This was the big one this week. Cosmogenic nuclide dating (along with other methods) allowed researchers to reliably re-date Australopithecus africanus bones that were found in a South African cave back in 1936. The bones had previously been dated to 2-2.6 million years, but the methods used were problematic. The new dating pushes it back to 3.4 - 3.7 million years BP. Australopithecus afarensis (e.g. Lucy) was originally thought to have been the ancestor of these remains, but this actually makes them contemporaneous. According to Darryl Granger, “There must be an older common ancestor somewhere.”
Very interesting about the beads from Lindisfarne! I had the opportunity to participate in the excavations going on there a few seasons ago and there have been some unexpected finds (contrary to the article, there definitely were other artifacts in graves there), but this one is so unusual. can't wait to see what else they uncover :-)
It was a lot of fun, and Lindisfarne is an amazing place! I wonder why they said that in the article? Maybe they have a stricter definition of “grave” than what I would use, but a lot of them have definitely been disturbed over time… Either way, it’s cool info!
Very interesting about the beads from Lindisfarne! I had the opportunity to participate in the excavations going on there a few seasons ago and there have been some unexpected finds (contrary to the article, there definitely were other artifacts in graves there), but this one is so unusual. can't wait to see what else they uncover :-)
Oh wow, that must have been fascinating! And so cool that you have first-hand knowledge of the site — thanks for the tip, I'll make an edit 😀
It was a lot of fun, and Lindisfarne is an amazing place! I wonder why they said that in the article? Maybe they have a stricter definition of “grave” than what I would use, but a lot of them have definitely been disturbed over time… Either way, it’s cool info!