Secret HistoryS


Better Earth

Giant DNA study reveals origins of India's people going back 50,000 years

India people women
© (Marco Bottigelli/Getty Images)
The most populous country in the world, India, has long been left out of genetic studies, leaving a massive gap in our understanding of human origins and appreciation of the genetic diversity of our species.

A new study diving 50,000 years into the past by analyzing thousands of genomes has sought to change that, revealing several surprising threads in the rich tapestry of modern India's ancestry.

University of California Berkley population geneticist Elise Kerdoncuff and colleagues sequenced the DNA of 2,762 people from India, including individuals from most geographic regions, in both rural and urban areas, and speakers of all major languages, and tribal and caste groups, to capture the extraordinary diversity of the country.

Star of David

Why the State of Israel is a tool of Western colonial domination in the Middle East

flags
© redressonline/KJN
Zionism can be considered as fascism adapted to the conditions of the Middle East and the aspirations for domination of Anglo-American imperialism over that region, Eduardo Vasco writes.
The central thesis of this article is that the State of Israel is a pure imperialist invention to facilitate the domination of Western Asia by the great powers, a domination that can only be exercised through fascist methods. We seek to prove this thesis by analyzing the history of the Zionist movement from the end of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, using as sources the works of some of the greatest scholars on the subject worldwide, many of them Jews.
The common origins of German Nazism, Italian fascism and Israeli Zionism

The 19th century was the most important in the history of humanity. It was there where the greatest political, economic and social transformations of modernity took place, which opened the way for an unlimited development of human capabilities following the industrial revolution.

It was when the different peoples of the world, particularly those of Europe, which was the center of these transformations, tried for the first time, on an international level, to free themselves from the chains that bound them to backwardness and oppression. Nationalist movements were born in several nations suffocated by colonial empires.

To justify their action, the ideologues of nationalism often resorted to the invention of myths in order to present the purpose of building a nation as a natural historical result of the development of a people's struggle. The myths had as their fundamental characteristic a religious, racial and territorial basis.

Comment: Author provides a cohesive and comprehensive historical context to the creation and diabolical trajectory of 'Israel' and its complicit partners. Excellent read.


Better Earth

1.4 million year old stone tools in Ukraine may be oldest evidence of 'human' presence in Europe

ukraine stone tool
© Roman Garba via APThis photo provided by researcher Roman Garba shows a heavily weathered flake artifact at the Korolevo I archaeological site in western Ukraine in August 2023. Stone tools found in the area are the earliest evidence of early human presence in Europe, dating back to 1.4 million years ago, according to research published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, March 6, 2024.
Ancient stone tools found in western Ukraine may be the oldest known evidence of early human presence in Europe, according to research published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

The chipped stones, deliberately fashioned from volcanic rock, were excavated from a quarry in Korolevo in the 1970s. Archaeologists used new methods to date the layers of sedimentary rock surrounding the tools to more than 1 million years old.

"This is the earliest evidence of any type of human in Europe that is dated," said Mads Faurschou Knudsen, a geophysicist at Aarhus University in Denmark and co-author of the new study.

Comment: This is particularly notable because this and other finds push back human habitation in these regions much further back than previously thought, further discrediting the much touted Out of Africa theory:


Info

Archaeologists discover 8600-year-old bread at Çatalhöyük - May be the oldest bread in the world

Archaeologists have discovered about 8,600-year-old bread at Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic settlement in central Turkey.
Ancient Bread
© AA
Çatalhöyük is noteworthy because it is one of the first human proto-cities to have been built. Full of densely packed mud brick houses covered in paintings and symbolic decorations, its population hovered around 8,000. That made it one of the biggest settlements of its era, somewhere between an outsized village and a tiny city. People, mud-brick homes through ceiling doors, and they navigated sidewalks that wound around the city's rooftops.

Archaeologists have discovered an oven structure in the area called "Mekan 66". Around the largely destroyed oven, wheat, barley, pea seeds, and a handful find that could be food were found.

Analyses conducted at Necmettin Erbakan University Science and Technology Research and Application Center (BITAM) determined that the spongy residue was fermented bread from 6600 B.C.

Head of the Excavation Committee and Anadolu University Faculty Member Associate Professor Ali Umut Türkcan told the AA correspondent that when "archaeology" is mentioned, structures, monuments, and finds come to mind.

Galaxy

1,000-year-old vessels found in Guatemala held tobacco, possibly used as 'narcotic to induce trance'

tobacco
© A. Negrin, et al; Antiquity Publications LtdResearchers tested a collection of vessels and discovered that several contained traces of nicotine.
Archaeologists have discovered a collection of pre-Hispanic ceramic vases that contain traces of nicotine, possibly from liquid infusion.

Residue on pre-Hispanic ceramic vases unearthed in Guatemala contain traces of nicotine, a new chemical analysis reveals.

Archaeologists discovered the pottery collection at the archaeological site of Cotzumalhuapa, which served as one of Mesoamerica's "greatest cities" during the Late Classic Period (A.D. 650 to 950), according to a study published Monday (March 4) in the journal Antiquity.

