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Human communities in the Levant at this time were known as Natufian. They were primarily hunters and foragers and are considered the first non-nomadic society; the semi-sedentary habits of Natufian culture were likely a precursor to humans settling down and becoming farmers. At the el-Wad Terrace settlement, the site was densely layered with animal remains, of which "a high percentage" belonged to lizards and snakes, the researchers reported in a new study, published online June 10 in the journal Scientific Reports. The quantity of squamate bones at the site was astonishing; that alone hinted at human consumption as a possible...

'We have extracted DNA from a 9,500-year-old dog from the Siberian island of Zhokhov, which the dog is named after. Based on that DNA we have sequenced the oldest complete dog genome to date, and the results show an extremely early diversification of dogs into types of sledge dogs', says one of the two first authors of the study, PhD student Mikkel Sinding, the Globe Institute. Until now, it has been the common belief that the 9,500-year-old Siberian dog, Zhokhov, was a kind of ancient dog - one of the earliest domesticated dogs and a version of the common origin...

The European Union will bar most travelers from the United States, Russia and dozens of other countries considered too risky because they have not controlled the coronavirus outbreak, EU officials said Friday. By contrast, travelers from more than a dozen countries that are not overwhelmed by the coronavirus will be welcomed when the bloc reopens after months of lockdown Wednesday. The acceptable countries also include China — but only if China allows EU travelers to visit as well, the officials said.

CHINA — Forestry officials in China have found a 1900-year-old pine tree. The ancient evergreen is six stories tall and has a hollowed-out trunk, big enough to allow seven people to stand inside. The discovery was made in the Sichuan province in southwest China. Despite its old age and hollow trunk, foresters say it’s healthy and has lush foliage. Chinese officials expect it to become a local tourist attraction, but they will also do their best to protect it. Although ancient, it cannot lay claim to the world’s oldest living tree. That record, according to Science Daily, belongs to a...

It began with a plume of brilliant white smoke, billowing silently from the volcano's rugged crater before mushrooming into an ominous black cloud. By the time their tour guide had yelled at them to take cover it was too late for newlyweds Matthew and Lauren Urey. The couple from Richmond, Virginia, were soon engulfed in a suffocating fog of molten ash, scorching their flesh, pummeling them with debris and plunging their dream honeymoon into a living hell.

Britain could reach its highest levels of UV radiation due to a lack of planes, coupled with clear blue skies and sweltering temperatures — a potent combination that increases the risk of skin cancer. Ultraviolet rays, which can also cause sunburn and cataracts, are expected to reach level 9 across parts of Devon and Cornwall on what is set to be the hottest day of the year in the UK so far. The mercury hit a sweltering 90.5°F (32.5°C) on Wednesday, while temperatures today could climb even further in the Midlands and Wales. West London is forecast to see temperatures...

American travelers look set to be denied entry to the EU when the bloc reopens its borders on July 1st, according to reports, while those from Australia and New Zealand will likely to be allowed to return. Europe will reopen its external borders on July 1st but American tourists may not be allowed to travel because the US is still considered a risk due to the high number of COVID-19 cases.Hard-hit countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Russia and India are also facing a continued travel ban. EU officials are reportedly frantically drawing up a list of countries whose nationals will...

British anti-racism protestors called for the destruction of Egypt's Giza Pyramids on Sunday, after tearing down a statue of a slave trader in the city of Bristol and throwing it in the Avon river, CNN reported Monday. The pyramids have been among the most frequently discussed topics in the UK over the past several hours, inspired by controversy over who built them. Protesters tore down the statue of British slave trader Edward Colston on the second day of protests condemning racism in the UK, part of a response to the killing of George Floyd, an African American man, by a...

A nine-year project has been completed to restore the tomb of ancient Egypt's boy king, Tutankhamun, and address issues that threatened its survival. Experts from the Getty Conservation Institute repaired scratches and abrasions on the wall paintings caused by visitors to the burial chamber. The paintings were also affected by humidity, dust and carbon dioxide introduced by every person who entered. A new ventilation system should reduce the need for future cleaning. New barriers will restrict physical access to the paintings, while a new viewing platform, lighting and interpretive signage will also allow visitors to better see the tomb and...

Saying that the pressures it faced from the coronavirus were simply too strong, Spain’s Pullmantur Cruceros announced that it has filed for a reorganization under Spain’s insolvency laws. While Pullmantur was the first cruise line to succumb, many experts believe that he mounting pressures of no revenues and refunds to booked passengers along with ongoing cruise cancelations will take an increasing toll on the cruise companies The brief announcement did not provide details for the proposed reorganization, but said that guests already booked to sail on Pullmantur will be offered the option to sail on other Royal Caribbean brands.This has...

