The latest Rao et. al. article is available free on PNAS:


A Markov model of the Indus Script
Rao et al.
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/08/04/0906237106.full.pdf+html

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan
http://sambali.blogspot.com

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#1981

From: "Paul Kekai Manansala" <p.manansala@...>
Date: Fri Mar 27, 2009 2:09 pm
Subject: Climate Change: Sites in Peril

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http://www.archaeology.org/0903/etc/climate_change.html

Climate Change: Sites in Peril

Volume 62 Number 2, March/April 2009

by Andrew Curry

Rising sea levels are eating away at coastal sites, increasedrainfall is eroding mud-brick ruins, creeping desert sands are blastingthe traces of ancient civilizations, and the melting of ice is causingmillennia-old organic remains to rot. "With climate change, we'refeeling a sense of urgency," says University of Northern Coloradoanthropologist Michael Kimball, who organized a panel discussion onclimate change and archaeology at the World Archaeology Congress inDublin last year. "It definitely focuses the mind."

For countless communities, archaeology can be a source of localidentity, pride, and even income. "It may be intangible, but when acommunity loses its connection to history it loses something prettyimportant," says Kimball.

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group of more than1,000 experts on climate science convened by the United Nations,estimates that the world's temperature has risen about two degrees inthe past century, thanks in part to an increase in carbon dioxide thattraps heat in the earth's atmosphere. The consequences have alreadybeen dramatic. The world's oceans have risen four inches in that time.Weather patterns have also gotten less predictable and more extreme.

Over the next hundred years, the IPCC predicts that sea levels willrise at least another four inches. The worst-case scenario is trulyfrightening: a 10-degree rise in global temperatures, causing ice capsto melt and sea levels around the world to rise more than three feet.

Archaeologists can't stop global warming, but they can makedealing with it a priority. That may mean documenting sites before theydisappear; in some places, simple steps like putting roofs over meltingor rain-threatened areas are ways to preserve them. Action, however,must be taken soon. "Our job is not so much to talk about how to getclimate change to stop," says Giovanni Boccardi, the chief of UNESCO'sAsia and Pacific Unit. "While climate change is global, lots ofsolutions are local--and within our reach." What follows is a look atsome of the threats facing archaeological sites around the world.

[image]

University of Bern archaeologists document artifacts exposed by melting alpine ice sheets. (Courtesy University of Bern)

Retreating Swiss Glaciers
The summer of 2003 was a scorcherin Europe, setting record temperatures across the continent andcontributing to the deaths of more than 30,000 people. High in theSwiss Alps, the heat wave melted glaciers and snow, causing severefloods in the valleys below.

On September 17, a hiker named Ursula Leuenberger was crossing aniced-over pass near the Schnidejoch glacier when something odd caughther eye--a leather quiver that had been left high in the Alps by aNeolithic hunter around 2800 B.C.

The following summer, University of Bern archaeologist Albert Hafnerorganized a team of glaciologists and archaeologists to followLeuenberger back up the mountain. There they found a five-foot-thickice patch 260 feet long and 100 feet wide. In just one sunny week, theedges of the ice patch shrank 20 feet. Over the course of two summers,archaeologists found in it everything from prehistoric leather pantsand shoes to nails from Roman sandals.

The finds revealed that people have climbed high in the Alps formillennia, despite its harsh conditions. (At Schnidejoch's altitude,the ground is covered in snow nine months out of the year.) "This wasjust the quickest way from one valley to another," says Hafner. Hiswork also showed that 1,000-year gaps in the ages of the artifactscorresponded with cold periods when glacial ice would have blocked thepass. The fact that fragile organic materials were preserved nearSchnidejoch for more than 5,000 years means the ice cover hasn't beenthis small since the Stone Age. "I think in the next years if there isa hot summer, the ice will disappear completely," says Hafner. "It'sobviously related to climate change."

For archaeologists, the melting ice is both a crisis and anopportunity: the artifacts at Schnidejoch never would have been foundwithout climate change, but as more and more alpine ice fields thaw andvanish, countless more artifacts may rot away and disappear forever,along with the icy glaciers and snowfields that define the Alps. Hafnersays he has his eye on other sites that are on the verge of thawing."I'm very happy to find the objects because they will give us newinputs, but I am not happy about the climate change," he says. "I'm anarchaeologist, but I'm also an alpinist."

Peru's Rainstorms
The civilizations that rose and fell inthe bone-dry deserts of coastal Peru knew the signs well. When Spanishconquistadors arrived, they noticed its effects around Christmas, andnamed the phenomenon El Nino, or little boy, after the Christ child.Every seven to ten years, currents in the Pacific Ocean shift, changingweather patterns from Australia to California. In Peru, El Nino meanswarmer water, and heavy rainfall along the coast.

The difference between a normal and a bad El Nino year can betremendous. Peru's deserts typically get just over an inch of rain peryear. In 1998, the last severe El Nino season, the region was dousedwith 120 inches, which caused serious flooding. Water takes a heavytoll on exposed archaeological sites, many of which are located alongrivers or on easily eroded slopes.

Ironically, archaeologists have made the problem worse. "If we don'tmess with the sites, water runs off without doing too much damage,"says University of Maine archaeologist Dan Sandweiss. "But if youexcavate, that's the end of them, basically." Holes made by lootersalso channel and trap moisture, doing more damage.

Take Chan Chan, an elaborately planned city eight miles square thatdates back 1,000 years. Made of unfired mud brick, Chan Chan's pyramidsand palaces were put on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in Dangerin 1986 because they were threatened by erosion. Over the past twodecades, the site has deteriorated steadily. Researchers areinvestigating whether global warming could make El Nino occur morefrequently. "There's the potential for greater destruction if the paceof El Nino events increases," says Sandweiss.

So far, climatologists can't say for sure what climate change willdo to the powerful weather phenomenon. "The models are all over theplace," says National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationclimatologist David Enfield. "We're up against a huge uncertainty atpresent." As climate experts work to refine their predictions,archaeologists anxiously await the arrival of the next El Nino.

[image]

Violent wave action is destroying 2,000-year-old sites once occupied bythe Thule culture, the ancestors of modern Inuits. (Courtesy BjarneGronnow)

Greenland's Melting Sea Ice
In a normal summer, Greenland'snorthern and eastern coasts should be ringed by an ice belt 30 to 40miles wide. The drifting ice acts like a shock absorber, dampening thestrength of the North Atlantic. "It takes a lot of wave energy to movethe ice, and normally water along the coast is very calm," says Danisharchaeologist Bjarne Gronnow, of the National Museum in Copenhagen.

But in the past five years, the sea ice has all but disappeared.Without its floating frozen shield, Greenland's coast is being pummeledby storm surges originating hundreds of miles away. When Gronnowvisited the region last summer, his team was barely able to land theirZodiac rafts on the beaches because of waves almost 10 feet high.

The effect on the island's heritage has been catastrophic. Hardesthit have been sites associated with the Thule culture, people closelyrelated to the Inuit of northern Canada who first migrated to Greenlandaround 2,000 years ago. The Thule were formidable hunters and whalers,and their villages were built close to the shore. Today, Thulehouses--made of stone and turf with whale-bone rafters--aredisappearing quickly, along with buried tools and artifacts. "A meterper season will be tumbled down to the beach and washed away," Gronnowsays. "It's not a slow process."

Older sites along the coast are also in danger. As the Arctic warmsup, archaeologists fear the frozen turf that covers Qeqertasussuk, a4,500-year-old settlement where evidence for the earliest settlement ofGreenland was found, may be melting. Gronnow--who excavated the remotesite for the first time in the 1980s--is headed back this summer, andhe is not optimistic. "I've been working in Greenland for 30 yearsnow," he says. "I can see with my own eyes how it has changed."

Andrew Curry is a contributing editor at ARCHAEOLOGY.

Thawing Scythian Tombs
Three thousand years ago, Scythian nomads ruled the Eurasian steppesfrom the edges of the Black Sea in the west to China in the east. TheGreek historian Herodotus reported their exploits as warriors and theirdrug-fueled religious rituals. The Scythians buried their dead in hugegrave mounds that have been rich resources for archaeologists studyinghow this nomadic culture spread, thrived, and ultimately faded awayaround 200 B.C.

Though the burial mounds--called kurgans--are found everywhere fromUkraine to Kazakhstan, few are as spectacularly preserved as those inthe Altai Mountains on the edge of the vast Siberian permafrost region.Many of these graves have been on ice for millennia, sandwiched betweena frozen layer of earth and the insulating grave mound above.

Beginning with Soviet excavations in the 1940s and '50s,archaeologists have found amazingly well-preserved mummies in thetombs, often with their clothing, burial goods, horses, and evenstomach contents intact. "Instead of archaeology, the material cultureis so well preserved it's almost a kind of ethnography," says HermannParzinger, who discovered the tomb of a mummified Scythian warrior inMongolia in 2006 and now directs the Prussian Cultural HeritageFoundation in Berlin.

But scientists say the Altai Mountains aren't as cold as they usedto be. The glaciers that covered the slopes of the Altai are recedingand even disappearing. And for the first time since their occupantswere buried 3,000 years ago, the Scythian tombs are in danger ofthawing out and rotting away. "These tombs are all in an area where thepermafrost is just at an equilibrium," says Jean Bourgeois, anarchaeologist at Ghent University who works on sites in Russia andKazakhstan. "Just a degree or two can be enough to [destroy] frozencontents."