While early colonial accounts and past studies have confirmed that tobacco use occurred in Mesoamerica, there had been little physical evidence of the practice until now, according to a statement.

Comment: Some researchers have highlighted that the use of hallucinogens may not have been necessary by gifted shamans who were able to achieve ecstatic states through sheer willpower and concentration alone; as well as perhaps a boost through genetic/familial links. This is particularly notable considering some of the other, less humane, practices employed throughout Mesoamerica at that time.

Although, as with many things, such as with alcohol and cannabis, it seems that the intent, dosage, and method of consumption is important, because the use of tobacco as a herb with a myriad of health benefits does appear to have a long and distinguished history that attests to its efficacy, and safety:


Revolver

The triumph of Adwa: An epic story of African victory over European colonizers

Battle of Adwa
© RT / RT
On March 1, 1896, Ethiopian troops defeated the Italian army in the legendary Battle of Adwa, and defended their country's independence.
"I know the tactics of European governments when they wish to acquire possession of oriental states. They first send missionaries then Consuls to support the missionaries then armies to support the Consuls. I am not a Rajah of Hindustan to be hambugged in that fashion. I prefer having at once to do with the armies." - Ethiopian Emperor Tewodros II.
Ethiopia holds a special place among African nations. This ancient country has a strong history of statehood, it has adopted Orthodox Christianity (which is rare for the African continent), and has retained its individuality to this day. One of the particular features of Ethiopia is that it persistently - and successfully - fought against European attempts to colonize it. In fact, Ethiopia is one of only three African countries (along with Liberia and Egypt, although the latter was under the British protectorate) never to have been colonized.

At the end of the 19th century, the army of the Ethiopian Negus (ruler) pulled off an amazing feat. It defeated a full-fledged European army in battle, and successfully prevented Europe's attempt to forcefully impose its will on Ethiopia.

Book

Britain most hostile state to Russia - former defense minister

File photo: The Prince of Wales’s Company of the Welsh Guards, Windsor, England, July 2023
© Getty Images / Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty ImagesFile photo: The Prince of Wales’s Company of the Welsh Guards, Windsor, England, July 2023
The Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are similarly antagonistic, Sergey Ivanov has claimed

The UK is historically the most hostile Western state in terms of its policy toward Moscow, former Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov claimed on Monday.

Speaking at the launch of a new book, 'Nazi genocide of the people of the USSR', Ivanov was asked whether the Nazi plan of "clearing" Russia of its population is still alive in Europe today. The "'idea,' if you can call it that, is several hundred years old," he answered.

Comment: There are many other articles on the same topic of Russophobia, as the links below will show, but when the book by Sergey Ivanov was titled 'Nazi genocide of the people of the USSR' it could refer to the 20-27 million Soviet citizens who lost their lives as a result of the WWII.

Russophobia: History of Hate | RT Documentary

Researchers, historians and writers in the documentary claim Russia became a convenient target after the Great Schism. Throughout history, European rulers and philosophers constructed the image of an uncivilised nation, unfit for talks. For example, French philosophers Diderot, Voltaire and Rousseau argued if Russia could become a civilised country or if it was destined to remain barbarian.

The mythical ferocious Russian bear and the tale of bad Russia still feature in the media and contribute to modern russophobia. The documentary traces the origins of the anti-Russian narrative in the West and explores who benefits from it.
The Long Roots of Our Russophobia
Mettan defines Russophobia as the promotion of negative stereotypes about Russia that associate the country with despotism, treachery, expansion, oppression and other negative character traits. In his view, it is "not linked to specific historical events" but "exists first in the head of the one who looks, not in the victim's alleged behavior or characteristics."

Like anti-semitism, Mettan writes, "Russophobia is a way of turning specific pseudo-facts into essential one-dimensional values, barbarity, despotism, and expansionism in the Russian case in order to justify stigmatization and ostracism."

The origins of Russophobic discourse date back to a schism in the Church during the Middle Ages when Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the Roman empire and modified the Christian liturgy to introduce reforms execrated by the Eastern Orthodox Churches of the Byzantine empire.

Mettan writes that "the Europe of Charlemagne and of the year 1000 was in need of a foil in the East to rebuild herself, just as the Europe of the 2000s needs Russia to consolidate her union."
The UK
We've been here before: British Russophobia propaganda comes full circle
The classic British anti-war film The Charge of the Light Brigade will be fifty years old next year. Who would have thought the crude Russophobia of the 1850s, which Tony Richardson expertly satirized, would be back in vogue half a century later?

The idea history is cyclical and not linear is probably not disproved by looking back to what happened to Britain in the 1850s.

Then, as now, the establishment (and also some of its critics) were promulgating the most ludicrous conspiracy theories about how the 'barbarian' Russians posed a threat not just to the British Empire, but to the entire Western civilization.

