What links a finger bone and some fossil teeth found in a cave in the remote Altai Mountains of Siberia to a single tooth found in a cave in the limestone landscapes of tropical Laos? The answer to this question has been established by an international team of researchers from Laos, Europe, the US and…
Read More “Ancient tooth unlocks mystery of Denisovans in Asia” »
An international team, led by researchers from the Universities of Vienna and Tubingen, and the Max Planck Society, has identified five new human fossils from the key site of Denisova Cave in southern Siberia. The remains, which include three Denisovans and one Neanderthal, were found in a secure and well dated ~200,000-year-old context. Surrounded by…
Read More “Molecular analysis reveals the oldest Denisovan fossils yet” »
A team of scientists has identified an additional force that likely contributed to a mass extinction event 250 million years ago. Its analysis of minerals in southern China indicate that volcano eruptions produced a “volcanic winter” that drastically lowered earth’s temperatures — a change that added to the environmental effects resulting from other phenomena at…
Read More “‘Volcanic winter’ likely contributed to ecological catastrophe 250 million years ago” »
A widely accepted theory of Native American origins coming from Japan has been attacked in a new scientific study, which shows that the genetics and skeletal biology “simply does not match-up”. The findings, published today in the peer-reviewed journal Jomon teeth vs Native American teeth [Credit: G. Richard Scott, University of Nevada Reno] Based on…
Read More “Popular theory of Native American origins debunked by genetics and skeletal biology” »
Archaeological finds show that people in the Arctic regions of Northwestern Siberia had already established long-range trading links with Eurasian populations some 2000 years ago. The initiation of trading relationships was one of a series of significant social changes that took place during this period. Reindeer herding dog in the Iamal-Nenets region of northwestern Siberia…
Read More “Early long-distance trade links shaped Siberian dogs” »
A wealthy woman was laid to rest nearly 3,000 years ago with unique rings, bracelet, temple rings and a massive bronze pendant. The stone-built grave with a treasure trove of bronze jewellery was made between 2,700 and 2,900 years ago in what is now the Republic of Khakassia, southern Siberia. Overview of burial [Credit: Novosibirsk…
The Permian extinction, also called Permian-Triassic extinction or end-Permian extinction is the most severe biodiversity loss in Earth’s history. According to Britannica, this extinction was characterized by the elimination of over 95 percent of marine and 70 percent of terrestrial species. More than 95 percent of marine and 70 percent of terrestrial species were eliminated…
Read More “Mass extinction likely caused by lethal temperatures due to volcanic CO2 venting” »
Experts have confirmed that ancient hunters resided on Kotelny, off the coast of Yakutia, at 75°20’N 141°00’E, a remarkable 990 kilometres (615 miles) north of the Arctic Circle. Their butchering tools have been found alongside multiple bones of extinct woolly mammoths. Credit: Innokenty Pavlov/The Siberian Times Scientists have restored 70% of the skeleton of one…
Read More “26,000-year-old mammoth butchering site found on Kotelny island in the Arctic” »
Which effects did the heat wave of summer 2020 have in Siberia? In a study led by the University of Bonn (Germany), geologists compared the spatial and temporal distribution of methane concentrations in the air of northern Siberia with geological maps. The result: the methane concentrations in the air after last year’s heat wave indicate…
Read More “Thawing permafrost releases greenhouse gas from depth” »
Max Planck researchers have analyzed DNA from 728 sediment samples from Denisova Cave. This is the largest study of DNA preserved in sediments to date. It provides unprecedented detail about the occupation of the site by both archaic and modern humans over 300,000 years. The researchers detected the DNA of Neanderthals and Denisovans, the two…
