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Oldest Twin Remains Found In Siberia

Posted by samzenpus on from the first-pair dept.

astroengine writes A team of Canadian and Russian researchers investigating an early Neolithic cemetery in Siberia have identified the world's oldest set of human twins, buried with their young mother. The skeleton of the woman was exhumed in 1997 from a hunter-gatherer cemetery in south-eastern Siberia. Found with 15 marmot teeth — decorative accessories which were probably attached to clothing — the remains were photographed and labelled, but were not investigated by anthropologists. Now Angela Lieverse, a bioarchaeologist at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, and colleagues Andrzej Weber from the University of Alberta, Canada, and Vladimir Bazaliiskii from Irkutsk University, Russia, have examined the skeleton and found remains of twin fetuses nestled between the pelvis and upper legs. The twins, about 36 to 40 weeks old, probably suffocated during their mother's troubled labor nearly 8,000 years ago. "This is not only one of the oldest archaeologically documented cases of death during childbirth, but also the earliest confirmed set of human twins in the world," Lieverse said.

14 of 41 comments (clear)

  1. Twins? that means by Tablizer · · Score: 3, Funny

    First Dupe!

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    Table-ized A.I.
  2. To think of it, by invictusvoyd · · Score: 1

    shouldn't the oldest "human" things be found in africa ?

    1. Re:To think of it, by sumdumass · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The key here is found. Assuming there is nothing unique about the finds, it is really a matter of where have we looked and what was found. And in order to be found, some preservation has to of happened which is not naturally the same from location to location

    2. Re:To think of it, by khallow · · Score: 1

      The bible clearly tells us there were other things going on regardless of what these fanatical scientists are peddling.

      And why would the Bible be more likely to be right than a bunch of fanatical scientists? It doesn't even say how the universe was created.

  3. Oldest Yet Discovered by EzInKy · · Score: 1

    Surprised that a site for scientific minded people does not include that caveat.

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    Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
    1. Re:Oldest Yet Discovered by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      "This is not only one of the oldest archaeologically documented cases of death during childbirth, but also the earliest confirmed set of human twins in the world,"

      it does. not sure of though if you mean that slashdot is for scientific minded or the other site..

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      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  4. Gestational age != age by raburton · · Score: 3

    The summary didn't make a lot of sense until I realised they meant 36-40 weeks gestational age, not actual age.

  5. Re:Boring by Livius · · Score: 2

    It does seem that the find is more of a statistical fluke, given that twins and death in childbirth are not unknown phenomena. But we may well learn something. Or not. Either way science will happen.

  6. Re:Are the human or are they fetuses? by Punko · · Score: 1

    Yes, they can be both 'human' and 'fetuses'. The term you were hoping to confuse folks with is "person'.

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    If only we could fall into a woman's arms without falling into her hands
  7. Ah, Siberia! by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 1

    Why does Siberia always get the all of the coolest fossils?

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    Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
  8. Re:I just read that as by neminem · · Score: 1

    I just read it as, the oldest twin was previously found, and they haven't yet lost him yet. (He "remains found".)

  9. All those jokes - all I feel is deep sadness. by mha · · Score: 1

    What does it say about the state of the world that most posts in response to this story are stupid jokes?

    Not much. But what does it say about the state of the majority of people now to be found on Slashdot? I don't come here often any more, having known the site from very early (see ID#) it was painfully obvious the kind of people who come here are of a different mind than me.

    However, I thought THIS story could bring some human emotions to the front. All I could feel was deep sadness. My mind was busy imagining the pain, the suffering - the deaths. What those who died and those who were left (the father and the rest of the tribe) went through.

    1. Re:All those jokes - all I feel is deep sadness. by Punko · · Score: 1

      I don't feel sadness for these remains. Just like I don't feel sadness for the creatures caught in the tar pits.

      Humans are a part of nature. We live, we die. This woman died in childbirth. This happened regularly. Thankfully, it happens a lot less now.

      I feel the excitement from the scientists who have made this discovery, and look forward to hearing about findings from their research. The fact that this woman was buried indicates to me that she was mourned by her tribe. There is comfort there, for those that need it.

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      If only we could fall into a woman's arms without falling into her hands
    2. Re:All those jokes - all I feel is deep sadness. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      No. Call it emo grief seeking.

      Basic human empathy is something else entirely. Empathy is adaptive, what you're doing isn't.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'