Humans may be in a new geologic epoch—the Anthropocene—but different groups define its start at varied times. When should the Anthropocene have begun?
Archaeology
Posted inNews
Aerial Photographs Uncover Bogotá’s Indigenous Hydraulic System
Complex hydraulic systems built by the Muisca people helped define the vibrant urban wetlands of Colombia’s capital city.
Posted inNews
Sooty Layers in Stalagmites Record Human Activity in Caves
Scientists analyzing cave formations in Turkey find layers of soot and charcoal in stalagmites, revealing that humans—and their fires—occupied caves thousands of years ago.
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Drought, Not War, Felled Some Ancient Asian Civilizations
Radiocarbon dating, luminescent sand grains, and climate records point to drought as the reason for the civilizations’ demise.
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Earth’s Magnetic Field Holds Clues to Human History
Items burned in the sacking of ancient cities are time capsules of geomagnetic data.
Posted inFeatures
A Lost Haven for Early Modern Humans
Sea level changes have repeatedly reshaped the Paleo-Agulhas Plain, a now submerged region off the coast of South Africa that once teemed with plants, animals, and human hunter–gatherers.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Ancient Ruins Reveal 8th Century Earthquake in Sea of Galilee
Research into past seismic activity shows northeast Israel is still vulnerable to large quakes.
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Armagedón a 10,000 A.C.
Fragmentos de un cometa probablemente golpearon la Tierra hace 12,800 años, y una pequeña aldea del Paleolítico en Siria podría haber sufrido el impacto.
Posted inNews
Humans Colonized Polynesia Much Earlier Than Previously Thought
Evidence from mud, charcoal, and feces suggests humans arrived in East Polynesia during the driest period in 2 millennia.
Posted inNews
Armageddon at 10,000 BCE
Fragments of a comet likely hit Earth 12,800 years ago, and a little Paleolithic village in Syria might have suffered the impact.