ASLAN Hub | Exploring our ancient world

Sunken realms – the lost lands of Wales

There are legends of flooded lands around the coast of Britain and Ireland, and no more so than in Wales. These lands were inundated by the sea, through gradual sea level rise or during catastrophic […]

Recent survival of dinosaurs?

Given the discovery of soft tissue in dinosaur bones, and a very well-preserved fossilised dinosaur, one question being asked is: could dinosaurs have survived into much more recent times? The longstanding consensus is that (non-avian) […]

Featured book: ‘The Old Stones’ edited by Andy Burnham

5 December 2018

Andy Burnham has edited a book called The Old Stones: A Field Guide to the Megalithic Sites of Britain and Ireland; published by Watkins Publishing as of September 2018. It is not the intention here […]

“Controversial but promising” – the Electrical Universe theory

2 November 2018

The Electric Universe theory has been described as “a controversial but promising theory where plasma and electric charge are responsible for most things that we take for granted”(1). If true, what implications does it have […]

Humans migrated to Mongolia much earlier than previously believed
on 16 August 2019 at 11:14 pm
Stone tools uncovered in Mongolia by an international team of archaeologists indicate that modern humans traveled across the Eurasian steppe about 45,000 years ago.
'Invisible ink' on antique Nile papyrus revealed by multiple methods
on 16 August 2019 at 1:24 pm
Researchers studied a small piece of papyrus that was excavated on the island of Elephantine on the River Nile a little over 100 years ago. The team used serval methods including non-destructive […]
Ancient feces reveal how 'marsh diet' left Bronze Age Fen folk infected with parasites
on 16 August 2019 at 1:27 am
'Coprolites' from the Must Farm archaeological excavation in East Anglia, UK, shows the prehistoric inhabitants were infected by parasitic worms that can be spread by eating raw fish, frogs and […]
Early species developed much faster than previously thought
on 15 August 2019 at 10:06 pm
When Earth's species were rapidly diversifying nearly 500 million years ago, that evolution was driven by complex factors including global cooling, more oxygen in the atmosphere, and more nutrients […]
Extinct Caribbean bird yields DNA after 2,500 years in watery grave
on 15 August 2019 at 6:32 pm
Scientists have recovered the first genetic data from an extinct bird in the Caribbean, thanks to the remarkably preserved bones of a Creighton's caracara from a flooded sinkhole on Great Abaco […]
Bloodsucker discovered: First North American medicinal leech described in over 40 years
on 15 August 2019 at 6:08 pm
Freshwater wetlands from Georgia to New York are home to a previously unrecognized species of medicinal leech, according to scientists. The new species was first identified from specimens collected […]
Composition of fossil insect eyes surprises researchers
on 15 August 2019 at 2:15 pm
Eumelanin -- a natural pigment found for instance in human eyes -- has, for the first time, been identified in the fossilized compound eyes of 54-million-year-old crane-flies. It was previously […]
Dinosaur brains from baby to adult
on 15 August 2019 at 2:15 pm
New research sheds light on how the braincase of the dinosaur Psittacosaurus developed and what this reveals about its posture.
Neanderthals commonly suffered from 'swimmer's ear'
on 14 August 2019 at 6:05 pm
Abnormal bony growths in the ear canal were surprisingly common in Neanderthals, according to a new study.

Humans migrated to Mongolia much earlier than previously believed
on 16 August 2019 at 10:35 pm
Stone tools uncovered in Mongolia by an international team of archaeologists indicate that modern humans traveled across the Eurasian steppe about […]
Student reveals the face of Iron Age female druid
on 16 August 2019 at 1:31 pm
A University of Dundee student has revealed the face of one of Scotland's oldest druids, believed to have been more than 60 years old when she died […]
Ancient feces reveal how 'marsh diet' left Bronze Age Fen folk infected with parasites
on 15 August 2019 at 11:00 pm
New research published today in the journal Parasitology shows how the prehistoric inhabitants of a settlement in the freshwater marshes of eastern […]
Early species developed much faster than previously thought, research shows
on 15 August 2019 at 8:34 pm
When Earth's species were rapidly diversifying nearly 500 million years ago, that evolution was driven by complex factors including global cooling, […]
Dinosaur brains from baby to adult
on 15 August 2019 at 2:26 pm
New research by a University of Bristol palaeontology post-graduate student has revealed fresh insights into how the braincase of the dinosaur […]
54 million year-old fossil flies yield new insight into the evolution of sight
on 15 August 2019 at 12:09 pm
Fossilised flies that lived 54 million years ago have revealed a surprising twist to the tale of how insects' eyes evolved. These craneflies, […]
Neanderthals also got 'surfer's ear,' suggesting they liked to fish
on 14 August 2019 at 6:00 pm
What do surfers, kayakers and Neanderthals have in common?
Shard reveals how Cyprus' ancient kingdoms managed economy
on 14 August 2019 at 1:24 pm
The discovery of a small clay shard inscribed with a partial inventory of goods at a 2,500-year-old citadel suggests that Cyprus' ancient city states […]
Neolithic remains help sniff out the earliest human use of dung
on 14 August 2019 at 9:06 am
It is used as a fertiliser to help crops grow, burned as a fuel for heat, and is even used as a building material. But exactly when and how humans […]

Evidence of Parasite Infestations Found at England's Must Farm 16 August 2019
EAST ANGLIA, ENGLAND—An examination of four human coprolites recovered from Must Farm, a Bronze Age settlement discovered in wetland fens in the East of England, revealed heavy infestation with the eggs of fish tapeworms, giant kidney worms, whipworms, and other parasites, according to a report in The Guardian. Marissa Ledger and Piers Mitchell of Cambridge […]
Hellenistic-Era Tomb Discovered in Northern Greece 16 August 2019
KOZANI, GREECE—Tornos News reports that an intact tomb dating to the end of the first century B.C. was discovered at a coal mine in northern Greece. The body of the woman who had been buried in the tomb had been laid to rest on a bronze funeral bed. A gold leaf had been placed in […]
Genetic Study Suggests Human Role in Cave Bear Extinction 15 August 2019
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND—A genetic study conducted by paleogeneticist Verena Schūnemann of the University of Zurich and her colleagues suggests that modern humans contributed to the extinction of cave bears some 20,000 years ago, according to a report in The Washington Post. The scientists analyzed mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited through the female line, collected from 130 […]

Ancient Giant Penguin Unearthed in New Zealand: Crossvallia waiparensis 15 August 2019
The fossilized bones of a large-sized penguin species that lived during the Paleocene epoch (between 66 and 56 million years ago) have been discovered in New Zealand. Named Crossvallia waiparensis, the ancient penguin was about 5.2 feet (1.6 m) tall — taller than today’s 4-foot (1.2 m) Emperor penguin — and had a mass of […]
Devonian Fossil Forest Unearthed in China 12 August 2019
Paleontologists have discovered a 360-million-year-old (Devonian period) fossilized forest of lycopsid trees near Xinhang in China’s Anhui province — the oldest known fossil forest in Asia. The Xinhang forest covered an area of at least 62 acres (250,000 m2) and grew in a coastal environment prone to flooding. Lycopsid trees found in the forest resembled […]
World’s Largest Parrot Lived 19 Million Years Ago in New Zealand 7 August 2019
An international group of paleontologists has found two incomplete bones from an ancient parrot with a mass of 7 kg, double that of the heaviest known parrot, the kakapo (Strigops habroptila). Named Heracles inexpectatus, the giant parrot lived in New Zealand about 19 million years ago (Miocene epoch). The bird was about 3.3 feet (1 […]

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