Artifacts Revive Debate on Transformation of Human Behavior

In the widening search for the origins of modern human evolution, genes and fossils converge on Africa about 200,000 years ago as the where and when of the first skulls and bones that are strikingly similar to ours. So this appears to be the beginning of anatomically modern Homo sapiens.

But evidence for the emergence of behaviorally modern humans is murkier — and controversial. Recent discoveries establish that the Homo sapiens groups who arrived in Europe some 45,000 years ago had already attained the self-awareness, creativity and technology of early modern people. Did this behavior come from Africa after gradual development, or was it an abrupt transition through some profound evolutionary transformation, perhaps caused by hard-to-prove changes in communication by language?

Now, the two schools of thought are clashing again, over new research showing that occupants of Border Cave in southern Africa, who were ancestors of the San Bushmen hunter-gatherers in the area today, were already engaged in relatively modern behavior at least 44,000 years ago, twice as long ago as previously thought. Two teams of scientists reported these findings Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Since this early date for the San culture is close to when modern humans first left Africa and reached Europe, proponents of the abrupt-change hypothesis took the findings as good news.

New beetle species found in remote Arizona cave

Eleodes wynnei

A newfound species of beetle has been discovered in remote caves in Arizona, boasting long antennae and slender legs with hairlike tufts.

The beetle, Eleodes wynnei, was named after its discoverer, Northern Arizona University researcher Jut Wynne.

Since 2005, Wynne and his colleagues have identified three new genera (the plural of genus, the taxonomic classification above species) and more than 20 new species of cave-dwelling arthropods in caves in the Grand Canyon region, according to a statement from Northern Arizona University.

He also discovered five new species from Rapa Nui National Park on Easter Island and four new species at El Malpais National Monument in western New Mexico.

The newfound beetle occurs only in northwestern Arizona and southwestern Utah. Wynne said the experience of having a species named after him is humbling, but he's most concerned with providing good science and guidance on managing and conserving cave resources.

"Caves are one of the most sensitive habitats on our planet," he said. "At the same time, given their location underneath our feet, these ecosystems have been overlooked from a resource management perspective."

Wynne said several parks and monuments on the Colorado Plateau are working to change this practice. His experience working on Easter Island has shown that native species may still persist despite the drastic changes to the island's ecosystem over the last several hundred years.

Source: MSNBC

Western Maryland wind project faces limits to protect bats, birds

Maryland's first industrial-scale wind energy project would be required under a federal plan issued Monday to slow down its turbines at certain times of the year to reduce the number of endangered bats that might be killed by the long, spinning blades.

Exelon Power, which owns and operates the 28-turbine Criterion wind project in Garrett County, also would have to protect one or more bat caves in other states to make up for any federally protected Indiana bats its turbines might harm.

The tiny, insect-eating Indiana bats, which are found across the eastern United States, have been officially listed since 1967 as in danger of disappearing. Biologists say their number has become even more depleted in the past half-century as a result of human disturbance of their caves, pesticide poisoning and a recent disease, white-nose syndrome.

The draft "habitat conservation plan," prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, marks the first time the federal agency has sought to place conditions on the operation of a commercial wind project in the Northeast to protect rare bats and birds from harm by the towering structures. Restrictions have been placed on a pair of projects in Hawaii and are proposed on a 100-turbine project in Ohio to protect Indiana bats there.

Celebrate 73 years of Cave of the Mounds

Explore this Wisconsin landmark on the anniversary of its discovery

Explore one of Wisconsin's natural wonders on the anniversary of its discovery as Cave of the Mounds hosts its annual weekend celebration Aug. 4 -5.

Cave of the Mounds will mark the 73rd anniversary of the limestone quarry blast that uncovered the caves with a variety of family-friendly activities, including flashlight tours, kid-friendly gem and fossil sluicing, the new Fossil Dig and Crystal Quest and more.

Special event times vary during regular open hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Guided tours leave every 20 minutes. For more information, visit CaveoftheMounds.com.

Seasonal cave tours now open

Mammoth Cave National Park offers a variety of tours throughout the year, but some are only offered during certain seasons.

Tours of the cave that are available now are those that are part of the national park’s mid-summer season, which spans from June 23 to Aug. 12 and includes Labor Day weekend.

