Ice Cores and Roman Lore: Modern climate science helps scientists and historians piece together the past

by Lorena Lyon figures by Rebecca Senft Today, the discussion of climate change generally relates to human impact on the environment since the Industrial Revolution (1760 to mid-1800s). But, how have humans been impacting the planet before then? And how can we find out? It turns out a type of climate science using something called ice cores can give us detailed information on how past … Continue reading Ice Cores and Roman Lore: Modern climate science helps scientists and historians piece together the past

Digging for DNA: Ancient genomes can illuminate the past and reframe the present

by Aparna Nathan figures by Abagail Burrus Superheroes aren’t the only ones with riveting origin stories. As humans, where did we come from? How did we populate six continents? For hundreds of years, archaeology has tried to provide the answers by digging up artifacts and piecing together their histories. However, shovels and brushes are now joining forces with test tubes and lab coats. Within the … Continue reading Digging for DNA: Ancient genomes can illuminate the past and reframe the present