Cannibalism at Jamestown: Listening to the Bones
She was thrown out, or at least her head was, with the remains of other animals — dogs, horses, squirrels — and other debris that the colonists discarded during the winter of 1609–10. There are no records of the young girl’s life, no diaries that record the perilous journey — likely through an ocean hurricane — from her native England to the shores of Virginia. There are no town ledgers that make note of her family, where she lived or how she spent her days. There are only her bones, which in the hands of forensic archaeologists, are speaking volumes on her behalf. Discovered deep in a cellar where trash was collected, two-thirds of her skull and a fragment of her right leg show the strongest scientific evidence yet that after she died, she may have been a victim of cannibalism. (MORE: Richard III’s Fate) “Let me tell you that when you see these cuts on the bone, all over the bone, and the chops … I deal with violence all the time, with people who were dismembered and had traumatic deaths.
'Proof' Jamestown settlers turned to cannibalism
1 May 2013Last updated at 18:24 ET By Jane O'Brien BBC News, Jamestown, Virginia "The evidence is absolutely consistent with dismemberment and de-fleshing of this body" - Doug Owsley, forensic anthropologist Newly discovered human bones prove the first permanent English settlers in North America turned to cannibalism over the cruel winter of 1609-10, US researchers have said. Scientists found unusual cuts consistent with butchering for meat on human bones dumped in a rubbish pit. The four-century-old skull and tibia of a teenage girl in James Fort, Virginia, were excavated from the dump last year. James Fort, founded in 1607, was the earliest part of the Jamestown colony. 'Starving Time' Researchers fashioned a three-dimension replica of the girl's face "The evidence is absolutely consistent with dismemberment and de-fleshing of this body," said Doug Owsley, a forensic anthropologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC. Continue reading the main story
Reinhart, Rogoff... and Herndon: The student who caught out the profs
This week, economists have been astonished to find that a famous academic paper often used to make the case for austerity cuts contains major errors. Another surprise is that the mistakes, by two eminent Harvard professors, were spotted by a student doing his homework. It's 4 January 2010, the Marriott Hotel in Atlanta. At a time of economic crisis, their finding resonates - economic growth slows dramatically when the size of a country's debt rises above 90% of Gross Domestic Product, the overall size of the economy. Word about this paper spread. And so did student Thomas Herndon. Thomas chose Growth in a Time of Debt. Some key figures tackling the global recession found this paper a useful addition to the debate at the heart of which is this key question: is it best to let debt increase in the hope of stimulating economic growth to get out of the slump, or is it better to cut spending and raise taxes aggressively to get public debt under control? "My heart sank," he says. Oops.
Does technology hinder or help toddlers' learning?
19 April 2013Last updated at 17:38 ET By Philippa Roxby Health reporter, BBC News Screen time could help children as young as two to learn words and be curious Children under five years old have an uncanny knack of knowing how to master new technology. From smart phones to tablet computers and game consoles, it is not unusual to see toddlers intuitively swiping screens and confidently pressing buttons. Even if parents enjoy the momentary peace that comes with handing a small child a gadget to play with, parents secretly worry that this screen time is damaging their brains. But it appears that screens can be beneficial to learning - and the more interactive the experience the better. Research from the University of Wisconsin, presented at a meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development this week, found that children aged between two and three were more likely to respond to video screens that prompted children to touch them than to a video screen that demanded no interaction.
Escaping the train to Auschwitz
19 April 2013Last updated at 23:50 GMT By Althea Williams and Sarah Ehrlich BBC News Simon Gronowski, pictured aged nine with his parents, two years before he and his mother were arrested On 19 April 1943, a train carrying 1,631 Jews set off from a Nazi detention camp in Belgium for the gas chambers of Auschwitz. But resistance fighters stopped the train. One boy who jumped to freedom that night retains vivid memories, 70 years later. In February 1943, 11-year-old Simon Gronowski was sitting down for breakfast with his mother and sister in their Brussels hiding place when two Gestapo agents burst in. They were taken to the Nazis' notorious headquarters on the prestigious Avenue Louise, used as a prison for Jews and torture chamber for members of the resistance. Today, Gronowski lives a two-minute walk from this building, where he was held for two nights without food or water. Detainees were taken from Kazerne Dossin directly to the death camp Conditions inside the train were atrocious.
The Data Miners: Tech Secrets From Obama’s Re-Election Geek Squad
Message is one thing, but in modern presidential politics, it can’t go very far without a machine. And during Obama’s 2012 campaign, that machine was fueled with new methods devised by a geek squad convened from multinational ad agencies, corporate consultancies and high-tech start-ups. The goals were the same as ever: more money in the bank, more door knocks, more phone calls, more voter registrations and more voters at the polls. (MORE: Barack Obama, 2012 Person of the Year) The geek squad also found new ways to make voters turn out their pockets. How much of this survives for future Democrats when Obama exits the stage? Interview with Obama: Setting the Stage for a Second Term Obama Photo Diary: 48 Hours with the President
“Shattered”: The Australian DJs Behind Royal Prank Call Apologize
The two Australian radio hosts at the heart of the royal hospital prank call that is believed to have led to the death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha say they are “gutted and heartbroken.” In their first televised interviews since the death, with Australia’s “A Current Affair” and rival program “Today Tonight”, presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian wept openly as they spoke about the nurse. (MORE: Scrutiny Builds at Radio Station That Prank Called London Hospital) Jacintha Saldanha, a nurse at the Kind Edward VII hospital in London, died last week in what is believed to be a suicide. The 46-year old nurse was working on reception when on Tuesday morning she answered a phone call from the two Australian presenters. Saldanha put the call through to the Duchess’s ward, where another nurse spoke about the Duchess’s condition. (MORE: Family Grieves for Nurse Who Died After Royal Prank Call) (MORE: Kate’s Baby: What the Future Holds) (MORE: Q&A: Dealing With a Sister’s Suicide)