“We have a few tours offered just during that time period,” said Vickie Carson, public information officer for the national park.

Those tours are: River Styx Tour, Focus on Frozen Niagara Photo Tour and the Trog Tour.

The River Styx Tour is offered once a day.

“We go down the water level inside the cave,” said Carson.

Those who take the River Styx Tour will see what is called the Dead Sea, the banks of River Styx and a quick view of Lake Lethel.

The River Styx Tour takes 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete and is approximately 2 ½ miles in length. It is limited to 40 people, Carson said.

“It’s the route of the historic tour but you branch off … and go down to the river level,” she said.

Cave rescue will cost the state

State officials have agreed to reimburse the Cedar Rapids Fire Department more than $10,000 for the cost of rescuing a man who was trapped in a cave for more than 20 hours this May.

Logan Eliasen and Emma Thomson were stuck in Wye Cave at Maquoketa Caves State Park.

Thomson was rescued that same night but Eliasen was trapped for 20 hours and crews tried to free him.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that the Iowa Executive Council voted 3 to 0 to approve the transfer of funds.

Source: KWWL

Wang Besar Cave Needs Restoration, Says Mohd Radzi

The Wang Besar river cave in Bintong here, which used to be a famous picnic area and a source of water supply for the local people, needs restoration, Kangar member of Parliament Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said.

As such, he said he would try to apply for an allocation to implement the restoration works on the area.

He said apart from getting their water supply, local people also used to flock the water catchment area in the cave to bath and wash their clothes because the water was so clean and never dried up.

Mohd Radzi said he was introduced to the cave when he followed his late father Tan Sri Sheikh Ahmad Mohd Hashim, who was the first Menteri Besar of Perlis, on his visits to the villages, including Wang Besar.

He said with serious restoration and conservation works, the cave, which now covered with bush, could re-emerge as a popular picnic area and tourist destination.

Meanwhile, Wang Besar Village Development and Security Committee chairman Ahmad Hussin also lauded Mohd Radzi''s idea to restore the cave.

Kampung Wang Besar, which has over 100 houses with about 450 residents, is one of the most visited villages in Perlis.

Recently, the village was also selected as the overall champion to receive the Excellence Village Award and cash prize of RM10,000 from the Rural and Regional Development Ministry and Social Development Department.

Source: Yahoo News

Ferry at Mammoth Cave reopens

Mammoth Cave National Park has reopened one of its ferry operations.

Spokeswoman Vickie Carson said the Green River Ferry, which was closed last month due to low water, reopened for service on Saturday.

The statement said Houchin Ferry remains closed due low water in the area.

Cave Stays Open after Teen Gets Trapped

Local fire departments are concerned about the safety of a cave near Mt Solon.

This comes after a teenage boy got trapped there for two to three hours Wednesday and he was not the first person to get trapped in that cave.

Fire crews carried the boy to the ambulance after getting him out of the cave. Some members of the crews said the cave is about 400 to 500 feet deep.

The Deputy Chief of Augusta County Fire and Rescue said they do not have control over closing the cave since it is on private property. He said he hopes everyone is careful and knows the area if they decide to visit the cave in the future.

Source: WHSV

Ebook: Spanish Cave Diving Manual

Click below for the Spanish Cave Diving Manual: "Fundamentos básicos del buceo en cuevas y grutas" by Andrès Ros, José L. Llamusi, Angel Ortego and Carmen Portilla.

Cave Yields Early Record of Domestic Animals

Archaeologists exploring a cave in Namibia have found evidence for the earliest domesticated animals in sub-Saharan Africa.

The cave, in the northwestern part of the country, contains stone and bone tools, beads and pendants, pieces of pottery, and the bones of many animals — guinea fowl, ostriches, monitor lizards, tortoises, impala, rock hyraxes and various rodents.

The researchers also found two teeth of either a goat or a sheep — the teeth were too worn to say which, but their form is consistent with that of modern African domesticated sheep and goats. There are no wild sheep or goats in sub-Saharan Africa today. Although some wild species probably became extinct around 12,000 years ago, there is no evidence of their presence in the western part of the continent. The researchers are certain that the remains they found belong to domestic animals.

