SCIENCE For the first time, scientists have been able to extract the DNA of ancient hominins from cave dirt. (Smithsonian) Get to know your “Hominin History” with our fun GeoStory. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit. Discussion Ideas A genuinely exciting new study documents how scientists extracted ancient DNA from the dirt of ancient caves. What is … Continue reading Dirty DNA
SCIENCE Humans’ ability to control fire is among the most important technological advances in our evolutionary history. Research on Neanderthal cave sites is offering new insights on this old enigma. Maybe not as old as we think. (Sapiens) Could Neanderthals start a fire? Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources, including today’s simple MapMaker Interactive map. Discussion Ideas Most people think that … Continue reading We Didn’t Start the Fire (Until Much Later Than We Thought We Did)
What did you learn this week? Let us know in the comments or at education@ngs.org. This week, we learned … … you’ve been reading the wrong horoscope. Thanks, NASA. What’s the difference between astronomy and astrology? … Oxford tops the overall rankings, but you need to go east to find the best young universities. Where did our explorers and grantees go to school? What … Continue reading 11 Things We Learned This Week!
What did you learn this week? Let us know in the comments or at education@ngs.org. This week, we learned … … there is a Museum of Endangered Sounds that preserves all those obsolete ’90s tech noises. How many sounds in the museum can you identify? What are some everyday sounds you think might be obsolete in 20 years? Resource: Sound out your city! … Continue reading 10 Things We Learned This Week!
SCIENCE Rings of stalagmites found in a cave in France suggest that our ancient relatives were surprisingly skilled builders. (Nat Geo News) Use our resources to better understand exploration of mysterious caves. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit. This 3D model of the Bruniquel cave clearly shows the different types of structures present there: annular, or ring-shaped, … Continue reading Did Neanderthals Build Stone Circles?
