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.

The oldest known evidence of wine production has been unearthed in an Armenian cave. The 6,000-year-old winery consists of a vat to press grapes, fermentation jars, and a bowl and a drinking cup. Grape seeds and traces of skins and vines were also found.

Neanderthals and early modern humans probably had similar life spans, according to a study of the fossil record by Erik Trinkaus of Washington University. It had been thought that Neanderthals died out because of short life expectancy, but perhaps modern humans gained an advantage with higher fertility rates and lower infant mortality. 

A boundary wall dating to the seventeenth century has been discovered at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland.  

UNESCO is sponsoring an international team of archaeologists that will examine the World Heritage site of Lumbini, known as the birthplace of Buddha in Nepal.   

What could be the oldest known artifacts in Nepal have been sent to Kathmandu for analysis.  

A student at Michigan Tech is tinkering with a new technique for dating ancient ceramics called rehydroxylation dating.