In northern Mexico, archaeologists say they have uncovered three Clovis projectile points associated with the remains of 12,000-year-old gomphotheres, an extinct animal similar to mammoths. It had been thought that gomphotheres and humans did not cross paths.  

Some geneticists are critical of the DNA analysis of 11 royal Egyptian mummies, including the family of Tutankhamun. Eline Lorenzen of the Center for GeoGenetics at the Natural History Museum in Copenhagen says that the study is “not seen as rigorous or convincing.”  

Discovery News reports that King Tut’s tomb will not be closed this year after all. “It is a long-term plan that has not been decided upon yet,” explained Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities.  

The face of a young woman who died 2,600 years ago has been reconstructed by a team of German and English scientists. Her remains, which show evidence of chronic illness and hard labor, were found in a bog in northwestern Germany.  

Here’s an update on the exhumation of 100 sets of human remains at a construction site in Los Angeles. The site was once the first Catholic cemetery in the city’s history. “So many different kinds of folks are buried there, it’s really a reflection of L.A. in that time period,” said Wendy Teeter of UCLA’s Fowler Museum.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Friday, January 21, 2011. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

Comments posted here do not represent the views or policies of the Archaeological Institute of America.