Flowers have been found in a 4,000-year-old grave in Scotland. Pollen has found at other sites, but scientists could not rule out that it didn’t come from honey or mead. “These are the first proof that people in the Bronze Age were actually placing flowers with burials,” said Kenneth Brophy of the University of Glasgow.  

Bones from seven individuals were unearthed in the basement of a home in Philadelphia. “They are going to be scientifically examined by archaeologists. It’s told to me that it’s believed that these bones could be more than 100 years old, and we’re trying to find out what exactly brought them to that location,” explained a police officer.  

A 250,000-year-old genetic mutation that regulates chronic inflammation may be responsible for humans outliving other primates. Scientists think the change is an evolutionary response to eating red meat. “I suggest that it arose to lower the risk of degenerative disease from the high-fat meat diet they consumed. Another benefit is that it promoted brain development,” said biologist Caleb Finch of the University of Southern California.  

Construction work at Indonesian Islamic University uncovered a well-built temple dating between the eighth and tenth centuries. “Only a temple of high importance for its time used this kind of material. This is why the reliefs have remained intact despite their age,” said Indung Panca Putra of the Yogyakarta Prehistoric Legacy Conservation Center.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Tuesday, December 15, 2009. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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