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Modern men's genes suggest that something peculiar happened 5,000 to 7,000 years ago: Most of the male population across Asia, Europe and Africa seems to have died off, leaving behind just one man for every 17 women. This so-called population "bottleneck" was first proposed in 2015, and since then, researchers have been trying to figure out what could've caused it. One hypothesis held that the drop-off in the male population occurred due to ecological or climatic factors that mainly affected male offspring, while another idea suggested that the die-off happened because some males had more power in society, and thus...

The Viking Age was probably far more colourful than you might think, says conservator Line Bregnhøi from the National Museum of Denmark, and co-author on the new report... Bregnhøi and her colleague Lars Holten have used the advanced techniques now available to create the colour palette used in the reconstruction of the largest Viking building discovered in Denmark. The Royal Hall, as the building is called, was reconstructed at the Centre for Historical-Archaeological Research and Communication in Denmark (as also known as Sagnlandet Lejre). It uses the same type of paint used by upper class Vikings. However, the archaeologists behind...

My daughter is an avid history buff and has, over the past few years, done quite a bit of reading on the Nazi concentration camps. I would love to take her to some of these sites some day, but for now all I can do is get some first-hand pics of someone else's visit. If anyone has been to any of the concentration camp memorial sites and has pics they could share it would be greatly appreciated.

The analysis was made by comparing Jordanian juniper trees that grew between roughly 1600 and 1910 A.D., according to the researchers... The researchers results indicated that, like in many other parts of the globe, the growing season fluctuates enough to tilt the results. Thus, the traditional Carbon-14 calibration curve for the Northern Hemisphere is not entirely accurate for southern Jordan, Israel and Egypt. The offset averages about 19 years, the researchers said... The paper contends that massive timeline restructuring could be in the offing, for events both major and minor. “Although, overall, the Carbon-14 offset identified here produces what may...

For the Polynesian islands, that meant the arrival of agricultural crops like breadfruit, yams and taro, as well as domesticated animals like dogs, pigs and chicken. The early settlers also used slash-and-burn agriculture to remove forests and fertilize the soil and likely hunted many seabirds to extinction. To get a more precise view of how human behavior impacted the islands, Swift and her colleagues used stable isotope analysis. Carbon analysis is based on the way plants process carbon dioxide: most agricultural products are classified as C3 plants, while tropical grasses are usually C4 plants. If rat bones show a higher...

For the study, the researchers performed stable isotope analyses on 712 animal bones collected from at least 90 archaeological sites in Ireland. The researchers found significant changes in the nitrogen composition of soil nutrients and plants that made up the animals' diet during the Bronze Age. The researchers believe the changes were the result of an increase in the scale and intensity of deforestation, agriculture and pastoral farming. While these results are specific to Ireland during the Bronze Age, Guiry said the findings have global implications. "The effect of human activities on soil nitrogen composition may be traceable wherever humans...

Carved from sharp volcanic rock and more than 700 years old, the stone formations can weigh upwards of 13 tons. Archaeologists have long wondered how these stone hats, which sit atop the heads of the famous Easter Island statues, were put into place with 13th-century technology... Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, rises from the waves about 2,000 miles from Chile. The island's famous statues have been studied by various teams of archaeologists and geologists since the 18th century. Previous studies determined that the statues are made of from one quarry on the island, while the hats come from a different...

My daughter and I will be traveling to Idaho soon to check out U of I Moscow and surrounding areas. Thinking of doing a loop through Reno, up 95 and back down through Oregon. Looking for ideas, suggestions, warnings and general information.

SEATTLE - A family from Arizona was attacked by a man from a homeless camp just as they parked to visit the Space Needle earlier this month. Details are just now being made public of the June 2 attack. Officers responded to a reports of a fight in progress in the parking lot next to the Wells Fargo Bank at 3rd Avenue and Denny Way, one block away from the Space Needle. There is an unsanctioned encampment with about a dozen tents along one-block stretch of 3rd Avenue, that has been growing over the last three months. Tourists often walk...

An imperial Roman villa has been found along the banks of the Tiber near the Milvian Bridge, archaeologists said Tuesday. Digs have uncovered a large floor area in 'opus sectile', decorated with "extraordinary" multicoloured marble floral motifs, they said. The beauty of the floor has led experts to believe that the rest of the building was full of precious decorations. The villa's setting so close to the river is unusual, archaeologists said.

