AI Tools Aim to Revolutionize Epidemiological Modeling After COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed serious weaknesses in traditional epidemiological models—slow build times, opaque code, and limited adaptability. DARPA’s $29.4 million ASKEM program, launched in 2022, set out to fix that by developing AI-driven tools that make scientific modeling faster, more transparent, and easier to update. ASKEM’s nine research teams built systems that extract equations and assumptions directly from scientific literature and even Jupyter notebooks, allowing researchers to construct models at a higher level without wrestling with millions of lines of legacy code. The program also created graphical interfaces that track every modeling decision. In testing, ASKEM tools produced usable models 83% faster than standard workflows, boosting confidence among decision-makers. While widespread adoption remains uncertain, proponents say ASKEM could transform outbreak modeling and other scientific forecasting. (Science)

Australia’s Teen Social Media Ban Becomes a Global Research Test Case

Australia has implemented the world’s toughest social media law for minors, banning most under-16s from platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, X, Reddit, Threads, and Snapchat as of 10 December. Tech companies must take “reasonable steps” to block teen accounts or face hefty fines. The government argues social media harms mental health and sleep; researchers counter that evidence is mixed and online communities can be vital, especially for marginalized or remote youth. Multiple teams are turning the policy into a natural experiment, tracking changes in mental health, family conflict, political engagement, and platform switching. Scholars also worry about unintended consequences, from undermining safer-use initiatives to hampering oversight research. A Stanford-led panel will help evaluate whether the ban truly improves young people’s wellbeing. (Nature)

Earliest Evidence of Human Fire-Making Pushed Back 350,000 Years

A new study from the British Museum argues that humans in what is now Suffolk, eastern England, were deliberately making fire around 400,000 years ago—far earlier than previously confirmed. Excavations at the Paleolithic site of Barnham uncovered a concentrated patch of baked clay, flint hand axes fractured by extreme heat, and fragments of imported iron pyrite, a spark-making mineral. Geochemical tests showed repeated burning at temperatures above 700°C, inconsistent with natural wildfires and pointing instead to a constructed hearth. The findings, published in Nature, push back the earliest solid evidence for controlled fire-making by roughly 350,000 years and suggest that early humans understood both how to ignite flames and how to maintain fixed fire spots for cooking and camp life. (AP News)

DNA Links China’s Modern Bo People to Ancient Hanging Coffin Culture

Genetic analysis has confirmed that today’s Bo people in China are direct descendants of the mysterious hanging coffin builders recorded in Ming-era sources. Archaeologists sampled DNA from human remains recovered near ancient cliff burials in Sichuan and Yunnan, then compared the sequences with those of contemporary Bo communities. The results reveal strong continuity despite historical records describing brutal persecution and the apparent “disappearance” of the group by the 17th century. Funerary traditions also show striking parallels: modern Bo still symbolically place ancestors’ spirits in caves, echoing the earlier suspended coffins. The study demonstrates how archaeogenetics can test oral histories, turning what had been treated as folklore into documented population history and highlighting the resilience of marginalized groups across violent state campaigns. (Archaeology Magazine)

Genomes Reveal Local Origins and Harsh Rituals at Neolithic Mega-City Shimao
A large-scale DNA study from Shimao, one of Neolithic China’s biggest and most complex cities, overturns the idea that it sprang from incoming elites. Genetic data from burials around the monumental walled settlement show its population descended from local groups who had occupied the region for at least a millennium before urban florescence. Researchers also reconstructed social structure: patterns of relatedness indicate a patrilineal system in which women moved to their husbands’ communities. The team revisited a notorious deposit of 80 human skulls outside Shimao’s East Gate, once thought to be sacrificed women. Instead, around 90% of sampled individuals were men, implying more targeted, gendered ritual violence. The work reframes Shimao as a homegrown experiment in urbanism with highly stratified, structured sacrificial practices. (Archaeology Magazine)

Lasers and Magnetometry Map Hidden Settlements in the Cyclades

On small Aegean islands in Greece’s Cyclades, archaeologists are using airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) and ground-based magnetometry to reveal dense traces of prehistoric life beneath vegetation and soil. The University of Copenhagen–led team is targeting islets such as Palatia off Naxos, where traditional excavation is difficult and invasive. LiDAR strips away the modern landscape to expose terraces, field systems, and architectural platforms, while magnetometry detects buried walls, kilns, and hearths through subtle changes in Earth’s magnetic field. Together, the methods have identified numerous previously unknown sites, suggesting more extensive early seafaring and island networks than the sparse surface record implied. The project showcases how remote sensing is transforming island archaeology, allowing researchers to map fragile sites at scale before erosion, tourism, and climate change erase them. (Phys.org)

Great Wall Excavation Uncovers Ming Cannon, Graffiti, and Soldier Life

Restoration work on a Ming-era stretch of the Great Wall near Beijing has turned into a rich archaeological dig. Crews uncovered a 35-inch, 247-pound bronze cannon dated to 1632 (“Chongzhen Year 5”), whose design blends Chinese casting traditions with European-style artillery, offering rare physical evidence of early modern East–West military technology exchange. Nearby watchtowers yielded storage rooms with heated brick beds, stoves, and food and medicinal plant remains, painting a vivid picture of daily garrison life. Bricks stamped with weight specifications are forcing a rethink of Ming kiln and logistics systems, while another brick bears a weary inscription lamenting “three years of toil.” Turquoise ornaments traced to distant mines hint at far-reaching trade networks woven through this ostensibly local frontier fortification. (Popular Mechanics)