Caius Cestius, a very wealthy Roman, chose for his tomb a pyramidal shape rather than the traditional circular one (see Tomba di Cecilia Metella, which was built at approximately the same time); we know that he had been praetor (an annually elected magistrate), tribune of the people and epulonum, a member of a group of seven priests who supervised the solemn sacrificial banquets; he was a brother of the Cestius who built a bridge at Isola Tiberina and he was a friend of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, son-in-law of Emperor Augustus. An inscription found in the burial chamber inside the pyramid...

Early inhabitants fertilized the soil with charcoal from fire remains and food waste. Areas with this "dark earth" have a different set of species than the surrounding landscape, contributing to a more diverse ecosystem with a richer collection of plant species, researchers from the State University of Mato Grosso in Brazil and the University of Exeter have found. The legacy of this land management thousands of years ago means there are thousands of these patches of dark earth dotted around the region, most around the size of a small field. This is the first study to measure the difference in...

Unearthed in 2007 in a salvage excavation before roadworks near Shlomi and Kibbutz Hanita, the remains of the Byzantine settlement at Pi Mazuva are located in modern Israel's northwest corner on the border with Lebanon. The finds include Christian iconography, a large house and a colorful, high-quality, partially preserved mosaic floor... According to the open-source Hebrew-language publication, the settlement was mentioned in the 4th-5th century Jerusalem Talmud as being part of "forbidden territories," and according to Jewish law (halacha), were not considered part of Jewish territory. At the same time, certain commandments for Jews located in the Land of Israel...

An approximately 3,200-year-old scepter found at a biblical site in southern Israel may be the first physical evidence of life-sized "divine statues" used in Canaanite rituals, according to a new report. Yosef Garfinkel, an archaeology professor at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, wrote in the academic journal Antiquity that the scepter, which was made from bronze and coated in silver, was discovered inside the cellar of a Canaanite temple at Lachish. He linked the scepter, which looks like a spatula, to a scepter found at Hatzor in the north, as well as to a small figurine found at the site of...

Newgrange is a prehistoric passage tomb in County Meath, Ireland. built during the Neolithic period around 3200 BC and predates monuments such as Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. The site consists of a circular mount with retaining walls and contains stone passages and chambers where human remains have been discovered on previous archaeology excavations by antiquarians from the 18th century. Normally we inherit two copies of the genome, one from each parent, but the individual buried in the chamber had genomes that were remarkably similar, suggesting that his parents were first-degree relatives and are a key indicator of inbreeding... Dan...

Archaeologists from the Museum Southeast Denmark were conducting a study for pit houses, when they found a hole feature that they have identified as a toilet, possibly the oldest ever found in Denmark and bringing new revelations into the toilet habits of Vikings living in the countryside on the Peninsula. Many studies have been carried out on privy buildings from the Viking Age and early Middle Ages in towns and cities, but very few have been conducted on farmsteads from this period. A macrofossil and pollen analyses found mineralised seeds (caused by high levels of phosphate) and concentrations of fly...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has officially claimed another victim. The 49th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has been postponed until October 2-10, 2021, which means the 50th event fiesta will now be pushed back until 2022. The decision was made Monday by the all-volunteer Balloon Fiesta board of directors. Matt Guthrie, president of the board, said in a statement, “The safety of our pilots, guests, sponsors, staff and volunteers has always been our top concern and in the wake of COVID-19 and its continued impacts, we must stay dedicated to upholding that commitment.” People who already made reservations...

Synopsis: A 4500yo ring (1.2miles across) of 20+ pits (32'wide x 16'deep) of unknown purpose found at Durrington Walls, the Neolithic village associated with Stonehenge.

As coronavirus cases spike in the Sunshine State, Disney has announced plans to reopen its theme parks in Florida. Disney said its Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom theme parks at the Walt Disney Resort in Florida will begin a phased reopening on July 11 and its Epcot and Hollywood Studios parks are reopening on July 15. Visitors will have their temperature checked prior to entry and everyone age 2 and up will be required to wear a face covering in all public areas, the company said. Anyone with a temperature over 100.4 degrees will not be allowed in the park,...

Researchers surveyed more than 2,000 dinosaur bones from the Jurassic Mygatt-Moore Quarry, a 152-million-year-old fossil deposit in western Colorado, looking for bite marks. They found more than they were expecting. Big theropod dinosaurs such as Allosaurus and Ceratosaurus ate pretty much everything - including each other... There were theropod bites on the large-bodied sauropods, whose gigantic bones dominate the assemblage, bites on the heavily armored Mymoorapelta, and lots of bites on theropods too, especially the common remains of Allosaurus. There were hundreds of them, in frequencies far above the norm for dinosaur-dominated fossil sites. Some were on meaty bones like...