Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Michael Petraglia

@mdpetraglia.bsky.social

1.5K followers 710 following 100 posts

Professor & Director, Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution | #HumanEvolution | #Archaeology | Researching #HumanOrigins in #Africa and #Asia more info: https://experts.griffith.edu.au/28674-michael-petraglia

Videos

History 24%

Environmental science 22%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Michael Petraglia @mdpetraglia.bsky.social · 12d

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-...

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.

theconversation.com

6 41

Reposted by Michael D. Petraglia

Antiquity Journal @antiquity.ac.uk · 6d

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

4 19

Reposted by Michael D. Petraglia

Science Magazine @science.org · 11d

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

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

scim.ag

12 70

Reposted by Michael D. Petraglia

Governor Gavin Newsom @governor.ca.gov · 11d

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.

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

230 1.9K 9.7K

Michael Petraglia @mdpetraglia.bsky.social · 12d

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

Michael Petraglia @mdpetraglia.bsky.social · 12d

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 road signs

YouTube video by Griffith University

m.youtube.com

2 2 5

Michael Petraglia @mdpetraglia.bsky.social · 12d

Some nice news coverage by @science.org of our recent discoveries of 12,000-year-old life-sized camel engravings in rock art of #SaudiArabia. @mariaguagnin.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...

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

www.science.org

6 20

Reposted by Nicole Boivin

Michael Petraglia @mdpetraglia.bsky.social · 12d

New discovery! Here @mariaguagnin.bsky.social and our team report on 12,000-year-old life-size camel rock art engravings in the Saudi desert. #GreenArabia @griffith.edu.au www.nature.com/articles/s41...

6 21

Michael Petraglia @mdpetraglia.bsky.social · 14d

Some of my initial comments on the most interesting Yunxian 2 study and its implications.
www.yahoo.com/news/article...

Million-year-old skull could change human evolution timeline

A digital reconstruction of a million-year-old skull suggests humans may have diverged from our ancient ancestors 400,000 years earlier than thought and in Asia not Africa, a study said Friday."It sug...

www.yahoo.com

2 18

Reposted by Michael D. Petraglia

Nicole Boivin @nicoleboivin.bsky.social · 22d

“Science isn’t really moving towards equity; institutions are just perfecting the appearance of equity.”

Actually I’m not even sure they’re doing that, though many are indeed trying.

share.google/XNaLs2bBjdMG...

Equity in science is a beautiful lie — and I’m done pretending

Science isn’t really moving towards equity; institutions are just perfecting the appearance of equity. We need to build an alternative system.

share.google

1 6

Reposted by Michael D. Petraglia

MU-Peter Shimon 🀄️ @mu-peter.bsky.social · Aug 22

Homo erectus technological behaviors during the Middle Pleistocene Transition: Engaji Nanyori, Oldupai Gorge 🏺🧪
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Arturo Cueva-Temprana, @nicoleboivin.bsky.social, @mdpetraglia.bsky.social, et al

Recent excavations of Acheulean occupational sequence dated 1.1–0.9 Ma.

Stone tool selection from layer IV. A: Basalt cleaver on flake. B: Basalt bifacial centripetal core. C-F: Burin-like/dihedral retouched flakes on basalt I, phonolite (D-E) and quartzite (F). G: Quartzite dorsal-ventral refit of two flakes

2 8

Michael Petraglia @mdpetraglia.bsky.social · Aug 13

Paper alert! Led by my PhD student Arturo Cueva-Temprana on Engaji Nanyori (Oldupai Gorge). This study offers rare insight into Acheulean technology during the Middle Pleistocene Transition (1.1–0.9 Ma).
Striking technological uniformity by early ancestors. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Homo erectus technological behaviors during the Middle Pleistocene Transition: Engaji Nanyori, Oldupai Gorge - Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences - The Acheulean technocomplex is a milestone in the evolutionary adaptability, technological development, and dispersal of Homo erectus. While the...

link.springer.com

Reposted by Michael D. Petraglia

MU-Peter Shimon 🀄️ @mu-peter.bsky.social · Aug 8

Human footprints provide snapshot of last interglacial ecology in the Arabian interior🏺🧪
Mathew Stewart, @huwgroucutt.bsky.social , @mdpetraglia.bsky.social et al
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Evidence indicates a well-watered semi-arid grassland setting during human movements into Nefud Desert.

