Researchers from the University of Cambridge think that Neanderthals and modern humans probably shared similar DNA because of a common ancestor, and not because of interbreeding. Using computer simulations, evolutionary biologists Anders Eriksson and Andrea Manica found that the amount of DNA shared by modern humans from Eurasia and Neanderthals could be explained if both groups descended from isolated populations that shared a common ancestor from North Africa between 300 and 350 thousand years ago. David Reich of Harvard University disagrees. “The patterns observed [in our analyses] are exactly what one would expect from recent gene flow,” he said.

Archaeologists think they may have unearthed a seventh-century Christian monastery on the Scottish island of Eigg. Local folklore holds that St Donnan brought Christianity to the region, founded the monastery, and was killed with 50 other monks on Easter Sunday in the year 617. “The building that was found pre-dates the medieval one on site and it could be Donnan’s. It is hoped, subject to funding, to do more investigations in the future,” said Karen Helliwell, a dig volunteer.

Excavation of the remains of hundreds of warriors found in a bog in Denmark continues. The men had died a violent death some 2,000 years ago, shown by the fractured skull, fractured thigh bone, and numerous weapons that have been recovered. Scholars are also digging test pits across the landscape in order to try to reconstruct what happened.

The elaborate funerary practices of the Chinchorro probably developed during a time when resources in South America’s extremely dry Atacama Desert were more plentiful and the population of this hunter-gatherer culture was increasing, according to a new environmental study led by Pablo Marquet of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Chinchorro mummies were made by removing the organs and muscle tissue, reinforcing the bones, and decorating the bodies in styles that changed over time. “Environmental change [in this case] acted as a positive and creative force in the building up of social complexity,” said Marquet.

Fighting in Syria continues to take its toll. A stone footbridge leading into Syria’s Citadel of Aleppo and a gate into the fort have reportedly been damaged by insurgents. Syrian archaeologists have also accused government forces of damaging the World Heritage site with mortar fire.

Two dams have been demolished along Washington’s Elwha River by the National Forest Service in order to restore the river and its salmon runs. The draining of the Elwha Dam reservoir has revealed Elwha tribal lands that have been submerged since 1913. Two cultural sites have been revealed: the first is a sacred rock, known as the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe’s creation site. “It isn’t a myth. It’s a reality, what our elders have been saying all along,” said Tribal Chairwoman Frances Charles. The other site shows signs of human habitation 8,000 ago, and is one of the oldest known archaeological sites on the Olympic Peninsula.

An early Islamic site in Cairo is threatened by rapid development. The site includes an eighth-century mosque and several mausolea, known to be among the oldest in the Arab world. An eighth-century tomb has yielded ceramics, coins, glass weights, bone and wood objects, baskets, papers, papyri, and cloth items such as shrouds used to wrap the deceased. Five aqueducts and a hammam, or bathroom, dating to the eleventh century have also been found.

The Internet is abuzz with the idea that two pyramid complexes may have been revealed in a Google Earth satellite imagery survey conducted by Angela Micol of North Carolina. “The images speak for themselves. It’s very obvious what the sites may contain but field research is needed to verify they are, in fact, pyramids,” she said.