---

---

CT Scans of Mummified Crocodile Reveal Hook, Bait, and Ritual Capture

A 3,000-year-old mummified crocodile from an Egyptian temple cache has yielded a forensic snapshot of its final meal—and death—thanks to high-resolution CT scanning. Researchers at the University of Manchester imaged the intact 7.2-foot specimen, revealing gastroliths in the digestive tract alongside an entire fish still attached to a bronze hook. Because the stones had not yet reached the stomach, the team argues the animal was caught shortly after swallowing the bait and then quickly sacrificed to the crocodile god Sobek. Non-invasive 3D imaging preserved wrappings and soft tissue while allowing detailed study of organ preservation and stomach contents. The work demonstrates how digital radiography can replace destructive unwrapping, turning animal mummies into datasets that illuminate ritual economies, sacrificial supply chains, and temple provisioning. (Popular Mechanics)

“Ancient Dirty Dishes” Study Upends Claims About Bronze Age Olive Oil

New experimental work suggests archaeologists have been overconfident about “olive oil residues” on Mediterranean pottery. A team led by Cornell’s Rebecca Gerdes created ceramic pellets, soaked them in olive oil, and buried them in different soils, including calcium-rich, alkaline sediment typical of Cyprus. After a year in incubators, many of the chemical biomarkers used to identify plant oils had degraded or disappeared in the Mediterranean-like soil, while they survived far better in mildly acidic New York soil. The results, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, imply that decades of organic-residue identifications may have misread degraded signatures as olive oil—or even confused plant oils with animal fats. The study calls for re-testing classic assemblages and emphasizes context-specific validation before tying residues to staple commodities. (Popular Science)

Copper Age Skeleton Shows Lions Once Roamed the Balkans

Analysis of a 5,000-year-old skeleton from Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast has revealed some of the earliest clear evidence of a lion attack in southeastern Europe—and, by extension, that lions still prowled the Balkans during the Copper Age. Forensic study of the young man’s bones, including distinctive puncture and claw marks, matched the bite force and tooth spacing of a lion rather than bears or large dogs. The research, published in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, suggests not only that Eurasian lions survived in the region longer than some models predicted, but that they occasionally came dangerously close to human settlements. The case adds a visceral, individual story to debates over Holocene megafaunal range contractions and human–predator coexistence in early agricultural societies. (GreekReporter.com)

Sunken Alexandrian Pleasure Barge Illuminates Elite Life in Early Roman Egypt

Underwater excavations in Alexandria’s Portus Magnus have uncovered the remains of a rare thalamagos—an ornate pleasure barge previously known only from ancient texts and mosaics. The large wooden vessel was found less than 50 meters from the Temple of Isis on the submerged island of Antirhodos. Photogrammetric 3D recording captured the hull and internal architecture in detail, including Greek graffiti dating to the first half of the first century CE. Researchers suspect the ship sank during a mid-first-century seismic event that dropped parts of the royal quarter into the sea. The find offers an unparalleled look at elite riverine leisure, ceremonial processions, and hybrid Greco–Egyptian iconography, while highlighting best-practice underwater conservation: the wreck will remain in situ as documentation and surrounding excavations continue. (Archaeology News Online Magazine)

Jerusalem Excavation Suggests 2,100-Year-Old Ceasefire Deal

Archaeologists excavating beneath Jerusalem’s Tower of David Museum have exposed the longest continuous section yet of the Hasmonean city wall foundations—roughly 50 meters long and 5 meters wide—and a curious pattern of deliberate dismantling. Historical texts by Josephus describe a siege in 132–133 BCE, when Seleucid king Antiochus VII forced Judean ruler John Hyrcanus I to tear down his own fortifications as part of a ceasefire agreement. The newly uncovered wall section appears to have been uniformly razed to a set height, consistent with such a political act rather than random destruction. The dig also revealed medieval dye vats and later prison graffiti layered above the fortification, which will eventually be viewable through a glass floor. The find ties physical stones to a specific diplomatic episode in Hanukkah-era history. (CBS News)

Inside the Science of Cognitive Fatigue — Why Thinking Hard Makes Us Tired

Cognitive fatigue—the draining mental exhaustion familiar to anyone after a long day—has become a major research frontier, accelerated by long COVID’s widespread impact. Scientists now view fatigue as a protective signal that the brain is approaching a physiological limit. Emerging studies point toward metabolic strain, toxin buildup from neural activity, and shifts in neurotransmitters such as glutamate, adenosine, and dopamine. Experiments show that sustained mental effort can alter decision-making, increasing preference for immediate rewards and reducing motivation for difficult tasks. Researchers are also uncovering overlap between physical and cognitive fatigue, with each worsening the other. New tools, biomarkers, and personalized monitoring aim to better quantify fatigue and guide interventions. Yet treatments remain limited, and chronic fatigue conditions highlight how much remains unknown. (Nature)

---

---

---