The teeth date from 2,190 and 2,270 years ago. Until now, the oldest radiocarbon-dated remains were of 2,105-year-old-sheep found in South Africa.

The study, a collaboration between the National Museum of Namibia and the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, appears in PLoS One. Its lead author, David Pleurdeau, an assistant professor at the Paris museum, said the find did not necessarily mean that people living near this site were breeding domestic animals.

“In the cave, there is no evidence that the inhabitants were herders,” he said. “We still don’t know if it’s herders migrating to the area, or the introduction of a few sheep among an indigenous group.”

Source: NY Times

Teen rescued from cave near Mount Solon

A teenage boy trapped in Glade Hill Cave was rescued shortly before 9 p.m. Monday after he had been stuck deep inside for several hours, fire and rescue personnel said.

He was one of about a dozen teenagers who were spelunking in the cave.

The 14-year-old, who was not identified, was taken to Augusta Health for treatment.

Crews from Augusta County Fire and Rescue and the Staunton and Waynesboro fire departments worked for more than three hours to extricate the boy.

He was wedged between two rocks, about 400 to 500 feet into the cave, said Augusta County Fire Capt. Nathan Ramsey said.

Rescue workers were able to free the boy and strap him to a skid to be taken from the cave.

Ramsey said the teenagers appeared to be on a day trip from a summer camp. Members of the group would not comment.

A medevac helicopter was standing by to transport the boy, but was not needed.

Source: Newsleader

How to Find a Cave Entrance

Explication of villager: Just go down the path ... Euhm

Lost River Cave fundraiser concert expected to be cool

Lost River Cave will reach into its past Saturday night in bringing back Bowling Green’s coolest hot spot.

The historic night club that is always a cool 57 degrees is host to the Southern Summer Music Festival beginning at 6 p.m.

Friends of Lost River hope to raise $15,000 during Saturday’s fundraiser concert with dancing in the cave’s ballroom to the tunes from two stages featuring Southern rock, Friends executive director Rho Lansden said.

The music plays until midnight. Salvage Town is the headline performer. Other performers scheduled to play are Black Cat Cadillac, Shady Jake and the Upsetters, Kenton Bryant, John Caps and Lindsey Whitaker, Seth and Ashley Mufford and Paul Williams and Johnathon Tomes.

Lost River Pizza Co. will sell pizza, appetizers, beer and wine. T-shirts will also be available for purchase. A free boat tour for concert ticket holders will be available from 6 to 9 p.m.

Money raised at the concert will pay for the construction of an outdoor nature classroom on the 70-acre property on Nashville Road.

Oregon cave discovery sheds new light on American Stone Age

Displayed in the hand of University of Oregon archaeologist
Dennis Jenkins are three bases for Western Stemmed projectiles
 from the Paisley Caves in Oregon. .

Stone tools and human DNA from ancient caves in the western U.S. offer new evidence of how some of the first Americans may have spread through the continent from Asia: on two different routes, as shown by two different ways of making the tips of spears.

Archaeologists said Thursday that they have dated broken obsidian spear points from Paisley Caves in Oregon to about 13,200 years ago — as old as much different stone tools from the Clovis culture found in the southeast and interior U.S. And radio-carbon dating of human DNA from coprolites — ancient desiccated human feces — shows people lived in the caves as early as 14,300 years ago.

The dates indicate that the Clovis style of chipping stone was not the mother of Stone Age technology, as others have theorized, and that the two styles were developed independently by different groups, said Dennis Jenkins, an archaeologist with the University of Oregon's Museum of Natural and Cultural History who led the excavations.

Ebook: Mallorca: a Mediterranean Benchmark for Quaternary Studies

Click on the picture to start the download.

Mystic Cave: Cave Diving Video

Whiterocks Cave tour applications now available

The Vernal Ranger District is accepting applications four tours of the Whiterocks Cave.

A series of four guided tours of 10 people per tour to the cave will begin Sept. 8.

An application is available online at www.fs.usda.gov/ashley to download, fill out and return by Aug. 10.

Tour dates for 2012 are Sept. 8, 15, 22 and 29.

Whiterocks Cave offers views of stalagmites and stalactites with colorful rock backgrounds. Participants in the tours must be at least 9 years old and be prepared for a climb of approximately 1,800 feet from the trailhead to the cave.

