In the vast history of Earth, billions of years ago, an arid landscape dominated by volcanoes and shallow pools may have witnessed the beginning of something extraordinary: life. An illustrative scene generated by artificial intelligence captures this vision, with a primitive coastline serving as the backdrop for the early evolutionary steps that would define the […]
DNA
Posted inClassical Archaeology
Analysis Reveals Most Inhabitants of Pompeii Originated from the Eastern Mediterranean
Recent research conducted by the University of Florence, Harvard University, and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig has challenged longstanding interpretations about the origins of Pompeii’s inhabitants through the use of ancient DNA. Genetic testing has revealed an unexpected diversity in gender and kinship relations, offering a new perspective on life in […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
DNA Analysis Reveals the Origin of the Japanese
A team of researchers has made an important step in understanding the origins of modern Japanese people. Scientists were able to extract DNA from a Yayoi-era skeleton found at the famous archaeological site of Doigahama in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, and conduct a complete analysis of its genome. This study has revealed that the current Japanese […]
Posted inScience
DNA-like geometric structure discovered in space-time
An international team of scientists, composed of researchers from the Complutense University of Madrid, Saint Louis University’s Madrid campus, and the University of California, has proposed a new theory suggesting that spacetime could be made up of “entangled virtual bosons”, similar to the double helix of DNA. This finding, which could have significant implications for […]
Posted inScience
LUCA, the Common Ancestor of All Living Things, Arose 400 Million Years After Earth Formation
An international team of researchers, led by the University of Bristol, has made a significant discovery regarding Earth’s earliest life forms. The study concludes that life began to flourish on our planet only a few hundred million years after its formation. This research focuses on LUCA, the Last Universal Common Ancestor, from which all modern […]
Posted inIron Age Archaeology
Celtic Elites Passed Political Power Matrilineally, DNA Analysis Reveals
The pre-Roman Iron Age Celtic culture in Western and Central Europe has left behind numerous artifacts, including large burial mounds and impressive archaeological finds. Despite this rich legacy, much about this civilization remains shrouded in mystery. Recently, a collaboration between the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments in Baden-Württemberg and the Max Planck […]
Posted inScience
Scientists Create for the First Time Artificial Cells that Behave as if they were Alive
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery by creating artificial cells that mimic the behavior of living cells. This significant advancement, detailed in the journal Nature Chemistry, was achieved by Ronit Freeman, a researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill), along with her team. By manipulating DNA and proteins—the foundational elements […]
Posted inArchaeology
The Likeness of 6th Century Chinese Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou Reconstructed from DNA of his Remains
An ancient Chinese emperor from 1,500 years ago has been reconstructed by a team of researchers using DNA extracted from his remains. Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou dynasty’s face has been reconstructed, shedding light on his appearance and potential cause of death. The study, published in Current Biology, suggests that Emperor Wu’s death at […]
Posted inBronze Age Archaeology
Analysis of Bronze Age Teeth Shows How Dietary Change Drove the Evolution of Caries Bacteria
New research has shed light on the evolution of oral health and the impact of dietary changes on the human mouth. A team of scientists has successfully extracted and analyzed microbial DNA from two remarkably well-preserved 4,000-year-old teeth discovered in a limestone cave in Ireland. Their findings, which include the identification of gum disease-causing bacteria […]
Posted inIron Age Archaeology
Analysis Reveals Three Cases of Down Syndrome in Iron Age Spain, More than 2,500 Years Ago
An international investigation that has analyzed the genome of nearly 10,000 ancient individuals in search of chromosomal trisomies has identified six cases of Down syndrome, all of them in babies: five from between 5,000 and 2,500 years ago and one from a more recent period. Three of the prehistoric cases come from sites of the […]
