Author detection tool probes ancient texts

[Courier Mail]  SCIENTISTS believe they might be able to solve the mystery over whether Saint Paul really wrote the Letter to the Hebrews if the Vatican supplies some more extra-canonical texts.

'One of the most significant findings of the last 100 years': Artefacts discovered on Dartmoor hint at ancient trading links

[The Independent]  A find hailed as "one of the most significant of at least the last 100 years", has unearthed human remains and Bronze Age artefacts thought to be 4,000 years old.

Man finds that stuffed cat in his attic is a 2000 year old Egyptian mummy

[Daily Mail]   When B&B owner Robert Gray found a stuffed cat among the dust in his attic, he assumed it was some kind of bizarre antique. But after taking the pile of rags to a vet for an x-ray, it emerged the artefact is actually a 2,000-year-old Egyptian mummy. Images revealed the outline of a perfectly preserved ancient cat - complete with face, ears, spine and brain.

Ancient whale fossils unearthed by road construction

[CBS News]  Fossils uncovered during construction of a roadway in Southern California have revealed four new species of ancient whales, according to research presented here at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on Sunday (Feb. 17).

Battered suitcase unlocks story of British World War One nurse who cared for German soldiers while her brother lay dying on the battlefield

[Daily Mail]  The previously unknown story of a compassionate WWI nurse who cared for wounded Germans despite her own brother dying on the battlefields has emerged for the first time. Little was known about nurse Margaret Maule until a battered suitcase containing her mementos was discovered at the back of a cupboard at the University of Abertay, in Dundee.

‘Largest’ Scottish ancient artworks revealed

[The Scotsman]   A RETIRED silversmith has ­uncovered the largest collection of ancient rock art ever found in the Highlands on a remote hill overlooking the Cromarty Firth. The carved rocks – some ­almost 10ft across – have been discovered scattered across a hillside near Evanton, in ­Ross-shire.

First recorded human portrait found carved on woolly mammoth tusk

[Catholic Online]  The earliest known portrait of a human is carved upon a woolly mammoth tusk of 26,000 years ago. The amazing find will go on display shortly at the British Museum. Smaller than the average thumb, the portrait was created in the middle of the last Ice Age, in a valley in what is now Moravia in the Czech Republic, using stone tools.

Volcanic CO2 Caused Ancient Episodes of Global Warming

[Climate Central]  In order to predict our climate future, scientists spend a lot of time looking into the past, trying to understand what conditions were like during times when the planet was much warmer or much cooler than it is today. The latest instance: a report published in the February issue of the journal Geosphere, offering a plausible explanation for swings between long stretches of greenhouse warming and dramatic cooling over millions of years.

Ancient Fossilized Sea Creatures Yield Oldest Biomolecules Isolated Directly from a Fossil

[Science Daily]  Though scientists have long believed that complex organic molecules couldn't survive fossilization, some 350-million-year-old remains of aquatic sea creatures uncovered in Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa have challenged that assumption.

Briton finds 500-year-old arrest warrant for Machiavelli

[The Telegraph]  Prof Stephen Milner from Manchester University discovered the historic document by accident while researching town criers and the proclamations they read out in archives in Florence.  The 1513 proclamation, which called for the arrest of Machiavelli, eventually led to his downfall and death.

Louvre's Mona Lisa may be copy of an 'earlier version'

[France 24]  A Swiss art foundation claims it has proof that an “earlier” version of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa masterpiece at the Louvre is a genuine painting by the Italian master.

Human diet traced over 9000 years thanks to skulls

[The Scotsman]  The research teams claim it may also be possible to use the ancient genetic record to tell archaeologists, for the first time, exactly which animals and plants Neolithic man was eating and to discover whether ancient man also suffered from diseases such as leprosy and tuberculosis.

France divided by mystery of the headless king: Skull found in attic said to belong to Henri IV

[Daily Mail]  A mummified head found in an attic, claimed to be that of the first French monarch Henri IV, continues to divide historians and researchers. A new book claims to end the mystery of what happened to the king’s remains, mainly his head which researchers say was found five years ago in the attic of Jacques Bellanger, a retired tax collector in Angers, western France. The claims come as British scientists confirmed that a skeleton unearthed in Leicester was Richard III, who was killed in battle more than 500 years ago.