The tours will begin at the Whiterocks trailhead at 8 a.m. on the day of the tour and will be complete at approximately 4 p.m.

Expedition Documentary: Sima GESM (-1101 m)

Sima GESM

English version of the award winning documentary by Marcus Taylor, showing the exploration of the cave system sima GESM - Sima de la Luz.

The documentary was mainly shot during the 2006 expedition and gives the live report of the discoveries from -950 m and on.

More information on this cave can be found at the dedicated page of the Spanish federation or on the website of the explorers: http://www.espeleoclubpasoslargos.com/

The documentary is split into three parts of about 12 miutes each. Click read more for the other video's.

Damaeus gevi n. sp., a new cave dweller species of oribatid mite (Acari: Oribatida: Damaeidae) from Spain with camouflage of dead oribatid bodies adhering to exuviae

A new oribatid mite of the Damaeidae family, Damaeus gevi n. sp., from a cave in southern Spain, is described in the latest edition of the "Revista ibérica de Aracnología".

It is characterized by its long legs and by the remains of other dead oribatid mites adhered on its nymphal exuviae.

Microzetes mirandus (Berlese, 1908) is among these adhered oribatid, being its first record for Spain.

 Click here for the full article (Spanish)

Dales exhibition marks 175th anniversary of landmark cave's discovery

An exhibition highlighting the history of one of the most famous caves in the Yorkshire Dales has been officially opened.

Victoria Cave near Settle was discovered 175 years ago this year.

Major excavations were carried out in the 19th century but the thick clay deposits in it are still providing scientists with an amazing record of climate change across the Dales over hundreds of thousands of years.

A 130,000-year-old hippo and elephant and hyena bones were recovered by the Victorians along with evidence that it was used by the Romans, possibly as a shrine.

In fact, the cave is considered to be so important that it has been classified as a scheduled monument and as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The exhibition – called ‘Victoria Cave revisited’ – is being staged in the Museum of North Craven Life in The Folly in Settle. It was opened on Friday by Carl Lis, the chairman of Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA), which owns the cave.

French WWI artworks preserved in caves

The caves were used as a hospital for troops during
World War One and a shelter for rotating soldiers

Most years while ploughing the fields on his farm, Jean Luc Pamart will discover a body. A lost soldier.

Thousands of French troops disappeared while defending the line on the banks of the Aisne in northern France during World War 1, and almost 100 years on their remains are still being uncovered.

So too the explosives: hand grenades that resemble potatoes. Recently a local farmer disturbed a gas canister and was forced to abandon his tractor.

These days the soldiers remains can be identified - such are the advances in DNA - and many of the bodies recovered are often returned to their families.

But this battlefield, at Confracourt, unlike the Somme to the north, is rarely visited.

The soldiers would be down here for three days at a time. So close to the misery and desolation of the battlefields above, and yet they sculpted such magnificent things”Jean-Luc Pamart

In the trees that border the sweet smelling meadows, there is a tangible link with the French army that served here.

It is written and preserved in the darkness of medieval quarries.

German Tourist Died after Fall at Fingal’s Cave

A German tourist has died after plunging 50ft at Fingal’s Cave on the Isle of Staffa. He is believed to have been taking photographs when he fell and suffered multiple ­fractures.

The Tobermory Lifeboat was at the scene after the alarm was raised by the Ullin of Staffa boat, which had taken tourists, including the man, on a trip to the uninhabited island yesterday.

Clyde Coastguard said it had also called out a Royal Navy rescue helicopter from Prestwick to Staffa.

A lifeboat spokesman said: “We took a call from the Ullin of Staffa, reporting that one of the party at Fingal’s Cave had fallen.

“He was a German gentleman, between the ages of 30 and 40, and we think he was at the top of the cave taking photos and fell about 50ft and suffered multiple fractures.”

There was a doctor with the party and the man was winched into the helicopter and taken to hospital in Oban.

But the spokesman said the man had already died at the scene, as a result of his injuries.

The sea cave is part of a national nature reserve owned by the National Trust for Scotland and is a popular tourist attraction. It is formed from basalt columns.

