Rapa Nui and Hawai‘i offer a tale of two island settlements: Hawai‘i was close enough to Asia for continental dust to help replenish soil nutrients depleted by agriculture. Rapa Nui wasn’t.
Archaeology
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American Legacy Paleosecular Variation Data Unlocked
The geomagnetic field changes regionally on centennial time scales. A recent study unlocks three historical archives from the “Four Corners” region (southwest USA) reconciling previous discrepancies.
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Roman-Era Millstone and Mixer Makers Knew Their Rocks
The geochemistry of basalt millstones and mixers from the city of Volubilis suggests a local origin—and that rocks were picked for specific purposes, from crushing olives to mixing dough.
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La arquitectura china evolucionó con los cambios en las nevadas
El diseño de los techos en el norte de China cambió a lo largo de siglos en respuesta a eventos de nieve extremos, sugiere nueva investigación.
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Greener, Wetter Arabia Was a Crossroads of Early Human Migration
Hand axes, hippo bones, and a stack of ancient lake beds show that arid Arabia experienced intervals of humid weather, spurring pulses of human migration over the past 400,000 years.
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Chinese Architecture Evolved with Changes in Snowfall
Roof design in northern China changed over centuries in response to extreme snow events, new research suggests.
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Ancient Flint Tools Reveal Earth’s Changing Magnetic Field
Stone tools may provide data on paleomagnetism that are out of reach for other markers, such as prehistoric pottery.
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Cosmological Tool Helps Archaeologists Map Earthly Tombs
A new study employs a method originally developed to help map stars and galaxies to describe how ancient tombs are clustered. The research helps archaeologists studying remote or inaccessible sites.
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Food Security Lessons from the Vikings
Scandinavian societies of the first millennium adapted their farming practices to volcano-driven climate changes.
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La dificultad de definir el Antropoceno
Los humanos pueden estar en una nueva época geológica, el Antropoceno, pero diferentes grupos definen su comienzo en diferentes momentos. ¿Cuándo debería haber comenzado el Antropoceno?