European DNA Found in Remains of a 24,000-Year-Old Siberian Answers Many Questions about Ancient New World Populations

European DNA Found in Remains of a 24,000-Year-Old Siberian Answers Many Questions about Ancient New World Populations
The 24,000-year-old remains of a young boy from the Siberian village of Mal’ta have added a new root to the family tree of indigenous Americans. While some of the New World’s native ancestry clearly traces back to east Asia, the Mal’ta boy’s genome — the oldest known of any modern human — shows that up to one-third of that ancestry can be traced back to Europe. The results show that people related to western Eurasians had spread further east than anyone had suspected, and lived in Siberia during the coldest parts of the last Ice Age. http://bit.ly/IdXjXo – Scientific American

National Parks Conservation Association Fighting Legislation to Open National Parks to Oil and Gas Development
Mere weeks after the American people united in support of our national parks during the federal government shutdown, the U.S. House of Representatives is voting on legislation that would dismantle common sense oil and gas leasing reforms that help protect lands of high recreational and ecological value – including national parks – from uncontrolled drilling. http://bit.ly/19U20vh – PR Web

Economic Effects of Government Shutdown on the National Park System
The Grand Canyon lost $19 million in tourism revenue thanks to this fall’s 16-day partial federal government shutdown. The National Park Service released numbers Tuesday that show Arizona’s No. 1 attraction lost nearly 187,000 visitors between Oct. 1 and Oct. 16. All national parks combined lost about 12 million visitors, which totaled $568 million in lost revenue. http://bit.ly/1aZ33Ks – KPHO.com

Crow Canyon to Host Week-Long Seminar for Archaeology Enthusiasts
The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez, Colo., invites history and archaeology enthusiasts to join its scholars for an in-depth study of archaeological topics during a 2014 Archaeology Research Seminar—Communities Through Time: Migration, Cooperation, and Conflict. – http://bit.ly/1jyDipv  – Digital Journal

Holiday Hours Announced for Gila Cliff Dwellings 
In order for volunteer staff to have the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving Day, entrance to the Gila Cliff Dwellings will close at 2 pm MST on Thursday, November 28, 2013. Visitors entering the trail to the cliff dwellings by 2pm will have until 3 pm to complete their visit. The Gila Visitor Center will close at 3 pm on Thanksgiving Day. Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument will be closed on Christmas Day, December 25, 2013 and on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2014.

Lecture Opportunity – Tucson
At 6 p.m. Thursday December 19, stone-symbol researcher Evelyn Billo presents “An Archaeological Record of the Sears Point Petroglyph Complex” for Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s “Third Thursday Food for Thought” dinner presentation series, at Dragon’s View Asian Cuisine, 400 N. Bonita Ave., Tucson. The Sears Point Archaeological District is a complex cultural resource alongside the Gila River containing over 2,000 petroglyph panels. The presentation is free; guests may select and purchase dinner. Seating is limited to comply with the Fire Code so to attend you must call 520-798-1201 and have your reservation confirmed before 5 p.m. Wednesday December 18.

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Henry Wright, Distinguished University Professor of Anthropology and Curator of Near Eastern Archaeology, University of Michigan who will give a lecture First Great Exchange: Documenting the Movement of People, Plants, and Animals between Africa and Asia on November 25 at 6pm at Hotel Santa Fe as part of the Mother Earth Father Sky Lecture Series held annually to honor and acknowledge the work of The New Mexico Environmental Law Center. Admission is $12 at the door. No reservations are necessary and refreshments are served. Contact Connie Eichstaedt at tel: 505 466-2775 email: southwest seminar@aol.com website: http://bit.ly/YhJddr

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Dean Falk, Evolutionary Anthropologist and Senior Scholar, School for Advanced Research on the Human Experience (SAR) who will give a lecture The Fossil Record of Human Brain Evolution on December 2 at 6pm at Hotel Santa Fe as part of the Mother Earth Father Sky Lecture Series held annually to honor and acknowledge the work of The New Mexico Environmental Law Center. Admission is $12 at the door. No reservations are necessary and refreshments are served. Contact Connie Eichstaedt at tel: 505 466-2775 email: southwest seminar@aol.com website: http://bit.ly/YhJddr