Mapping and listing all the region's kurgans using old spy satellitephotos and old-fashioned ground surveys is the first phase of aninternational effort to save the frozen tombs. Bourgeois says the firstpriority is identifying kurgans that may still have permafrostunderneath.

Archaeologists are scrambling to figure out the next step: how tokeep the grave mounds cool. Instead of emergency excavations, Bourgeoishopes to work with engineers to find low-cost solutions to preserve thekurgans intact for future researchers. Proposals range from reflectingsunlight away from the kurgans by painting them white to stabilizingthe underground temperature by installing "thermo-pumps." But afterseeing the region's climate change with his own eyes over the pastdecade, Bourgeois has come to realize that even in a best-casescenario, archaeologists cannot preserve all of them. "They will haveto choose."

[image]

Rising sea levels damage shell middens and other remains at sites that are more than 10,000 years old. (Blake Edgar)

Channel Islands Erosion

The Channel Islands off the coast of California are a critical linkin the study of how humans settled the Americas. For decades, theconsensus has been simple: America's first immigrants crossed theBering Strait on foot and made their way south, over land through whatis now Canada. Many researchers now believe, however, that the firstpeople came to America by boat, island-hopping from Siberia all the waydown to the California coast.

Some of the best evidence for this comes from the Channel Islands."We have in excess of 10,000 years of human occupation," says ChannelIslands National Park Archaeologist Kelly Minas (see "Going Coastal"May/June 2007). Evidence from shell middens, rock shelters, and othersettlement sites supports the idea that early Americans were goodsailors who reached the islands more than 13,000 years ago, huntingpygmy mammoths, elephant seals, and sea lions. Human bones found onSanta Rosa Island in 1959 have been radiocarbon-dated to 13,000 yearsago, making them the oldest human bones found in the Americas.

Back then, the world was much colder, and the oceans much lower--lowenough that four of the Channel Islands were connected by dry land.Now, rising sea levels are threatening some of the last coastal rockshelters left on the islands. "Erosion is a problem on the islands,"Minas says. Coastal winds, waves, storm surges, and even seals haulingout of the water can damage or destroy coastal sites on the islands.

Rising seas now threaten to wipe out clues to how early humans madetheir way into the Americas just as researchers are beginning to lookinto the possibility of coastal migration. At Daisy Cave, a sea-sidesite on San Miguel Island, University of Oregon archaeologist JonErlandson has spent a decade excavating a 65-foot-wide midden that theisland's prehistoric residents built up over thousands of years.Excavators have found the remains of tools, beads, and even baskets.

But, their work is becoming a race against time. Erlandson says themidden has shrunk by about three feet in the past decade. "If we'velost a meter in 10 years, how much will we lose in 50 or 100?"Erlandson asks. "If this keeps up, we're going to lose an incredibleamount of archaeological sites."

[image]

Encroaching desert sands threaten the artwork at the 2,000-year-oldsite of Musawwarat es-Sufra. (Courtesy Seminar of Northeast AfricanArchaeology and Cultural Studies, Humboldt University Berlin)

Sudan Desertification
Local nomads call the ruinsMusawwarat es-Sufra, or "Yellow Pictures." More than 2,000 years ago,the kings of the Meroites--a desert kingdom closely linked to ancientEgypt--built a temple complex 20 miles east of the Nile Valley, in whatis today Sudan. Built of soft yellow sandstone, the walls and columnsof the complex were decorated with hieroglyphs and elaborate reliefs,covered in mortar and colorfully painted. "It was probably the mostimportant pilgrimage site of the Meroitic kingdom," says ClaudiaNaeser, an archaeologist at Humboldt University in Berlin who isexcavating the site's reservoirs and temples.

Musawwarat's centerpiece was the 50-foot-long Temple of the Lion God,carved inside and out with reliefs dedicated to the Meroitic god offertility, Apedemak. The lion god's temple was once in the middle of agrassland. But warming temperatures and overuse have killed off thearea's vegetation, and the Sahara's sands are creeping ever closer. Inthe 1960s, an earlier Humboldt University mission uncovered andreconstructed the temple's collapsed walls--in retrospect, a mistake."The reliefs suffer heavily from wind erosion," Naeser says. "Thesandstone is relatively soft, and it just abrades."

Musawwarat is far from alone. Desertification is an often-overlookedproblem because shifting dunes and blowing sand cover archaeologicalremains--leading to a misperception that the ruins are being shieldedfrom further damage. "There's this belief that sand is protective. It'snot," says Henri-Paul Francfort, a director of research at the FrenchNational Center for Scientific Research. "Sand can quickly destroyremains, both because of the weight of dunes and because of terriblewinds that erase everything."

The scale of the problem is overwhelming, and solutions--fromhardening stone with special chemicals to erecting protective walls orplanting trees as windbreaks--are either prohibitively expensive orimpossible because of a lack of water. UNESCO is now considering anapplication to have Musawwarat listed as a World Heritage Site. Soon,however, there may be no more "yellow pictures" to be seen.

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#1980

From: "Paul Kekai Manansala" <p.manansala@...>
Date: Wed Feb 25, 2009 5:27 pm
Subject: Molecular population genetics of SLC4A1 and Southeast Asian Ovalocytosis.

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J Hum Genet. 2009 Feb 20. [Epub ahead of print] Links

Molecular population genetics of SLC4A1 and Southeast Asian Ovalocytosis.

Wilder JA, Stone JA, Preston EG, Finn LE, Ratcliffe HL, Sudoyo H.

[1] 1Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA [2] 2Biology Department, Williams College, Williamstown, MA, USA.

Southeast Asian ovalocytosis (SAO) is an erythrocyte abnormality that protects affected individuals from cerebral malaria. This trait is caused by a 27-bp deletion in the SLC4A1 gene, which is lethal when homozygous. We reseqeunced approximately 5 kb of SLC4A1 in an Indonesian population where SAO is prevalent to better understand the evolution of this clinically important trait. The four SAO chromosomes we resequenced share a single haplotype that differs from a sampled non-SAO haplotype only by the 27-bp deletion. Comparison of Indonesian sequence data to that from two other Asian populations (aboriginal Taiwanese and Japanese) shows Indonesian SLC4A1 to be strongly differentiated from the Taiwanese, but not the Japanese. Indeed, the Taiwanese sample contains only chromosomes that are highly divergent from all sampled SAO chromosomes. Because earlier studies have found an association between Austronesian-speakers (who most likely originated in Taiwan) and SAO, our failure to find SAO-like chromosomes in Taiwan is unexpected. Finally, our data find a strong excess of high-frequency derived alleles in all three populations. These alleles include the non-synonymous 'Memphis' variant, which is known to affect anion transport across the erythrocyte membrane. Our data suggest a role for recent natural selection acting on Memphis or a linked variant.Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, 20 February 2009; doi:10.1038/jhg.2009.12.

---
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan

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#1979

From: TTT UUU <gymnogoy@...>
Date: Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:58 am
Subject: Re: Study Reveals DNA Links Between Ancient Peruvians, Japanese

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I have access to a 25 year collection of ceramic and stone objects here in Jama coastal Ecuador. We opened a museum Dec. 27th after I cleaned and assembled many artifacts. Some interesting bird heads with crests resemble domestic hens and I am looking for native bird possibilities as an alternate identification/hypothesis. There are 51 bird species on this section of the Rio Jama and none match these crested bird heads.

Robin Day

--- On Sun, 1/11/09, Paul Kekai Manansala <p.manansala@...> wrote:

From: Paul Kekai Manansala <p.manansala@...>
Subject: [austric] Study Reveals DNA Links Between Ancient Peruvians, Japanese
To: austric@yahoogroups.com
Received: Sunday, January 11, 2009, 5:23 AM

http://www.laht. com/article. asp?ArticleId= 325015&CategoryId=14095

Study Reveals DNA Links Between Ancient Peruvians, Japanese

LIMA -- A study has revealed genetic links between people who inhabited northern Peru more than 1,000 years ago and Japanese, El Comercio newspaper reported Thursday.

Japanese physical anthropologist Ken-ichi Shinoda performed DNA tests on the remains of human bodies found in the East Tomb and West Tomb in the Bosque de Pomas Historical Sanctuary, which are part of the Sican Culture Archaeological Project, funded by Japan's government.

The director of the Sican National Museum, Carlos Elera, told the daily that Shinoda found that people who lived more than 1,000 years ago in what today is the Lambayeque region, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of Lima, had genetic links to the comtemporaneous populations of Ecuador, Colombia, Siberia, Taiwan and to the Ainu people of northern Japan.

The studies will be continued on descendents of the Mochica culture, from the same region, who are currently working on the Sican Project and with people who live in the vicinity of the Bosque de Pomac Historical Sanctuary.

Peruvian archaeologist Luis Chero told El Comercio that "currently, the DNA results have great value because they can be understood to show that there were people who arrived in these zones from Asia and who then converted these zones into the great culture of the New World."

The results of the studies will be presented at an exhibit on the Sican culture that will be set up for a year at the Tokyo Museum of Science and Nature.

