A new survey of Stonehenge suggests that the monument was surrounded by two circular hedges 4,000 years ago. There may also have been a shallow mound within the circle of stones.

Five crates of whisky and brandy have been retrieved from the Antarctic by a team from New Zealand. The drinks had been left 100 years ago by explorer Ernest Shackleton. “If the contents can be confirmed, safely extracted, and analyzed, the original blend may be able to be replicated. Given the original recipe no longer exists, this may open a door into history,” said Richard Paterson, master blender at Whyte and Mackay, whose company supplied the Shackleton expedition.  

A DNA sample taken from Chris Darwin, Charles Darwin’s great-great grandson, reveals that the “father of evolution” belonged to Haplogroup R1b. “Men belonging to Haplogroup R1b are direct descendants of the Cro-Magnon people who, beginning 30,000 years ago, dominated the human expansion into Europe and heralded the demise of the Neanderthal species,” said genealogist Spencer Wells of the Genographic Project.  

The University of Arizona’s dendrochronology lab continues to refine its dating techniques. Tom Swetnam, director of the lab, says the tree rings provide information about climate, archaeology, and the history of civilizations.  

What motivates archaeological excavations in East Jerusalem?    

Several preservation groups in Tennessee want to protect the Civil War battlefield of Armstrong Hill from development. “The fortified ridges and hills where the battle was fought were a major reason the Union was successful in ending the Confederacy’s siege of Knoxville,” said Steve Dean of the Civil War Alliance.   

A bomb dating from World War II was detonated in Alaska. It had been sitting in front of a local bar for years, until soldiers from the Fort Richardson Explosive Ordnance detail inspected it and found it to be live.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Friday, February 5, 2010. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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