Deforestation Threshold Revealed By New Research — When Exceeded, Extinctions Surge

March 13, 2015 in Animals & Insects, Humans, Plants

A ‘threshold’ for deforestation’s effect on biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest has been uncovered by new research from Cambridge University.

When this newly revealed forest-cover deforestation threshold is exceeded, extinctions surge in the regions affected — with extinctions becoming both more rapid and also more widespread.

Deforestation Amazon Rainforest
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Stories, Mirrors, Hypnos, Dreams, Nemesis, Nyx, & K’awiil

March 3, 2015 in Humans

This article doesn’t really have a point to it, it’s merely me referencing various stories from various corners of the world and time, that are connected in my mind, for whatever reason.

Ancient Greek art vase
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Olmec Civilization, Specialization, & The Origins Of Agriculture — Common Threads

February 17, 2015 in Humans

The Olmec Civilization was one of the largest and most influential cultural centers to emerge in the Americas over the last 10,000 or so years — and was responsible for, amongst other things, domesticating a fair number of the plants that are commonly eaten as food throughout the world today.

The culture’s earliest known center of activity was the city of “San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan” — where clearly recognizable “Olmec” features were first visible sometime around 1600 BC (3600 years ago).

This is when the giant “colossal heads” first started appearing, as well as some of the earliest evidence of the mesoamerican ball game (including rubber balls, and “stadiums”), ceremonial axes, “baby face” figurines/depictions, the feathered serpent, the long count calendar, and cocoa (what we make chocolate out of), amongst other things.

Olmec jaguar man mask
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Paleoneurology & Prehistoric Cave Art, Paintings, & Carvings

February 13, 2015 in Humans

Prehistoric cave art France

I’m not interested in spending too much time on this so I’m going to keep it short and sweet.

– Brain-to-body ratios (one of the most reliable markers for what we currently consider to be intelligent behavior) peaked in humans roughly 30,000 years ago — its been generally declining ever since.
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Late Bronze Age Collapse, Mycenaean Civilization Collapse — Collapse As Witnessed 3400-3000 Years Ago

February 11, 2015 in Humans

The Late Bronze Age Collapse, often alternately referred to as the Mycenaean Palatial Civilization Collapse, was a period of time — roughly between the years of 1250-1000 BC (3250-3000 years ago) — that was violent, and catastrophically disruptive with regard to cultures, social systems/practices, government institutions, languages, ethnic identities, trade routes, literacy, and technologies.

During these years, all of the large urban centers and governing systems of the Mediterranean, the Aegean, and most of Southwestern Asia, collapsed — leaving behind, after a period of turmoil and mass migration, the isolated village cultures of the Greek Dark Ages.

This period of time saw the end of the various Mycenaean kingdoms of the Mediterranean, the Hittite Empire in Anatolia and Syria, and the New Kingdom of Egypt in Syria and Canaan.

Fall of Troy painting collapse
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