Archaeology News Update for 15 February 2009

Each sunday we compile the best news on the net and post the stories here for your eyes.  Here's what's happening this week.

Egypt unveils ancient mummy, part of new discovery (Update)

Illuminated only by torches and camera lights, Egyptian laborers used crowbars and picks Wednesday to lift the lid off a 2,600-year-old limestone sarcophagus, exposing - for the first time since it was sealed in antiquity - a perfectly preserved mummy.

High-tech tests allow anthropologists to track ancient hominids across the landscape

Dazzling new scientific techniques are allowing archaeologists to track the movements and menus of extinct hominids through the seasons and years as they ate their way across the African landscape, helping to illuminate the evolution of human diets.

Neanderthal Genome "First Draft" Unveiled

A "first draft" of the Neanderthal genome announced today adds to evidence that the extinct human species was lactose intolerant and could have shared some basic language capabilities with modern humans. (Read more…)

Finally, a bit of fun...

7 Major "Missing Links" Since Darwin

For the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth (February 12, 2009), National Geographic News asked leading scientists for their picks of the most important fossils that show evolution in action—seven of which are presented here, starting with this "fishapod." (Read more...)

That's all for now.  If anything breaks during the week, you'll see it here.  Otherwise, more news next Sunday!

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