Synthesis of the archaeological and rock art record of the Sahout region and correlation with Levantine cultural periods. Sahout dating and rock art presented in this paper shown in blue. A: Occupation phases based on 14C and OSL dating, and artefact assemblages; B: Key artefact types showing number of pieces from stratified contexts in colour and surface finds in greyscale; C: Rock art sequence based on superimpositions and dated via engraving tools at ARN20 and SAU, date ranges are approximate; D: Footprints indicate high (6), medium (4), and low mobility (3) as inferred by diversity and sourcing of lithic materials; E: corresponding periods in the Levant.

The Natufian Epipalaeolithic and Pre-Pottery Neolithic in the desert of northern Arabia🏺🧪
Ceri Shipton, @mdpetraglia.bsky.social et al
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Suggests long-term survival in relatively arid environments was based on local adaptation and a network of long-distance connections.

Hominin fossils and behavioural innovations in China across 2 million years rdcu.be/e5sjV

🌏 A new study places China at the center of human evolution debates

With CENIEH’s participation, the review of 2 million years of fossil & archaeological evidence highlights East Asia as a dynamic epicenter in the evolution of Homo

+info: www.cenieh.es

#HumanEvolution #CENIEH #ICTSNews

A Deep History of Coexistence: Why India Stands Apart In Human Evolution - Center for Soft Power The signing of a research contract between Banaras Hindu University and Griffith University marks a major step toward strengthening global research on human evolution. BHU is now a core partner ...

My lifelong association with #India and its #archaeology. www.csp.indica.in/a-deep-histo...

Archaeologist behind First Australians occupation record joins Griffith backed by key philanthropic appointment - Griffith News Professor Chris Clarkson to lead research into Australia’s early history, strengthen Indigenous partnerships, and train future researchers.

We’re thrilled! news.griffith.edu.au/2026/02/12/r...

160,000-year-old sophisticated stone tools discovered in China may not have been made by Homo sapiens Archaeologists have found the oldest known evidence of hafted tools in East Asia, and they challenge a previously held assumption about stone tool use.

An artistic impression of what we uncovered at Xigou and a snapshot of what life was like in central China 100,000 years ago www.livescience.com/archaeology/...

Rock art in Saudi Arabia shows humans adapted to an arid Arabian Desert ~12,000 years ago, aided by seasonal lakes. A study in @natcomms.nature.com reveals life-sized engravings and stone tools: spklr.io/63325BIU2l

🏺 #skystorians

‘Green Arabia’: Saudi Arabia’s vast deserts were once rivers, lakes and grasslands, studies show - The Times of India Discover how recent studies reveal that Saudi Arabia's arid deserts were once lush landscapes filled with rivers and lakes. Explore the implications for environmental restoration and human history und...

Green Arabia: past, present and future.

Our scientific findings “sit alongside Saudi Arabia’s current land-restoration push.” timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle...

This ancient human may be the root of the Homo sapiens family tree New fossils unearthed in Morocco could help solve the mystery of how Homo sapiens diverged from other ancient humans like Neanderthals.

My comment on the fascinating new hominin fossil finds from Morocco
www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

Thanks Deepak we have work to do - would love to see you in India ❤️

Absolutely Mike, can’t wait to get going too!

The Centre will support a new generation of transdisciplinary researchers including more than 40 research fellows, 70 PhD and Masters students, and 112 Honours students - with half the opportunities prioritised for Indigenous or those from the Global South. www.miragenews.com/griffith-lan...

Griffith secures $85m to transform global understanding of human origins - Griffith News Transforming Human Origins Research Centre of Excellence to reframe the study of our species globally.

I’m so honoured and excited to be leading this international initative together with so many amazing people and organisations news.griffith.edu.au/2025/12/09/g...

(1/2) Just out, our new paper 'Assessing the intensity of Late Quaternary humid phases in the Nefud Desert, northern Arabia'. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Novel archaeological and palaeontological findings in cave and palaeoriver landscapes of inland northeast Arabia Knowledge about environmental change and the evolutionary history of hominins in Arabia has been rapidly developing over the last two decades. Interdisciplinary research on humans and environments acr...

(1/18) New paper alert, a thread! Just published in PLoS ONE, our study: “Novel archaeological and palaeontological findings in cave and palaeoriver landscapes of inland northeast Arabia”. Link: journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

[new paper alert!!]. Taking another look at the traditional Out of Africa I model… 😎😎

@courtneymanthey.bsky.social

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Exciting new discoveries and theories emerging out of China and Eastern Asia about the course of human evolution

Book cover for Scents of Arabia: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Ancient Olfactory Worlds

Interested in the kinds of information archaeologists can gain from metabolic profiling? Check out this wonderful new book and our chapter on the ancient oasis of Tayma.

This work builds on our 2022 paper on reconstructing ancient scents in Nature Human Behaviour: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Remarkable achievement. Congratulations to you and the CIEHF team too!

Explore an epic story 65,000 years in the making Dive into Deep Time, an immersive story of the knowledge, art and ingenuity of Australia’s First Nations peoples — told like never before.

ABC Deep Time Australia Launched Today

Congratulations to everyone involved in working with the ABC News Story Lab to bring this project to fruition!

@ciehf.bsky.social is proud to have closely collaborated on this project.

www.abc.net.au/news/deeptime/

This is now published! Great pleasure to work with @stewiestewart.bsky.social, @huwgroucutt.bsky.social, @carlipeters.bsky.social and the rest of the team!

Photo of participants in the Australia in the Anthropocene workshop

Australia in the Anthropocene: Linking Past, Present and Future. Wonderful project workshop yesterday exploring the diverse methods our students and ECRs are using to examine how Australia's ecosystems have been shaped by people over the long-term and why it matters today.

'They've got a power grip': Fossil hands suggests ape-like cousin made tools The first set of ancient hand fossils from an ape-like cousin of humans discovered in Kenya suggest a number of species were capable of making tools 1.5 million years ago.

My comments on the new discovery of hand bones of Paranthropus boisei and its implications for tool use. www.abc.net.au/news/science...

Paper alert 🎓🌿

I’m excited to share a new publication from my PhD

On-site plant-wax biomarkers + compound-specific isotopes show why relying on bulk δ13C of SOM can mislead in the tropics. Case study: Jwalapuram (S. India).

Read: www.cell.com/iscience/ful...

Huge thanks to all co-authors 🙏

Want to explore these amazing camel images in more detail? Check out a 2022 examination of four of the #RockArt panels in Antiquity 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

🏺#Archaeology

Prehistoric camel art pointed to precious water sources in the Arabian Desert Hunter-gatherers may have used the engravings to find water 12,000 years ago

Hunter-gatherers may have used engravings to find water in the parched deserts of the Arabian Peninsula 12,000 years ago. https://scim.ag/4nql413

Jane Goodall: April 3, 1934 – October 1, 2025

Jane Goodall was a global legend at the forefront of discovery — breaking through barriers for women in primatology, science, and beyond.

Her curiosity, strength, and kindness changed the world, bridging countries and cultures in pursuit of a better future.

For the publication: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

12,000-year-old road signs YouTube video by Griffith University

Had some fun with this one! Based on a publication by @mariaguagnin.bsky.social and our terrific team! 🐪
m.youtube.com/shorts/7Pcec...

12,000-year-old rock art marked ancient water sources in Arabia’s desert The large, naturalistic engravings are a striking symbol for survival in the desert.

About 12,000 years ago, high up on a cliff in the desert of northern Arabia, an artist – or perhaps artists – was hard at work. @mariaguagnin.bsky.social
theconversation.com/12-000-year-...