Source: The Scotsman

Sri Lanka's pre-historic human to be sent to Germany for testing

Sri Lanka's pre-historic human skeleton found recently from an archeological site in Kalutara district of Western Province will be sent to Germany for further studies, Archeology Department officials have said.

Samples of the skeleton found in the Fa-Hien cave archaeological site in Pahiyangala of Kalutara district have been collected for DNA studies and the skeletal parts and DNA samples will be sent to Germany for further research, the officials said.

A team of Sri Lankan archeologists and an archeology expert, Dr. Jay Stock from the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge has collected the samples of the skeleton at the site.

The excavated skeleton is to be kept frozen to preserve it from the environment the Director General of Archaeology, Dr. Senarath Dissanayake has said.

The skeleton is believed to be about 37,000 years old and belonged to the Homo sapiens species known as Balangoda Man. Along with the skeleton, stone tools and glass bead jewelry have been found in the cave. According to the scientists this is the first complete human skeleton found in South Asia.

Source: Colombo

Advanced Diver Magazine: Issue 9

Content: Expedition Bacalar  Pipefish  Diamond Knot Wreck  Cuba  Bubble Trouble  Where White Sharks Fly  In Search of Virgins: Yucatan 2001  William Dooley Photography  Jungle Mix II  USS Algol  Armadillo Sidemount  Rhein Wreck  Yonaguni  Hole in the Wall

Download Your Copy Here

American Queen river boat visits Cave-In-Rock Saturday

The American Queen — touted as the largest steamboat ever built — is stopping at Cave-In-Rock Saturday morning.

The boat is expected to dock at the cave at Cave-In-Rock by 8 a.m., at noon there will be a ceremony involving the ship’s captain, a Mark Twain impersonator and a Becky Thatcher impersonator and the ship’s entourage will present a plaque to the Village of Cave-In-Rock.

There are three famous river cruise boats operating on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The Delta Queen is the smallest, the Mississippi Queen is larger and the American Queen is the largest of the three, according to Cave-In-Rock Mayor Marty Kaylor.

Kaylor said the American Queen has been recently refurbished by the Great American Steamboat Company in Memphis, Tenn.

The boat has room for 325 people.

“There are 301 people in Cave-In-Rock so there should be 24 more people in the boat than we have here in town,” Kaylor said.

The American Queen departed St. Louis, Mo., July 5 with a disembarkation at Louisville, Ky., July 11. There are only ports along the way, Cave-In-Rock, Henderson, Ky., and Brandenburg, Ky.

Details of the ship are at the Web sitehttp://www.greatamericansteamboatcompany.com

APSU Students Study Bats at Dunbar Cave

Austin Peay State University (APSU) students from the Center of Excellence in Field Biology are conducting important research on bats at Dunbar Cave.

These students used Harp traps, high-frequency microphones, and recording units to search for the bats, whose numbers have decreased in the past few decades.

“When we began our work here, there were very few bats, simply a single bat or two,” Dr. Andrew Barrass, principal investigator for the Bat Project, said. “We have been working since 2005 to try and restore bat populations in the cave. In June 2006, the Dunbar Cave State Natural Area built a new ‘bat friendly’ cave entrance gate, and they were interested in us tracking the progression of bats slowly coming back into the cave.”

Since the project began, the students’ data shows a steady increase in a few bat populations. However, the species known as the ‘Little Brown bat’ has experienced a decline in population due to White Nose Syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease that has killed approximately five to seven million bats in North America in the past four years.

Gorham's Cave Excavation Set ForSummer

This summer, scientists and curators at the Gibraltar Museum are planning a six week excavation in Gorham’s and Vanguard Caves. Both are sites known to have been occupied by the Neanderthals and Gorham’s was additionally visited by Phoenicians.

The excavations will run from July 30 to September 9 and will involve a team of 35 scientists, students and volunteers from Gibraltar, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, and Italy.

Of the six weeks, the first three will be dedicated to Gorham’s Cave and the last three weeks to Vanguard Cave.

Gibraltar Museum have been planning this summer’s work since last years excavations as the excavations require a great amount of preparatory work.

The work not only involves excavation but also processing and cataloguing of all finds. To achieve the best flow of results the teams at the caves are assisted by teams at the Gibraltar Museum’s Field Station at Parson’s Lodge and in the museum’s laboratories at Bomb House Lane.

