Prehistoric

Illustrative image (File photo) Hanoi, May 25 (VNA) - Over 700 prehistoric artefacts have been discovered inside Tham Un cave in the northern mountainous province of Bac Kan’s Ba Be district. The discovery resulted from a fact-finding trip undertaken by the Institute of Archeology, the Vietnam Archeology Association, and the Bac Kan Museum. Combing the entire cave, their team found traces of ancient people almost everywhere. Among the artefacts discovered were stone tools made from river pebbles. According to Associate Professor, Dr Trinh Nang Chung, based on the overall study of the relics as well as the structure and age of the sediment, researchers believe that Tham Un was a residence of many generations of prehistoric people . Its early inhabitants belonged to the late Bac Son Culture dating back 5,000 to 6,000 years, while the late inhabitants were from the Late Neolithic - Early Metal Ages dating back about 4,000 years. This is a very important … [Read more...] about Prehistoric relics discovered in Bac Kan cave

A young girl's tooth excavated from a cave wall in northeastern Laos is providing new insight into the mysterious extinct human species called Denisovans and revealing their resourcefulness in adapting to both tropical and chilly climes. The tooth is one of the few physical remains known of Denisovans, a sister lineage to Neanderthals who until now had been known only from scrappy dental and bone fossils from a single site in Siberia and one in the Himalayas. The molar, between 164,000 and 131,000 years old, belonged to a girl about 4-6 years old and had not yet erupted. The humid Laotian conditions meant ancient DNA was not preserved in the molar, unlike other Denisovan remains. The researchers determined it was Denisovan based on its shape - short and heavily wrinkled - and enamel characteristics. Ancient proteins indicated the molar came from a girl. It was unearthed in a limestone cave called Tam Ngu Hao 2, known to locals as Cobra Cave, in the Annamite Mountains. "This … [Read more...] about Tooth from Laotian cave sheds light on enigmatic extinct humans

BUENOS AIRES -- Argentine scientists discovered a new species of a huge flying reptile dubbed "The Dragon of Death" that lived 86 millions of years ago alongside dinosaurs, in a find shedding fresh insight on a predator whose body was as long as a yellow school bus. The new specimen of ancient flying reptile, or pterosaur, measured around 30 feet (9 meters) long and researchers say it predated birds as among the first creatures on Earth to use wings to hunt its prey from prehistoric skies. The team of paleontologists discovered the fossils of the newly coined Thanatosdrakon amaru in the Andes mountains in Argentina's western Mendoza province. They found that the rocks preserving the reptile's remains dated back 86 million years to the Cretaceous period. The estimated date means these fearsome flying reptiles lived at least some 20 million years before an asteroid impact on what is now Mexico's Yucatan peninsula wiped out about three-quarters of life on the planet about 66 … [Read more...] about Ancient massive ‘Dragon of Death’ flying reptile dug up in Argentina

HÀ NỘI  Archaeologists have found various traces of early humans in a karst mountain cave in Quảng Khê Commune, in the northern province of Bắc Kạn. They have excavated Thẳm Un Cave and found that the cave’s foundation has been recently stirred up by cattle raised by locals. As a result, a cultural layer from an earlier time was revealed. A hole of 3sq.m was made to research the culture deposits. Archaeologists have found two cultural layers lying directly on top of one another, without any border layer. Archaeologists working at the site. Photos courtesy of the excavation team The earlier cultural layer lies lower, measures 0.6-0.65m thick and is fairly hard, formed by clay. The dark brown layer contains objects like stone tools together with animals’ teeth and snail shells. The cultural layer on top has a light grey colour and is made of crumbled soil. The layer contains fewer objects. In the hole, traces of four fireplaces have been found at different … [Read more...] about Archaeologists find traces of early humans in Bắc Kạn

Archaeologists have found various traces of early humans in a karst mountain cave in Quảng Khê Commune, in the northern province of Bắc Kạn. Archaeologists working at the site. Photos courtesy of the excavation team They have excavated Thẳm Un Cave and found that the cave’s foundation has been recently stirred up by cattle raised by locals. As a result, a cultural layer from an earlier time was revealed. A hole of 3sq.m was made to research the culture deposits. Archaeologists have found two cultural layers lying directly on top of one another, without any border layer. The earlier cultural layer lies lower, measures 0.6-0.65m thick and is fairly hard, formed by clay. The dark brown layer contains objects like stone tools together with animals’ teeth and snail shells. The cultural layer on top has a light grey colour and is made of crumbled soil. The layer contains fewer objects. In the hole, traces of four fireplaces have been found at … [Read more...] about Archaeologists find traces of early humans in Bắc Kạn