Neanderthals had big noses simply because earlier hominids had them, according to palaeoanthropologist Nathan Holton. “A lot of these anatomical differences are probably more likely due to these chance changes,” agreed his colleague, Robert Franciscus. The two researchers studied the facial dimensions of Neanderthals and modern humans.

The Associated Press has picked up the story of Yaron Svoray, who has been looking for rejected loot and debris from the 1938 pogrom known as Kristallnacht in a dump north of Berlin.  

Archaeologists have recovered a small object that could be the first coin to come from the wreck thought to be the Queen Anne’s Revenge. “I think this is going to be one of our top priorities; it could have a date or something on it,” said Shanna Daniel, assistant conservator for the project.  

Tourists will soon be able to visit the wreck of the HMHS Britannic in submersibles. The wartime hospital ship sank in 1916, and now sits beneath 400 feet of warm water off the coast of the Greek isle of Kea. “This project is not just about tourism but also about education, conservation, and marine archaeology,” said Simon Mills, who bought the shipwreck from the British government in 1996.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Wednesday, October 29, 2008. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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