Latest news with #ScienceinPoland
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Science
- Miami Herald
Ancient boomerang found in Poland challenges beliefs on early human settlement
New technology has revealed that an ancient mammoth tusk boomerang discovered in Poland in 1985 is significantly older than archaeologists initially believed. The artifact, discovered in Podhale Obłazowa Cave, was estimated to be between 30,000 and 23,000 years old and believed to originate from Pavlovian culture, according to a June 28 news release from Science in Poland. Thanks to DNA and isotopic analyses, researchers have confirmed the artifact may be up to 42,000 years old, predating the oldest known Aboriginal boomerang by tens of thousands of years, according to a study published June 25 in the journal PLOS One and Australian archaeological records. The new finding makes the mammoth ivory boomerang the oldest ever discovered in Europe and possibly the world, according to the study. 'While today the boomerang is commonly associated with Aboriginal culture in Australia, historical evidence suggests its use across different continents,' researchers said. The boomerang, measuring about 28 inches long, flies but does not return to the thrower, similar to some Aboriginal boomerang designs, experts said. It bears 'notable wear and polish' indicating frequent handling. The artifact was found alongside a bone from a human thumb, a Conus shell, pendants made from arctic fox teeth, stone artifacts and boulders intentionally moved into the cave, suggesting it may have been used in a 'shamanistic ritual,' according to experts. Researchers said no ivory fragments were found at the site, so the boomerang must have been carved somewhere else and taken to Obłazowa Cave, 'underscoring its special status.' The age of the ivory boomerang and other artifacts also challenges beliefs that no one permanently lived in what is now Central Europe during that time, according to researchers. Until now, many experts believed Homo sapiens did not settle in the region until after 35,000 B.C., leaving it 'uninhabited for millennia following Neanderthal extinction.' The new findings provide evidence of sustained human settlement during the Early Aurignacian — a culture associated with the first modern humans, according to the study. The research team included Sahra Talamo, Nicole Casaccia, Michael P. Richards, Lukas Wacker, Laura Tassoni, Adam Nadachowski, Anna Kraszewska, Magda Kowal, Jakub Skłucki, Christopher Barrington, Monica Kelly, Frankie Tait, Mia Williams, Carla Figus, Antonino Vazzana, Ginevra Di Bernardo, Matteo Romandini, Giovanni Di Domenico, Stefano Benazzi, Cristina Malegori, Giorgia Sciutto, Paolo Oliveri, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Mateja Hajdinjak, Pontus Skoglund, Andrea Picin and Paweł Valde‑Nowak. Obłazowa Cave is about a 60-mile drive south from Krakow. Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Science in Poland.
Miami Herald
26-02-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
32-foot whale was entangled in nets off Poland. Then rescuers stepped in, video shows
A humpback whale was rescued after becoming entangled in fishing nets in the Baltic Sea — an unusual place for the species to be found. The ensnared marine mammal was spotted about 260 feet offshore from Międzyzdroje — a seaside town in northwest Poland — on Feb. 26, according to a news release from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Poland office. Lines dotted with buoys were wrapped around the whale's torso and tail, posing a threat to its survival. Upon being alerted to the situation, Polish rescue services were immediately dispatched to assist the animal, which measured about 32 feet long. After navigating alongside the creature in a small, inflatable boat, they were successfully able to free it. 'The humpback whale was relatively calm,' Agnieszka Veljkovic, a spokesperson for the WWF in Poland told the Agence France-Presse, according to a report published by Barron's. 'On the second attempt by the rescuers to remove the nets, it seemed to understand that we were coming to its aid and almost began to cooperate,' Veljkovic added. A video posted by Sebstian Kluska, the director of Poland's Maritime Search and Rescue Service, shows rescuers cheering and clapping as the whale slowly drifted off and submerged beneath the surface. Hopefully it will be able to find its way 'home,' WWF said. Rare sighting Humpback whales are not typically seen in the Baltic Sea, which has shallow water and is connected to the North Sea by the Danish Straits, according to the WWF. Instead, they prefer the open ocean. Sightings in the area — which offers little food for the filter-feeding animals — are considered rare, according to the AFP, via Barron's. They aren't unheard of, though. A pair of humpbacks were observed in the sea near Denmark and Germany in 2014, according to Science in Poland. And, in 2008, a lone humpback was spotted in the Baltic off the coast of Germany, according to NBC News. Joerg Feddern, a biologist with Greenpeace, an environmental group, told the outlet that it was the first sighting since 2004. As to how the whale got there, experts said there were several possibilities, including that it became confused by underwater noises or that it simply followed the ocean currents. Google Translate was used to translate a news release from the WWF's Poland office.
Miami Herald
19-02-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Metal detectorists searching for WWII artifacts uncover much older and rarer weapon
A pair of metal detectorists bundled up and headed into a snowy forest in Poland. They hoped to find some artifacts from World War II — yet stumbled upon a much older and rarer weapon. Undeterred by the January cold, Rafał Proszowski and Mariusz Lampa decided to visit a forest near Krakow, but not for a typical hike. They knew the Polish army had retreated through the area when Nazi German troops invaded in 1939, so they took metal detectors to search for related items, Science in Poland said in a Feb. 19 news release. While scanning the ground near a small tree, the metal detector emitted a distinctive sound. Proszowski and Lampa began digging and soon unearthed a rusty ancient Roman sword, officials said. Photos shared by the Inventum Association in a Feb. 6 Facebook post show the ancient weapon. It's broken in two but looks relatively complete, with a thinner handle and a blunt rectangular point. Proszowski and Lampa reported the find to archaeological officials, who tentatively identified it as a Roman spatha, a characteristic long sword used by horsemen, officials said. The weapon probably dates back over 1,700 years, but its exact age remains unknown. Mariusz Włudarz, a colleague of the finders and spokesperson for the Inventum Association, told Science in Poland that this is the first time a spatha sword has been found in the area. But how did a Roman sword end up in Kraków-Częstochowa Upland? And why was it broken in two? The Inventum Association said the sword could have been reused by the local Vandal warriors, then broken and buried in a funeral ritual, but the theory hasn't been confirmed. The sword is being held at the Częstochowa Museum and will undergo further analysis, Science in Poland said. Kraków-Częstochowa Upland is a forest area near Krakow in southern Poland and a roughly 180-mile drive southeast of Warsaw. Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Science in Poland and Facebook post from the Inventum Association.