Also to be displayed at that exhibit will be gold, silver and copper jewelry found in the tombs of the ancient Sican rulers and priests.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan
http://sambali. blogspot. com/

Now with a new friend-happy design! Try the new Yahoo! Canada Messenger

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#1978

From: "Paul Kekai Manansala" <p.manansala@...>
Date: Sun Jan 25, 2009 8:59 pm
Subject: Anchors may shed light on famous battles

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Anchors may shed light on famous battles

Out of the blue: A plaster depiction of Bach Dang battle against Southern Han invaders in 938. Research into the origins of Quach Van Dich's anchors could help experts build a better picture of the area's naval history.

Time watch: Quach Van Dich (left) and two researchers in front of an anchor.

Big job: Foreign and Vietnamese experts study one of the two anchors preserved at Dich's home. � VNS Photo

(25-01-2009)

http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=02SUN250109

They're big in stature and demand, but Quach Van Dich is not giving up his anchors to just anyone after news that they may be around 700 years old. Trung Hieu gets to the bottom of the mystery.

A series of chance encounters has left restaurant owner Quach Van Dich with two giant anchors, which some believe could shed light on a monumental event in Vietnamese history: the Great Battle of Bach Dang, when Viet Nam's Tran dynasty defeated invading Yuan Mongolian troops in 1288.

The river was also the site of another famous victory in 938 when Vietnamese armies defeated Southern Han invaders from China.

Dich now lives in Chuong Duong Ward of Ha Noi, close to the Hong (Red) River.

On an autumn day in 1999, Dich and a friend were walking along a wharf owned by Song Hong Tourism Company, and they came across an unusual sight � a massive anchor, about 7m long, with two 1.8m-long hooks.

After questioning staff at the wharf, Dich was told that a fisherman had discovered the anchor earlier in the day and had left it there to sell. Dich immediately opened his wallet. "At that time, I was just about to open my new restaurant, and I thought the anchor might look quite good as an unusual piece of decor," he says.

The anchor's two hooks are attached to the main body with wooden pins, and wrapped tightly with thick rope, which has been immersed underwater so long it has become rock hard. Another piece of rope is attached to the top of the device.

"At first, I thought the rope was made of horse tail," says Dich, "but when I tried to burn it, there was ash, but no smell of burning. I suppose it was made from a special kind of tree bark that has survived hundreds of years without rotting."

Proudly displayed at the front of his restaurant, the anchor drew a lot of attention. Then a few months later, another fisherman arrived at Dich's house with another giant anchor in tow.

"I thought I should buy the second one, so I could display them as a pair, like brothers," Dich says. The second one is shorter, and it has only one hook, which is more than 1m long.

Mystery deepens

The businessman's anchors got a lot of tongue's wagging in the area. The mystery came to a head when one day, a group of visitors from Beijing arrived at his restaurant.

"They went straight to the anchor, looked it over, lit a piece of the rope, and had a lengthy conversation together. Finally, they asked me to sell them the anchors." According to Dich, the visitor's interpreter told him the two anchors were valuable, and they might belong to the ships of the Tran dynasty back in the 13th century.

"They asked me to sell them the anchors for US$30,000." But Dich refused, as he began to think about the historical value the anchors might have for his own country, especially as the capital gears up to celebrate its 1,000th anniversary.

"These anchors are antiques, and I don't know for sure whether they belong to Vietnamese or Chinese ships. Maybe, these anchors belonged to war ships sunk in the Bach Dang River during the 13th century, when the Mongolian Yuan invaders attacked our country."

The Chinese group didn't give up easily. Dich says they returned several times, the last time was in 2002 when they gave him a final offer of $150,000 for the pair. Dich continued to resist.

Another threat came from closer to home, when a Vietnamese automobile dealer came to Dich's house when he was away on business. "The dealer almost succeeded in convincing my wife to sell the anchors, saying it would be good money for our family and make our home more airy. But, she was too afraid to make the deal alone, so the anchors are still here," Dich says with a smile.

To the point: A visitor looks at a stake made of iron wood that was used in the battle of Bach Dang. � VNS Photo Doan Tung

Stepping stones

Getting to the bottom of the riddle was not a straightforward business, says Dich.

The restaurateur's first port of call was the Vietnamese History Museum, where Dich asked museum director Pham Quoc Quan for some advice about the anchors. Quan sent an expert to Dich's house, who then introduced Dich to the Viet Nam History Academy. But the staff at the academy could not help him, so they passed him onto the Institute of Anthropology.

"I got so tired with these officials, sometimes I just felt like giving up and selling the anchors to the Chinese. But I changed my mind as soon as I met historian Duong Trung Quoc."

Quoc and archaeologist Dr Vu The Long from the Viet Nam Archaeology Academy visited Dich's house and took photos of the anchors, which they sent to researchers in Japan.

According to the Japanese researchers, the fact that the anchors are made of wood and rope is a big clue to their age because modern anchors are usually metal.

Historian Duong Trung Quoc agrees: "The experts from Japan and I all think the anchors could belong to the 14th or 15th centuries. We also agree that the rope wrapped around the main body of the anchor is made from a kind of areca palm, which is not a local tree."

The find couldn't have come at a better time, says Long. "For the past ten years, we've been thinking of setting up a marine-archaeology centre and a navigation museum. The discovery of the anchors was a good chance for us. With the help of foreign archaeologists, we might be able to find the remaining wreckage of the warships."

Long's research confirmed Dich's suspicions about the anchors' origins. "The anchors might belong to the Yuan's warship sunken during the Bach Dang Battle. That same century, the Yuan army also crossed the sea three times to attack Japan, but their ships were sunk by hurricanes. Perhaps Japanese researchers have studied about such ships."

The research should be carried out by Vietnamese experts with help from foreign researchers, Long says.

Summoning the troops

After that, a group of Japanese and American researchers specialised in old ships came to help. The six-man team included two professors from the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA), two from Flinder University, and two postgraduate students.

Along with Long and Dich, the team visited the famous site of the Bach Dang Battle, called Bai Coc (Ground of Stakes), so called because the Vietnamese Tran army used lim (iron wood) stakes to trap the invading Yuan warships. The group also stopped off at Bach Dang Museum in the north-eastern province of Quang Ninh.

"We want to help Vietnamese scientists develop their research methods, and encourage sponsorship to establish a fund to help this study," says one of the researchers, Randall Sasaki.

Long says chairman of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA), Professor James Delgado, agreed that identifying the origin of the anchors was only part of the picture.

"The bulk of the project will be to pull out the wrecks of the Yuan warships from the area of river where the battle of Bach Dang took place."

Long says they have also sent samples of wood and rope from the anchors to the Viet Nam Archaeology Academy to ask for their help in identifying the origins.

"At present, we still don't have any concrete answers, but we can say that the wood does not belong to trees from northern China. The rope is made from a kind of areca or coconut tree."

Long says the anchors are very valuable, because they are so big and were found in the river that runs through Ha Noi.

"This proves that the city has been a busy trading centre for many centuries," Long says.

Both archaeologist Vu The Long and historian Duong Trung Quoc say they appreciate Dich's decision not to sell the anchors to foreigners. "Ha Noi Museum is showing a lot of interest in them," Long says.

In the meantime, Dich says he wants to sell the anchors to a Vietnamese museum and donate a large amount of the money to charitable causes.

"I am waiting to find out if my anchors are from Chinese or Vietnamese ships, transport ships or warships. I want to preserve them in a museum, because if I sell them to foreigners, I think they will be lost to our nation forever." � VNS

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#1977

From: "Paul Kekai Manansala" <p.manansala@...>
Date: Sat Jan 10, 2009 8:23 pm
Subject: Study Reveals DNA Links Between Ancient Peruvians, Japanese

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http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=325015&CategoryId=14095

Study Reveals DNA Links Between Ancient Peruvians, Japanese

LIMA -- A study has revealed genetic links between people who inhabited northern Peru more than 1,000 years ago and Japanese, El Comercio newspaper reported Thursday.

Japanese physical anthropologist Ken-ichi Shinoda performed DNA tests on the remains of human bodies found in the East Tomb and West Tomb in the Bosque de Pomas Historical Sanctuary, which are part of the Sican Culture Archaeological Project, funded by Japan's government.

The director of the Sican National Museum, Carlos Elera, told the daily that Shinoda found that people who lived more than 1,000 years ago in what today is the Lambayeque region, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of Lima, had genetic links to the comtemporaneous populations of Ecuador, Colombia, Siberia, Taiwan and to the Ainu people of northern Japan.

The studies will be continued on descendents of the Mochica culture, from the same region, who are currently working on the Sican Project and with people who live in the vicinity of the Bosque de Pomac Historical Sanctuary.

Peruvian archaeologist Luis Chero told El Comercio that "currently, the DNA results have great value because they can be understood to show that there were people who arrived in these zones from Asia and who then converted these zones into the great culture of the New World."

The results of the studies will be presented at an exhibit on the Sican culture that will be set up for a year at the Tokyo Museum of Science and Nature.

Also to be displayed at that exhibit will be gold, silver and copper jewelry found in the tombs of the ancient Sican rulers and priests.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan
http://sambali.blogspot.com/

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#1976

From: "Paul Kekai Manansala" <p.manansala@...>
Date: Fri Nov 7, 2008 11:38 pm
Subject: 6,000km trip to reveal clues to ancient Lapita migration

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Public release date: 6-Nov-2008
[ Print Article | E-mail Article | Close Window ]

Contact: Dr. Keith Dobney
k.m.dobney@...
44-191-334-1119
Durham University

6,000km trip to reveal clues to ancient migration

Epic voyage to discover the origins and migration routes of the ancestors of ancient Polynesians and their animals

Two Durham University scientists are to play a key part in a 6000km trip following the migration route of ancient Pacific cultures.

