Latest news with #BayofBiscay
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Joint UK and French military exercise on D-Day training beach
An amphibious warfare exercise involving UK and French troops is taking place on a Devon beach that was used to train soldiers for D-Day. Exercise Catamaran is a two-week training operation spilt between North Devon and the Bay of Biscay, involving 11 warships, aircraft and about 3,000 from the two nations are being launched ashore on Devon's Braunton Burrows beach, which was used to train soldiers for the D-Day landings on 6 June Royal Navy's Maj Gen Rich Cantrill said the "highly complex" amphibious operations require regular practice and the joint exercise is "echoing our history" from World War Two. The Royal Navy and Marine Nationale task group is operating under the control of the joint French and British Combined Joint Expeditionary Force, along with Spanish troops. Seaborne and helicopter commando raids are taking place on the beaches in North Devon before moving to the Bay of Biscay on Saturday. The Royal Navy said the purpose of the exercise was to test the ability of allied nations to operate effectively together in a wartime Gen Cantrill said the Royal Navy was delighted to participate in the French-led exercise and host its initial phase off the Devon coast."Amphibious operations are highly complex and so require regular practice," he said."We must stand united as allies, echoing our history from WWII and maintaining our ability to project power from sea to added: "As warfare evolves, as we've seen with Ukraine, we have to adapt, and the Royal Navy is significantly transforming its Commando Force and the way it delivers operations in the littoral." The D-Day landings involved the simultaneous landing of tens of thousands of troops on five separate beaches in Royal Navy said the exercises taking place on the anniversary of D-Day reflected the "continued relevance" of these operations 81 years since the largest amphibious landing in history. French commander of naval operations, Vice Adm Emmanuel Slaars, said the amphibious operations were "demanding". "You have to deal with the sea state and the weather, he said. "We know when we look back to history that is was an essential parameter of the decision to launch D-Day."The second phase of the exercise from Saturday until 15 June will will see training carried out in the Bay of Biscay. Royal Marines will operate from French Navy ships and air assaults will be launched from Royal Navy Air Station Yeovilton in Somerset onto the French coastline.
Asharq Al-Awsat
27-05-2025
- Science
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Scientists Date the Oldest Known Tools Made from Whale Bones to 20,000 Years Ago
Scientists have pinpointed the oldest known evidence of humans making tools from whale bone. The bones, fashioned into narrow projectiles for hunting, had been uncovered in excavations dating back over a century in the Bay of Biscay near Spain and France. Scientists figured the tools were quite ancient, but many were small fragments so it was hard to determine their age. Technological advancements in the past decade have now made it possible to date the oldest of the tools to about 20,000 years ago. Scientists found that the bones came from blue whales, fin whales, sperm whales and other species, The AP news reported. 'Humans and whales have clearly been encountering one another for a long time,' said Vicki Szabo with Western Carolina University, who studies the history of whaling and was not involved with the latest research. Scientists think that ancient humans were crafting whale bone instruments in places including the Arctic and South Pacific. There's been solid evidence of whale bone tools dating back to about 5,000 years ago, but the new research published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications pushes the timeline back. Ancient humans weren't necessarily hunting whales, said study author Jean-Marc Petillon with the French National Centre for Scientific Research. More likely, they were scavenging the bodies of beached whales and fashioning their dense, heavy bones into tools to hunt reindeer or bison. The tools indicate that ancient people in the area took advantage of resources near the sea for survival. They likely also collected seashells and fished. Finding such evidence has been difficult as rising sea levels disrupt coastlines across the globe, scientists said. 'It's one more contribution to the importance of coastal environments for human groups, even in this long past," said Petillon.
