Maya Dogs Were Traded Across Far-flung Territory, Study Shows

Dogs were traded across the Maya territory centuries earlier than had previously been believed, according to a new archaeological analysis of isotopes from ancient bones in Guatemala. The minute neutron differences in atoms of strontium, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen show how certain animals were domesticated as pets – or potentially for sacrifice or food purposes. Read more.

Fussy eating prevents mongoose family feuds

Mongooses living in large groups develop “specialist” diets so they don't have to fight over food, new research shows

Banded mongooses cooperate closely but are also prone to violence - both between groups and within them - and competition for food increases as a group grows. To get round this, individual mongooses find a dietary “niche,” according to researchers from the universities of Exeter and Roehampton. Group living has advantages and disadvantages, and the findings suggest specialisation is one way to prevent groups being torn apart by fighting. Read more.

Bug diet of birds has dramatically declined in quality, researchers find

Birds dead for more than a century help researchers study how birds' diet has changed

“You are what you eat” is the guiding principle behind a new study comparing the diet of birds today with that of birds dead for more than a century. The results show large changes in the diets of aerial insectivores, or birds such as swallows, swifts, martins and whip-poor-wills that consume insects while in mid-flight. Read more.

Genetic prehistory of Iberia differs from central and northern Europe

In a multidisciplinary study, an international team of researchers combined archaeological, genetic and stable isotope data to encapsulate 4000 years of Iberian biomolecular prehistory. The team analyzed human remains of 13 individuals from the north and south of Spain, including the rich archaeological site of El Portalón, which forms part of the well-known site of Atapuerca in Burgos and in itself harbors 4 millennia of Iberian prehistory. The study also involved important sites like Cueva de los Murciélagos in Andalusia, from which the genome of a 7,245-year-old Neolithic farmer was sequenced, making it the oldest sequenced genome in southern Iberia representing the Neolithic Almagra Pottery Culture - the early agriculturalists of southern Spain. Read more.