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Ancient

Extend The Olive Branch

In ancient Greece, oil pressed from olives was a prevalent source of fat for the population and was widely used because of the absence of butter. It was used in cooking as well as spread on bread. The nutritional value of olive oil has been…

Figs Are Good…

Figs appear in the earliest recorded history with mentions in the Bible and other ancient writings. They were a staple food of both the rich and poor, providing energy and the highest mineral content of all common fruits. Cleopatra even…

How Ancient Celts Celebrated

Archaeologists excavating Iron-Age remains have concluded that they indulged in ‘competitive feasting’ and tried to out-do one another through drinking. Artefacts dating back over 2,600 years suggest beer was the ‘barbarian’s beverage’, the…

Have You Tried Teff?

Teff is one of the most ancient grains in the world, and also one of the smallest. Its name even comes from an old word ‘teffa’ meaning ‘lost’ because if you drop it on the ground you won't find it again! Teff originated in Ethiopia as a…

The Milk Of Human Civilisation

When did we start drinking the milk of other animals? And how did the practice spread? A new study led by scientists from Germany and Kenya highlights the critical role of Africa in the story of dairying, showing that communities there were…

AI & Ancient Texts

The Abbey Library of St. Gall in Switzerland is home to approximately 160,000 volumes of manuscripts dating back to the 8th century - all hand-written on parchment, in languages not spoken in modern times. Now, researchers at University of…

Globalisation In The Old World

Using energy consumption as a measure, a team of international scientists has found that ancient civilisations engaged in globalisation more than previously believed, suggesting that an integrated global economy is nothing new and may have…

Ancient Mayans Had Fancy Water Filters

According to the University of Cincinnati, ancient Maya built sophisticated water filters in the once-bustling city of Tikal using natural materials they imported from miles away. A multidisciplinary team of UC anthropologists, geographers…

Here Comes The Light!

Says a study published in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers used archaeological evidence of lighting remains found across several Paleolithic caves featuring cave art in Southwest Europe to experimentally replicate the artificial lighting…

Prehistoric River Boss Ruled Waterways

A new species of large prehistoric croc that roamed south-east Queensland's waterways millions of years ago has been documented by University of Queensland researchers. One of the largest crocs to have ever inhabited the earth, the species…

Victorian Treatment Re-tested

When patients said that travel helped to relieve the tremors of Parkinson's disease, a 19th century French neurologist took action. Professor Charcot developed a jerking chair to mimic the movements of a long carriage or train journey. Many…

Harnessing The Power Of Amber

Amber was revered in Ancient Egypt for its restorative properties and was believed to enhance immunity against illness and negativity. Ancient Romans wore amulets of amber to instil courage, disperse fear and protect against danger. During…

Ancient Strains Of Nutritious Plants

In ancient times, our ancestors ate significantly more fruit and vegetables than we do today. Not only that, the varieties they consumed offered greater nutritional value with a wider range of fibre and antioxidants. Scientists have…

Olive Exports In Ancient Greece

Market economy is largely considered a modern phenomenon. But, says a study from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, an integrated market economy existing in ancient Greece. By analysing sediment cores taken from six…

Modern Humans & Neanderthals

A new study from the American Museum of Natural History is the first-ever to identify the genes for creativity in Homo sapiens that distinguish modern humans from chimpanzees and Neanderthals. The research identified 267 genes that are…

Smoking Smooth Sumac

There were some non-tobacco plants in ancient pipes. Washington State University researchers have found that Rhus glabra, a plant commonly known as Smooth Sumac was smoked more than 1,400 years ago in what today is north America. Smoking…

Cavemen Liked To Recycle

Who’d have thought it? Archaeologists have concluded that our ancestors recycled stone artefacts for other uses as far back as the Upper Palaeolithic Age, 13,000 years ago. Stone tools found in Tarragona, Spain, suggest that sustainable…

Beeswax Cure For Toothache

Archaeologists have found a 6,500-year-old tooth in Slovenia that shows traces of a beeswax filling. This is the most ancient evidence of prehistoric dentistry in Europe, and was most likely used to reduce sensitivity from a tooth worn down…

Leeches May Have Helped After All!

The mediaeval medical practice of using leeches to draw out bad blood was abandoned in the 19th Century. But researchers have found that regularly donating blood can reduce your risk of heart disease if you have high blood pressure, glucose…

Native Americans & Cranberries

Native Americans used cranberries as a food, medicine, dye, and as a poultice to reduce wound infections. The berries were also added to meats to help preserve them during long sea voyages with the added advantage of preventing scurvy with…

Nurturing Ayurveda

One part of the ancient Indian healing system, Ayurveda, deals specifically with food. The concept is not about healthy eating, but is based around balancing physiology by including six different tastes in every meal: Sweet, sour, salty,…

Whose Moon Is That?

Says a report from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics has identified a problem with the growing interest in extractable resources on the moon - there aren't enough of them to go around. With no international policies or…

Baby Dinosaurs Were Little Adults

Paleontologists from the University of Bonn have examined, for the first time, an almost complete skeleton of a juvenile Plateosaurus and discovered that it looked very similar to its parents even at a young age. That could have important…

Female Big-game Hunters Of America

For centuries, historians and scientists mostly agreed that when early human groups sought food, men hunted and women gathered. However, a 9,000-year-old female hunter burial in the Andes Mountains of South America reveals that gender…

Empire Of Fractured Rocks

The ancient Incan sanctuary of Machu Picchu is considered one of humanity's greatest architectural achievements. Built in a remote Andean setting atop a narrow ridge high above a precipitous river canyon, the site is renowned for its…

Ancient Neanderthals & COVID-19

Since first appearing in late 2019, the novel virus, COVID-19, has had a range of impacts on those it infects. There are several factors that influence your susceptibility to having a severe reaction, like age and other medical conditions.…

Evolution Gave Us Backache!

For decades, scholars have assumed that the reason humans are so commonly afflicted with back problems is because we walk on two legs. A new study, published in the journal ‘Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health’, is the first to show a…

Days Were Shorter 70 Million Years Ago

Earth turned faster at the end of the time of the dinosaurs than it does today, rotating 372 times a year, compared to the current 365, according to a new study of fossil mollusk shells from the late Cretaceous. This means a day lasted 23…