Email Print Share

All Images


Research News

From a very old skeleton, new insights on ancient migrations

Mota cave dig site

In Mota cave, located in the Gamo highlands of Ethiopia, a group of NSF-supported researchers excavation a rock cairn. They discovered under it a burial site containing the remains of a 4,500-year skeleton.

Credit: Kathryn and John Arthur


Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (1.9 MB)

Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.

John Arthur, Kathryn Arthur and Matthew Curtis

(left-to-right) NSF-supported researchers John Arthur and Kathryn Arthur of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and Matthew Curtis of Ventura College and UCLA Extension found an ancient skeleton and stone-flake tools at the Mota cave. Geneticists' analysis of the skeleton resulted in the first ancient human genome sequence from Africa.

Credit: Kathryn and John Arthur


Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (4.4 MB)

Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.

John Arthur

John Arthur, an NSF-supported archaeologist at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, excavates the Mota cave site.

Credit: Kathryn and John Arthur


Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (4.7 MB)

Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.

Mota cave entrance

The Mota cave is located in a mountainous region, and its entrance is about 6,000 feet above sea level. Weather and the changing conditions of the only road that runs near the cave -- a gravel surface -- made access complicated for the research team.

Credit: Kathryn and John Arthur


Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (372.9 KB)

Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.