Secret HistoryS


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Nearly 300-million-year-old fossilized reptile skin found in Oklahoma cave resembles that of modern crocodiles

collage of skin fossils
© Current Biology, Mooney et al.A visual collage of skin fossils described in the new study. The mummified skin specimen is shown sliced into two pieces in the center-left of the image. The surrounding specimen scans are of fossilized skin impressions.
Paleontologists say they've identified and described the oldest fossilized reptile skin ever found.

A team of paleontologists from the University of Toronto Mississauga discovered the fossilized skin of a reptile-like animal in a cave in Oklahoma. The skin fossil is estimated to be more than 20 million years older than the previous record-holder.

The finding, which is believed to be at least 286 million years old, was discovered in the Richards Spur cave system, a fascinating area of Oklahoma uniquely suited to preserve fossilized remains.

The soft tissue fossil is a rare find, made possible by a series of chance events. It provides insight into a distant evolutionary past that predates both mammals and the oldest dinosaurs.

In caves, fine sediment deposits and low oxygen levels help delay decomposition, according to lead study author Ethan Mooney, who is pursuing a master's degree in paleontology at the University of Toronto (U of T).

The limestone caves of Richards Spur in Oklahoma contain some of the world's most diverse and well-preserved fossils from the Paleozoic. At that time, the caves were filled with petroleum and tar from the nearby Woodford Shale, which saturated the fossils and further protected them from decay.

Richards Spur contains many fossils of Captorhinus aguti — an iguana-size, lizardlike reptile. Most specimens are skeletons, but one C. aguti fossil described in the Current Biology study retains a portion of its epidermis — the scaly outermost layer of skin made of the same keratin found in human hair and fingernails. Mooney emphasizes the importance of developing a thick, waterproof epidermis for survival on land.

Archaeology

Construction workers unearth 9,000-year-old artifacts that may change Brazil's history

human skeleton
© Screenshot/InstagramIPHANGOVBRUFMAOFICIAL
Construction workers in Brazil unearthed a treasure trove of artifacts back in 2019, and archaeologists now think it'll rewrite the entire nation's history.

Construction workers were just getting started on the development of a new apartment complex in the seaside city of Sao Luis, when they found human remains, pottery shards and thousands of other artifacts throughout the area, according to CBS News. Archaeologists were called in to assess the site, known as Chacara Rosane, and found the artifacts were from around 9,000 years ago.

In total, some 100,000 artifacts have been found at the site, along with at least 43 human skeletons, according to a press release published in January by the Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage.

Comment: And once again proof that we do not know the true history of mankind. Due to political or religious ideologies, "facts" of our past have been disseminated that bear no resemblance to the truth.

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Info

Newly-found inscribed brick may reveal Elamite water supply system in western Iran

brick inscribed with the Akkadian script
© Tehran Times
This discovery sheds light on the political and economic significance of the ancient site of Garan on the western borders of Elamite civilization.

According to ISNA, the findings were reported during a specialized session titled "Representation of Dehloran Valley's Perspective; Based on the Discoveries of Garan Mound," organized by the Institute of Archaeology.

"Garan, situated in the Dehloran Valley within the modern province of Ilam and on the southwestern plateau of Iran, covers an area of 17 hectares. It features a prominent cone-shaped elevation in the south of the site, surrounded by several irregular mounds to the east, north, and west of the main prominence," said Mohsen Zeinivand, an archaeologist involved in the excavation.

Zeinivand highlighted the exceptional importance of Garan in archaeological studies of the region due to its organized human habitation sequence from the late ancient periods to the end of the historical era.

It transformed into the largest settlement in the second millennium BC until the late Achaemenid period, holding extraordinary significance in the archaeology of the area, the archaeologist said.

Regarding recent examinations of the site, Zeinivand explained: "Surface surveys identified numerous broken bricks with possible inscriptions. Although the inscriptions on these brick fragments were not easily decipherable due to weathering and erosion, one sample revealed partially readable words such as 'ruler,' 'son,' and 'his lord,' suggesting Akkadian language."

Blue Planet

Discoveries gleaned from 5,000 ancient Eurasian human DNA samples

Porsmose skull
© The Danish National MuseumThe Porsmose Man from the Neolithic Period, found in1947 in Porsmose, Denmark.
Four research articles published in Nature follow the genetic traces and geographical origins of human diseases far back in time. The analyses provide detailed pictures of prehistoric human diversity and migration, while proposing an explanation for a rise in the genetic risk for multiple sclerosis (MS).

By analyzing data from the world's largest data set to date on 5,000 ancient human genomes from Europe and Western Asia (Eurasia), new research has uncovered the prehistoric human gene pools of western Eurasia in unprecedented detail.

