Researchers map 7,000-year-old genetic mutation that protects against HIV
Modern HIV medicine is based on a common genetic mutation. Now, researchers have traced where and when the mutation arose -- and how it protected our ancestors from ancient diseases.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/r....eleases/2025/05/2505
Skeletal evidence of Roman gladiator bitten by lion in combat discovered
Bite marks found on a skeleton discovered in a Roman cemetery in York have revealed the first archaeological evidence of gladiatorial combat between a human and a lion.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/r....eleases/2025/04/2504
Phoenician culture spread mainly through cultural exchange
Ancient DNA analysis challenges our understanding of the ancient Phoenician-Punic civilization. An international team of researchers analyzing genome-wide data from 210 ancient individuals has found that Levantine Phoenician towns contributed little genetically to Punic populations in the central and western Mediterranean despite their deep cultural, economic, and linguistic connections.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/r....eleases/2025/04/2504
How activity in Earth's mantle led the ancient ancestors of elephants, giraffes, and humans into Asia and Africa
What roils beneath the Earth's surface may feel a world away, but the activity can help forge land masses that dictate ocean circulation, climate patterns, and even animal activity and evolution. In fact, scientists believe that a plume of hot rocks that burst from the Earth's mantle millions of years ago could be an important part in the story of human evolution.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/r....eleases/2025/04/2504
Extreme drought contributed to barbarian invasion of late Roman Britain, tree-ring study reveals
Three consecutive years of drought contributed to the 'Barbarian Conspiracy', a pivotal moment in the history of Roman Britain, a new study reveals. Researchers argue that Picts, Scotti and Saxons took advantage of famine and societal breakdown caused by an extreme period of drought to inflict crushing blows on weakened Roman defenses in 367 CE. While Rome eventually restored order, some historians argue that the province never fully recovered.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/r....eleases/2025/04/2504
