Once upon a time, a tale as OLD as time was created. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, with a story about stories. What is the origin of our beloved fantastical folk tales? The nineteenth century Brothers Grimm got most of the credit and lived
Continue readingTag: ancient history
Changing His-TAR-y
Today, the elephant in the room is … a mammoth? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Remember the mammoth, Manny, from the Ice Age movies? Then you can probably picture SOME ancient animals. However, the artists’ renderings – or PALEO ART – we’ve had for
Continue readingAncient Americans
Is the New World older than we think? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Land Ho! Finally arrived on this brand new continent we’re calling “America”! But… there’s people here already…. When did THEY get here? Ciprian Ardelean of the University of Exeter, UK, and his international
Continue readingRuff History
Did ancient human children read “Work Spot, Work?” This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Did early man put his pets to work? Some ancient dog fossils show evidence of the spinal disease, spondylosis deformans. Does this mean the dogs pulled heavy loads? Katherine Latham from
Continue readingHobbit Miss-tery
News flash! Hobbits are real! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, taking you to Indonesia’s Flores Island. In 2003, archeologists unearthed a fossilized female skeleton there. The ancient human was only three feet tall. But she was an adult, so the scientists dubbed her “the
Continue readingCavemen Go Green
Did Wilma have to remind Fred to sort the recycling? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Life wasn’t easy four hundred thousand years ago. There was no Cave Depot! What to do when your sharp rock breaks? Recycle it! Archaeologists recently found that early humans
Continue readingShellfish Sherlock
Shellfish are tasty. But can they illuminate the past? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Professor Pupa Gilbert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studies pen shells. That’s a large, clam-like shellfish commonly found in Florida. Specifically, she studies their nacre, or mother-of-pearl. It’s that iridescent
Continue readingThe Tooth is Out There
Hey…do I have something in my teeth? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Dental records are often used for identification. What other tales can our teeth tell about us?? Christina Warinner at the Max Planck Institute and fellow researchers picked through some plaque history. While
Continue readingAncient Inkers
Hey kids – tattoos have ALWAYS been cool – even before you were born! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Ancient humans tattooed themselves both as a means of self expression, and to fit in with the gang. It was a permanent way of demonstrating
Continue readingOnce Upon A Time
Once upon a time, a tale as OLD as time was created. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, with a story about stories. What is the origin of our beloved fantastical folk tales? The nineteenth century Brothers Grimm got most of the credit and lived
Continue reading