A researcher at the University of Maine claims to have discovered a skull fragment of the oldest-known domesticated dog in North America – in a human fecal sample. “Not only were they most likely companions as they are today, they served as protection, hunting assistants, and also as a food source,” explained Samuel Belknap III.

Archaeologist Clare Hickman of Bristol University will study the gardens of medical pioneers John Hunter and Edward Jenner. Both men, who lived in Gloucestershire, England, during the late eighteenth century, observed the natural world and experimented in their personal landscapes.  

In Ireland, mass graves holding the remains of many who died during the Siege of Derry have been found beneath First Derry Presbyterian Church and its parking lot. The siege lasted 105 days during the “Glorious Revolution” of 1688.  

This article from London’s Natural History Museum website offers a fuller explanation of how the Denisovans, discovered in a cave in Siberia, fit into the human family tree.  

A 2,000-year-old skull from Peru has turned up in Spain, where it was exhibited in 1929 and then turned over to the University of Seville. The skull will be returned to Peru.  

There are many stories about traveling in Jordan in the news this week. The most comprehensive one is from the Telegraph.  

The Wall Street Journal has followed up on the problems and politics of funding the conservation of archaeological sites in Italy.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Wednesday, January 12, 2011. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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