The results are presented in four articles published in the same issue of Nature by an international team of researchers led by experts from the University of Copenhagen and contributions from around 175 researchers from universities and museums in the U.K., the U.S., Germany, Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, France, Poland, Switzerland, Armenia, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Italy. The many researchers represent a wide range of scientific disciplines, including archaeology, evolutionary biology, medicine, ancient DNA research, infectious disease research, and epidemiology.

Quenelle - Golden

Neo-colonialism: France made 'the largest marine cemetery in the world' just to contain Russia and China

Migrants sit in a makeshift boat
© AFP / Fethi Belaid
While the world is transfixed on the migration crisis in the Mediterranean, something similar is currently happening in the Indian ocean
When Comoros gained independence in 1975, the Comorans could move freely in between the archipelago, which was comprised of the Nzwani (Fr. Anjouan), Ngazidja (Grande Comore), Maore (Mayotte), and Mwali (Mohéli) islands.

However, in 1995, France introduced a visa requirement, the so-called Visa Balladur, named after the prime minister at the time, for the three other islands to Mayotte. The legislation disrupted existing local mobilities between the islands, because normal internal movement (given the links among the people of the archipelago anchored in historic, cultural, and religious ties) was considered 'illegal' by French authorities.

Death visa

Since then, the inhabitants have employed very risky migration tactics across the 70-kilometer (43-mile) stretch between Mayotte and the archipelago. The immigrants travel in fast flat-bottomed fishing boats equipped with two engines locally known as the "Kwassa kwassa" boats, which means "an unstable boat" in the local language, because they often capsize. Consequently, the number of deaths and/or missing persons has increased since the introduction of the Balladur Visa.

According to the French senate report, between 1995 and 2012, it is estimated that approximately 10,000 Comorans died on the crossing to Mayotte from the Comoros Islands. However, the governor of Anjouan, Anissi Chamsidine, in May 2015 claimed that more than 50,000 had drowned since 1995. Consequently, he calls the 70 kilometers between Mayotte and the rest of the archipelago "the largest marine cemetery in the world." Visa Balladur is now commonly referred to as "Visa de la mort" ('death visa') for inhabitants of the other three islands.

Comment: France is still very much attached to its colonies and as always it is about resources and power projection. In Africa some countries have started to kick France out of their former colonies much to the chagrin of the ruling French elite.

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Info

Discoveries gleaned from human ancient DNA

Four research articles in Nature follow the genetic traces and geographical origins of human diseases far back in time. The analyses provide detailed pictures of prehistoric human diversity and migration, while proposing an explanation for a rise in the genetic risk for multiple sclerosis (MS).
The Porsmose Man
© The Danish National MuseumThe Porsmose Man from the Neolithic Period, found in 1947 in Porsmose, Denmark.
By analysing data from the world's largest data set to date on 5,000 ancient human genomes from Europe and Western Asia (Eurasia), new research has uncovered the prehistoric human gene pools of western Eurasia in unprecedented detail.

The results are presented in four articles published in the same issue of Nature by an international team of researchers led by experts from the University of Copenhagen and contributions from around 175 researchers from universities and museums in the UK, the US, Germany, Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, France, Poland, Switzerland, Armenia, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Italy. The many researchers represent a wide range of scientific disciplines, including archaeology, evolutionary biology, medicine, ancient DNA research, infectious disease research, and epidemiology.

The research discoveries presented in the Nature articles are based on analyses of a subset of the 5,000 genomes and include:
  • The vast genetic implications of a culturally determined barrier, which until around 4,000 years ago extended up through Europe from the Black Sea in the south to the Baltic Sea in the north.
  • Mapping of how risk genes for several diseases, including type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, were dispersed in Eurasia in the wake of large migration events over 5,000 years ago.
  • New scientific evidence of ancient migrations explaining why the prevalence of multiple sclerosis is twice as high in Scandinavia than in Southern Europe.
  • Mapping of two almost complete population turnovers in Denmark, within a single millennium.

Blue Planet

5th Century mosaic overturns understanding of post-Roman Britain

chedworth mosaic
© National Trust- Stephen HaywoodArchaeological tests of the mosaic have revealed what life may have been like in the manor
New tests have confirmed a discovery which challenges the understanding of life in Britain after the Roman Empire.

In 2020, Britain's first known 5th Century mosaic was uncovered at Chedworth Roman Villa in Cheltenham.

New soil samples taken from underneath the mosaic revealed the tiles could not have been laid before 400AD.

Experts say this provides further evidence that sophisticated life at the manor had continued for decades after the country had entered the Dark Ages.

