Beneath every footstep in Syria is an ancient civilization, says German archaeologistOctober 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A German archaeologist has said that beneath every footstep in Syria is an ancient civilization, with the ancient monuments in the region telling the stories of the many peoples and civilizations that lived in it. According to a report in the Global Arab Network, the archaeologist in question is Markus Gschwind, head of the Syrian-German Archaeology Expedition working at al-Rafina in Hama.
Ancient Mayans destroyed themselves by deforesting their landscapeOctober 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new research, NASA funded scientists have determined that the ancient Mayans were themselves responsible for the demise of their civilization, by deforesting and destroying their landscape in efforts to eke out a living in hard times. For 1200 years, the Maya dominated Central America.
Ancient Indus Valley script might soon be decoded by computer programAugust 29th, 2009 SYDNEY - A recent research has determined that an ancient, indecipherable text from the Indus Valley civilization is being decoded with the help of a computer program. According to a report by ABC News, though it has yet to decrypt this mysterious language, the program may help to decipher other ancient texts whose meanings have been long since forgotten.
Origins of ancient Chinese civilization under reconsiderationAugust 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Recent archaeological discoveries from far-flung corners of China are forcing scientists to reconsider the origins of ancient Chinese civilization. A group of articles by Science news writer Andrew Lawler have explored how, over several millennia, China evolved from a much wider array of peoples and cultures than once imagined.
Ancient Mayans practiced forest conservation 3,000 years agoJuly 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, scientists from the University of Cincinnati (UC) have determined that the ancient Mayans practiced forest conservation about 3,000 years ago. Paleoethnobotanist David Lentz from the University of Cincinnati has concluded that not only did the Maya people practice forest management, but when they abandoned their forest conservation practices, it was to the detriment of the entire Maya culture.
Taj Mahal builders used Harappan measurement units that British discardedJuly 9th, 2009 BANGALORE - Designers of the 17th century Taj Mahal, the finest piece of Mughal architecture, employed the same unit of measurement used by the Harappan civilization as far back 2000 BC, according to a study by an IIT-Kanpur professor. These units were used by builders in India till the British imposed their own units in the 18th century.
Maize agriculture may have fueled ancient Andean civilizationJuly 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, a skeleton found at a roughly 1,000-year-old site in Peru's Andes mountains has yielded chemical evidence of substantial maize consumption, which suggests that the farming of the crop led to the rise of the ancient Andean civilization. Prehistoric communities in one part of Peru's Andes Mountains may have gone from maize to amazingly complex.
Australian forests best in the world at locking up carbonJune 17th, 2009 SYDNEY - A new study has found that mountain ash forests in Australia are the best in the world at locking up carbon. According to a report by ABC News, the study has been carried out by environmental scientist Professor Brendan Mackey of the Australian National University and colleagues.
Bodies of three dozen Incas sacrificed in gruesome ritual found in PeruJune 5th, 2009 LONDON - Archaeologists in Peru have discovered the remains of nearly three dozen people sacrificed some 600 years ago in a gruesome ritual by the Incan civilization. The bodies, some of which show signs of having been cut along their necks and collarbones, were otherwise found in good condition, Carlos Webster, who is leading excavations at the Chotuna-Chornancap camp, told the Telegraph.
Ancient city in Peru likely to be considered as World Cultural Heritage siteJune 3rd, 2009 LIMA - Soon, the ancient city of Caral in Peru may be marked as a World cultural heritage site. According to a report in www.LivinginPeru.com, archaeologist Ruth Shady says that the ruins of the ancient city of Caral, located at 207 km or 128 miles to the north of Lima, meet the conditions to join the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Mayan civilization collapsed because of resource depletion, not disease or warfareJune 3rd, 2009 LONDON - New evidence, in the form of inferior wood in ancient temples, has emerged for the theory that the Mayan civilization collapsed because they ran out of resources, rather than, say, disease or warfare. According to a report in New Scientist, the evidence was found by researchers led by David Lentz, a palaeoethnobotanist at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, US, in wooden beams and lintels from all six major temples and two palaces within the ancient city of Tikal in Guatemala.
Global warming as big a threat as arms race, say scientistsMay 29th, 2009 EDINBURGH - Scientists have warned that climate change poses as great a threat as the nuclear arms race, and have called on world leaders to take action to tackle the problem. According to a report in The Scotsman, the statement was made by scientists and Nobel laureates attending a three-day conference hosted by St James's Palace that drew up a memorandum calling for global greenhouse gas emissions to peak by 2015.
Hurricanes reduce ability of forests to store CO2April 28th, 2009 LONDON - In a new research, ecologists have determined that hurricanes can reduce the ability of forests to store carbon dioxide (CO2) and turn them into overall emitters of the toxic greenhouse gas. According to a report in New Scientist, for the research, ecologist Jeffrey Chambers of Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and his colleagues, took the example of the forests in the US, which have been severely affected by the destruction wrecked by hurricanes over the past 150 years.
Inscription from the time of Alexander the Great unearthed in AfghanistanApril 2nd, 2009 LONDON - Archaeological excavations in the ancient region of Baktria in Afghanistan have revealed a unique marble slab with the image of Alexander the Great and a passage of an inscription. The slab represents an ancient king on a horse heading Macedonian cavalry and Macedonian phalanx at the background.
Origins of 'Rx' traced back to 5000 years in EgyptApril 2nd, 2009 LONDON - In a special report, the Voice of America has traced the origin of the sign 'Rx', the history of which goes back to 5000 years in Egypt. The sign is seen on drug stores and on bottles of pills and other medicines.
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