Event: 53nd Caving Week, Poland

The 53rd Caving Week of the Slovak Speleological Society

August 1st to 5th, 2012

High Tatra Mts. near the city of Zakopane (Poland) 

See the detailed programme here or visit the website of the event where you can also find a Polish and Slovakian version.

New book surveys Rathlin’s prehistoric secrets

A five-year survey of Rathlin’s archaeology by a University of Ulster team has shed important new light on the island’s earliest prehistoric human inhabitants. Dr Wes Forsythe, of the University’s Centre for Maritime Archaeology at Coleraine, who led the project, said the quantity and quality of flint tools and ceramics unearthed during the survey have greatly exceeded the investigators’ expectations. The survey, which was sponsored by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), is the most comprehensive ever undertaken into the archaeology of Rathlin Island.

In addition to the survey’s fieldwork on the island, researchers investigated artefacts that are held or documented in other museum collections on both sides of the Irish Sea.


Dr Forsythe, speaking ahead of the launch of a major book that records the findings, said the survey located a number of prehistoric sites that had never previously been recorded. They vary in size, with the largest marking the location of a hut or enclosure.

‘Rathlin Island: An Archaeological Survey of a Maritime Landscape’, whose principal authors are Dr Forsythe and his University colleague Rosemary McConkey, was launched at a ceremony on the island.

Improvements planned for Timpanogos Cave National Monument

Park employees are working out of a visitors center that is actually a double-wide modular home that should have been replaced more than 20 years ago.

When they're not dodging falling rocks — some of which have crashed through the ceiling — they're battling an inefficient cooling system in the heat of summer or warily eyeing the walls and ceiling occupied by foraging or nesting rats or ring-tailed cats.

A new 2,300-square-foot visitor center is one improvement planned for the popular Utah County attraction in American Fork Canyon. The old one burned down in 1991, replaced "temporarily" by a thin-walled structure that park superintendent Jim Ireland said has long since outlived its purpose.

"It's something people have wanted to see dealt with for a long time."

An environmental assessment up for public comment through July 15 contemplates a variety of improvements to the national monument, which boasts of three caves featuring 42 various formations.

German Wind Farms Can Kill Bats from Near and Far, Research Suggests

Wind turbines may have large-scale negative effects on distant ecosystems. Results of research by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) demonstrate that bats killed at German wind turbines originate mostly from northeastern Europe.

The study investigated the provenance of those four bat species which are most frequently killed by German wind turbines. Bats are of particular interest because they have a vital and important service function for ecosystems in regulating population densities of pest insects, and because many species migrate during spring and autumn across Europe between their breeding and wintering ranges.

The IZW-researchers analysed the hydrogen stable isotope ratio in the fur keratin of the bats. Hydrogen has two stable isotopes that share similar chemical properties but differ in mass. The distribution of these isotopes varies in a systematic pattern across Europe, with the light isotopes increasing in atmospheric water from south to north. Since bats incorporate the hydrogen stable isotope ratios of their breeding habitat into their fur, they carry an inert isotopic fingerprint on their way to their wintering grounds. Therefore, by determining this isotopic fingerprint, researchers can identify the approximate location where the animals lived during the breeding season for a few months before they died at a wind farm.

The study demonstrated that killed Nathusius pipistrellesoriginated almost exclusively from the Baltic countries, Belarus and Russia. Also, greater noctule bats and Leisler's bats killed by German wind turbines came from northeastern Europe, probably from Scandinavia, Poland and the Baltic countries. In contrast, common pipistrelles most probably lived in nearby local areas around the wind turbines.

Prehistoric cave dwelling found in Bac Kan

Stone tools discovered in Na Mo Cave in Bac Kan Province

Traces of prehistoric man have been found at the Na Mo Cave in the northern province of Bac Kan.

Members of the Viet Nam Archaeological Institute and the Bac Kan Museum have been excavating the area for possible prehistoric remains since early June.

Na Mo Cave is situated in Na Ca hamlet, Huong Ne commune, Ngan Son District. The 15m high and 500m wide cave is in the side of the limestone mountain and looks out over a large river valley. Most of the surface of the cave can get sunlight, making it favourable for habitation.

