14-face die was used to play ancient Chinese board game. Credit: Image courtesy Chinese Cultural Relics
1. Beekeeping May Go Back to the Early Years of Agriculture
Ancient pottery holds evidence that people were using honeycombs at least 9,000 years ago. According to a paper in Nature, researchers from several European institutions found the distinctive chemicals of honeycomb or beeswax on pottery shards from Europe, the Near East and North Africa. Read more at Ancient Origins.
2. Incan Mummy’s DNA Reveals Early Genetic Diversity
Archaeologists and geneticists have sequenced the genome of a boy sacrificed 500 years ago during an Incan ritual in the Andes. They’ve found a previously unidentified lineage that hints at genetic diversity before the Spanish landed in the Americas. Read more at The Guardian.
3. Lost Board Game Found in Ancient Chinese Tomb
Pieces from a board game were discovered in a heavily looted 2,300-year-old tomb near Qingzhou City in China. Archaeologists think they were used to play a game called “bo” that hasn’t been played in 1,500 years. Read more at LiveScience.
4. DNA from a Huge Tooth Confirms a New Ancient Cousin
DNA extracted from a fossilized tooth confirmed the presence of one of our elusive ancient cousins only recently discovered, the Denisovans. They lived in the Caucasus Mountains tens of thousands of years ago, and may have co-existed and interbred with Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. Read more at Smithsonian Magazine.
5. World’s Second-Largest Diamond Found
The world’s second-largest gem-quality diamond ever recovered has been found in a Botswana mine. It’s an 1,111-carat diamond. Read more at BBC.
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