Drs Keith Dobney and Greger Larson, both from the Department of Archaeology, will be joining the voyage, which will be the first ever expedition to sail in two traditional Polynesian boats - ethnic double canoes - which attempts to re-trace the genuine migration route of the ancient Austronesians.

The main aim of the voyage is to find out where the ancestors of Polynesian culture originated but the Durham University researchers will also be examining the local wildlife.

Dr Larson will be joining the expedition as it sets off from the Southern Philippines in late October, and Dr Dobney will join it in February with another researcher linked with the University, Prof Atholl Anderson, when it leaves the southern Solomon islands en-route into the Pacific.

They will be furthering their own research work along their way, taking hundreds of samples from animals such as dogs, cats, chickens and pigs to use in their ongoing investigations into the origin of these important farmyard animals which the ancient Polynesians carried with them into the remote Pacific.

Work by Drs Larson and Dobney - which probes the genetic make-up of domestic and commensal species linked with human migration - has gained international media attention. Recent findings have focused on the origins and dispersal of domestic chickens and pigs.

The trip, called "Lapita-Voyage", will be crewed by two Polynesians, two scientists, a cameraman and the initiators James Wharram, Hanneke Boon (catamaran-designers) and Klaus Hympendahl (author and organiser of the project).

At the end of the voyage the two double canoes will be presented to the inhabitants of the small Polynesian islands of Tikopia and Anuta, acknowledging the debt owed by Western yachtsmen to the Polynesian inspiration for their 'modern catamarans'.

###

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan
http://sambali.blogspot.com

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#1975

From: Paul Kekai Manansala <p.manansala@...>
Date: Fri Nov 7, 2008 5:29 pm
Subject: Tentative Program for Alamat Conference

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Here is the preliminary program for the conference. The final schedule will be ready about a week before the event.

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES MANILA
UP Manila Centennial Committee Project

Program for the UPM Centennial Conference

ALAMAT International Conference on Myths & Symbols
�Flood Stories, Lost Lands & Drowned Continents�

(Rediscovery the Contemporary Significance of Ancient Myths & Symbols for Nation-Building, Values-Formation, and Environmental Advocacy

(Tambunting Hall, Museum of the Filipino People)
November 26 � 28, 2008

Sponsors:
UP Manila Centennial Committee
College of Arts & Sciences (UP Manila)
Sentro ng Wikang Filipino (UP Manila)
National Commission for Culture and the Arts
Office of the Manila City Mayor
Manila Historical and Heritage Commission
National Museum
UNESCO Philippines
Department of Education
Manila Hotel
Bahay Nakpil-Bautista
Sanghabi, Inc.

Patron : Former President Fidel V. Ramos (awaiting decision by FVR)
(to deliver Inspirational Speech on the Closing Program (November 28, 2008, 3:22 � 3:50 PM) awaiting action by FVR

Tentative Program

PREPARATORY ACTIVITIES
DATE / TIME / PLACE ACTIVITY PERSONNEL
November 25 Arrival of Speakers, Guests and Participants
November 25; Manila Hotel lobby 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM Early Registration by guests and participants to be held at the Manila Hotel lobby (Ground Floor) Open to all

Day 1 of Conference ( November 26, 2008 )
MORNING : OPENING PROGRAM (Museum of the Filipino People)
TIME ACTIVITY
7:00 AM Start of Regular Registration at the lobby of the Museum for the Filipino People
9:00 � 9:05 Invocation (Opening Ceremony)
9:06 � 9:10 National Anthem (Opening Ceremony)
9:11 � 9:12 Introduction of Welcome Speakers from the Host and Sponsors Emcees
9:13 � 9:20 Welcome Greetings by UP President Pres. Emerlinda Roman
9: 20 � 9:25 Welcome Greetings by UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Ramon L. Arcadio
9:26 � 9 : 31 Welcome Greetings by UP Manila Centennial Committee Chair for Special Projects Dr. Albert B. Roxas
9:31 � 9: 36 Welcome Greetings by UP CAS Dean Dr. Reynaldo Imperial
9:36 � 9:41 Welcome Greetings by the Manila City Mayor Mayor Alfredo S. Lim
9: 42 � 9: 47 Welcome Greetings by the Manila Historical and Heritage Commissioner Commissioner Gemma Cruz � Araneta
9: 47 � 9:52 Welcome Greetings from the Director of National Museum Dr. Corazon Alvina
9: 53 � 9: 58 Welcome Greetings from the Executive Director of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts Director . Cecille Guidote � Alvarez
9: 59 � 10:04 Welcome from the Chair of the Committee on Culture of the Arts, UNESCO Philippines Dr. Carmen Padilla
10:05 � 10:10 Welcome Greetings from the Secretary of the Department of Education Dr. Jesli Lapus
10:11 � 10:16 Welcome Greetings from the Philippine Senate (Education) Senator Alan Peter Cayetano (?) for confirmation
10:17 � 10:27 BREAK

Day 1 of Conference (NOVEMBER 26) ; Museum of the Filipino People
MORNING : FIRST SESSION � The Opening Speech by the Main Speaker
10:27 � 10:32 Introduction of the Main Speaker Emcees
10:33 � 11:33 Main Speech, �Eden in the East : human evidence for the drowning of Southeast Asia� Dr. Stephen Oppenheimer
11:34 � 11:44 Open Forum
11: 45 � 11:55 Announcements
11:56 - 1:00 LUNCH
1:00 � 2:00 Museum Tour National Museum Staff

Day 1 of Conference (November 26, 2008) Museum of the Filipino People
AFTERNOON : SECOND SESSION - Alamat, Science, and International
Scholarship
2:00 � 2:05 Introduction of Speakers 1 & 2
2:06 � 2:26 �Oppenheimer, Floods and Mythology� Dr. Wilhelm Solheim, II
2:27 � 2:37 Open Forum
2:38 � 2:58 �Geology in Southeast Asia�s Geography� Dr. Antonio Socrates
2:59 � 3:09 Open Forum
3:10 � 3:20 BREAK
3:21 - 3:26 Introduction of Speakers 3 & 4
3: 27 � 3: 47 �Island Lost, Island Found : The geoarcheology of Butuan City� Wilfredo P. Ronquillo and Mary Jane Louise A. Bolunia
3:48 � 3: 58 Open Forum
3:59 � 4: 19 �Philippine Flood Myths and Legends� Dr. Vivencio Jose
4:20 � 4:30 Open Forum
4:31 � 5:00 Announcements & Closing Emcees
5:30 Closing of Tambunting Hall
F R E E NIGHT

Day 2 (November 27, 2008) Museum of the Filipino People
MORNING : THIRD SESSION - Alamat and Local Paradigms I
TIME ACTIVITY / PAPER PERSONNEL / PRESENTER
8:45 � 9:00 Recap of First Day Sessions Dr. Leothiny Clavel et al.
9:00 � 9:05 Introduction of Speakers 5 & 6
9:06 � 9:16 ��Macaban City� : A �lost city� in the folk stories of Inabanga, Bohol� Merilla May C. Bation
9:17 � 9:27 Open Forum
9:28 � 9:48 �The Drowning and Resurfacing of Panay Island in Central Philippines� Dr. Leothiny Clavel
9:49 � 9:59 Open Forum
10:00 � 10:10 BREAK
10:11 � 10:16 Introduction of Speakers 7, 8 & 9
10:17 � 10:37 �Banahaw: From catastrophe to worship to paradigm� Dr. Teresita B. Obusan
10:38 � 10:48 Open Forum
10:49 � 11:09 �The Crater of Mt. Apo, Flooding & the Myth of Productivity Among the Tagabawa Bagobos� Dr. Honey Libertine Achanzar � Labor
11:10 � 11:20 Open Forum
11:21 � 11:41 �The Talaandig Flood Story : Its Implications to the Life of the Indigenous People� Datu Migketay Victorino L. Saway

11:42 � 11:52 Open Forum
11:53 � 12:00 Announcements
12:00 � 1:20 LUNCH

Day 2 (November 27, 2008) Museum of the Filipino People
AFTERNOON Part 1: FOURTH SESSION - Alamat and New, Alternative &
Controversial Paradigms
TIME ACTIVITY / PAPER PERSONNEL / PRESENTER
1:25 � 1:30 Introduction of Speakers 10, 11 , 12 & 13
1:31 � 1:51 �Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder : After the Sagueney flood� Martin Fortin & Michel Plaisent
1:52 � 2:02 Open Forum
2:03 � 2:23 �Reconstructing a Myth : The Geo-Archeology of Atlantis� Ronnie C. Alonzo

2:24 � 2:34 Open Forum
2:35 � 2:55 ��Lost and Forgotten Cultural History of
Rahr and North East India� Dr. Shambhushivananda
2:56 � 3:06 Open Forum
3:07 � 3:27 �Starry Origins of the Alphabet, the Universal Tongue of the Ancient World� Dr. Ivar Zapp
3:28 � 3:38 Open Forum
3:39 � 3:49 BREAK

