'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.

Farming Arrived in Europe with Asian Migrants, Isotopic Study Reveals

[Sci-News.com]  Strontium isotope data from the Danube Gorges in the north-central Balkan show Europe’s first farmers were immigrants.

Richard III: Greatest archaeological discovery of all?

[BBC] It has attracted global attention with its blend of detective work and dark historical deeds but where does the discovery of Richard III's grave rate among England's greatest archaeological finds?

Ice Age Art at the British Museum: 'Not even Leonardo surpassed this'

[The Guardian]    Ice Age Art is subtitled Arrival of the Modern Mind. Its thesis is that 40,000 years ago, when humans migrated from Africa into a comparatively temperate Europe, and were then caught for thousands of years amid the freezing temperatures and furry beasts of the last great freeze, something miraculous happened. Art appeared: art so sophisticated, it proves that the cognitive faculties we value so highly today were fully evolved tens of thousands of years ago (the works here were made between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago). Only a modern human mind, the argument goes, could create a masterpiece like the Zaraysk bison (it is named after the town near Moscow where it was discovered).

Scientists reconstruct ancient languages with software

[Gizmag]  Imagine the wealth of knowledge we could uncover if it was possible to travel back in time and re-construct ancient languages. While that’s impossible right now, scientists at UC Berkley and the University of British Columbia reckon they’ve managed the next-best thing, by developing new software which uncovers existing fragments of “proto-languages” from languages still in use.

Tutankhamun 90th Anniversay: Ancient Treasures To Be Shown At Carnarvon's Highclere Castle

[Huffington Post]   Saturday marks the 90th year since the discovery of Tutankhamun - a dig that sparked an enduring public fascination with the ancient boy king. The Egyptian pharaoh was virtually unknown when British archaeologist Howard Carter found the dusty sarcophagus in a tomb full of golden treasures, in a discovery that was to define his career.

Was Soma the Forbidden Fruit of Genesis?

[Yucatan Times]  The late ethno-mycologist Robert Gordon Wasson proposed that the mythological apple in Genesis was a symbolic substitution for the bright red Amanita muscaria, a hallucinogenic mushroom commonly referred to as the Fly-agaric mushroom. Wasson further proposed, and presented substantial supporting evidence, that the mystery plant Soma from the Rig Veda was the same Amanita muscaria mushroom

New study slams theory that meteorite struck ice-age Canada and killed off mammoths

[Ottawa Citizen]  A controversial theory that a massive meteorite struck Canada about 13,000 years ago — then wreaked havoc on global climate, Ice Age mega-mammals and early human occupants of North America — has taken yet another scientific hit, perhaps dooming the impact hypothesis to the same fate as the woolly mammoths whose extinction it purportedly helped explain.

Ancient temple discovered in Peru

[Fox News] Archaeologists in Peru have uncovered what they believe is a temple, estimated to be up to 5,000 years old, at the site of El Paraíso, north of Lima.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/02/15/ancient-temple-discovered-in-peru/#ixzz2L4ugdtJN

Online Battle Over Sacred Scrolls, Real-World Consequences

[NY Times] A father-son battle erupts over the Dead Sea Scrolls.