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Stone Age hunter-gatherers' diet may have been full of heavy-metals, and during a time of sea level rise

Ian Randall
Science Mag
Fri, 14 Feb 2020 11:45 UTC
Stone Age
© Lou-Foto/Alamy Stock Photo
An artist’s illustration of Stone Age hunter-gatherers fishing.
You'll be healthier if you ate as your ancestors did. At least that's the promise of some modern fads such as the "caveman" or paleo diet — characterized by avoiding processed food and grains and only eating things like meat, fish, and seeds. But a new study suggests the food some early humans in Norway ate may have not only been unhealthy, but downright toxic. In some cases, these people may have consumed more than 20 times the levels of dangerous metals recommended for humans today.


Comment: The evidence overwhelmingly shows that throughout humanity's history meat and its fat have been our primary food source whereas it is grains and vegetables that are the 'fad', and that these were generally relied upon during times of struggle and our bodies suffered for it. There's also good reason to think that eating meat is what made us human to begin with.


"This study raises interesting ideas," says Katheryn Twiss, an archaeologist at Stony Brook University who was not involved in the work. But, she notes, the findings are limited to a small number of animal remains from just a few sites, and therefore may not fully represent the diets of Norwegians from thousands of years ago.

Comment: Rather than the heavy metals 'leaching' from the earth's mantel, as the paper proposes, instead could it be that what initiated the rising sea levels was also accompanied by other events that resulted in the pollution of the waters?

As for how they coped, it's worth bearing in mind that the human body is quite capable of eliminating or sequestering toxins, especially at levels like those noted above which weren't aren't considered to lethal, and this is particularly true when our bodies have an optimal food source to work with, as would be the case with these hunter-gatherers.

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Microscope 2

Earliest interbreeding event between ancient human populations discovered

University of Utah
Phys.org
Thu, 20 Feb 2020 19:56 UTC
primative people
© C0 Public Domain
For three years, anthropologist Alan Rogers has attempted to solve an evolutionary puzzle. His research untangles millions of years of human evolution by analyzing DNA strands from ancient human species known as hominins. Like many evolutionary geneticists, Rogers compares hominin genomes looking for genetic patterns such as mutations and shared genes. He develops statistical methods that infer the history of ancient human populations.

In 2017, Rogers led a study which found that two lineages of ancient humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans, separated much earlier than previously thought and proposed a bottleneck population size. It caused some controversy — anthropologists Mafessoni and Prüfer argued that their method for analyzing the DNA produced different results. Rogers agreed, but realized that neither method explained the genetic data very well.

"Both of our methods under discussion were missing something, but what?" asked Rogers, professor of anthropology at the University of Utah.

Comment: See also: And check out SOTT radio's: MindMatters: America Before: Comets, Catastrophes, Mounds and Mythology

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Info

Radar clues reignite debate over hidden burial chambers

Jo Marchant
Nature
Wed, 19 Feb 2020 16:49 UTC
Egypt's queen Nefertiti
© Oliver Lang/DDP/AFP/Getty
A limestone bust of Egypt's queen Nefertiti is on display at the Neues Museum, Berlin.
A radar survey around the tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt's Valley of the Kings has revealed possible evidence of further hidden chambers behind its walls.

The findings — in an unpublished report, details of which have been seen by Nature — resurrect a controversial theory that the young king's burial place hides the existence of a larger tomb, which could contain the mysterious Egyptian queen Nefertiti.

Researchers led by archaeologist Mamdouh Eldamaty, a former Egyptian minister of antiquities, used ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to scan the area immediately around Tutankhamun's tomb. They report that they have identified a previously unknown corridor-like space a few metres from the burial chamber (see 'Chamber of secrets'). Their finding was presented to Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) earlier this month.

The data are "tremendously exciting", says Ray Johnson, an Egyptologist at the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute in Luxor, Egypt, who wasn't involved in the research. "Clearly there is something on the other side of the north wall of the burial chamber."

The possibility of extra chambers beyond Tutankhamun's tomb has previously been investigated by several teams, often working with private companies. But they produced conflicting results, and many researchers have dismissed the idea. For example, Francesco Porcelli, a physicist at the Polytechnic University of Turin in Italy who led a GPR survey inside the tomb in 2017, insists that his data rule out the existence of hidden rooms connected with the tomb.
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Blue Planet

Mysterious egalitarian 'megasites' could rewrite history of world's first cities

Bruce Bower
Science News
Wed, 19 Feb 2020 17:55 UTC
Nebelivka
© Nebelivka Project, produced by M. Nebbia
Farmland in Ukraine now covers most of an ancient settlement called Nebelivka that some researchers consider to be one of the earliest known cities. Here, Nebelivka’s site plan is superimposed over where it once stood.
Nebelivka, a Ukrainian village of about 700 people, sits amid rolling hills and grassy fields. Here at the edge of Eastern Europe, empty space stretches to the horizon.