Then as now, it was all a load of hogwash. The warmongers of the day just wanted an excuse for another scrap, one in which like their neocon counterparts today, they would stay safely out of harm's way when the cannon balls were fired. For the financial elites, conflict meant excess profits and a nice return on war loans.
Russophobia, obsession of the UK elite
Top British spook comes out of the shadows to further push Russophobia onto Western citizens
Alert: England has contagious Russophobia
Boris Johnson derailed Ukraine peace deal - key Zelensky ally

The US
A Genealogy of American Russophobia
The psychological reasons for Russophobia in the US
Lavrov: Obama-initiated Russophobia campaign hangs on in US
Russophobia narrative will continue because 'everyone is afraid of the Deep State'


Gavel

Colonial crimes: Greenland women sue Denmark over birth control experiment

Greenland
Over 100 Inuit claim they were forcibly fitted with contraceptive devices, local media have reported

A group of indigenous women in Greenland have sued Denmark over an involuntary contraception campaign aimed at limiting the birth rate in the Arctic territory in the 1960s and 1970s, Danish broadcaster DR reported on Monday.

The 143 Inuit women claim Danish health authorities violated their human rights when they fitted them with intrauterine contraceptive coil devices. The women are seeking total compensation of nearly 43 million kroner ($6.3 million).

"The lawsuit was filed this morning. My clients chose to do this because they received no reply to their request for compensation in October," the lawyer for the plaintiffs, Mads Pramming, said.

"Their human rights were violated, they are the living proof."

In October, 67 women, now in their 70s and 80s, demanded compensation of 300,000 kroner ($44,000) each.

Records based on data from the national archives disclosed by the Danish broadcaster in 2022 revealed that 4,500 indigenous women, reportedly half of the fertile women in Greenland, became part of the involuntary contraception campaign.

Comment: As the article mentioned, it is not the only failed social experiment.

In 1941, while Greenland was still under Danish colonial rule, the Danish authorities 'gave' the US permission to military bases on Greenland which has had the potential to put the people of Greenland in the crosshairs if a nuclear conflict would erupt.
In 1968, a US bomber with 4 nuclear weapons crashed in Greenland causing a nuclear fall out. This was despite Denmark's claim to be a nuclear free zone and something which the US had no interest in honoring. The case was covered up but caused a scandal when it broke in 1995.

According to Wikipedia, Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark and all the citizens of Greenland are also full citizens of Denmark. The population is just over 56000 of which 89.5% are Inuit. Greenland has 2 members in the Danish Parliament.


Better Earth

Fossilized forest unearthed in the UK is the oldest ever found at 390 million years old, and it's surprisingly primitive

ancient forest
© Christopher BerryResearchers have discovered a fossil forest with small, palm-like trees and arthropod tracks dating back to the Middle Devonian.
Fossilized trees discovered by chance in southwest England belong to Earth's earliest-known forest, new research has found. The 390 million-year-old fossils supplant the Gilboa fossil forest in New York state, which dates back 386 million years, as the world's oldest known forest.

The new discovery highlights differences between the two ecosystems, suggesting forests went from being relatively primitive to well established over the course of just a few million years, said Neil Davies, the lead author of a new study published Feb. 23 in the Journal of the Geological Society.


Comment: A repeating pattern: The Cambrian Explosion has just gone nuclear


"Why it's important — broadly — is it ticks the boxes of being the oldest fossil forest," Davies, a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge in the U.K., told Live Science. The finding is also remarkable because it reveals stark differences between the complex array of ancient plants found at Gilboa and the newly discovered forest, which appears to have hosted just one type of plant, Davies said.

Comment: As Pierre Lescaudron writes in Of Flash Frozen Mammoths and Cosmic Catastrophes there is strong evidence that our planet's geographic poles have shifted and that life on our planet, and in specific regions, has looked quite different.

See also:


Archaeology

Researchers unearth 240-million-year-old dinosaur that resembles a "mythical Chinese dragon"

Dinocephalosaurus orientalis dragon fossil
© National Museums of ScotlandThe 240-million-year-old Dinocephalosaurus orientalis fossil is 16 feet long and has 32 separate neck vertebrae – an extremely long neck.
A team of international scientists have discovered 240-million-year-old fossils from the Triassic period in China that one scientist described as a "long and snake-like, mythical Chinese dragon."

The 16-foot-long aquatic reptile, called Dinocephalosaurus orientalis, has 32 separate neck vertebrae - an extremely long neck, according to the National Museums of Scotland, which announced the news on Friday.

The new fossil has a snake-like appearance and flippers and was found in the Guizhou Province of southern China.

Comment: More information from National Museums of Scotland:
The reptile was clearly very well adapted to an oceanic lifestyle, as indicated by the flippered limbs and exquisitely preserved fishes in its stomach region. Despite superficial similarities, Dinocephalosaurus was not closely related to the famous long-necked plesiosaurs that only evolved around 40 million years later and which inspired the myth of the Loch Ness Monster. The fossils were discovered in Guizhou Province, southern China.

[...]

The paper describing the animal is published in full in the academic journal Earth and Environmental Science: Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh - forming the entirety of the latest volume.