Day 2 (November 27, 2008) Museum of the Filipino People
AFTERNOON PART II : FIFTH SESSION �Alamat for Mytho-Historical-Reconstruction, Myth-Making & Prophecy
TIME ACTIVITY PERSONNEL / PRESENTER
3:50 � 3:55 Introduction of Speakers 14 & 15
3:56 � 4:16 �From the Age of Gods to the Age of Men : Underlying Psychic Processes in Myths of the Great Flood� Prof. Felipe �Jun� de Leon, Jr.
4:17 � 4:27 Open Forum
4:28 � 4:48 �New Earth Rising� Georgina Solina
4:49 � 4:59 Open Forum
5:00 -5:05 Announcement & Closing Emcees
5:30 Closing of Tambunting Hall
F R E E N I G H T

Day 3 ( November 28, 2008) Museum of the Filipino People
MORNING : SIXTH SESSION : Alamat, Communication and Creative
Dissemination for Education
TIME ACTIVITY / PAPER PERSONNEL / PRESENTER
8:45 � 9:00 Recap of Second Day Sessions Dr. Leothiny Clavel et al.
9:01 � 9:06 Introduction of Speakers / Presenters 16 & 17
9:07 � 9:37 �Giants, Winged-and-Tailed Beings : pre-diluvian creatures in Cagayan valley region mythology�
(with creative presentation) Mary Daisy-O�ate
9:38 � 9:43 Open Forum
9:44 � 10:14 �Reconstructing the Lost Myth of the �Mutya� : the Laguna de Bay, Pasig, and Manila Bay Region�
(with creative presentation of the �Mutya ng Pasig� story Grace Odal � Devora
10:15 � 10:20 Open Forum
10:21 � 10:31 BREAK
10:32 � 10:37 Introduction of Speakers / Presenters
10:37 � 11:07 Animation film : �Alamat ng 100 Isla� Nelson Caliguia Sr.
11:08 � 11:13 Open Forum
11:14 � 11:44 Storytelling of a Cordillera Myth / Legend
(creative presentation) Kidlat Tahimik
11:45 � 11:50 Open Forum
11:51 � 12:00 Announcements
12:01 - 1:20 LUNCH

Day 3 (November 28, 2008) Museum of the Filipino People
AFTERNOON: SEVENTH SESSION- Alamat for Development and Advocacy
TIME ACTIVITY / PAPER PERSONNEL / PRESENTER
1:21 � 1:26 Introduction of the Closing Speaker
1:27 � 1:47 �The Great Scorching : Possible linkages to
ancient and modern global warming� Paul Kekai Manansala
1:48 � 1:58 Introduction of Panel Discussants / Reactors
1:59 � 3:00 Panel Discussants / Reactors:
� Dr. Stephen Oppenheimer (medicine, genetics, folklore, prehistory, geology)
� Senator Loren Legarda (government, environment)
� Senator Alan Peter Cayetano (?) (government, education)
� Dr. Leticia Shahani (culture and values education)
� Lory Tan (environment)
� Edru Abrahan (Arts)
� Wilfredo Marcelo (Film)
� Jimmy Licauco (parapsychology)
� Dr. Vivencio Jose (folklore and literature)
� Dr. Vic Haochin (Theosophical Society)
3:01 � 3:10 Open Forum
3:11 � 3:21 BREAK

Day 3 (November 28, 2008) Museum of the Filipino People
AFTERNOON: CLOSING PROGRAM
TIME ACTIVITY
3:22 � 3:50 Inspirational Message Special Guest Speaker
Former President Fidel V. Ramos? (for confirmation)
3:50 � 4:00 Conference Resolutions / Recommendations/
Questions / Suggestions
4:00 � 4:15 Establishment of the International Society for the Study of Myths and Symbols
4:16 � 4:21 Closing Remarks Dr. Albert B. Roxas
4:22 � 4: 32 Thanksgiving Statements Dr. Zorayda Leopando and Dr. Josefina Tayag
4:33 � 4:38 Announcements
4:39 � 4:44 Cultural Presentation
4:45 � 5:00 Official Ending of the Conference and Distribution of Certificates Emcees / Ushers & Usherettes

�Gabi ng Pasasalamat�

Invitational Dinner hosted by the UP Manila Chancellor
for all Speakers, UP Manila officials, Friends and Guest,
as well as the Presentation of the Gawad-ALAMAT and the �Pasasalamat� Certification to Sponsors

7:00 � 9:00 PM, College of Arts & Sciences Inner Garden, UP Manila

A. TO BE PRESENTED WITH THE �GAWAD-ALAMAT�
CERTIFICATES:

Mutya ng Alamat : Gemma Cruz � Araneta
Bayani ng Alamat : International � Dr. Stephen Oppenheimer
Bayani ng Alamat : National � Felipe �Jun� de Leon
Alagad ng Alamat Para sa Kalikasan : Mayor Hagedorn
Alagad ng Alamat Para sa Babaylan : Nanay Dayang Macasaet
Alagad ng Alamat Para sa Luzon:
Pagpapalaganap ng Alamat sa Cordillera : Malikhaing
Pagpapalaganap - Kidlat Tahimit, Katheryn de Guia, at
Mga Anak
Pagpapalaganap ng Alamat sa Kabikulan : Dr. Teresita Obusan
(�Pamunuang Tao�)
Alagad ng Alamat Para sa Kabisayaan : Dr. Alice Magos (Epiko)
Alagad ng Alamat Para sa Mindanao : Datu Vic Saway at Bai Liza
Saway (School for Living Traditions)
Alagad ng Alamat ng Bansa sa Amerika : Paul Kekai Manansala

B. TO BE PRESENTED THE �PASASALAMAT � CERTIFICATES:

GAWAD-ALAMAT �PASASALAMAT� Certificates
National Museum
National Commission for Culture and the Arts
Office of the Manila Mayor
Manila Historical and Heritage Commission
UNESCO Philippines
Manila Hotel
Bahay Nakpil � Bautista
Sanghabi Artists
Patron of the ALAMAT

Host: U.P. Manila Chancellor Dr. Arcadio L. Arcadio
With the Support of the following UP Manila units:
UP Manila Centennial Committee
College of Arts & Sciences
Sentro ng Wikang Filipino
CAS Alumni Society

Fourth Day (November 29, 2008) : Optional Packages
� OPTIONAL POST-CONFERENCE TOUR to Laguna
(Please contact Prof. Grace Odal-Devora)
Pila as the �Bayang Pinagpala� and the mythical site of a prediluvian �Garden of Eden�

ALAMAT Working Group :
Prof. Grace Odal-Devora (Department of Arts & Communication, CAS)
Prof. Amante del Mundo (DAC, CAS, UP Manila)
Dr. Leothiny Clavel (DSS, CAS, UP Manila)
Dr. Teresita Obusan (Bahay-Nakpil Bautista)
Mr. Leo Emmanuel Castro (Sanghabi Artists)
Merilla May Bation (Philippine Arts student)
Ramie Anne Malay (Philippine Arts student)
UP CAS Salinlahi (Phil Arts Students Group
UP Manila Centennial Committee Staff

Consultants / Adivisers:
Dr. Ramon L. Arcadio
Dr. Bert Roxas
Dr. Wilhelm Solheim, II
Dr. Leticia Shahani
Dr Luciano P.R. Santiago
Dr. Antonio Socrates

ALAMAT AWARDS Group
Prof. Grace Odal � Devora (Chair)
Dr. Leothiny Clavel
Prof. Amante del Mundo
NCCA Consultants
Dr. Reynaldo Imperial
Criteria for the Award:
Advocacy in Myths and Symbols in particular, and Cultural Heritage Promotion in general ( also related areas)
Community-based cultural work

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala

Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan

http://sambali.blogspot.com

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#1974

From: "Paul Kekai Manansala" <p.manansala@...>
Date: Thu Oct 30, 2008 3:19 pm
Subject: Y chromosome evidence suggests multiple origins of Tibetan and Japanese pop.

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Y chromosome evidence of earliest modern human settlement in East Asia
and multiple origins of Tibetan and Japanese populations


The phylogeography of the Y chromosome in Asia previously suggested
that modern humans of African origin initially settled in mainland
southern East Asia, and about 25,000-30,000 years ago, migrated
northward, spreading throughout East Asia. However, the fragmented
distribution of one East Asian specific Y chromosome lineage (D-M174),
which is found at high frequencies only in Tibet, Japan and the
Andaman Islands, is inconsistent with this scenario.

Results: In this study, we collected more than 5,000 male samples from
73 East Asian populations and reconstructed the phylogeography of the
D-M174 lineage. Our results suggest that D-M174 represents an
extremely ancient lineage of modern humans in East Asia, and a deep
divergence was observed between northern and southern populations.

Conclusions: We proposed that D-M174 has a southern origin and its
northward expansion occurred about 60,000 years ago, predating the
northward migration of other major East Asian lineages. The Neolithic
expansion of Han culture and the last glacial maximum are likely the
key factors leading to the current relic distribution of D-M174 in
East Asia.

The Tibetan and Japanese populations are the admixture of two ancient
populations represented by two major East Asian specific Y chromosome
lineages, the O and D haplogroups.