The Independent
27-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Scientists pinpoint when humans started to use tools made from whale bone
Scientists have discovered the oldest evidence of humans crafting tools from whale bones, dating back roughly 20,000 years. The bones, shaped into narrow projectiles for hunting, were found during excavations in the Bay of Biscay, near Spain and France, over a century ago. While researchers suspected the tools were ancient, their fragmented condition made accurate dating difficult. Recent technological advancements have now enabled scientists to determine the age of the oldest tools. Analysis revealed that the bones originated from various whale species, including blue whales, fin whales, and sperm whales. 'Humans and whales have clearly been encountering one another for a long time,' said Vicki Szabo with Western Carolina University, who studies the history of whaling and was not involved with the latest research. Scientists think that ancient humans were crafting whale bone instruments in places including the Arctic and South Pacific. There's been solid evidence of whale bone tools dating back to about 5,000 years ago, but the new research published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications pushes the timeline back. Ancient humans weren't necessarily hunting whales, said study author Jean-Marc Petillon with the French National Centre for Scientific Research. More likely, they were scavenging the bodies of beached whales and fashioning their dense, heavy bones into tools to hunt reindeer or bison. The tools indicate that ancient people in the area took advantage of resources near the sea for survival. They likely also collected seashells and fished. Finding such evidence has been difficult as rising sea levels disrupt coastlines across the globe, scientists said. 'It's one more contribution to the importance of coastal environments for human groups, even in this long past," said Petillon.
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Science
- CTV News
Scientists date the oldest known tools made from whale bones to 20,000 years ago
A projectile made from gray whale bone, dating back to about 18,000 years ago, in Abbaye d'Arthous, France, in March 2021. (Alexandre Lefebvre via AP) NEW YORK — Scientists have pinpointed the oldest known evidence of humans making tools from whale bone. The bones, fashioned into narrow projectiles for hunting, had been uncovered in excavations dating back over a century in the Bay of Biscay near Spain and France. Scientists figured the tools were quite ancient, but many were small fragments so it was hard to determine their age. Technological advancements in the past decade have now made it possible to date the oldest of the tools to about 20,000 years ago. Scientists found that the bones came from blue whales, fin whales, sperm whales and other species. 'Humans and whales have clearly been encountering one another for a long time,' said Vicki Szabo with Western Carolina University, who studies the history of whaling and was not involved with the latest research. Scientists think that ancient humans were crafting whale bone instruments in places including the Arctic and South Pacific. There's been solid evidence of whale bone tools dating back to about 5,000 years ago, but the new research published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications pushes the timeline back. Ancient humans weren't necessarily hunting whales, said study author Jean-Marc Petillon with the French National Centre for Scientific Research. More likely, they were scavenging the bodies of beached whales and fashioning their dense, heavy bones into tools to hunt reindeer or bison. The tools indicate that ancient people in the area took advantage of resources near the sea for survival. They likely also collected seashells and fished. Finding such evidence has been difficult as rising sea levels disrupt coastlines across the globe, scientists said. 'It's one more contribution to the importance of coastal environments for human groups, even in this long past,' said Petillon. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Adithi Ramakrishnan, The Associated Press
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Scientists date the oldest known tools made from whale bones to 20,000 years ago
Scientists have pinpointed the oldest known evidence of humans making tools from whale bone. The bones, fashioned into narrow projectiles for hunting, had been uncovered in excavations dating back over a century in the Bay of Biscay near Spain and France. Scientists figured the tools were quite ancient, but many were small fragments so it was hard to determine their age. Technological advancements in the past decade have now made it possible to date the oldest of the tools to about 20,000 years ago. Scientists found that the bones came from blue whales, fin whales, sperm whales and other species. 'Humans and whales have clearly been encountering one another for a long time,' said Vicki Szabo with Western Carolina University, who studies the history of whaling and was not involved with the latest research. Scientists think that ancient humans were crafting whale bone instruments in places including the Arctic and South Pacific. There's been solid evidence of whale bone tools dating back to about 5,000 years ago, but the new research published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications pushes the timeline back. Ancient humans weren't necessarily hunting whales, said study author Jean-Marc Petillon with the French National Centre for Scientific Research. More likely, they were scavenging the bodies of beached whales and fashioning their dense, heavy bones into tools to hunt reindeer or bison. The tools indicate that ancient people in the area took advantage of resources near the sea for survival. They likely also collected seashells and fished. Finding such evidence has been difficult as rising sea levels disrupt coastlines across the globe, scientists said. 'It's one more contribution to the importance of coastal environments for human groups, even in this long past," said Petillon. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
