This Week In History, Apr. 2 – 8

Published April 7, 2017
Updated April 10, 2017

Researchers Uncover Earliest Known Ice Age Cave Art In Indonesia

Pleistocene Cave Art Sulawesi Indonesia Og

Kinez Riza

Archaeologists have uncovered the earliest known cave art and jewelry in Indonesia. Dating back to a prehistoric ice age, these trinkets and pieces of art are roughly 40,000 to 22,000 years old.

Moreover, in research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, the archaeology team states that these prehistoric examples of art reveal the ways in which humanity’s sense of spirituality shifted on its journey across the world.

Delve deeper here.

Scientist Who Inspired ‘Jurassic Park’ Finds Monkey Blood In 30 Million-Year-Old Tick

Blood Amber Tick Og

George Poinar Jr.

An Oregon State University researcher has found a 30-million-year-old tick encased in amber, and he thinks it’s full of blood belonging to a monkey.

George Poinar, Jr., a professor emeritus at Oregon State University and the scientist who first theorized that amber could fossilize ancient DNA (and thus inspired Jurassic Park), has recently published a paper in the Journal of Medical Entomology detailing the discovery.

Read on for more about Poinar’s discovery and what he hopes it might lead to.

author
All That's Interesting
author
A New York-based publisher established in 2010, All That's Interesting brings together subject-level experts in history, true crime, and science to share stories that illuminate our world.
editor
Savannah Cox
editor
Savannah Cox holds a Master's in International Affairs from The New School as well as a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Sheffield. Her work as a writer has also appeared on DNAinfo.