Author: Hong Shi, Hua Zhong, Yi Peng, Yong-li Dong, Xue-bin Qi, Feng
Zhang, Lu-fang Liu, Si-jie Tan, Run-lin Ma, Chun-jie Xiao, Spencer
Wells, Li Jin and Bing Su
Credits/Source: BMC Biology 2008, 6:45

---
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Paul Kekai Manansala
Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan
http://sambali.blogspot.com

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#1973

From: "Paul Kekai Manansala" <p.manansala@...>
Date: Tue Oct 28, 2008 4:48 pm
Subject: Archaeologists return to Macau to continue excavation of 4000-year-old workshop

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Archaeologists return to Macau to continue excavation of 4000-year-old workshop

Monday, 27 October 2008

Archaeologists are planning to return to Macau to excavate up to 3000 square metres on Coloane island following the discovery of a 4000-year-old workshop at the site, according to MacauNews agency.
Director of the Centre for Chinese Archaeology and Art at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Tang Chung, said there was still a lot of work to be done at the site that was first excavated in the late 1970s.
"There is still some two-to-three thousand square metres not excavated yet, we hope to find more evidence of accessories production at this workshop site," Tang said to MacauNews.
The first of five digs was carried out at Hac Sa Park by the Hong Kong Archaeological Society in the late 1970s and Tang led the last dig in conjunction with Macau University in 2006 that excavated a 124-square-metre site.
Tang said the finds made in 2006 provided evidence of the daily life of a prehistoric artisan. He said the Neolithic artefacts, including ornaments and tools, were similar to those found in Vietnam, the Pearl River Delta and Taiwan.
"This is an extraordinary site in the Pearl River Delta, which is also rarely found in mainland China," Tang said. "This kind of work can raise the public’s awareness of their local ancient culture and the sense or roots."
The finds included burnt clay, a hearth, pottery shards, and a quartz ornaments workshop with quartz cobbles, blanks, flakes, a hammer, borer and tools for polishing stone.
Tang said it was unknown at this stage when his team would return to Macau to continue the work.
"Surely there is still a lot of archaeological work to be done in Macau, but it depends on the various conditions and the support of the government...," he said. "It requires the coordination of many work units and an appropriate chance to come."
Former president of the Hong Kong Archaeological Society William Meacham, who led the early digs, said it was a "very rich site" that went down about two metres.
Meacham described the information gained from the early digs as "extremely important".
"It was quite a process of discovery and I would say there is still a lot that has not been done," he said. "I wish we had done work on the Cotai [Macau’s gaming strip], it was a mud flat and there could have been prehistoric sites under the marine mud...we could have found an early Neolithic site and we have not found that yet."
Meacham said at the time of the first dig Coloane island was relatively underdeveloped and the team found Neolithic pottery within the first five minutes.
"It was a very big and promising site and the discoveries made were extremely important," he said. "The island is a lot more developed nowadays and it is unknown what is left."

---

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Paul Kekai Manansala
Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan
http://sambali.blogspot.com

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#1972

From: "Paul Kekai Manansala" <p.manansala@...>
Date: Sun Oct 26, 2008 11:30 pm
Subject: N Sumatra archeologists find pre-history stone axe

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http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/10/26/n-sumatra-archeologists-find-pre-history-stone-axe/

Medan (ANTARA News) - Archaeologists from North Sumatra found three stone axes from prehistory periode in an excavation in a land fortress site of Putri Hijau in Namorambe village, Deli Serdang regency.

The team consists of Medan Archeology Association, History and Social Sciences Studies Centre of Medan State`s University and Aceh`s Preservation of Archaeological Remains Association conducted the research for five days from October 21 to 25.

"The research finding proves that there was a pre-history life in the Putri Hijau fortress site," Eri Sudewo of Medan Archeology Association said here Sunday.

Besides stone axe, the team consists of 20 experts also found hundreds of ceramics pieces from the Ming dynasty in the 15th to 17th century AD., bullets from the Aceh`s attack to Putri Hijau empire in the 13th or 14th century.

"From the findings, it can be recognized that the ceramics pieces shows the people of Aru empire`s activities, where Putri Hijau hide from Ace`s attack," he said.

The excavation was conducted in three areas--around the villages, chocolate plantation and around the mound predicted as the soil fortress of Aru empire.

"In each of the location, we dig a hole of one metre deep and about two metres wide. The locations are not too far from Deli river which predicted as the main transportation lane to this area," Sudewo added.

Aceh`s Preservation of Archaeological Remains Association Head Phill Ichwan Azhari said from several visits to Putri Hijau fortress, his team found several pieces of ceramics predicted from China`s Ming Dynasty.

"The findings before were from the land surface. We did the lattest excavation based on that findings and we found more archaeological remains," Azhari said.

"All of the findings will be brought to the laboratorium to find out the more detail result from the findings," he added. (*)
---

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan
http://sambali.blogspot.com

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#1971

From: "Paul Kekai Manansala" <p.manansala@...>
Date: Sat Oct 25, 2008 10:20 pm
Subject: New archaeological discovery rewrites earliest Chinese characters dating

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New archaeological discovery rewrites earliest Chinese characters dating

www.chinaview.cn

2008-10-25 00:05:06

JINAN, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Inscribed animal bones and jade pieces unearthed in Changle County of eastern Shandong Province are earliest examples of Chinese characters dating back 4,500 years ago, the latest archaeological studies show.

The discovery broke the record for the previous earliest known examples of Chinese characters, the inscribed animal bones and tortoise shells, known as the oracle bones, of the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1100 BC), by more than 1,300 years. The oracle bones were major discoveries at the Yinxu in Anyang of central China's Henan Province.

The Shandong discovery was first made in 2004 by Xiao Guangde, the Changle Culture and History Committee director and an amateur collector. He noticed many sub-fossil bones were being thrown away when local peasants were digging at the Yuanjiazhuang relic site in the county.

After carefully cleaning some of the unearthed bones, Wang found they bore obvious inscriptions. He also bought other samples, often at high prices, from local people. Over a period of four years, his collection grew to about 100 inscribed bones and two jade relics also with inscriptions.

Lined up in order, the inscriptions bear resemblance to drawings and characters, and show objects such as a bird, a crab, a triangle and the sun. Some inscriptions emerge repeatedly.

"This kind of repeating proves the inscriptions are carved by human beings," Wang Yuxin, the China Yinshang Association of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences president, noted.

Li Laifu, the Shandong Oracle Scripts Association president, said the inscriptions may be left by the Dongyi people who lived in what is today's Shandong Province as early as 8,300 years ago. They made birds as their totem.

However, archaeologists speculated from the bones' color, structure, and degree of their petrifaction, that the scripts had existed for about 4,500 years.

"Unlike other inscriptions dated earlier than the oracle bones, these scripts are in a considerable number and are systematic," said Wang. "Their structures also follow certain rules."

He reckoned the oracle bones found in Henan may inherit some characters from the newly-found scripts. However, he denied they were for divination use.

"The bones and jade don't bear deviation marks such as drills, or chisel and burn traces, so the writing maybe for keeping records of events."

The discoveries were named the "Changle bone scripts" after the place where they were found. Though they could not be translated at present, archaeologists believed they may provide valuable evidence in the studies of the evolution of ancient Chinese characters, and to reproduce a picture of an ancient society that was barely known.

Oracle bones were first unearthed in the late 19th century at the ruins of Yin (Yinxu) in Anyang, capital of the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1100 BC). Yin was the ancient name for the Shang Dynasty. The ruins were listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006.

---

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan
http://sambali.blogspot.com/

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#1970

From: "Paul Kekai Manansala" <p.manansala@...>
Date: Mon Sep 22, 2008 10:53 pm
Subject: Population history of two Anopheles dirus mosquito species in Southeast Asia

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J Evol Biol. 2008 Sep 15. [Epub ahead of print]

Complex population history of two Anopheles dirus mosquito species in Southeast Asia suggests the influence of Pleistocene climate change rather than human-mediated effects.

O'Loughlin SM, Okabayashi T, Honda M, Kitazoe Y, Kishino H, Somboon P, Sochantha T, Nambanya S, Saikia PK, Dev V, Walton C.

Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.

Anopheles dirus and Anopheles baimaii are closely related species which feed on primates, particularly humans, and transmit malaria in the tropical forests of mainland Southeast Asia. Here, we report an in-depth phylogeographic picture based on 269 individuals from 21 populations from mainland Southeast Asia. Analysis of 1537 bp of mtDNA sequence revealed that the population history of A. baimaii is far more complex than previously thought. An old expansion (pre-300 kyr BP) was inferred in northern India/Bangladesh with a wave of south-eastwards expansion arriving at the Thai border (ca 135-173 kyr BP) followed by leptokurtic dispersal very recently (ca 16 kyr BP) into peninsular Thailand. The long and complex population history of these anthropophilic species suggests their expansions are not in response to the relatively recent (ca 40 kyr BP) human expansions in mainland Southeast Asia but, rather, fit well with our understanding of Pleistocene climatic change there.

---
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Paul Kekai Manansala
Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan
http://sambali.blogspot.com

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#1969

From: alas_my_loves
Date: Thu Aug 28, 2008 11:46 pm
Subject: Tahitian vanilla from Mayan cultivar via Galleons

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080821164558.htm

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#1968

From: "Richard Parker" <richardparker01@...>
Date: Sat Aug 23, 2008 3:48 am
Subject: Re: Ancestor Skull Veneration and Infant Head Binding

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If you liked your grand-dad, then you might go a bit further than
just drop him into a pit in the ground, and forget about him.