It wasn't always so. Beneath the surface of Nebelivka's surrounding landscape and at nearby archaeological sites, roughly 6,000-year-old remnants of what were possibly some of the world's first cities are emerging from obscurity. These low-density, spread-out archaeological sites are known as megasites, a term that underscores both their immense size and mysterious origins. Now, some scientists are arguing the settlements represent a distinct form of ancient urban life that has gone largely unrecognized.

Megasites were cities like no others that have ever existed, says archaeologist John Chapman of Durham University in England.

Comment: See also:

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SOTT Logo Radio

MindMatters: Zoroastrianism: The Ancient System of Values That Sought to Change The World, And Did

Corey Schink, Harrison Koehli, Elan Martin
Sott.net
Wed, 19 Feb 2020 00:00 UTC
zarathustra
More than several millennia ago, a spiritual leader in Persia had a very high vision and ideal for humanity that he labored to preach and spread. In what is now known as Iran, this priest and reformer - who we know as Zarathustra (or Zoroaster) - began with a strong conception of both good and evil, and man's choice to be a manifestation of either. He saw this choice, and the awareness of it as a choice - as not only crucial to the future of his tribe and his countrymen, but to the well being of the world at large. Along with this very basic but essential concept was Zoroaster's advocacy for man's connection and respect for nature, a cohesive society, and reverence for a higher cosmological order.

Considering Zoroastrianism's huge influence and widespread appeal, and the two thousand or more years that it helped lift up the ancient world, what can be said of its impact on other of the world's ancient religions? And perhaps more importantly, what religious, social and cultural ideas does Zoroastrianism teach that we may benefit from today? This week on MindMatters we discuss these and several other features of this ancient religion, that though mostly lost to this time, could not be more timely.


Running Time: 00:49:20

Download: MP3 — 45.2 MB

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Rose

Neanderthal skeleton dated to 70,000 years ago discovered at 'flower burial' site in Iraq

University of Cambridge
Science Daily
Tue, 18 Feb 2020 17:59 UTC
Neanderthal

The first articulated Neanderthal skeleton to come out of the ground for over 20 years has been unearthed at one of the most important sites of mid-20th century archaeology: Shanidar Cave, in the foothills of Iraqi Kurdistan.
The first articulated Neanderthal skeleton to come out of the ground for over 20 years has been unearthed at one of the most important sites of mid-20th century archaeology: Shanidar Cave, in the foothills of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Researchers say the new find offers an unparalleled opportunity to investigate the "mortuary practices" of this lost species using the latest technologies.

Shanidar Cave was excavated in the 1950s, when archaeologist Ralph Solecki uncovered partial remains of ten Neanderthal men, women and children.

Some were clustered together, with clumps of ancient pollen surrounding one of the skeletons. Solecki claimed this showed Neanderthals buried their dead and conducted funerary rites with flowers.

Comment: See also:

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Binoculars

The Italian 'Years of Lead' and secret 'strategy of tension' that may be a foreshadowing of America's future

Sam Jacobs
Ammo.com
Sun, 09 Feb 2020 00:00 UTC
years of lead
While there are some in the United States who believe we are headed toward another Civil War, there is perhaps another, more recent parallel worth exploring - the so-called "Italian Years of Lead."

The short version is that in the late 1960s through the early 1980s, Italy was a hotbed of assassination, shoot-outs and bombings between various factions of the far-left, the far-right and the Italian government - with American, British and Soviet intelligence agencies often pulling the strings.

While the death toll was a lot lower than it could have been, it's a fascinating and oft-overlooked area of history. When all was said and done, the Italian political landscape had been radically changed. Thousands of leftists were forced to flee the nation, but ultimately, shocked by the violence, Italian politics moderated.

Did we mention that a Masonic Lodge came very close to overthrowing the government? Strap yourself in. You're about to take a bumpy ride down an obscure historic lane, where "truth being stranger than fiction" is most certainly true (and well documented).

Comment: Great summary of the 'strategy of tension'.

But what if it's actually already in an advanced state of application in the US?

Terror attacks attributed to Islamists are thankfully rare in the US, but mass shootings are not. What if some of those - especially the particularly bloody ones that receive much media attention - are actually being carried out by govt operative, or operatives who can rely on the govt's protection?

What if it has been a major factor causing the radicalization and polarization we've seen to date in the USA?

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Info

Earliest evidence of ancient plant foods discovered in Australia


The University of Queensland
Tue, 18 Feb 2020 01:49 UTC
Plant Food
© The University of Queensland

Australia's first plant foods - eaten by early populations 65,000 years ago - have been discovered in Arnhem Land.

Preserved as pieces of charcoal, the morsels were recovered from the debris of ancient cooking hearths at the Madjedbebe archaeological site, on Mirarr country in northern Australia.

University of Queensland archaeobotanist Anna Florin said a team of archaeologists and Traditional Owners identified 10 plant foods, including several types of fruits and nuts, underground storage organs ('roots and tubers'), and palm stem.

