The complex origin story of domestic cats: Research points to Tunisia Researchers looking into the origin of domestic cats have long considered that cats likely accompanied early farmers during the Neolithic, spreading through Europe alongside the adoption of agriculture.
https://phys.org/news/2025-04-....complex-story-domest

New clues from old bones: Some Vikings were much more violent than others An investigation into Viking skeletons reveals a hidden story of violence, power, and the surprising differences between neighboring Viking societies. These bones came from all over Norway—from the north, and from the Oslo Fjord region—and a surprising number of them showed evidence of brutal deaths.
https://phys.org/news/2025-04-....clues-bones-vikings-

Coastal heritage threatened by climate change—researchers suggest need for integrated management for protection Humans have always lived by the coasts and waterways, and thus these locations are rich with archaeological sites. Natural and cultural resource management are conducted separately, despite the fact that climate change, sea level rise, and extreme weather threaten them both.
https://phys.org/news/2025-04-....coastal-heritage-thr

How agricultural practices and governance have shaped wealth inequality over the last 10,000 years A new study led by Amy Bogaard, Professor of European Archaeology, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, reveals that high wealth inequality in human societies over the past 10,000 years was encouraged by land-hungry farming practices. Where land became scarce, wealth inequality often grew among households, but where land was abundant, wealth was more equally distributed.
https://phys.org/news/2025-04-....agricultural-wealth-

Archaeological database reveals links between housing and inequality in ancient world If the archaeological record has been correctly interpreted, stone alignments in Tanzania's Olduvai Gorge are remnants of shelters built 1.7 million years ago by Homo habilis, an extinct species representing one of the earliest branches of humanity's family tree.
https://phys.org/news/2025-04-....archaeological-datab