But then, you've got very few options:
- Mummify him - Ok for Egyptians and Incas
- Take him out of his grave, re-wrap him, etc
- Take him out of his grave, and decorate his remaining head bones
in some way

It's not surprising at all those different cultures had the same
practices.

best regards

Richard Parker
Siargao Island, Philippines

http://smallislandnotes.blogspot.com/
www.coconutstudio.com
http://austronesiancounting.wordpress.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28722516@N02/






--- In austric@yahoogroups.com, TTT UUU <gymnogoy@...> wrote:
>
> Regarding the saving of�family�skulls and fleshing them out with
clay and paint. This custom is also practiced in the New Hebrides
Islands well�east of New Guinea. See another National Geographic
book...
> � 1973. Primitive Worlds, People lost in time.�page 43.
> �
> Robin Day Canada
>
> --- On Mon, 8/4/08, Dac Regrt <pacificarchaeology@...> wrote:
>
> From: Dac Regrt <pacificarchaeology@...>
> Subject: Re: [austric] Ancestor Skull Veneration and Infant Head
Binding
> To: austric@yahoogroups.com
> Received: Monday, August 4, 2008, 7:31 AM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> how can a custom from jerico go to an island?
>
> --- On Thu, 7/31/08, TTT UUU <gymnogoy@yahoo. ca> wrote:
>
> From: TTT UUU <gymnogoy@yahoo. ca>
> Subject: [austric] Ancestor Skull Veneration and Infant Head
Binding
> To: austric@yahoogroups .com
> Date: Thursday, July 31, 2008, 5:07 PM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Found two interesting items in an older book by National
Geographic:
>
> �Shadbolt M.�and O. Ruhen. 1969. Isles of the South Pacific. 212 p.
>
> �On p. 202 there is a human shull from the Sepik River New
Guinea,�with the�flesh remodeled in clay and painted. The eyes are
replaced by white cowrie shells. This same custom was practiced in
Jerico, Israel,�thousands of years ago. This custom may have been
carried east in the stone age to the�New Guinea region.
>
> �
> On p.199 a mother from the New Britian Islands, east of New
Guinea,�is photographed binding he head of an infant with�bark cloth
to elongate the skull. This custom was common in central and south
America but�I had�not known�it was practiced in the New Guinea
region.
>
> �
>
> Robin Tim�Day, Canada
>
>
>
> Be smarter than spam. See how smart SpamGuard is at giving junk
email the boot with the All-new Yahoo! Mail
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
__________________________________________________________________
> Yahoo! Canada Toolbar: Search from anywhere on the web, and
bookmark your favourite sites. Download it now at
> http://ca.toolbar.yahoo.com.
>

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#1967

From: TTT UUU <gymnogoy@...>
Date: Tue Aug 19, 2008 2:10 pm
Subject: Re: Ancestor Skull Veneration and Infant Head Binding

gymnogoy

Offline

Send Email

Regarding the saving of family skulls and fleshing them out with clay and paint. This custom is also practiced in the New Hebrides Islands well east of New Guinea. See another National Geographic book...

1973. Primitive Worlds, People lost in time. page 43.

Robin Day Canada

--- On Mon, 8/4/08, Dac Regrt <pacificarchaeology@...> wrote:

From: Dac Regrt <pacificarchaeology@...>
Subject: Re: [austric] Ancestor Skull Veneration and Infant Head Binding
To: austric@yahoogroups.com
Received: Monday, August 4, 2008, 7:31 AM

how can a custom from jerico go to an island?

--- On Thu, 7/31/08, TTT UUU <gymnogoy@yahoo. ca> wrote:

From: TTT UUU <gymnogoy@yahoo. ca>
Subject: [austric] Ancestor Skull Veneration and Infant Head Binding
To: austric@yahoogroups .com
Date: Thursday, July 31, 2008, 5:07 PM

Found two interesting items in an older book by National Geographic:

Shadbolt M. and O. Ruhen. 1969. Isles of the South Pacific. 212 p.

On p. 202 there is a human shull from the Sepik River New Guinea, with the flesh remodeled in clay and painted. The eyes are replaced by white cowrie shells. This same custom was practiced in Jerico, Israel, thousands of years ago. This custom may have been carried east in the stone age to the New Guinea region.

On p.199 a mother from the New Britian Islands, east of New Guinea, is photographed binding he head of an infant with bark cloth to elongate the skull. This custom was common in central and south America but I had not known it was practiced in the New Guinea region.

Robin Tim Day, Canada

Be smarter than spam. See how smart SpamGuard is at giving junk email the boot with the All-new Yahoo! Mail

Be smarter than spam. See how smart SpamGuard is at giving junk email the boot with the All-new Yahoo! Mail

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#1966

From: TTT UUU <gymnogoy@...>
Date: Thu Aug 14, 2008 7:24 pm
Subject: Re: Ancestor Skull Veneration and Infant Head Binding

gymnogoy

Offline

Send Email

Hello Dac

Islands are not totally isolated.

Customs travel the globe with the dispersal of people and can be retained for ages. New Guinea etc. was not always an island but attached to Australia when sea level was much lower. Early man had boats or rafts to cross to Australasia. Humans (plus H. erectus) came out of Africa, across south Asia. Another example are the native people of the Americas who have some customs they must have brought with them from east Asia. One is the custom of seeing a rabbit pattern on the moon. This was shown to me by a Korean. Chiners have the same custom.

Anyway, sometimes nearly the same articles are invented in different parts of the globe, always a possiblity. I am reading an archaeology book now about Old Europe (Balkans, Greece, Romania, Yugoslavia and Moldovia) by Marija Gimbutras (spelling? not sure) and shown are fired clay stamps like those I have seen from coastal Ecuador (art different). Some of the oldest writing comes from this area of Europe, predating Sumeria by a 1000 yrs. This was new to me!

Robin Day Canada

--- On Mon, 8/4/08, Dac Regrt <pacificarchaeology@...> wrote:

From: Dac Regrt <pacificarchaeology@...>
Subject: Re: [austric] Ancestor Skull Veneration and Infant Head Binding
To: austric@yahoogroups.com
Received: Monday, August 4, 2008, 7:31 AM

how can a custom from jerico go to an island?

--- On Thu, 7/31/08, TTT UUU <gymnogoy@yahoo. ca> wrote:

From: TTT UUU <gymnogoy@yahoo. ca>
Subject: [austric] Ancestor Skull Veneration and Infant Head Binding
To: austric@yahoogroups .com
Date: Thursday, July 31, 2008, 5:07 PM

Found two interesting items in an older book by National Geographic:

Shadbolt M. and O. Ruhen. 1969. Isles of the South Pacific. 212 p.

On p. 202 there is a human shull from the Sepik River New Guinea, with the flesh remodeled in clay and painted. The eyes are replaced by white cowrie shells. This same custom was practiced in Jerico, Israel, thousands of years ago. This custom may have been carried east in the stone age to the New Guinea region.

On p.199 a mother from the New Britian Islands, east of New Guinea, is photographed binding he head of an infant with bark cloth to elongate the skull. This custom was common in central and south America but I had not known it was practiced in the New Guinea region.

Robin Tim Day, Canada

Be smarter than spam. See how smart SpamGuard is at giving junk email the boot with the All-new Yahoo! Mail

Instant message from any web browser! Try the new Yahoo! Canada Messenger for the Web BETA

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#1965

From: "Paul Kekai Manansala" <p.manansala@...>
Date: Wed Aug 6, 2008 8:23 pm
Subject: Seven thousand years of metal mining/use recorded in C. China lake sediments

pinatubo.geo

Offline

Send Email

Environ Sci Technol. 2008 Jul 1;42(13):4732-8.

Seven thousand years of records on the mining and utilization of metals from lake sediments in central China.

Lee CS, Qi SH, Zhang G, Luo CL, Zhao LY, Li XD.

Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

A 268 cm section of sediment core from Liangzhi Lake in Hubei province in central China was used to assess the use and accumulation of metals in the lake in the past 7,000 years. The concentrations of trace metals, including Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn, and major elements, Ca, Fe, and Mg, in a 14C- dated segment of sediment core were analyzed. Historical trends on the input of metals to Liangzhi Lake from around 5000 BC to the present were recorded in the sediments, representing about 7,000 years of history on the mining and utilization of metals in central China. The concentrations of Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn increased gradually from about 3000 +/- 328 BC, indicating the start of the Bronze Age in ancient China. During the period 467 +/- 257 to 215 +/- 221 AD, there was a rapid increase in the concentrations of these metals in the sediments, indicating enormous inputs of these metals at that time. This era corresponded to China's Warring States Period (475- 221 BC) and the early Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), during which copper and lead were extensively used in making bronze articles such as vessels, tools, and weapons. From 1880 +/- 35 AD to the early 1900s, there was also a significant increase in the concentrations of metals such as Cu, Ni, and Pb, which probably reflected the metal emissions and utilization during the early period of industrial development and weapon manufacture during the wars in China. The Pb isotopic analysis showed that the surface and subsurface sediments had lower 206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/ 207Pb ratios than the deeper layers, reflecting the additional input of Pb from mining activities that took place during the Bronze Age era and in modern times. This study provides direct evidence of the environmental impact of the mining and utilization of metals in the last 7,000 years in one of the important regions of Chinese civilization.

