A study shows that the earliest human inhabitants of Moxos plains began transforming the tropical savanna eco-region in Bolivia 10,000 years ago, that is 8,000 earlier than previously thought.
The study was conducted by scientists from Bern in cooperation with universities in Britain, Spain and the United States.
The study involved an unprecedented large-scale regional analysis of more than 60 archaeological sites, according to the university statement.
Samples were retrieved from 30 forest islands and archaeological excavations were carried out in four of them.
“Until this recent study, scientists had neither searched for, nor excavated, old archaeological sites in this region that might document the pre-Columbian domestication of these globally important crops,” says Umberto Lombardo from Bern university.
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Swiss scientists identify bowstring used by Ötzi the Iceman
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Swiss scientists have established that a cord found next to the body of Neolithic hunter Ötzi the Iceman was a bowstring.
In Switzerland more people are being referred to electrical therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Are there similar approaches where you live?
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
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After reaching a low point at the end of 2024, the Swiss job market showed the first signs of a slight recovery in the first quarter.
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Switzerland's dioceses are making arrangements for the faithful to attend the Pope's funeral, including public screenings.
Vulnerable tenants hit hardest by Zurich evictions
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More tenants are evicted in Zurich than anywhere else in Switzerland, which particularly affects older people on low incomes.
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Swiss National Bank Q1 profits weighed down by foreign currency investments, which the rise in gold was unable to offset.
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Earliest high mountain settlement identified in Ethiopia
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An international team with Swiss participation discovered the oldest high mountain dwelling at an altitude of almost 3,500 metres in Ethiopia’s Bale mountains. The archaeological find revealed that the hunters made tools from obsidian and fed on giant mole rats, as the scientists reported in the academic journal “Science”. Charcoal remains also came to light during the excavations. The scientists…
Baby teeth reveal previously unknown ancient Siberians
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An international research group has found 31,000-year-old milk teeth – and a previously unknown population group in north-eastern Siberia.
Gene editing leads to faster production of food-friendly cassava
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Zurich researchers have used gene editing to develop a variant of the starchy tuber cassava that is much easier to process for the food industry.
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Herren, the subject of a new biography, tells swissinfo.ch how he managed to naturally control the bug using a method that involved shooting the insect’s natural enemy, a type of wasp, from aeroplanes across huge swathes of Africa. The scientist was only 31 when he took a job in the middle of a crisis: the…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.