28 episodes
That's Old News Laurie & Ben
-
- History
-
-
5.0 • 1 Rating
-
It's the latest news on the oldest stories. Join three (slightly clueless) fans of history and archaeology for a comical take on the latest news about the past from historical, archaeological and scientific research.
See some fake reviews below!
"There must be someone who likes stuff like this, surely" - Supportive friends and family
"It does a great job of keeping the cats calm when there's fireworks." - Barbara from number 32
"This is the trouble with using shuffle in store, you get stuff like this coming on" - Alan from PC World
-
Where blue eyes come from? What makes a UNESCO world heritage site? and 170,000 year old giant snails.
Join Laurie, Taryn and Ben this week, as they discuss the origins of blue eyes, what it takes to become a UNESCO world heritage site, and origins of ancient snail consumption – a real feast (if you like snails). Enjoy!
-
A 3000 year old failed drug test, what makes a Denisovan and an extinct mammoth meatball
We’re back with a bang (and a new co-host!) Join Ben, Laurie and Taryn as they embark on a new series of That’s Old News exploring the latest research into the human past.
This week they’ll be discussing the earliest evidence of psychoactive drug use in Europe, the unique story behind the discovery of a potential of a Denisovan skull in 2021 and the science behind a mammoth meatball made from cultivated meat. Enjoy! -
A 6,000 Year Old Salt Factory, Sheepish Medieval Fraudsters and What Computers Can Teach Us About Rock Art
Join Laurie and Ben this week as they discuss, the discovery of the oldest salt factory in western Europe, which is nearly 6,000 years old, why sheepskin was the material of choice for making parchment to prevent medieval fraudsters, and how machine learning was applied to australia rock art to see how good computers are at identifying when they were painted. Enjoy!
Links
6000 Year Old Salt Factory
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/mar/31/dig-reveals-6000-year-old-salt-hub-in-north-yorkshire
Australian Rock Art
https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/archaeology/machine-learning-reads-arnhem-land-rock-art/
Sheepskin Parchment
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/how-sheep-skin-legal-papers-fraud-prevention-parchment -
What Are The Dead Sea Scrolls? The life of a Mayan Ambassador and Introducing The Plain of Jars
Join Laurie and Ben this week when they discuss the newest fragments found of the dead sea scrolls along with what the dead sea scrolls are and why they’re important.They also discuss the the life of a Mayan ambassador and how his bones show why living as a mayan elite wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Finally if you’ve never heard of the site called the plain of jars in Laos you learn on this episode why you’ll want to give it a google! Enjoy.
Links to stories
The Plain of Jars https://phys.org/news/2021-03-mystery-laos-megalithic-jars.html
Dead Sea Scrolls https://www.archaeology.org/news/9530-210317-israel-dead-sea-scrolls
The live of a Mayan Ambassador https://www.archaeology.org/news/9529-210317-guatemala-maya-lakam -
Neanderthal Speech, A 2,000 Year Old Computer and A WW2 Airman Laid to Rest
Join Laurie and Ben this week as they discuss new evidence suggesting neanderthals could speak, the latest research on the world's oldest analog computer, the antikythera mechanism, an ancient greek device used to predict planetary movements, and finally, a story of how ancient DNA provided closer for family members of a WW2 New Zealand bomber gunner who was missing in action.
Links
Neanderthal Speech
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210301112358.htm
The Antikythera Mechanism
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/mar/12/scientists-move-closer-to-solving-mystery-of-antikythera-mechanism
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-84310-w#Sec12
WW2 Airman
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/124416572/remains-of-southland-wwii-gunner-found-after-79-years-in-plane-wreckage-in-germany -
The Oldest Dog in America, A 17,000 Year Old Sound, And How Much Did Ancient Egyptians Love Their Pets?
Join Laurie and Ben this week as they chat through the earliest dog remains found in the americas and its implications on how the humans first made it to america, a rediscovered conch horn played for the first time in 17,000 years, and the oldest pet cemetery ever found, which cements the importance of our feline friends in our history. Enjoy!
links
17,000 Year Old Conch
https://gizmodo.com/after-17-000-years-a-rediscovered-conch-horn-is-played-1846238951
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2267417-listen-to-the-oldest-known-conch-shell-horn-from-18000-years-ago/
Ancient Egyptian Pet Cemetery
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/02/graves-nearly-600-cats-and-dogs-ancient-egypt-may-be-world-s-oldest-pet-cemetery
Oldest Dog Remains Discovered In America
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/02/remains-oldest-american-dog-bolster-idea-first-humans-arrived-along-coast
Customer Reviews
Beautiful podcasts - a joy to listen to
This is great work. So glad to hear you again Laurie!
Your friend,
Christos