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Some have suggested that trading commodities – most notably walrus tusks – with Europe may have been vital to sustaining the Greenlanders. Ornate items including crucifixes and chess pieces were fashioned from walrus ivory by craftsmen of the age. However, the source of this ivory has never been empirically established. Now, researchers from the universities of Cambridge and Oslo have studied ancient DNA from offcuts of tusks and skulls, most found on the sites of former ivory workshops across Europe, in order to trace the origin of the animals used in the medieval trade. In doing so they have discovered...

An ivory chess piece purchased for less than $10 was recently identified as one of the missing Lewis Chessman, 900-year-old artifacts dating back to the Viking era, which could be worth over $1 million dollars. The medieval chess piece was originally purchased for $7.50 by an antique dealer in Scotland in 1964. It was passed down through his family, but they never realized its significance. “For many years it resided in a drawer in [my mother’s] home where it had been carefully wrapped in a small bag,” the family, who wished to remain anonymous, said in a statement obtained by the...

Northern United Kingdom latest to experience attacksScotland is the latest nation reporting vandalism against buildings and statuary in its Catholic parishes. Saint Simon's Catholic Church and cemetery in Glasgow and Holy Family Church in Mossend, North Lanarkshire were both attacked over the course of this week. The Glasgow-based Daily Record newspaper reported April 25 that vandals had defaced the bus stop in front of Holy Family with a slur against the Pope. The graffiti was discovered one month after numerous windows had been broken in the parish's primary school on March 25. Glasgow Police tweeted "significant vandalism" was committed against...

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has declared a "climate emergency" in her speech to the SNP conference. The SNP leader told delegates in Edinburgh she was inspired after meeting young climate campaigners who had gone on strike from school. Ms Sturgeon said "they are right", and pledged to "live up to our responsibility" to halt climate change. She also announced what she described as the SNP's "biggest campaign on the economics of independence". Labour is expected to press the UK government to declare a national climate emergency on Wednesday.

Legislation to enable the staging of a second referendum on independence has been published by the Scottish government, as Nicola Sturgeon said another vote before 2021 would give Scotland “the opportunity to choose to be an independent European nation – rather than have a Brexit future imposed upon us”. The framework bill, published on Wednesday morning, comes after the Scottish National party secured a record three MEPS and its highest-ever European parliament vote at 38%, boosted by Sturgeon’s clear pro-remain campaigning, in which the first minister urged voters to support her party whether or not they were pro-independence, to send...

A new leaked document shows that Theresa May’s plans for a “new” Brexit withdrawal agreement contains no new ideas or any substantial changes. Prime Minister Theresa May, whose attempts to pass a version of her EU-approved withdrawal treaty have so far failed three times, has said of this new version of the deal that it would “represent a new, bold offer to MPs across the House of Commons, with an improved package of measures that I believe can win new support”. However, speaking of a summary of the deal as it had been given to ministers, one unnamed Whitehall source...

Full title: Britain's Guardian newspaper tells staff to avoid saying 'climate change,' use 'climate emergency, crisis or breakdown' instead Britain's Guardian newspaper is officially changing its language concerning climate change, opting to call it instead “climate emergency, crisis or breakdown.” Editor-in-chief Katharine Viner advised the staff in an email Friday that the phrase “climate change” should be avoided because it “sounds rather passive and gentle’ and doesn’t capture the real threat to humanity. “We want to ensure that we are being scientifically precise and rooted in facts, while also communicating clearly with readers on this very important issue,” Viner wrote. The...

Scotland’s first minister says ‘independent nations’ wield more power in EU than Scotland does within the UK. Scotland should hold a referendum on independence before 2021 if the U.K. leaves the EU, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said. “A choice between Brexit and a future for Scotland as an independent European nation should be offered in the lifetime of this parliament," the Scottish National Party leader said. "If Scotland is taken out of the EU, a referendum within that timescale must be open to us. That would be our route to avoiding the worst of the damage that Brexit would do.”...

President Trump on Tuesday incorrectly said his father was from Germany while expressing frustration about the country’s payments toward NATO. "Germany, honestly, is not paying their fair share," Trump said at the White House before noting that he has "great respect" for German Chancellor Angela Merkel and "great respect for the country." "My father is German, was German," he continued. "Born in a very wonderful place in Germany, so I have a great feeling for Germany." The Washington Post said it as least the third time Trump has made this particular claim about his father, Fred Trump, who was born...

