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Cooking the world’s oldest known curry

Why India is a nation of foodies

Had you been washed ashore four millennia ago on the banks of the now lost river of Saraswati and hitched a bullock cart ride to Farmana in the Ghaggar valley near modern-day Delhi, here’s what you might have eaten—a curry.

For in 2010, when advanced science met archaeology at an excavation site in Farmana—southeast of the largest Harappan city of Rakhigarhi—they made history, and it was edible.

Steven Webber
Steve Webber

Archaeologists Arunima Kashyap and Steve Webber, professor of anthropology at WSU Vancouver, used the method of starch analysis to trace the world’s first-known or “oldest” proto-curry of aubergine, ginger and turmeric from the pot shard of a bulbous handi (pot). » More …

Summer archaeology school will explore old riverfront site

New research on an old riverfront site will be a highlight of this summer’s Public Archaeology Field School at Fort Vancouver.

The annual sessions give college students hands-on experience in field research at archaeological sites. Results of the digs help fill in the archaeological record at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, where communities lived long before making contact with white explorers and traders. More recent occupants included the Hudson’s Bay Company and the U.S. Army. » More …

Moons of ‘Alien Jupiters’ – “Best Bets for Life Beyond Our Solar System”

Recently published research in astrophysics suggests that some moons of exoplanets — planets beyond our solar system — are the right size, in the right position and have sufficient water to support life.

Dirk Schulze-Makuch
Dirk Schulze-Makuch

WSU astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch responded to the research findings, saying: “Everyone right away tends to categorically exclude the possibility of life on Io.” Conditions on Io might have made it a friendlier habitat in the distant past. If life did ever develop on Io, there is a chance it might have survived to the present day, Schulze-Makuch suggested. » More …

Archaeologists Urge Obama to Protect Bears Ears

More than 700 archaeologists have signed a letter urging President Obama to protect the Bears Ears region in southeastern Utah.

William Lipe
William Lipe

A coalition of five tribal nations has proposed a 1.9 million-acre national monument to protect Bears Ears. The nations are the Hopi, Navajo, Ute Mountain Ute, Uintah and Ouray Ute, and Zuni.

“All these groups continue to see this area as important because: one, ancestors are buried there; two, it’s part of their history; three, they may visit the area to visit shrines, special places, and to collect medicinal herbs and plants that are important in religious ceremonies,” said Bill Lipe, a professor emeritus at Washington State University. » More …

Dr. Universe answers: What is the deepest spot in the ocean?

What is the deepest spot in the ocean? -Lawrence, 11, Philippines

Dear Lawrence,

Dr. UniverseDeep under water, not too far from Guam, lies a crescent-shaped canyon called the Mariana Trench. It is home to the deepest known spot in the ocean: The Challenger Deep.

That’s what I found out from my friend Ray Lee. He teaches biology at Washington State University and studies animals that live in the deep sea.

A few explorers have made the nearly seven-mile journey to the Challenger Deep. Even though us cats aren’t big fans of water, I can imagine what it would be like to go there. We would have to go in a specially designed underwater vehicle, and we’d go through several different ocean zones along the way.

Find out more

Ask Dr. Universe