Earliest Evidence of Chocolate in North America

[Science]  They were humble farmers who grew corn and dwelt in subterranean pit houses. But the people who lived 1200 years ago in a Utah village known as Site 13, near Canyonlands National Park in Utah, seem to have had at least one indulgence: chocolate. Researchers report that half a dozen bowls excavated from the area contain traces of chocolate, the earliest known in North America. The

'Amazing' treasures revealed in Dartmoor bronze age cist

[BBC]  A rare and "amazing" burial discovery dating back 4,000 years has been described as the most significant find on Dartmoor and has given archaeologists a glimpse into the lives of the people who once lived there.

Ancient Teeth Bacteria Record Disease Evolution

[Newswise]  DNA preserved in calcified bacteria on the teeth of ancient human skeletons has shed light on the health consequences of the evolving diet and behaviour from the Stone Age to the modern day. The ancient genetic record reveals the negative changes in oral bacteria brought about by the dietary shifts as humans became farmers, and later with the introduction of food manufacturing in the Industrial Revolution.

'Cosmic blast' could explain radiation spike in Middle Ages

[The week]  A HUGE cosmic blast in deep space could explain a mystery spike in radiation during the Middle Ages, scientists have said. According to a study published in January's Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and reported today by the BBC, an explosion occurred when two black holes or neutron stars collided in the Milky Way, sending shockwaves through the galaxy, in either in 774 or 775 AD.

First world war commemorations 'will be like Titanic anniversary' – minister

[the guardian]  The commemorations for the first world war will involve sombre reflection, proper consideration for the millions who died, and opportunities for a new generation to explore what happened and why. But focusing the world's attention on a conflict that was supposed to have ended all wars is unlikely to pass off without controversy, as new generations question the decisions that led to millions being slaughtered.

Evolution helped turn hairless skin into a canvas for self-expression

[PhysOrg]  About 1.5 to 2 million years ago, early humans, who were regularly on the move as hunters and scavengers, evolved into nearly hairless creatures to more efficiently sweat away excess body heat, said Nina Jablonski, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology. Later, humans began to decorate skin to increase attractiveness to the opposite sex and to express, among other things, group identity.

Medieval treasure found in Herefordshire

[Hereford Times]  A medieval silver annular brooch, a silver strap end and two early Bronze Age flat axes were all discovered in the county by metal detecting enthusiasts.

A different take on Tut: Egyptian archaeologist shares theory on pharaoh's lineage

[Physorg]  French Egyptologist Marc Gabolde offered a different interpretation of the DNA evidence on Thursday. Speaking at Harvard's Science Center, Gabolde said he's convinced that Tut's mother was not his father's sister, but rather his father's first cousin, Nefertiti.

Ancient asteroid strike in Australia "changed face of earth"

[Reuters]  A strike from a big asteroid more than 300 million years ago left a huge impact zone buried in Australia and changed the face of the earth, researchers said on Friday. "The dust and greenhouse gases released from the crater, the seismic shock and the initial fireball would have incinerated large parts of the earth," said Andrew Glikson, a visiting fellow at the Australian National University.

Underwater discovery offers glimpse of 1850s trains

[philly.com]  Five miles off the Jersey Shore, their presence is a mystery perplexing researchers. How did two pre-Civil War locomotives wind up there? Did they slip off a sailing ship during a storm? Were they purposely dropped into the deep?

Battered Skulls Reveal Violence Among Stone Age Women

[Live Science] Stone Age farmers lived through routine violence, and women weren't spared from its toll, a new study finds.

East Asian Physical Traits Linked to 35,000-Year-Old Mutation

[NY Times]  The traits — thicker hair shafts, more sweat glands, characteristically identified teeth and smaller breasts — are the result of a gene mutation that occurred about 35,000 years ago, the researchers have concluded.

Pentillie Castle restoration: Archaeologist finds 'body of man who built it' during excavation

[Independent]  Human remains discovered at a stately home are believed to be those of the man that built it - ordering that he be buried in his best clothes with his pipe as he waited for the afterlife.

18 ancient Odyssey mosaics stolen in Syria: minister

[Global Post]  At least 18 ancient mosaics depicting scenes from Homer's "The Odyssey" have been stolen in northern Syria, the culture minister was quoted as saying on Sunday....Among Syria's archeological treasures are six UNESCO world heritage sites: the Old Cities of Damascus and Aleppo, the ruins of Palmyra, the ancient city of Bosra, Crac des Chevaliers crusader castle, the citadel of Saladin and the ancient northern villages.