The Great London [01/13/17] 

  • UK: LIDAR reveals pre-Roman 'farming collective' in Sussex

    Evidence of a prehistoric "farming collective" has been discovered after aerial laser scanning was carried out in the South Downs National Park.The survey revealed the extent of farming on the South Downs before the Romans arrived [Credit: South Downs National Park Authority]Large-scale farming from before the Roman invasion sugge…

  • Israel: Rare Roman gold coin found in Jerusalem at Mt. Zion archaeological dig

    The discovery of a rare gold coin bearing the image of the Roman Emperor Nero at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte's archaeological excavations on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, has just been announced by the archaeologists in charge of the project, Drs. Shimon Gibson, James Tabor, and Rafael Lewis.A Roman gold coin depictin…

  • Philippines: Camp stability predicts patterns of Hunter–Gatherer cooperation

    Reciprocal food-sharing is more prevalent in stable hunter-gatherer camps, shows new UCL research that sheds light on the evolutionary roots of human cooperation.Agta camp members [Credit: Daniel Smith, UCL Anthropology]The research explores patterns of food-sharing among the Agta, a population of Filipino hunter-gatherers. It fin…

  • Oceans: Heat release from stagnant deep sea helped end last Ice Age

    The build-up and subsequent release of warm, stagnant water from the deep Arctic Ocean and Nordic Seas played a role in ending the last Ice Age within the Arctic region, according to new research led by a UCL scientist.Calving ice sheet in Spitzbergen [Credit: David Thornalley]The study, published today in Science, examined how th…

  • Fossils: Ancient DNA traces extinct Caribbean 'Island Murderer' back to the dawn of mammals

    From skeletal remains found among ancient owl pellets, a team of scientists has recovered the first ancient DNA of the extinct West Indian mammal Nesophontes, meaning "island murder." They traced its evolutionary history back to the dawn of mammals 70 million years ago.The Solenodon taxa is the closest living relative to the extin…

  • Natural Heritage: Discovery of young family gives hope to world's rarest ape

    The world's rarest ape has an increased chance of survival after a team led by international conservation charity the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) found a new family group of Hainan gibbons (Nomascus hainanus).Hainan gibbons [Credit: lpzoo.org]Until last month, it was thought that there were just 25 Hainan gibbons living in …