Anthropology

Using ancient fire remains from 11 well-preserved and overlapping open-air hearth structures, scholars have inferred Neanderthal group mobility and settlement patterns which indicate specific occupation episodes, perhaps according to seasons changing, according to a new study.  Until recently, most household activities are thought to have taken place around hearths or fires and it was no different in the paleolithic world. The Middle Paleolithic site El Salt in Spain  contains 11 overlapping open-air hearth structures but it was unclear whether these hearths were formed…

The discovery of an ancient painted vase in the Central America lowlands offers new clues into the mysterious breakdown of ancient Maya civilization - because it bears one of the longest hieroglyphic texts ever found. The shattered vessel was discovered in excavations at the Maya site of Baking Pot in Belize, found amid artifacts associated with the abandonment of the royal palace complex. The fragments were found in a corner near a palace entrance. The archeology team also unearthed blades, pendants, inkpots, fragments of flutes — and human bones - in burial sites. When excavation leader Dr…

People choose a life partner who is likely to have a comparable life expectancy and who share similar risks of illnesses - such as high blood pressure or heart disease - according to a genetic study. Some of this seems to have an obvious explanation. If you are fat or smoke, you are more likely to partner with others who are the same and who have similar risks of lifestyle diseases, but data from the UK Biobank study - a major study of genes and lifestyle factors linked to health - involving more than half a million people and then using information from the parents of couples and found that…

A small survey in Australia (n=442) found that more than half of car drivers think cyclists are not really human, and many admit to intentionally driving too close to them.  The survey says it is the first to look at a road-user group with the problem of dehumanization, which is typically studied in relation to attitudes towards racial or ethnic groups. The authors state that cyclists have been conceptualized as a minority group and a target of negative attitudes and behavior - but if drivers can put a human face to cyclists, researchers say it could reduce aggression directed at…

Many people don't realize July 4th, 1776 was not the day the war between America and Britain started, it's simply the day we traitorous colonists finally had enough of our own country's army attacking us, taking over our homes, stealing our food, locking up our guns, and throwing us in jail for no reason and we put the separation in writing.(1) On March 17th, in 1776, St. Patrick's Day, nearly four months before Independence Day, General Washington wrote the governor of Massachusetts to tell him Boston was out of British control. He presciently predicted the next attack would be in New York.…

A paper in Current Anthropology uses writing to distill what the authors believe are seven rules of morals common worldwide.  It's certainly a catchy idea for people who sit at the bar asking why Arabs and Israelis in the Middle East can't get along but there is a big problem putting them into practice. Some morals aren't creating common ground because they are in opposition to each other.  The seven common moral beliefs Drs. Curry, Mullins, and Whitehouse, all of Oxford, list are: helping your family, helping a larger cause, reciprocity, being brave, respecting authority,…

It will likely come as no surprise that the large majority of – if not all – people in Wales can speak English. While Welsh is one of the oldest living languages in Europe, English, along with Flemish, first rooted itself in small enclaves in southwest Wales as far back as the 12th century. By the late medieval period (1250 to 1500 AD), the Welsh Marches (or borders) had a multilingual character, with Anglo-Norman French, Middle English, and Welsh being spoken in towns. But it was the industrial revolution of the 18th century that created a phenomenal language shift in Wales, one that saw…

During President Donald Trump’s Feb. 5 State of the Union address, scores of Democratic congresswomen wore white to pay tribute to suffragists and their fight for women’s rights. In the past, other politicians have done the same. Hillary Clinton wore a white pantsuit during her acceptance speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, and Congresswomen Shirley Chisholm and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez chose to wear white while being sworn into office. As a historian who writes about fashion and politics, I like these types of sartorial gestures. They show the relevancy and power of fashion…

Lacking clairvoyant technology as in "The Minority Report", predicting teen rape is impossible, but there are risk factors that can be warning signs.  A group of sociologists conducted interviews with victims from their university, a two-year college and community sites serving low-income young women, including a county health clinic and a transitional living program, totaling 148 college-aged women between the ages of 18 and 24 who experienced partner violence in at least one prior relationship. To try and learn about factors in predicting teen rape and attempted rape,…

Few Christmas carols evoke the season of peace and goodwill as readily as Silent Night. Two popular stories contribute to its appeal: one concerning the circumstances of its composition in Oberndorf, near Salzburg in Austria, and the other its role in the Christmas Truce of 1914 when the opposing forces walked out of their trenches to greet their enemies and share food and drink. But its lyrical and musical content are also important factors in understanding its enduring popularity, and Christmas Eve 2018 marks the 200th anniversary of its performance. Together with the centennial…