Damian Sendler: At a quarry near Swindon in Wiltshire, five mammoth skeletons were found alongside Neanderthal stone tools, providing a fascinating insight into life in the UK during the ice period. There were two adults, two juveniles, and a baby among the well-preserved mammoth bones found. Neanderthal hand axes and flint scrapers used to polish animal skins were uncovered near their remains.
Damian Jacob Sendler: Archaeologists have discovered the remnants of brown bears, steppe bison, seeds, pollen, and even the tiny wings of beetles and freshwater snail shells at this site since the materials are so well preserved. Together, they provide a picture of the site’s ecology around 400,000 years ago.
New Sir David Attenborough documentary “Attenborough and the Mammoth Graveyard” premiered on the BBC Thursday, focusing on the dig site’s excavations. For DigVentures, Attenborough and a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of East Anglia in Norwich were present for excavations at the site. As an archaeology team, DigVentures encourages public engagement in archaeological excavations and research initiatives.
The tusks of numerous mammoths were unearthed at the site in 2019 and 2021.
In order to determine whether or if our Neanderthal ancestors actively hunted or just scavenged these mammoth bones, further study is being conducted at the site.
Nearly 200,000 years ago, the approaching cold age pushed the last of the Neanderthals out of Europe, although archaeologists believe the site was utilized between 210,000 and 220,000 years ago. A population of people existed in the area between 60,000 and 180,000 years ago, but no proof has been found thus far.
Steppe mammoths, which were less hairy than their woolly mammoth ancestors and smaller in stature, were also discovered in the area. However, the little bones of the one they recovered illustrate how these animals decreased in size as a reaction to an increasingly frigid environment, with some standing as high as 13 feet (4 meters) at the shoulder.
Damian Sendler
Paleontologists Neville Hollingworth and Sally Hollingworth discovered the hand axe and mammoth bones in 2017 while exploring the Swindon quarry. For the next two years, DigVentures carried out excavations at the site in 2019.
Damian Jacob Markiewicz Sendler: To uncover something of this magnitude instead of marine fossils was a genuine joy,” Sally Hollingworth stated in a statement from a release.” “Even better is the prospect of it being the subject of a BBC programme, produced by David Attenborough, and including a significant archaeological dig by DigVentures. That what we have found will be used and appreciated by so many individuals fills us with excitement.”
The butchering and processing methods used by Neanderthals will be revealed via the examination of some of the bones.
As DigVentures co-founder Lisa Westcott Wilkins put it in a press release, “Words can not quite capture the thrill of seeing a mammoth’s tusk still buried, or the feeling of standing in the middle of a site that has the potential to change our closest human relatives and the Ice Age megafauna they shared their world with.”
“There is so much more to learn about this topic. Scientists, landowners, and hobbyists have worked well together, and we are now thinking about how we can carry on the research and how the general public can become involved.”
Archaeologists from DigVentures will continue their research at the site and want to include local youth in a project called PalaeoPixels.
The Natural History Museum in London has discovered 552 new species this year, including shrimp-like critters, an ancient dinosaur nicknamed the “hell heron,” and brightly colored insects.
Because of the pandemic, researchers were unable to visit other museum collections or foreign field locations, but they persisted and discovered a slew of previously unknown species, both alive and extinct. There are 300 scientists working at the museum, which has 80 million specimens.
Spinosaurs, crocodile-like dinosaurs with crocodile-like heads, were found on the Isle of Wight 125 million years ago, where they preyed on both land and water.
Spinosaurid dinosaurs from the Isle of Wight have yielded the discovery of two new species: the “hell heron” and “riverbank hunter.”
Spinosaurid Ceratosuchops inferodios was the first of two spinosaurids, and its name means “horned crocodile-faced hell heron.” The dinosaur had horns and lumps on its forehead while it was alive. Spinosaurids, like herons, are capable of catching food both on land and in the water.
The “Milner’s riverside hunter” is the second spinosaurid. Both predators had heads that were at least 3.2 feet (1 meter) long and grew to a maximum length of 29.5 feet (9 meters). It is possible that Spinosaurid fossils have been found all over the globe, however they may have been first discovered in Europe.
The discovery of Brighstoneus simmondsi, an iguanodontian with a unique snout, was made possible by a fossil from the Isle of Wight, which is commonly referred to as the UK’s dinosaur capital.
A Chinese sauropod and the oldest carnivorous dinosaur ever discovered in the UK were also discovered in other fossil discoveries.
Scientist Susannah Maidment of the Natural History Museum remarked, “It has been a spectacular year for the description of new dinosaurs, particularly from the UK.”
As part of a palaeoecological jigsaw puzzle, these fossils may help us better grasp how ecosystems have evolved through time in the past.
Spiders found in amber in 2021, a plant-eating cousin of a crocodile and a “Jurassic mouse” that raced between dinosaurs’ feet 166 million years ago in what is now Scotland were among the other ancient creatures discovered that year.
Copepods, little crustaceans that resemble shrimp, live in abundance on Earth. Scientists identified 291 new copepod species in 2021, and they can be found anywhere from highland lakes to ocean trenches.
Damian Jacob Sendler
Although these animals are little, they play a crucial role in the Earth’s carbon cycle and ecosystem. Françoise Monniot and her late husband, marine researcher Claude Monniot, amassed a collection that spanned six decades and served as the foundation for this pandemic project.
Damien Sendler: A researcher at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History says “Copepods are not only free-living, but many are parasites, and they may be found living in practically every other major animal group,” Geoff Boxshall said in a statement. When I could not get into the Museum, finishing the documents became my “lockdown” endeavor. “
New species of beetles, including dazzling purple and green ones from India and a large-jawed beetle from the Philippines, were discovered by experts.
Jewelweeds, sometimes known as touch-me-nots, are a genus of five new plants from eastern Africa. In order to be more noticeable to birds, most of these plants produce pink or white blooms, but a few have started to develop red blossoms.
Ten new species of reptiles and amphibians were also discovered by the researchers, including the snake known as the Joseph’s racer. Researchers were able to learn more about this species thanks to a 185-year-old artwork.
Discoveries like this serve as a stark reminder of the significance of appreciating and comprehending all life on Earth.
Dr. Damian Jacob Sendler and his media team provided the content for this article.