Nicola Sturgeon is more interested in pushing for independence than she is in finding a solution to Brexit, the Scottish Conservatives have claimed. All 35 SNP MPs abstained in a Commons vote on whether there should be customs union with the EU after Brexit. Tory interim leader Jackson Carlaw said the SNP had "refused to back the very option they have been demanding" and accused Ms Sturgeon of "faux outrage". Ms Sturgeon said remaining in the EU must now be the top priority. And she said her party would continue to "stand up for Scotland's interests" by pushing for another...

A Scottish SNP MEP today urged European leaders to “leave a light on” so an independent Scotland can “find a way home” to the EU. The SNP’s Alyn Smith encouraged lawmakers in Strasbourg to support a separate Scottish state in what is likely to be his final speech in the European Parliament. “What a sad place we are in on Brexit ,” he told MEPs. “What a tragedy. So many issues we should be working on together utterly distracted by a self-inflicted disaster. “Entirely because the UK even at this last hour hasn’t made a decision on what it actually...

The Scottish parliament has just voted to stop the Brexit process by revoking article 50 unless there is an extension to allow for a second referendum on Brexit "So what?," you might say. They can't legally force the UK government to do anything. But there is something else deeply significant happening here. Read between the lines and you can see the case being made for another referendum on Scottish independence. as well as for another Brexit vote. Today's vote was proposed by the Scottish Greens. The SNP added their own amendment which "calls on the UK government to stop ignoring...

Archaeologists and citizen scientists have unearthed what may be the monastery of Princess Aebbe, who was born a pagan but later spread Christianity along the northeastern British coast during the seventh century. Once the pagan-turned-Christian princess (615-668) became an abbess, she established the monastery at Coldingham, a village in the southeast of Scotland. But the monastery was short-lived; Viking raiders destroyed it it in 870. Archaeologists have been looking for the remains of this monastery for decades. Excavators have now located a narrow, circular ditch, which is likely the "vallum," or the boundary that surrounded Aebbe's religious settlement, DigVentures, a...

10 Strange Archaeological Finds Straight Out Of A Horror Story Scattered under the ground beneath our feet are the remains of history. There are little pieces of the lives of people who lived before us that give us little glimpses into who they were—the things they held dear, the homes they lived in, and the bones of their decaying bodies. But life thousands of years ago wasn’t always gentle and easy. Sometimes, when these remains are uncovered, the stories they reveal are brutal and violent—and sometimes, they’re pulled straight out of a horror story. 10 A Pit Of Amputated Arms10b-amputated-arm-bones-from-pit...

The largest Neolithic house in Britain was built in Scotland around 6,000 years ago... Two halls which were used as houses and likely home to large numbers of people have been discovered in Carnoustie, Angus. The site is far larger and older than previously thought with archaeological work shedding new light on some of Scotland's earliest communities. Analysis shows food was processed and consumed in the halls with pottery made and used there. It is possible that animals were also kept in part of the building. The larger of the two halls is the largest Neolithic hall ever found in...

Scotland’s capital Edinburgh is to become the first British city to introduce a tourist tax to try to better manage the impact of swelling visitor numbers and booming hotel occupancy, its council said on Thursday. […] The council said it would use funds raised by the £2 ($2.60) per room per night tax “to improve facilities and better manage the city”, as other European cities such as Barcelona and Rome have done. The tourist tax has been unpopular with some businesses, however. A survey conducted by the council found only a narrow 51 percent of accommodation-providers supported the idea, which...

China state oil company CNOOC on Tuesday announced a major new oil discovery at the Glengorm prospect in the U.K. sector of the North Sea.

On this episode, we take a look at a memorable lesson from Scotland's Robert the Bruce... and some buzzing, winged, armored and leggy aspects of the natural world. We put them under the magnifying glass and consider a few lessons we can learn from them.

It appears Andy Murray will be walking away from tennis in 2019, but exactly when is still up in the air. The British champ announced that he plans to retire this year, saying he'd like to play through Wimbledon in July but may not be able to make it that far. Murray, 31, has battled lingering hip issues for nearly two years and has been unable to return to full strength. As Murray met with the media on Thursday to talk about the Australian Open, which begins on Monday, he tearfully delivered the news. "Obviously I have been struggling a...

An archaeological dig has unearthed new evidence of a three-day attack on Edinburgh Castle - on a site earmarked for a luxury hotel by Sir Richard Branson. Experts believe they have found a carved stone which would have been fired from a giant catapult during the pivotal siege in 1296. It led to Edward I seizing control of the medieval fortress, plundering its treasures and shipping them to London, and the castle being held under English rule for 18 years. Archaeologists made the discovery at the site of the proposed new Virgin Hotel, which is earmarked for a large swathe...