico, in contrast to maize and beans which appear to have been domesticated only once. Geographical separation among cultivated popu...