Elite ‘Dynasty’ at Chaco Canyon Got Its Power From One Woman, DNA Shows

They were interred in what’s been described as “the richest burial known in the Southwest” — 14 men and women buried over the course of 330 years in the same crypt, some accompanied by pieces of pottery and pendants, others lavished with thousands of turquoise and shell beads.

Their resting place was a chamber deep inside Pueblo Bonito, the largest of the so-called “great houses” in New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon.

And new analysis of DNA from the 14 sets of remains shows that these elites weren’t merely members of the same influential class — indeed, they were all members of the same extended family, a “dynasty” that traced its ancestry to a single woman.

Western Digs

“The gross evil of our time defies all labels.”

“I Loved it…I Loved it All” Essay by Edward Abbey

Essay by Edward Abbey "I Loved it...I Loved it All" from Ned Judge on Vimeo.

Step into the Adrenaline-Filled World of Competitive Swinging

For most of us, swinging 360 degrees around the spindle of a swing set is a distant childhood dream, but for a group of adrenaline seekers in Estonia, it’s a passion they never grew out of. Not only do they still love defying gravity, but they actually created a competitive sport around their favorite pastime. That sport is known as “kiiiking”.

As you might remember, swinging around the spindle of some playground swings was possible, but at the same time dangerous. From simple bruises to broken bones and concussions, there were a lot of things that could go wrong during such an attempt, which is why in 1993, an Estonian man by the name of Ado Kosk created a pair of wooden swings designed specifically for going all the way around the spindle. They were rudimentary contraptions made up of simple levers with a pair of wooden rods attached to a flat seat on one end and the rotating spindle on the other. Nobody knew it at the time, but that was when kiiking was born.

ODDITY CENTRAL

Oh Hell Yes !

Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival, now in it's 19th year, has been one of the longest standing Punk Festivals in the country. Taking over downtown Las Vegas for 4 days, PRB is a whirlwind of a weekend unlike any other music festival. Make no mistake, this is a Punk Rock Festival and we feature some of the best bands over the past 35+ years, from the old school pioneers and classics to mainstays and up and comers. The brothers Stern have been heavily involved in the Punk community since the late ’70′s and spend countless hours scouring their record collections, memories and abilities to reach out to old friends and new to put together an amazing line-up every year.

PRB

NOFX - First Ditch Effort

The First Americans? South Carolina’s Controversial Topper Site Yields New Secrets

Until fairly recently, the earliest human settlement date in North America was believed to have been around 14,000 years ago, placing early humans on the continent toward the end of the last ice age.

However, in January it was announced that this date for early human arrival in the Americas was pushed back another 10,000 years. With the help of staff with Oxford University’s Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, professor Ariane Burke of Université de Montréal’s Department of Anthropology, along with doctoral student Lauriane Bourgeon, were able to date artifacts retrieved from the Bluefish Caves site in northern Yukon, Alaska, to around 24,000 years Before Present (BP).

mysteriousuniverse

“Wordless, it rises and falls in hemidemisemitones of unearthly misery. The dirge of the damned”

In quiet alcoves, on windswept ridges, or beneath soaring cliffs, rock art captures the imagination...Pt 1

In quiet alcoves, on windswept ridges, or beneath soaring cliffs, rock art captures the imagination...Pt 2

In quiet alcoves, on windswept ridges, or beneath soaring cliffs, rock art captures the imagination...Pt 3