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Ancient Molar Found in Laos Could Help Fill in a Gap in Human History

May 26, 2022 0

Paleoanthropologists found a molar in a cave in Laos that possibly belonged to a member of the Denisovans, a group of humans that lived about 500,000 to 30,000 years ago. If the molar is confirmed, it will be the first fossil evidence of the Denisovans.

Researchers first identified the Denisovans in 2010. Their research depicted that they were from Southeast Asia, specifically in places such as Australia and the Philippines.

The molar found was estimated to be between 131,000 and 164,000 years old, belonging to a female who died between the ages of three and a half and eight and a half. Researchers identified the molar as a Denisovan since it did not resemble the teeth belonging to the Homo sapiens or Homo erectus species.

Original post by Margaret Osborne

News

Smithsonian Previews new Exhibit at the National Latino Museum

May 20, 2022 0

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino announced its first exhibition will open on June 18^th.

The official opening of the National Latino Museum is expected to be in production for eight to twelve years, but the first exhibit premiere is to give the public a preview of what the museum will have to offer.

The exhibition opening this June will be called “¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States”. The exhibit will highlight and showcase the historical and cultural legacy of Latinos in the U.S. in conjunction with a website that includes oral histories, historical biographies, and 3D objects displayed at the gallery.

Original post by Nicole Acevedo/NBC News

News

3-D Scans Reveal Gigantic Native American Cave Art in Alabama

May 18, 2022 0

In a location in northern Alabama lies the 19th Unnamed Cave. The cave is 80-foot wide and leads to a long tunnel where the ceiling and floor draw closer and closer together. Far from the entrance of the tunnel artwork can be seen with the pockets of daylight that reaches through.

The artwork within the cave consists of abstract shapes and lines, reptiles, animals, and humanlike figures created by Native American artists between 660 and 949 C.E.

Jan Simek, an archeologist at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and her colleagues have been documenting cave sites for the past several decades. They discovered that the 19th cave has more images than what is visible to the naked eye. Recently they have utilized 3-D scans of the cave revealing giant figures such as life-sized drawings of humans and an 11-foot long diamondback rattlesnake.

Original post by Megan Gannon/Smithsonian Magazine

News

Women Advocating and Working for Historic Places

May 12, 2022 0

Below are women who have experience in many different fields and actively advocate for hands-on preservation.

Molly Baker

Molly Baker is from New Orleans; Louisiana and she has a career in historic preservation.

Her interest in preservation began in her mid-20s after meeting a woman studying building preservation.

Baker soon spent five years at a National Landmark site then became the manager of the HOPE (Hands-on Preservation Experience) Crew program at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Currently, she has been working with HOPE and the National Trust Where Women Made History program on prioritizing projects that are led by an all-female/majority female crew.

Sharon Ferraro

Sharon Ferraro of Kalamazoo, Michigan co-founded the Old House Network in Michigan with Pat McCarthy. This network was created after realizing the need of opportunity to train homeowners on the necessities of old house rehabilitation.

As Ferraro adjusts to her retirement, she hopes to build a preservation trades program in her local community.

Original post by Priya Chhaya/Saving Places-National Trust for Historic Preservation

News

Artworks Reimagine the Legacy of the African Diaspora

May 12, 2022 0

The “Afro-Atlantic Histories” exhibition, by Hank Willis Thomas, joins the National Gallery of Arts (NGA) of Washington D.C.

“Afro-Atlantic Histories” showcases 130 pieces of artwork and documents from artists representing 24 countries. The exhibit explores the impact of the African diaspora in Africa, America, the Caribbean, and Europe between the 17th and 21st centuries.

Original post by Shantay Robinson/Smithsonian Magazine

News

Fragment of Oldest known Maya Calendar Discovered in Pyramid

April 28, 2022 0

Scholars have found the oldest known Maya calendar in a pre-Hispanic archaeological complex in San Bartolo, Guatemala, inside the Las Pinturas pyramid.

The calendar was found marked 300-200 B.C.E., making it the earliest evidence of the Mayan calendar.

The site where the calendar was found has been a source of findings for 21 years now. In the past, archaeologists have found murals and artwork dating to around 100 B.C.E. This year, archaeologists identified a “7 Deer” glyph on two pieces of white plaster fallen from one of the murals. The “7 Deer” glyph represents one of the 260 days of the Mayan calendar, also known as tzolk’in.

Original post by Antonia Mufarech/Smithsonian Magazine

News

Fred Hampton’s Childhood home gets Historical Marker

April 28, 2022 0

The former Black Panther Party leader, Fred Hampton, who was shot and killed during a 1969 police raid of his Chicago apartment has now been designated as a historical landmark.

A campaign to designate his home as a landmark has been underway since the release of the Academy Award-winning film “Judas and the Black Messiah” about Hampton and his death.

Original post by Associated Press News

News

Oprah, Smithsonian Channel to Explore Health care Inequities

April 28, 2022 0

Oprah Winfrey and the Smithsonian Channel explore health care inequities through a new campaign and documentary. The campaign “Color of Care” seeks to create a solution toward health equity. The documentary will premiere on May 1^st.

Original post by Johnathan Landrum Jr./Associated Press News

News

Mystery Recordings will now be Heard for the first time in 100 years

April 28, 2022 0

Wax cylinders were the first form of audio that was produced in a way where people could listen to commercial music and record themselves. These cylinders were called Edison phonographs.

These cylinders have been a mystery for generations due to their fragileness and tendency to deteriorate after a few dozen uses.

In 2016, Jessica Wood, the assistant curator for music and recorded sound at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, found a box of unlabeled cylinders on a storage shelf. Inside the box were the words “Gift of Mary Dana to the New York Library in 1935.”

Original post by Jennifer Vanasco/NPR 7-minute Listen

News

Women Inventors you didn’t Learn About in History

April 15, 2022 0

Evelyn Berezin

Evelyn Berezin designed the computer as the only woman in her office in 1951. She founded the Redactron Corporation, starting in Long Island, the first company dedicated to manufacturing and selling her computerized typewriters. She called this machine the “Data Secretary.”

Katherine Burr Blodgett

Katherine Burr Blodgett, a physicist, and chemist patented her “invisible” also known as non-reflective glass, in 1938. This is now known as retail display glass or the glass between you and the fish you view at the aquarium.

Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner

Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner came from a family of inventors. She individually holds five patents, which is still one of the largest numbers of patents of any African American woman. She invented the sanitary belt in the 1920s but couldn’t afford a patent at that time. In 1957 Sonn-Nap-Pack Company saw the importance of her product and contacted her to market it, but

declined the offer after realizing she was black. She later invented a carrier attachment for walkers and wheelchairs, the toilet paper holder, and a mounted back washer and massager.

Original post by Carmen Borca-Carrillo/Smithsonian Magazine

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NEWS & BLOG

Ancient Molar Found in Laos Could Help Fill in a Gap in Human History

Smithsonian Previews new Exhibit at the National Latino Museum

3-D Scans Reveal Gigantic Native American Cave Art in Alabama

Women Advocating and Working for Historic Places

Artworks Reimagine the Legacy of the African Diaspora

Fragment of Oldest known Maya Calendar Discovered in Pyramid

Fred Hampton’s Childhood home gets Historical Marker

Oprah, Smithsonian Channel to Explore Health care Inequities

Mystery Recordings will now be Heard for the first time in 100 years

Women Inventors you didn’t Learn About in History