Deep Time Heritage

Paleolithic painters had the blues Two recent studies shine light on the earliest known artistic usages of blue pigment

A fascinating story on the use of blue pigment during the European Upper Palaeolithic, with some comments by @martinporr.bsky.social

www.science.org/content/arti...

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Million-year-old skull shakes up the human family tree, scientists claim A crushed million-year-old skull found in China that has been digitally reconstructed reopens a debate in human evolution.

www.abc.net.au/news/science...

Excellent article on Tanzanian archaeology and rock art. The rock art at Kondoa is really exceptional. To be clear, Tanzania has always had a strong group of archaeologists and heritage professionals but the focus on community centered approaches is fundamental.

In Human Origins Research, Communities Are the Missing Link A paleoanthropologist reflects on relationships between researchers and communities living around sites relevant to human evolution.

www.sapiens.org/archaeology/...

Reclaiming Tanzania’s Deep Past—Together A U.S. archaeologist reflects on the power of community-driven research in Tanzania to reshape how the story of human origins is told.

www.sapiens.org/archaeology/...

That’s a wrap for visitor interviews at WA Maritime Museum! We had everything from tears to wondering who their favourite Hemsworth brother was after seeing Luke hanging out of a helicopter. Looking forward to analysing the interviews and learning more about the #TheGreatKimberleyWilderness 🎥

My cultural awakening: an ancient statue made me fall in love with my fat body I spent decades being ashamed of the way I look. Then a visit to the Natural History Museum changed everything

www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

We need a feminist palaeoanthropology that finally listens to all of us — HERI - Human Evolution Research Institute Palaeoanthropology asks profound questions: Who are we? What makes us human? Too often, answering these answers has been done by a privileged few. HERi Co-director Prof Rebecca Ackermann calls for tha...

www.heriuct.co.za/news-content...

‘Australiana’ images made by AI are racist and full of tired cliches, new study shows What do Australians and Australia look like according to generative AI? The results are alarming.

theconversation.com/australiana-...

It is a great pleasure to announce that our new book on Palaeolithic art and what we can learn from it has just been published by Heidelberg University Publishing! The volume is OA and can be downloaded via the link below! @deeptimeheritage.bsky.social 🤩😎

heiup.uni-heidelberg.de/catalog/book...

The great myth of empire collapse | Aeon Essays Societal downfalls loom large in history and popular culture but, for the 99 per cent, collapse often had its upsides

An essay based on a new book that also engages with past and present understandings of the Palaeolithic as contemporary heritage.

aeon.co/essays/the-g...

This is a super thread that really puts the whole "Neanderthal fat factory" into much broader context and highlights the multiple dimensions of hunter-gatherer diets. Very interesting to get a crop scientist's perspective on this topic! Definitely worth a read!!

Precious finger traces from First Nations ancestors revealed in a glittering mountain cave in Australia Thousands of years ago, adults and children left their marks on soft rock surfaces deep in this cave in GunaiKurnai Country.

theconversation.com/precious-fin...

SAPIENS to Cease Publication

Bad news coming out of the US. What a loss but not at all unexpected given recent events and developments...

wennergren.org/article/sapi...

We were part of the world heritage listing of Murujuga. Here’s why all Australians should be proud Murujuga is Australia’s 21st world heritage property, but only the second property listed exclusively for its Indigenous cultural values.

theconversation.com/we-were-part...

‘It’s always been some white dude’: how Ethiopia became the world leader in uncovering the story of humankind Housed in an unremarkable office block in the captial, the country’s national museum is home to the most extensive collection of the remains of modern humans’ ancestors – and a team of world-leading s...

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

UNESCO approves World Heritage bid for rock art over emissions concerns The UNESCO has approved World Heritage status for the 40,000-year-old rock art of Murujuga, in Western Australia in Paris.

Not without controversy... but Western Australia now has a new World Heritage site!!

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

Cape York deserves World Heritage status – and Queensland may need it to become a global leader in tourism The Queensland government has halted a World Heritage nomination bid put forth by Labor last year. It’s next steps could greatly impact the cape’s future.

A further perspective on World Heritage, Aboriginal heritage, and tourism

theconversation.com/cape-york-de...

The curse of Toumaï: an ancient skull, a disputed femur and a bitter feud over humanity’s origins The long read: When fossilised remains were discovered in the Djurab desert in 2001, they were hailed as radically rewriting the history of our species. But not everyone was convinced – and the bitter...

An interesting piece of research history related to deep time archaeology, palaeoanthropology and intersections between the deep past and contemporary politics and interests

www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

CFP! The Deep Time Heritage team is co-hosting a session at this year's AAA/AIMA conference in Fremantle (2 - 5 December 2025) on heritage and tourism.

If you are planning to attend the conference, consider contributing to this timely topic.

Link below!

www.aaaconference.com.au/call-for-abs...

Coming soon your way in online open access! 😁