Comment: This follows another recent, related discovery: Mysterious early medieval cemetery unearthed in Wales reveals trade networks reaching as far as North Africa


Blue Planet

Huge 4,000-year-old fortification discovered in Saudi Arabia

Khaybar
© Khaybar Longue Durée Archaeological Project, M. Bussy & G. Charloux.Reconstruction of the fort at Khaybar.
Archaeologists have found a massive ancient fortification enclosing the Khaybar Oasis in the North Arabian Desert. It is one of the two largest fortifications in Saudi Arabia.

Oases in the region have been settled by human populations for 4,000-5,000 years. An oasis is a small patch of vegetation in the desert. Fed by sources of freshwater such as underground rivers and high water tables mean these areas can become vibrant, lush sanctuaries for plant and animal life.

Human-built aquifers and channels can help irrigate these areas making them suitable for long-term settlement.


Comment: And there's evidence in Iraq showing that its people had a seriously sophisticated understanding of the science of water: Ancient Sumerians invented water flumes thousands of years earlier than previously thought


Comment: Evidently it was built to protect something from potential attack by invaders. Which corresponds to evidence elsewhere that not only did societies become more warlike, and this was then followed the collapse of Bronze Age societies across the planet: Other discoveries at Khaybar:


Snowflake Cold

UK's deadliest snow in history that killed 90,000 people, froze seas and saw food prices soar

A shimmering wall of ice on one of the waterfalls on the Brecon Beacons in 1963
A shimmering wall of ice on one of the waterfalls on the Brecon Beacons in 1963
Dubbed the 'Big Freeze', the snowstorm of 1962 lasted three perilous months and took the lives of thousands of Brits as food prices soared and transport stopped running

The UK is facing its worst snowstorm in over a decade - but it still won't compare to the record-breaking Big Freeze when almost 90,000 excess winter deaths were reported.

Countless forecasting sites are warning Brits to prepare for winter weather hazards over the coming weeks, with blanketing snow and harsh overnight frosts expected across the country. The Met Office has refused to put exact figures on how much snow will come down, and where it will land, though the national weather agency predicts an "increasing risk" later in the week.

Exacta Weather forecaster James Madden believes the snow risk is greater than any year since 2010 and predicts the cold spell "will hold out for an extended period". "As well as the risk of snow, we will see harsh overnight frosts and the coldest temperatures dipping as low as -15C in the coldest parts of the country over the coming week," he told GB News.

But it will be nothing compared to the horror of 1962 and 1963 - the snowstorm that lasted for three solid months and claimed the lives of thousands. Temperatures plunged to -22C; planes, trains, lorries, and cars were grounded; schools were closed and people were trapped in their own homes as rivers, lakes, and even the sea froze over.


Info

Laser mapping reveals oldest Amazonian cities, built 2500 years ago

Neighborhoods, farms, and roads are 1000 years older than previous discoveries.

Lidar Map
© ANTOINE DORISON AND STÉPHEN ROSTAINA lidar map of the city of Kunguints in the Ecuadorian Amazon reveals ancient streets lined with houses.
Archaeologists once believed the ancient Amazon rainforest was an inhospitable place, sparsely populated by bands of hunter-gatherers. But the remains of enormous earthworks, pyramids, and roads from Bolivia to Brazil discovered over the past 2 decades have proved conclusively that the Amazon was home to large, complex societies long before European colonizers arrived. Now, there's evidence that another human society — the oldest yet — left its mark on the region: A dense network of interconnected cities, now hidden beneath the forest in Ecuador's Upano Valley, has been revealed by the laser mapping technology called lidar. The settlements, described today in Science, are at least 2500 years old, more than 1000 years older than any other known complex Amazonian society.

Lidar, which allows researchers to see through forest cover and reconstruct the ancient sites below, "is revolutionizing our understanding of the Amazon in pre-Columbian times," says Carla Jaimes Betancourt, an archaeologist at the University of Bonn who wasn't involved in the new work. Finding such an ancient urban network in the Upano Valley highlights the long-unrecognized diversity of ancient Amazonian cultures, which archaeologists are just beginning to be able to reconstruct.

Stéphen Rostain, an archaeologist at CNRS, France's national research agency, began excavating in the Upano Valley nearly 30 years ago. His team focused on two large settlements, called Sangay and Kilamope, and found mounds organized around central plazas, pottery decorated with paint and incised lines, and large jugs holding the remains of the traditional maize beer chicha. Radiocarbon dates showed the Upano sites were occupied from around 500 B.C.E. to between 300 C.E. and 600 C.E. "I knew that we had a lot of mounds, a lot of structures," Rostain says. "But I didn't have a complete overview of the region."