Archaeology News Online

By analyzing the DNA of two prehistoric dogs from Germany, an international research team led by Krishna R. Veeramah, PhD, Assistant Professor of Ecology & Evolution in the College of Arts & Sciences at Stony Brook University, has determined that their genomes were the probable ancestors of modern European dogs. The finding, to be published in Nature Communications , suggests a single domestication event of modern dogs from a population of gray wolves that occurred between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago. The 5000 year old Late Neolithic CTC dog skull in the lab before it underwent whole genome sequencing  [Credit: Amelie Scheu] Dogs were the first animal to be domesticated by humans. The oldest dog fossils that can be clearly distinguished from wolves are from the region of what is now Germany from around 15,000 years ago. However, the archaeological record is ambiguous, with claims of ancient domesticated dog bones as far east as Siberia. Recent analysis of genetic data from mode

No other animal on land is faster than a cheetah -- the elephant is indeed larger, but slower. For small to medium-sized animals, larger also means faster, but for really large animals, when it comes to speed, everything goes downhill again. For the first time, it is now possible to describe how this parabola-like relationship between body size and speed comes about. A research team under the direction of the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) have managed to do so thanks to a new mathematical model, and also published their findings in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution . The African elephant is the largest animal on land, but not the fastest. There is a parabola-like relationship between the  body mass of animals and the maximum speed they can reach. For the first time, researchers are able to describe how  this comes about, thanks to a simple mathematical model [Credit: Bernd Adam] A beetle is slower

Land mammals and reptiles in the Pacific islands facing extinction due to habitat loss, hunting and other threats could be decimated by climate change, a study published Thursday said. Climate change poses a serious threat to Pacific island wildlife, such as on the Marshall Islands,  pictured in March 2016 when the islands flooded, from storms [Credit: AFP] Ocean-bound wildlife is particularly vulnerable to environmental pressures, especially endemic species living on only one or a handful of islands. Among other things, this remoteness makes migrating to another land mass nearly impossible. Dozens of species -- especially birds -- have also been wiped out over the last century by invasive species and disease brought by human settlers. For most Pacific island vertebrates -- animals with a backbone -- the current risk of extinction has been measured and catalogued in the Red List of threatened species, maintained by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Scientis

Populations of endangered species reach a critical point in their life where they either survive or evolve towards extinction. Therefore, efforts to predict and even prevent the extinction of biological species require a thorough understanding of the underlying mechanisms. The Siberian tiger is an Endangered (EN) tiger subspecies. Three tiger subspecies are already extinct  [Credit: WikiCommons] In a new study published in EPJ B , Hatem Barghathi and colleagues from Missouri University of Science and Technology, USA, have investigated how environmental disturbance at random times could cause strong fluctuations in the number of individuals in biological populations. This, in turn, makes extinction easier, even for large populations. They found that environmental disorder can lead to a period of slow population increase interrupted by sudden population collapses. These findings also have implications for solving the opposite problem when attempting to predict, control and eradicate popu

No bells tolled when the last Catarina pupfish on Earth died. Newspapers didn't carry the story when the Christmas Island pipistrelle vanished forever. Tropical forest logging has contributed to population declines in many animals,  including the Bornean gibbon, known for its whooping call  [Credit: Gerardo Ceballos] Two vertebrate species go extinct every year on average, but few people notice, perhaps because the rate seems relatively slow -- not a clear and present threat to the natural systems we depend on. This view overlooks trends of extreme decline in animal populations, which tell a more dire story with cascading consequences, according to a new study that provides the first global evaluation of these population trends. "This is the case of a biological annihilation occurring globally, even if the species these populations belong to are still present somewhere on Earth," said co-author Rodolfo Dirzo, a professor of biology. Mapping loss A 2015 study co-authored b

The orangutan population on the island of Borneo has shrunk by a quarter in the last decade, researchers said Friday, urging a rethink of strategies to protect the critically-endangered great ape. Borneo's orangutans are under threat from farming, climate change, and being hunted for food  [Credit: AFP/Bay Ismoyo] The first-ever analysis of long-term orangutan population trends revealed a worrying decline, they said. An international team of researchers used a combination of helicopter and ground surveys, interviews with local communities, and modelling techniques to draw a picture of change over the past ten years. Previous counts have largely relied on estimations based on ground and aerial surveys of orangutan nests. Some suggested that Bornean orangutan numbers were in fact increasing. The new findings, the team said in a statement, are "a wake-up call for the orangutan conservation community and the Indonesian and Malaysian governments who have committed to saving the spe

By analyzing the DNA of two prehistoric dogs from Germany, an international research team led by Krishna R. Veeramah, PhD, Assistant Professor of Ecology & Evolution in the College of Arts & Sciences at Stony Brook University, has determined that their genomes were the probable ancestors of modern European dogs. The finding, to be published in Nature Communications , suggests a single domestication event of modern dogs from a population of gray wolves that occurred between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago. The 5000 year old Late Neolithic CTC dog skull in the lab before it underwent whole genome sequencing  [Credit: Amelie Scheu] Dogs were the first animal to be domesticated by humans. The oldest dog fossils that can be clearly distinguished from wolves are from the region of what is now Germany from around 15,000 years ago. However, the archaeological record is ambiguous, with claims of ancient domesticated dog bones as far east as Siberia. Recent analysis of genetic data f

No other animal on land is faster than a cheetah -- the elephant is indeed larger, but slower. For small to medium-sized animals, larger also means faster, but for really large animals, when it comes to speed, everything goes downhill again. For the first time, it is now possible to describe how this parabola-like relationship between body size and speed comes about. A research team under the direction of the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) have managed to do so thanks to a new mathematical model, and also published their findings in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution . The African elephant is the largest animal on land, but not the fastest. There is a parabola-like relationship between the  body mass of animals and the maximum speed they can reach. For the first time, researchers are able to describe how  this comes about, thanks to a simple mathematical model [Credit: Bernd Adam] A beetle is slower

Land mammals and reptiles in the Pacific islands facing extinction due to habitat loss, hunting and other threats could be decimated by climate change, a study published Thursday said. Climate change poses a serious threat to Pacific island wildlife, such as on the Marshall Islands,  pictured in March 2016 when the islands flooded, from storms [Credit: AFP] Ocean-bound wildlife is particularly vulnerable to environmental pressures, especially endemic species living on only one or a handful of islands. Among other things, this remoteness makes migrating to another land mass nearly impossible. Dozens of species -- especially birds -- have also been wiped out over the last century by invasive species and disease brought by human settlers. For most Pacific island vertebrates -- animals with a backbone -- the current risk of extinction has been measured and catalogued in the Red List of threatened species, maintained by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Scientis

Populations of endangered species reach a critical point in their life where they either survive or evolve towards extinction. Therefore, efforts to predict and even prevent the extinction of biological species require a thorough understanding of the underlying mechanisms. The Siberian tiger is an Endangered (EN) tiger subspecies. Three tiger subspecies are already extinct  [Credit: WikiCommons] In a new study published in EPJ B , Hatem Barghathi and colleagues from Missouri University of Science and Technology, USA, have investigated how environmental disturbance at random times could cause strong fluctuations in the number of individuals in biological populations. This, in turn, makes extinction easier, even for large populations. They found that environmental disorder can lead to a period of slow population increase interrupted by sudden population collapses. These findings also have implications for solving the opposite problem when attempting to predict, control and eradicate popu