--

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan
http://sambali.blogspot.com/

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#1964

From: Dac Regrt <pacificarchaeology@...>
Date: Sun Aug 3, 2008 10:31 pm
Subject: Re: Ancestor Skull Veneration and Infant Head Binding

pacificarcha...

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how can a custom from jerico go to an island?

--- On Thu, 7/31/08, TTT UUU <gymnogoy@...> wrote:

From: TTT UUU <gymnogoy@...>
Subject: [austric] Ancestor Skull Veneration and Infant Head Binding
To: austric@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, July 31, 2008, 5:07 PM

Found two interesting items in an older book by National Geographic:

Shadbolt M. and O. Ruhen. 1969. Isles of the South Pacific. 212 p.

On p. 202 there is a human shull from the Sepik River New Guinea, with the flesh remodeled in clay and painted. The eyes are replaced by white cowrie shells. This same custom was practiced in Jerico, Israel, thousands of years ago. This custom may have been carried east in the stone age to the New Guinea region.

On p.199 a mother from the New Britian Islands, east of New Guinea, is photographed binding he head of an infant with bark cloth to elongate the skull. This custom was common in central and south America but I had not known it was practiced in the New Guinea region.

Robin Tim Day, Canada

Be smarter than spam. See how smart SpamGuard is at giving junk email the boot with the All-new Yahoo! Mail

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#1963

From: TTT UUU <gymnogoy@...>
Date: Fri Aug 1, 2008 6:40 pm
Subject: Re: Re: Ancestor Skull Veneration and Infant Head Binding

gymnogoy

Offline

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Francesco

On an earlier thread I posted.... I have been wondering if the South American drugs like cocaine and nicotene turning up in Africa (Egyptian mummies) may have come down the Amazon self propelled rather than via a Pacific Ocean route. The conquistador Orellana led the first group of Spanish this way from the Napo River Ecuador and they made it to the Atlantic in 6 months if I recall. Been reading about Orellana's account since I was in this part of Ecuador in April.

Robin Day Canada

--- On Fri, 8/1/08, Francesco Brighenti <frabrig@...> wrote:

From: Francesco Brighenti <frabrig@...>
Subject: [austric] Re: Ancestor Skull Veneration and Infant Head Binding
To: austric@yahoogroups.com
Received: Friday, August 1, 2008, 5:31 PM

--- In austric@yahoogroups .com, TTT UUU <gymnogoy@.. .> wrote:

> On p.199 a mother from the New Britian Islands, east of New
> Guinea, is photographed binding he head of an infant with bark
> cloth to elongate the skull. This custom was common in central and
> south America but I had not known it was practiced in the New
> Guinea region.

Artificial cranial deformation, a practice having a prehistoric
origin, was once practised in all five continents. The great British
anthropologist Eric John Dingwall has written an entire book on this
subject. It can be read in full at

http://www.artifici alcranialdeforma tion.info/ Dingwall/ index.htm

See also the interesting collection of quotes on this subject (with
pictures) at

http://tinyurl. com/5554hm

Regards,
Francesco

Ask a question on any topic and get answers from real people. Go to Yahoo! Answers.

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#1962

From: "Francesco Brighenti" <frabrig@...>
Date: Fri Aug 1, 2008 8:31 am
Subject: Re: Ancestor Skull Veneration and Infant Head Binding

frabrig

Offline

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--- In austric@yahoogroups.com, TTT UUU <gymnogoy@...> wrote:
�
> On p.199 a mother from the New Britian Islands, east of New
> Guinea,�is photographed binding he head of an infant with�bark
> cloth to elongate the skull. This custom was common in central and
> south America but�I had�not known�it was practiced in the New
> Guinea region.

Artificial cranial deformation, a practice having a prehistoric
origin, was once practised in all five continents. The great British
anthropologist Eric John Dingwall has written an entire book on this
subject. It can be read in full at

http://www.artificialcranialdeformation.info/Dingwall/index.htm

See also the interesting collection of quotes on this subject (with
pictures) at

http://tinyurl.com/5554hm

Regards,
Francesco

Reply | Forward | Messages in this Topic (7)

#1961

From: TTT UUU <gymnogoy@...>
Date: Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:07 pm
Subject: Ancestor Skull Veneration and Infant Head Binding

gymnogoy

Offline

Send Email

Found two interesting items in an older book by National Geographic:

Shadbolt M. and O. Ruhen. 1969. Isles of the South Pacific. 212 p.

On p. 202 there is a human shull from the Sepik River New Guinea, with the flesh remodeled in clay and painted. The eyes are replaced by white cowrie shells. This same custom was practiced in Jerico, Israel, thousands of years ago. This custom may have been carried east in the stone age to the New Guinea region.

On p.199 a mother from the New Britian Islands, east of New Guinea, is photographed binding he head of an infant with bark cloth to elongate the skull. This custom was common in central and south America but I had not known it was practiced in the New Guinea region.

Robin Tim Day, Canada

Be smarter than spam. See how smart SpamGuard is at giving junk email the boot with the All-new Yahoo! Mail

Reply | Forward | Messages in this Topic (7)

#1960

From: alas_my_loves
Date: Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:03 am
Subject: Skull & coconut shell

alas_my_loves

Offline

Paul, from your blog I read this:

Chi Han writes that a popular name for the coconut was Yueh-wang-t
'ou, "head of the king of Yueh," a designation explained in terms of a
feud a king of Yueh supposedly had with the king of Champa (southern
Indochina). According to the tradition, an assassin was sent to kill
the king of Yueh and hang his head on a tree, and when he did so, it
immediately turned into a coconut. The king of Champa, angered, had
the coconut cut open to use as a cup, as still done by southerners in
Chi Han's day.

This seems a parallel to what is said to have happened around the
Takla Makan region, when the head of the leader of the Yuehzhie
(Tocharian speakers, possibly Persian-Hindu group?) was turned into a
drinking vessel by their enemy the Dzongni sp. (Mongols). I wonder if
this is two separate similar stories, or if both derived from a single
story and then localized.
DDeden

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#1959

From: "Paul Kekai Manansala" <p.manansala@...>
Date: Mon Jun 30, 2008 3:12 pm
Subject: Trematode eggs from the stool of a 17th century female mummy found in Korea

pinatubo.geo

Offline

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J Parasitol. 2008 Apr;94(2):467-72.

     Gymnophalloides seoi eggs from the stool of a 17th century female
mummy found in Hadong, Republic of Korea.

     Seo M, Shin DH, Guk SM, Oh CS, Lee EJ, Shin MH, Kim MJ, Lee SD,
Kim YS, Yi YS, Spigelman M, Chai JY.

     Department of Parasitology, College of Medicine, Dankook
University, Chonan 330-714, South Korea.

     It was previously reported that paleoparasitological clues for
parasites infecting humans could be found in the feces of mummies of
the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) in the Republic of Korea. Here, we
report the presence of trematode eggs, including Clonorchis sinensis,
Metagonimus yokogawai, and Gymnophalloides seoi (a human parasite
known in Korea since 1993) in the feces of a recently excavated female
mummy in Hadong, Republic of Korea. This is the first report of the
discovery of a G. seoi infection in a human mummy. Since Hadong is
currently not an endemic area for G. seoi, we speculate that the
parasite might have occurred frequently along coastal areas of the
Korean peninsula several hundred years ago and that the endemic areas
contracted to, more or less, restricted regions since that time.

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#1958

From: alas_my_loves
Date: Thu Jun 12, 2008 3:33 am
Subject: Re: OT: Mangrove crab-eating frogs

alas_my_loves

Offline

--- In austric@yahoogroups.com, "paul jeffrey ang" <pol.pagong@...> wrote:
>
> *Ilocano: tuk�k
> Tagalog: palaka
> Cebuano: baki

Thanks Paul Jeffrey Ang.



>
>
>
> *
> On Tue, Jun 10, 2008 at 2:20 PM, alas_my_loves
<no_reply@yahoogroups.com>
> wrote:
>
> >   Sorry for getting so far off topic, but I hoped someone might have
> > experience with this frog, biologically or as a delicacy. Does it
> > actually eat crabs? How?
> >
> > (Crab-eating macaque monkeys do eat crab, but crab-eating seals do
> > not, rather they strain tiny krill shrimp through their filter teeth)
> >
> > http://mangrove.nus.edu.sg/guidebooks/text/2111.htm
> >
> > this frog accumulates urea, possibly for buoyancy, as well as for
> > saline water osmosis control.
> >
> > It is edible, has anyone eaten this frog? I want to know if the urea
> > affects the taste, since shark meat is also said to contain urea
> > which renders it inedible except it's fin. Why one but not the other,
> > regarding edibility? Maybe only the frog's skin contains appreciable
> > urea? Are frog legs delicacies during cooking skinned or not?
> >
> > Does this frog's throat air sac differ from freshwater frog air sacs
> > sizewise or vocalwise or auditorywise?
> >
> > In Malay/Indonesian, frog is 'katak', how about in Philippino?
> >
> >
> >
>

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Single origin for domesticated dog in Southeast Asia and South China

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New evidence of Cinnamon Route from Mtwapa, Kenya

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New evidence of Cinnamon Route from Mtwapa, Kenya

Molecular population genetics of SLC4A1 and Southeast Asian Ovalocytosis.

6,000km trip to reveal clues to ancient migration

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