DNA to unlock secrets of cavemen

Scientists are to decipher the genetic code of our closest relative, the barrel-chested, long-faced Neanderthal, in the hope that it will reveal how modern humans developed the formidable cognitive power to dominate the world.

With fragments of DNA from bones found in ancient caves, researchers will piece together the Neanderthal's genome and compare it with those already sequenced for humans and chimps.



Modern humans and Neanderthals split from a common ancestor nearly 500,000 years ago. From a foothold north of the Mediterranean, Homo heidelbergensis steadily evolved into the Neanderthals, while in Africa, the same species embarked on a different evolutionary path, ultimately resulting in Homo sapiens.

Remains of Neanderthals dating back as far as 400,000 years suggest a reasonably sophisticated species that crafted tools and weapons and buried its dead, but was no match for Homo sapiens. The last of them died out nearly 40,000 years ago, as Homo sapiens migrated to, and eventually settled throughout, Europe.

The team of scientists, led by Svante Paabo at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, will analyse strands of DNA preserved in a leg bone recovered from a cave in Vindija, Croatia, and an upper arm bone from an archaeological site in the Neander valley in Germany.

Contamination with microbes means only 5 per cent of the DNA collected from the bones belongs to Neanderthals, giving the scientists a huge sorting problem.


DNA to unlock secrets of cavemen

Archaeology in Toronto

Toronto is one of the largest, most culturally diverse municipalities in North America and has a cultural history that began approximately 11,000 years ago. The archaeological sites that are the physical remains of this lengthy settlement history represent a fragile and non-renewable cultural legacy.


Protecting these sites has become increasing important since landscape change has been occurring at an ever-increasing rate. The City of Toronto is in the process of developing an archaeological master plan to identify areas of archaeological potential and to require archaeological assessments on land prior to development. The Interim Report - A Master Plan of Archaeological Resources for the City of Toronto, August 2004 sets out the framework for the project.


City of Toronto: Archaeology

Divers survey famed 'Christmas Tree Ship'

Team finds clues to why schooner foundered
TWO RIVERS ? Nearly a century after the schooner Rouse Simmons ? the famed "Christmas Tree Ship" ? foundered in a Lake Michigan storm, divers this week gained a better understanding of how and why the ship went down.



Researchers spent several days exploring the wreck, located about 12 miles northeast of Two Rivers and 170 feet below the surface, for a nautical archeological survey ? the first one conducted on the ship, said Keith Meverden, an underwater archaeologist for the Wisconsin Historical Society.

After reviewing information collected on Wednesday's dive, the team made a discovery about how the ship went down.

Since the crowded deck prevented the crew from spreading the chain, the weight of the chain remained in the front of the 123-foot-long ship. The Rouse Simmons likely tipped forward when it took on water, adding to the weight of the chain, driving the bow head-first into the bottom and throwing the rigging forward, Bentley said.

Contributing to the sinking was the fact that the schooner had no caulk or putty between boards, Bentley said.

The dive team will return on Aug. 13 for another week to finish the survey. The findings will be published.

More on this : Divers survey famed 'Christmas Tree Ship