Ancient

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Caveman therapy is a novel approach to treating depressive symptoms by embracing the healing habits of our ancestors. Research from the University of Kansas believes it could be more effective than either modern psychotherapy or…

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…

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 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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer. The finding is the strongest evidence yet that the art of making antibiotics, which officially dates to…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

The El Algar society thrived in complex hilltop settlements across the Iberian Peninsula from 2200-1550 cal BCE, says a report in the journal PLOS ONE Researchers decided to find out what they ate and conducted carbon and nitrogen isotope…

A new study, led by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, says that cereals from the Fertile Crescent and broomcorn millet from northern China spread across the…

Despite significant advancements in protection from ballistics and blunt impacts, old military helmets, especially the French Adrian helmet, actually performs better than modern designs, biomedical engineers from Duke University say. Notes…

Human activity thousands of miles away managed to reach Himalayan glaciers contaminating them even before humans set foot on them, research from the Ohio State University shows. The study indicates that the byproducts of burning coal in…

For decades, an ancient Egyptian known as Merit Ptah has been celebrated as the first female physician and a role model for women entering medicine. Yet a researcher from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus says she never…

Archeologists say that people chewed gum as far back as 5,700 years ago. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have not only found an ancient chewing gum but have also managed to get a hitherto untapped source of DNA. The gum, which…

University of Cincinnati archaeologists have discovered two Bronze Age family tombs near the grave of the Griffin Warrior, a Greek military leader who was buried with armour, weapons and jewellery, and was found in 2015. Among the priceless…

Scientists at Cardiff University have reconstructed the cooking techniques of the early inhabitants of Puerto Rico by analysing the remains of clams. With cooking temperatures getting up to around 200oC according to the new analysis, the…

If you’re a man reading this, thank your stars that you don’t live in the mid-19th century! Apparently, men of that time, who had problems in the bedroom, had a drastic cure offered to them - electric shock therapy to the ‘weak’ body part!…

Neanderthals disappeared around 40,000 years ago -- about the same time that anatomically modern humans began migrating into the Near East and Europe. So, did modern humans cause their extinction? No, says a study published in the journal…

An ancient Aztec agricultural technique could benefit 21st century horticultural needs, says the American Society for Horticultural Science. The Aztecs used chinampas or floating gardens, which were raised fields on small artificial islands…