Archive for the ‘Archaeology’ Category
Two artificial toes, one of them adhered to the foot of an ancient Egyptian Mummy, can be the first functional prosthesis manufactured by the human being, judging by the impressive results of an experiment in which two volunteers have tried replicas of those very old prosthesis.
Jacky Finch, a researcher at the Centre for Biomedical Egyptology, part of the University of Manchester has shown that a three-piece device made of wood and leather, kept in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, as well as other, exhibited at the British Museum not only mimic the natural appearance of the toe, but also helped their carriers with finger amputation to walk normally. Read the rest of this entry »
Volcanoes, tsunamis, long and brutal winters, a completely isolated island… If you appear extreme adventures of Jesus Calleja, imagine how life was in those conditions of the inhabitants of the Kuril Islands, an archipelago that stretches from Russia to Japan.
A team of anthropologists at the University of Washington has asked and is considering what could be the most extreme place where humans have lived. In particular, it is known that settlers came to these islands on three separate occasions, first in 6000 BC and most recently in 1200 AD.
One of the project leaders, anthropologist Ben Fitzhugh, explains that “We want to identify the limits of human adaptability and the number of people with resilience, to colonize and support themselves.” Fitzhugh believes the Kuriles may offer clues to cope with natural disasters or climate change. Read the rest of this entry »