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Archeology, Paleontology and...Yetis?

Hook

Blackbeard's former bo'sun.
I confess to being a sucker for a good treasure hunt! If there is someone on TV digging just about anything out of the ground, or diving to see what’s under some body of water, I’ll watch. I enjoy visiting places of historic/scientific significance, going to museums of natural history, and watching documentaries on ship wrecks, mining, dinosaurs, Stone/Bronze/Iron age dig sites, and so on. I’ll watch anything hosted by Alice Roberts or Neil Oliver, and would really love to see a reboot of Time Team!

Was surfing last night, and came across a show on the Yeti myth. Was expecting the usual silly crap, but instead heard what I thought might be an interesting theory. Turns out that modern Tibetans carry a specific gene called EPAS 1 that improves oxygen transport at high altitudes. Scientists believe they inherited this gene from ancient Denisovan ancestors, which were known to co-exist, and occasionally interbreed with Homo Sapiens up to about 15,000 years ago. Could the idea of a larger, dark-skinned, hairy biped that roamed the highest altitudes in small groups simply be their ancestral memory of those rare glimpses of Denisovans?

Am curious if other fishes share this interest. If yes, would love to hear about your thoughts, including favorite experiences, dig sites and shows.
 
Did you see that new dinosaur find they made recently on the beach...amazing . Related to t.rex apparently
 
Did you see that new dinosaur find they made recently on the beach...amazing . Related to t.rex apparently

From Isle of Wight last year? Yes!

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-53738762

There is a new show here in the US called Dino Hunters. It’s all about how ranchers in Montana keep their ranches going by finding and selling fossils.

https://www.discovery.com/shows/dino-hunters

One rancher made a spectacular find of a very-near complete Nanotyrannusaur. Smaller than a regular T-Rex, but with longer arms, it has often been mistaken for an immature T-Rex. Estimates of the eventual sale top $10M.
 
I had a great week in Orkney last summer and was amazed at the digs there - stuff that predated Stonehenge by 500-1000 years, the centre of civilisation 5000 years back, fascinating?
 
I had a great week in Orkney last summer and was amazed at the digs there - stuff that predated Stonehenge by 500-1000 years, the centre of civilisation 5000 years back, fascinating?

Saw a show about the Ness of Brodgar dig. Absolutely amazing! That whole area is incredible - truly a bucket list destination for me post-Covid 19.
 
I was meant to be there next week but all is closed and CV-19 is back on the island... bugger... you'll love it
 
Very interesting. One offshoot that I find fascinating is the DNA trail of evolution, rather like your Tibetan gene. Now it's not as TV friendly as the dinosaur on the beach and it is rather dry if you aren't a biochemist, but it allows you to see the timelines of evolution and the dividing points. Such as why all vertebrates have the same number of vertebrae, meaning that mice can bend themselves in two but giraffes have trouble bending their necks beyond a gentle curve.
 
I know several old archaeologists. Their careers are all in ruins
I'm told the secret of success in Archaeology is to get a seat (professorship) befor your knees go.
 
bigfoot-wearing-bigfoot-sweater.jpg
 
After seeing a fascinating Ray Mears programme on them a few months previously it was a highlight of last year's holiday on the Isle of Wight to go to Compton beach to do some fossil-spotting.

The three-toed ones dotted about that have been there for fumfty million years still fill me with wonder just thinking about them.

When trying to get a good look at one of the most notable of them I had to wait for what seemed an eternity while some chattering woman who was leading a guided tour stopped next to it to bang on and on, and all the time one of the tourists stood there on top of it.
 
Where I draw the line is fantasies akin to what has appeared this week. The details of an excavation of stone age remains from some while back (the excavation - 1950's?) have been "reanalysed/reinterpreted". The only thing they haven't come up with are the surnames of the several families that gathered to butcher and feast upon a horse...…

Covered on Today, R4, probably Thursday, maybe Friday or Wednesday.
 
Where I draw the line is fantasies akin to what has appeared this week. The details of an excavation of stone age remains from some while back (the excavation - 1950's?) have been "reanalysed/reinterpreted". The only thing they haven't come up with are the surnames of the several families that gathered to butcher and feast upon a horse...…

Covered on Today, R4, probably Thursday, maybe Friday or Wednesday.
One of these? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c1038wnxyy0t/archaeology
 
Where I draw the line is fantasies akin to what has appeared this week. The details of an excavation of stone age remains from some while back (the excavation - 1950's?) have been "reanalysed/reinterpreted". The only thing they haven't come up with are the surnames of the several families that gathered to butcher and feast upon a horse...…

The Grundys, probably.
 

Given that community never butchered a horse alone, then they also probably never walked alone. We can therefore confidently conclude these were Liverpool FC fans. :)

I agree that while forensic anthropology can tell us a lot about the life and health of Stone Age people, much of our understanding of their culture, rituals, beliefs, and so on, are educated guesses.
 


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