Stone artefacts dating from 20,000 BC to 10,000 BC have been found in the cave, including simple working tools made from pebbles found in the river nearby. They have characteristics of tools dating back to the Hoa Binh culture.

Archaeologists have also found pottery objects made by hand and decorated with designs. Traces of cooking fires were also found, along with thick coal seams and burned red soil. A large quantity of animal teeth and bones and the snail and oyster shells were also discovered.

Experts were able to affirm that the prehistoric cave dwellers lived on hunting and gathering. They were able to cut hunted animals into parts and grill them on the fire.

They also found a kind of red stone used to grind pigment powder that they used to decorate themselves.

They also found a tomb containing the bones of a person who had been buried with a stone tool.

The head of the investigating group, Trinh Nang Chung from the Viet Nam Archaeology Institute, said Stone Age people inhabited the area for many thousands of years and were responsible for what has become known as the Hoa Binh culture around 10,000 BC.

In July 2011, traces of prehistoric man were also found near Ba Be Lake in the northern province of Bac Kan.

Source: Vietnnamnews

Three Texas Tech Students Awarded Fulbright Scholarships

Three Texas Tech students have earned prestigious Fulbright Scholarships from the U.S. State Department.

The students are: Kendra Phelps, a doctoral candidate in biology; Jennifer Zavaleta, a master’s student in the Department of Natural Resources Management; and Lindsay Huffhines a master’s student in the Department of Community, Family and Addiction Services.

Phelps, earning her second Fulbright Scholarship, will be heading to the Philippines to study “Cave Bats in Crisis: Impact of Human Disturbances on Cave-Dependent Bats.”

Zavaleta will be heading to Chile to work at the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity in Santiago along with a watershed management project in Valdivia at the Universidad Austral de Chile.

Huffhines, a Lubbock native, will be going to Iceland to research the effects of sexual abuse on children.

There were a total of 10 Fulbright applicants from Texas Tech this year.

Source: KFYO

Social bats pay a price with new fungal disease

The impact on bat populations of a deadly fungal disease known as white-nose syndrome may depend on how gregarious the bats are during hibernation. Species that hibernate in dense clusters even as their populations get smaller will continue to transmit the disease at a high rate, dooming them to continued decline, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz. One gregarious species has surprised researchers, however, by changing its social behavior.

White-nose syndrome has decimated bat colonies throughout the northeast since it first appeared in New York state in 2006, and it continues to spread in the United States and Canada. In the new study, researchers analyzed population trends in six bat species in the northeast. They found that some bat populations are stabilizing at lower abundances, while others appear headed for extinction. The study, published July 3 in Ecology Letters, examined data from bat surveys between 1979 and 2010, covering a long period of population growth followed by dramatic declines caused by white-nose syndrome.

"All six species were impacted by white-nose syndrome, but we have evidence that the populations of some species are beginning to stabilize, which is really good news," said Kate Langwig, a graduate student at UC Santa Cruz and first author of the paper. "This study gives us an indication of which species face the highest likelihood of extinction, so we can focus management efforts and resources on protecting those species."

The bats hibernate during the winter in caves and abandoned mines, and the number of bats can vary tremendously from one site to another. The fungus that causes white-nose syndrome grows on the exposed skin of hibernating bats, disrupting their hibernation and causing unusual behavior, loss of fat reserves, and death.

Pictures and updated map of Hranická Propast

A few days ago we already reported about this expedition. See this blog post for the video of the dive. Now Krzysztof Starnawski sent an update with a new map of the cave and some extra pictures and tells us firsthand how the expedition went:

"We just concluded another two day exploration of Hranicka Propast cave. This time i laid guide line from 196 m. to 217 m., passing on 200 meters restriction discovered during our January 2012 expedition.

This restriction is created by fallen rocks and waterlogged tree trunks. Newly discovered passage is huge and has potential to reach 400 meters. Cave is situated in calcium sediment rock which is 600 meters thick, water is warm with heavy mineral content which tells us that is coming from below limestone.
Outcome of our last expedition with terrain geology knowledge allows us to hope that Hranicka Propast can become the deepest submerged cave in the world and her depth can be over 400 meters. Reach to this type of depth is just a question of time since passage is already mapped and guide line is secured.
Restriction discovered in January ended up being way easier than I expected, not that narrow and as I was hoping leads to deeper parts of the cave. Only problem is large amount of waterlogged tree trunks and huge boulders. Thankfully, diver using CCR is not generating large amounts of gas bubbles which could destabilize this tight spot.