The Alathar paleolake sediments, footprints, and fossils.
(A) Plan view of the Alathar paleolake deposits with researchers indicated by white arrowheads. (B) First stratigraphic section (units FS1 to FS3). (C) Second stratigraphic section (units SS1 to SS3) overlying the first but located toward the center of the paleolake. (D and E) Example of an elephant track and trackway, Proboscipeda isp. (F) Camelid trackway, Lamaichnum isp. (G) Camelid forefoot (H) Camelid hindfoot. (I) Equid track, Hippipeda isp. (J) Bovid axis vertebra eroding out of the paleolake sediment. Photo credit: Gilbert Price, The University of Queensland and Richard Clark-Wilson, Royal Holloway, University of London.

6 28

Reposted by Michael D. Petraglia

Chris Stringer @chrisbstringer.bsky.social · Dec 31

Human migration from the Levant and Arabia into Yemen since Last Glacial Maximum www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Human migration from the Levant and Arabia into Yemen since Last Glacial Maximum - Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports - Human migration from the Levant and Arabia into Yemen since Last Glacial Maximum

www.nature.com

1 5 17

Reposted by Michael D. Petraglia, Victor A. Albert

Chris Stringer @chrisbstringer.bsky.social · Jan 1

Archaeologists Stunned by 115,000-Year-Old Human Footprint Discovery in the Most Unexpected Place
dailygalaxy.com/2024/12/1150...

Archaeologists Stunned by 115,000-Year-Old Human Footprint Discovery in the Most Unexpected Place

Deep in the sands of the Arabian Peninsula, scientists unearthed an ancient lakebed harboring a secret that could transform our understanding of human history. Human footprints, preserved for over 115...

dailygalaxy.com

1 10 42

Reposted by Michael D. Petraglia

Emily Hallinan @eshallinan.bsky.social · Jan 24

Something special for the lithophiles for #FlintFriday and #FieldFriday - two ends of the Levallois spectrum from my survey yesterday in Luxor. I’ve never seen anything quite like either of them 🤩

11 17 150

Reposted by Michael D. Petraglia

Howard Lee @hlee.bsky.social · Jan 25

As far a I was aware, the idea that the eruption of Toba 74,000 years ago caused a human genetic bottleneck was discredited some years ago. See explanation by @johnhawks.bsky.social: 🧪
www.google.com/amp/s/johnha...

www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smiths...

How the Largest Volcanic Eruption in Human History Changed the World

Read about the volcano that some believe almost wiped humans off the planet

www.smithsonianmag.com

4 10 50

Michael Petraglia @mdpetraglia.bsky.social · Jul 18

Great news! 😀

1 1

Reposted by Michael D. Petraglia

Vito Hernandez @ingatkatandaan.bsky.social · Jun 27

10th World Archaeology Congress has wrapped up. Here's us who presented in the session 'Microarchaeology—Using Micro-analytical Techniques to Elucidate the Deep Environmental Past and the Evolution of Our Species'. Our session and the whole of the conference was largely successful

1 2 5

Reposted by Michael D. Petraglia

Dr Susan Greaney @suegreaney.bsky.social · Jun 16

Did you know that WAC-10 World Archaeology Congress (next week) is free for students to attend online? Register here: worldarchaeologicalcongress.com/wac10/

WAC-10 – Darwin 22-28 June 2025

worldarchaeologicalcongress.com

2 36 42

Reposted by Michael D. Petraglia

Nicole Boivin @nicoleboivin.bsky.social · Jun 12

A great line up for our session on the dangers of practicing archaeology "while female" at WAC-10 in Darwin! Note that students can attend virtually for FREE! Runs 22-28 June. For more information and to sign up: worldarchaeologicalcongress.com/wac10/

3 9

Reposted by Michael D. Petraglia

Nicole Boivin @nicoleboivin.bsky.social · Jun 3

New paper out! Not sure why it comes associated with this photo from Africa but the markers are still useful for anyone applying ZooMS in Australia!! 😊

Carli Peters @carlipeters.bsky.social · Jun 3

Our latest paper is out now in Frontiers in Mammal Science: www.frontiersin.org/journals/mam...