"By working with Elders and co-authors May Nango and Djaykuk Djandjomerr, the team was also able to explain how the plants were likely used at Madjedbebe," Ms Florin said.

"Many of these plant foods required processing to make them edible and this evidence was complemented by grinding-stone technology also used during early occupation at the site."

"The First Australians had a great deal of botanical knowledge and this was one of the things that allowed them to adapt to and thrive in this new environment.

"They were able to guarantee access to carbohydrates, fat and even protein by applying this knowledge, as well as technological innovation and labour, to the gathering and processing of Australian plant foods."
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Pyramid

Egypt: Great Pyramid exposed after tiny robot explores mystery shaft in Queen's Chamber

Callum Hoare
Express
Sat, 15 Feb 2020 00:00 UTC
EGYPT's Great Pyramid of Giza has been exposed after a tiny robot headed into the air shafts of the ancient structure, making a breakthrough discovery which "adds another dimension to the story" Express.co.uk can exclusively reveal.
Pyramid
© GETTY
The robot headed into the Great Pyramid
Led by a team of Britons, the Djedi Mission used state of the art robotics and technology designed for space exploration to finally look beyond the famous Gantenbrink Door. First spotted in 1993, the stone slab was hiding 65 metres up an airshaft behind the Queen's Chamber and was drilled through under orders of famous Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, seemingly revealing nothing during a live TV broadcast. But now, almost three decades later, experts have made a breakthrough, historian Matthew Sibson revealed to Express.co.uk exclusively.

He said: "Basically, a few years ago, a robot went into the Great Pyramid and found a door behind an air shaft in the Queen's Chamber.

Comment: See also:

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Eagle

Canada has a momumental Ukrainian Nazi problem

Levon Sevunts
Radio Canada International
Mon, 13 Aug 2018 11:10 UTC
Roman Shukhevych, commander of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army

The monument to Roman Shukhevych, commander of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army from 1943 until his death in 1950, has stood at the entrance of the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex in North Edmonton, Alberta, since mid-1970s. Shukhevych is lionized by some for his fight for Ukrainian independence against Poland, the Soviet Union and later Germany. But critics of the monument say it glorifies a Nazi henchman who sided with Germany in hopes of winning independence for Ukraine. (Photo courtesy of John-Paul Himka)
A Canadian monument to a hero of an anti-Soviet nationalist uprising in Ukraine is raising questions about the manipulation of historical memory for political purposes.

Critics of the monument say Roman Shukhevych was also a ruthless Nazi henchman and honouring him plays into the hands of the Kremlin propaganda machine that seeks to delegitimize the very idea of Ukrainian statehood.


Comment: Indeed, Canada clearly has a 'Nazi apologist' problem. Among other things, it voted against Russia's anti-Nazism resolution at the UN.


The bronze bust of Shukhevych, one of the leaders of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the commander of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (known under its Ukrainian acronym UPA) during WWII and immediately after, has stood quietly at the entrance of the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex in North Edmonton, Alberta, for 45 years.

Shukhevych's stern gaze has greeted generations of Ukrainian-Canadians who came to the centre for various community activities, oblivious of the national hero's messy wartime record of mass murder and ethnic cleansing.

Comment: One solution would be to give these nutcases their state: carve it out of western Ukraine and call it the People's Democratic Republic of Galicia, or Volhynistan or something.

It should be pointed out that Canada was initially reluctant to absorb these Ukie Nazis, until the British govt pressured her into it...
Members of the Galicia Division were initially prohibited from entering Canada due to their membership in the SS. But in 1950, Britain made an appeal to the Commonwealth for volunteers to accept a total of 9,000 division members who were at that time residing in the UK after being disarmed by British troops at the war's end.

When Canada's External Affairs Department, prompted by complaints from the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), raised concerns about the division's ties to the Nazis and role in Nazi atrocities, the British government insisted that it had carried out background checks. "While in Italy these men were screened by Soviet and British missions and neither then nor subsequently has any evidence been brought to light which would suggest that any of them fought against the Western Allies or engaged in crimes against humanity," claimed the British Foreign Office. "Their behaviour since they came to this country," added London, "has been good and they have never indicated in any way that they are infected with any trace of Nazi ideology."

With this letter serving as political cover, Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent and his cabinet declared that Galicia Division members would be permitted to immigrate to Canada unless it could be proved that they had personally committed atrocities against civilian populations based on "race, religion or national origins." Simply having been a Galicia Division member would not be considered a valid reason to prevent entry, even though after the war all Waffen-SS members had been deemed complicit in war crimes.

The immigration of Nazi and Nazi-allied war criminals continued for more than a decade after the war and was a significant factor in Canada's emergence during the Cold War as a political-ideological centre of far-right Ukrainian nationalism.

Speaking to a CBS 60 Minutes programme in 1997, Canadian historian Irving Abella, who is currently Professor for Canadian Jewish history at York University, bluntly summed up the political climate of the time. "One way of getting into postwar Canada," he said "was by showing the SS tattoo. This proved that you were an anti-Communist."
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