Oldest Moa Faeces Found In Cave Studied

A study of fossilised moa faeces from a subalpine cave in the northwest of the South Island gives an indication of the damage being done by introduced animals.

Researchers found the faeces, known as coprolites, at the entrance to the remote Euphrates Cave, which is at the base of a cliff at the eastern end of the Garibaldi Plateau in Kahurangi National Park.

The cave is at the treeline - about 1000 metres - in an environment and region from which the diets of moa have been virtually unknown.

The oldest of the 35 coprolites studied were deposited as long as 7000 years ago, making them the oldest moa coprolites yet discovered.

The most recent is from about 600 to 700 years ago, just before moa became extinct.

Researchers identified at least 67 plant species from the coprolites, including the first evidence that moa fed on the nectar-rich flowers of New Zealand flax and tree fuchsia.

The presence of intact seeds in many of the coprolites suggests moa were an important seed disperser for a range of alpine plant species.

The coprolites provided some evidence for recent changes in plant abundance and distribution since human settlement, the study said.

The research was led by Dr Jamie Wood from Landcare Research and published in journal PLoS ONE.

This summer is critical for remaining 50 Durham bats

It will be months until scientists know if the few survivors of Bucks County’s largest bat population are still alive and reproducing.

The 10,000 bats that have hibernated in an abandoned iron ore mine in Upper Bucks for generations were wiped out by a disease that has been killing bat colonies across the Northeast at an alarming rate.

When Pennsylvania Game Commission wildlife biologist Greg Turner last checked on Upper Bucks’ bats in the spring of 2011, he found near devastation. Only 123 bats had survived, and half of those had fungus around their muzzles; a tell-tale sign they wouldn’t live to see winter.

The Durham bat mine was the second largest known bat habitat in Pennsylvania. Now, the ability of about 50 bats to resist the white nose syndrome, make it through the winter and reproduce this summer will determine the future of bats in Bucks County for generations.

This month, the surviving bats, which hibernate in a gated mine tucked into a Durham hillside, are feeding on insects across the region. Often called the “farmer’s friend,” bats hibernate each winter and spend the spring and summer months consuming hundreds of tons of nighttime insects.

At this time of the year, female bats typically gather in maternity colonies to deliver their newborn pups. In mid-July, the pups will learn how to fly and find food. Bats live 30 to 40 years in the wild, and only have one pup a year.

2012 NSS Cave Ballad Salon Winners

The results of the 2012 Cave Ballad Salon are available: Congratulations to Frank McDonough and Marian McConnell for their winning songs

Listen to the winning songs:

Come Cave with Me (Karaoke category) [3.1 MB] by Frank McDonough, Download

Mayacon Theme Song (Original category) [3.7 MB] by Marian McConnell,
performed by Dan McConnell and Steve Langston, Download

Lyrics

Divers drown in underwater cave in Italy

Four scuba divers drowned after becoming trapped in a cave on Italy’s southwest coast, authorities said on Saturday.

The three men and one woman were part of a larger group that had set off to explore Blood Cave, one of a series of underwater caves popular with amateur divers.

Several members of the group managed to get out of the cave in the Salerno Gulf near the small port of Palinuro, authorities said, but the four others – three Italians and one Greek – were left behind.

Police named the Italians as Andrea Pedroni and Douglas Rizzo, both 40 and from Rome, and 36-year-old Susy Covaccini from Salerno.

Rizzo, the group leader, was the father of a seven-month-old baby.

Panaghiotis Telios, a 23-year-old Greek man living in southern Calabria, also died.

No official explanation was given for the tragedy but rescuers and members of the group who escaped unhurt believed the divers could have caused large quantities of sand to shift as they swam through the cave’s many passages, which then blocked their visibility, causing them to lose their way.

The group’s diving instructor survived.

The string of 35 underwater caves include the Blood Cave – so-called for the red colouring of its walls caused by bacteria – and the Blue Cave, a favorite with scuba divers.

Source: Inquirer News

More info (Fr) on: Liberation