Mammoth and woolly rhino are two iconic species of the ice age. Mammoth in particular is one of the most studied and perhaps best understood of the Pleistocene megafauna. In part this is due to abundant and detailed discussion of their skeletal anatomy, but also thanks to unique preservation of frozen carcasses from present day…
A new study published in Journal of Biological Chemistry aimed to investigate the assembly of a protein molecule that helps the immune system identify threats and invaders. What initially sounds like quite a specialist biology/chemistry topic turned out to be of wider evolutionary relevance since they concluded that the receptor might have been inherited from…
Since the first discovery of Pleistocene mammal fauna with lithic tools, the role of carnivores as accumulators at archaeological sites, both modern and during the ice-age, has been well established. The analysis and identification of specific types of carnivore bone surface modification and accumulation patterns during the 1960-1980s advanced our knowledge and understanding of site…
The earliest occupation of Europe is generally seen as having had two main phases. The first one relates to sites with simple core and flake assemblages (Mode 1) with no handaxes or other bifacial technologies (e.g. Pakefield, Orce, Pirro-Nord). The second phase relates to the spread of the Acheulean handaxe technology, seen as having reached…
Recently on GPN we have reported on a number of finds and papers detailing the use of organic materials at Palaeolithic sites. Indeed, a recent study from the site of Scladina has highlighted the further use of bone material as lithic retouchers. The cave itself is a multi-leveled site though from a single level, Layer…
A team of researchers led by Maanasa Raghavan from the University of Copenhagen have reported in Nature on their sequencing of the oldest modern human genome to date. The sample comes from a 4-year old boy who was buried at the site of Mal’ta in south-central Siberia. It concerns an Upper Palaeolithic burial, ca. 24,000…
When, where and how anatomically modern humans originated and migrated remains a controversial topic. While fossil evidence seems to favour eastern Africa (e.g. Omo and Herto), archaeological evidence seems to indicate the origin of certain types of behaviour in southern Africa (e.g. Blombos). Genetic and palaeoclimatic evidence add additional levels of complexity. A recent study…
The emergence of a more systematic use of fire is generally associated with Homo erectus around 400,000 years ago. Some claim that from this point onwards a generalised use of fire occurs, while others stress the proportional low number of sites with actual traces of fire between 300,000 and 130,000 years ago (MIS 8-6). A…
Modern dogs are often seen both as one of the earliest and best examples of domestication by humans. However, despite general consensus that modern dogs were domesticated from wild populations of grey wolf, the geographic region for the earliest domestication events still remains contentious. Arguments have been made for the earliest domestication of dogs around…
Being able to hunt by throwing stone-tipped projectiles is generally seen as a crucial step in the successful spread of Homo sapiens. While organic spears are already present ca. 300,000 years ago in Schöningen (Germany) their exact method of use is still open for debate. A 2012 paper in Science identified stone-tipped spears at the site…
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