A study into the use of tobacco has yielded some interesting findings including dating the practice to around 4,000 years ago -- about 1,500 years older than previously thought. The study, "Evidence of Tobacco from a Late Archaic Smoking Tube Recovered from the Flint River site in southeastern North America", has been undertaken by various researchers and was led by Dr. Stephen B. Carmody , Troy University (Ala.) assistant professor of anthropology. "For the past eight or nine years, I have been exploring pipe use, pipe-smoked plants, and the use of tobacco here in the eastern woodlands of North America,"...

Museum collections in Sweden contain thousands of Iron Age board-game pieces. New studies of the raw material composing them show that most were made of whalebone from the mid-6th century CE. They were produced in large volumes and standardised forms. The researchers therefore believe that a regular supply of whalebone was needed. Since the producers would hardly have found the carcasses of beached whales a reliable source, the gaming pieces are interpreted as evidence for whaling. Apart from an osteological survey, species origin has been determined for a small number of game pieces, using ZooMS (short for Zooarchaeology by Mass...

A seventh-century slate window ledge inscribed with an intriguing mix of Latin, Greek and Celtic words, names and symbols has been unearthed at Tintagel Castle in north Cornwall. The discovery adds weight to the view that the rugged coastal site, which is most often associated with the legend of King Arthur, was home in the early middle ages to a sophisticated and multicultural port community. Put together with other finds including Iberian goblets and bowls from what is now Turkey, the slate ledge suggests Tintagel may well have been an important royal base with trade links stretching from Europe’s Atlantic...

Tesla released its first-quarter earnings report on Wednesday, and hinted at when the $35,000 base model of its Model 3 sedan will become available. In the report, Tesla said it expects to start making around 5,000 Model 3 vehicles per week "in about two months," so around July. After the company reaches that threshold, it said it will make new options available to Model 3 customers. "After achieving a production rate of 5,000 per week, we will begin offering new options such as all-wheel-drive and the base model with a standard-sized battery pack," the company said. Tesla states on its...

moving as fast as a river

French carmaker Renault will maintain its presence in Iran while taking measures to avoid the risk of penalties for breaching renewed US sanctions, CEO Carlos Ghosn said Friday. “We will not abandon it, even if we have to downsize very strongly,” he said at the annual shareholders’ meeting in Paris. “When the market reopens, the fact of having stayed will certainly give us an advantage,” he predicted. […] Renault’s rival PSA, which produces the Peugeot and Citroën brands, has also announced it will quit Iran to abide by the US sanctions. But Ghosn signaled that Renault, which counted 160,000 cars...

Full Title: S**t! Horrendous moment freak gust of wind sends portable toilet 100ft into the air as it sprays 'liquid' on screaming crowd below ____________________________________________________________________________ This is the moment a freak gust of wind sent two Porta Potties flying into the air People were forced to dive for cover after the gust in Commerce City, Colorado Liquid from the two Porta Potties spilled out of the cabin showering those below The freak wind comes months after a wind storm killed a man in the same area

EMIRATES could soon launch a new aircraft without windows. AIRLINE: This will make aircrafts faster and lighter __________________________________________________________________ One of the best things about flying is looking at the views out the window – but that could soon change. The Dubai-based airline announced plans to build planes with virtual windows. This means when passengers look outside they can only see a projection instead of clouds or spectacular skylines. Emirates unveiled the designs for a new first class suite, which feature fibre optic cameras that beam an image of outside onto the window. Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates, told BBC:...

Blame America. Canadians have taken to practicing pocketbook diplomacy in defense of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is caught in a trade war of words with President Trump, by boycotting American goods and canceling vacations to the United States, according to a report. Shoppers are shunning Kentucky bourbon, California wine and Florida oranges, and avoiding American companies like Starbucks, Walmart and McDonald’s, Canadian network CTV News reported on Wednesday. On Twitter, hashtags like #BuyCanadian, #BoycottUSProducts and #BoycottUSA are spreading as outrage over Trump’s trade tariffs grows. An Ottawa man posted a “Trump-free grocery cart” full of products from Canada or...

A glimpse in the rear view mirror at the land and cars of long ago.