SCIENCE For the first time, scientists have been able to extract the DNA of ancient hominins from cave dirt. (Smithsonian) Get to know your “Hominin History” with our fun GeoStory. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit. Discussion Ideas A genuinely exciting new study documents how scientists extracted ancient DNA from the dirt of ancient caves. What is … Continue reading Dirty DNA
By Jennifer Adler, National Geographic Young Explorer Where does your water come from? It’s easy to take water for granted when we always see it flowing from our showers, faucets, and lawn sprinklers. But when was the last time you thought about the natural source of your water? Does it come from a nearby reservoir or river? Is it piped in from far away, or … Continue reading The Water Beneath Your Feet
SCIENCE Scientists have extracted long-dormant microbes from inside the famous giant crystals of the Naica mountain caves in Mexico—and revived them. (BBC) Where else have ancient microbes been found? Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit, including a link to today’s simple MapMaker Interactive map. Discussion Ideas Scientists are excited about the extremophile microbes just discovered at the … Continue reading Crystal Caves Hold Long-Dormant Life
SCIENCE Humans’ ability to control fire is among the most important technological advances in our evolutionary history. Research on Neanderthal cave sites is offering new insights on this old enigma. Maybe not as old as we think. (Sapiens) Could Neanderthals start a fire? Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources, including today’s simple MapMaker Interactive map. Discussion Ideas Most people think that … Continue reading We Didn’t Start the Fire (Until Much Later Than We Thought We Did)
SCIENCE Rings of stalagmites found in a cave in France suggest that our ancient relatives were surprisingly skilled builders. (Nat Geo News) Use our resources to better understand exploration of mysterious caves. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit. This 3D model of the Bruniquel cave clearly shows the different types of structures present there: annular, or ring-shaped, … Continue reading Did Neanderthals Build Stone Circles?