We characterized ZooMS peptide markers for three extinct Australian megafauna species 🦴🧪

Frontiers | Collagen peptide markers for three extinct Australian megafauna species

Recent advancements in biomolecular archaeology, such as stable isotope and ancient DNA research, have expanded our understanding of megafauna extinction pro...

www.frontiersin.org

1 11

Reposted by Michael D. Petraglia

Carli Peters @carlipeters.bsky.social · Jun 3

Our latest paper is out now in Frontiers in Mammal Science: www.frontiersin.org/journals/mam...

We characterized ZooMS peptide markers for three extinct Australian megafauna species 🦴🧪

Frontiers | Collagen peptide markers for three extinct Australian megafauna species

Recent advancements in biomolecular archaeology, such as stable isotope and ancient DNA research, have expanded our understanding of megafauna extinction pro...

www.frontiersin.org

1 10 29

Michael Petraglia @mdpetraglia.bsky.social · May 26

Paper alert! Happy to have joined Huan et al. to examine miniaturised lithic diversity across the last 20,000 years in southern China and its potential relation to geographic and climatic variability. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Lithic miniaturization in South China since the terminal Pleistocene: A multivariate analysis of lithic reduction from Fodongdi, Fulin and Xiqiaoshan - Journal of Geographical Sciences

Lithic miniaturization is a key adaptive and technological feature of human populations and one of the key cultural hallmarks in the Late Pleistocene of Eastern Asia. In northern China this form of st...

link.springer.com

3 9

Michael Petraglia @mdpetraglia.bsky.social · May 22

Shattered careers. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

#OpenToWork: how laid-off US scientists are coping with shattered careers

Unemployed researchers face some tough career choices as they flood the job market after the Trump administration’s cuts to science.

www.nature.com

Michael Petraglia @mdpetraglia.bsky.social · May 21

Quite the provocative title, but why not a crossroad for way longer than we currently realise. www.haaretz.com/archaeology/...

Exit from Africa: Hominins could have been leaving for 8 million years

***

www.haaretz.com

1 5

Reposted by Michael D. Petraglia

Julia LeeThorp @julialt.bsky.social · May 9

My God this is catastrophic for science. WTF do Trump & his minions know about science, they’re literally killing it. Even if stopped now it will take years to get back up

Exclusive: NSF faces radical shake-up as officials abolish its 37 divisions | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Exclusive: NSF faces radical shake-up as officials abolish its 37 divisions

Changes seen as a response to presidential directives on what research to fund

www.science.org

2 3

Reposted by Helen Tager‐Flusberg, Koen Frenken, Michael D. Petraglia , and 6 more Helen Tager‐Flusberg, Koen Frenken, Michael D. Petraglia, Andreas Oschlies, Matthias Cuntz, John J. Cullen, Amy McGovern, Paulo Ceppi, Jennifer A. Johnson

Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.bsky.social · May 2

🔔BREAKING🔔

The NSF has frozen all research grant awards—cutting off life-saving science midstream and demanding ideological screenings for future funding.

This is censorship disguised as oversight.

Here’s how you can help us spread the word ➡️🧵(1/3):
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Exclusive: NSF stops awarding new grants and funding existing ones

US science funder also plans to screen grant applications for compliance with ‘agency priorities’.

www.nature.com

5 440 600

Reposted by Jens‐Christian Svenning, Vı́ctor de Lorenzo, Michael D. Petraglia , and 7 more Jens‐Christian Svenning, Vı́ctor de Lorenzo, Michael D. Petraglia, Bernd Sures, Nathan Nunn, Adam J. Berinsky, Erwin Dekker, Erika Franklin Fowler, Jessica Vitak, David W. Lawson

Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · May 1

BREAKING: NSF has frozen all grant funding, as of yesterday. It's unclear when they will resume funding awards, or why the pause has been put in place. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Exclusive: NSF stops awarding new grants and funding existing ones

US science funder also plans to screen grant applications for compliance with ‘agency priorities’.

www.nature.com

39 980 1.3K

Reposted by Michael D. Petraglia

Princess Vimentin PhD | Cancer Biologist @princess-vimentin.bsky.social · Apr 28

🧪This is interesting! Bonobos, a species of endangered apes, only found in the Dem Rep of Congo, live in female dominated societies. This paper supports the thought that females form coalitions to sustain their matriarchies. This affirms 30 yrs of research.

🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s42...

Drivers of female power in bonobos - Communications Biology

In mammals, documented female dominance is rare, but females can hold high status even with male-biased dimorphism. In wild living bonobo groups, female coalition formation best explains the observed ...

www.nature.com

9 21 110