Liz Ditz Still masking
@lizditz.bsky.social
Trans rights are human rights. None of us are safe until all of us are safe. Dyslexia, autism, vaccines work. She/her.
Even so, this was clearly not the Hokoham’s first jackrabbit-rodeo. Given its exquisite skill and technical refinement, human hair net technology is significantly more ancient than this advanced example. Photo courtesy of Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona
Sometimes archaeologists get lucky, and dry cave sites (like those in southern Arizona, where this was found) preserve incredible organic artifacts: in this case for the better part of a thousand years.
Archaeology is a story told by things. Regrettably, humans are mortal, and talking to skeletons is more meditation than dialogue. But artifacts tell us a lot about their makers. We gain a window into their priorities, their skills and capacities, the structure of their lives and worlds.
This gigantic net, made of human hair (!) was used to corral and catch rabbits by the Hokoham people around 1250 AD. At 165 feet long, we have a physical manifestation of advanced materials engineering, technical skill, and countless hours’ craft. And a new meaning to putting yourself in your work.
Archaeologists are often the first people to hold artifacts after their makers. In this case, there are around 47,000 years between me and the human beings who expertly carved these tools. Made by Homo sapiens just leaving Africa, the time between us collapses as I hold their technology in my hand.
I deliberately use she, women & men, hers & his-in hopes I'll be questioned so I can act confused as I think how I was raised in the 70s & told all things started with men, man, he, him etc in creation, religion, grammar & all things. point is lost on folks, but i get a little rebellious thrill.
I wondered this too - are there other clues as to the child’s gender? It could also be simply that “she” is as good as “he” when we don’t know, and challenges assumptions.
Though she lived almost 12,000 years before writing, her tiny hand prints - and fragments of the snazzy necklace with which I’m sure she was very pleased - still tell her story 700 generations later. What will attest our presence some 15,000 years hence? (Davin et al. 2026, doi.org/10.1126/scia...)
Modeling identities among the first-sedentary communities: Emergence of clay personal ornaments in Epipaleolithic Southwest Asia
The discovery of the earliest clay ornaments in Southwest Asia (15,000 years ago) made by children and adults is reported.
doi.org
Other beads from her cultural group were made by kids too, with teens and adults also joining in. We know she then coated her necklace with red hematite, turning her jewels a beautiful rich red.
By measuring the density of epidermal ridges on the fingerprint impressions (called dermatologlyphic analysis), archaeologists determined these beads were made by a child about ten years of age (third photo).
She then carefully pressed these still damp beads around a thin string to form a necklace, and left behind her small fingerprints in the process.
15,000 years ago, in one of the the earliest settled communities in the world, a child collected fine clay from the slow-moving river by her home. She then committed an act familiar to all inveterate play-doh enthusiasts; rolling and and pinching the squishy clay into tiny round balls.
I love child-inclusive archaeology so much. It *seems* obvious that kids would have directly or indirectly affected a lot of the material past we look at but it really has taken a sea change of feminist practice for anyone to even ask the questions!
Dr. Abigail Desmond@abigaildesmond.bsky.social · 3d ago15,000 years ago, in one of the the earliest settled communities in the world, a child collected fine clay from the slow-moving river by her home. She then committed an act familiar to all inveterate play-doh enthusiasts; rolling and and pinching the squishy clay into tiny round balls.
This is a wildly prescient story about Chicago's proto-RFK Jr., in charge of public health during the Spanish Flu. He thought beer killed malaria and that bathing could kill you. He had a feud with an actual TB doctor, who insisted bathing is good. He bullied the TB doctor until he killed himself.
I found out that my friends grandfather was able to avoid the WW2 draft by telling them he was an engineer working on a military project and it was a pogo stick with a gun mounted on it and they bought it. There are actual designs and plans of the thing. I'm going to write the hell out of this story
I am so triggered by RJK Jr's comment about ICU's being empty during #COVID. I re-read what I wrote after one of the surges. How do others forget. The trauma was--and is--real.
I'm An ICU Doctor. I’m Haunted By What I’ve Seen During The Recent COVID-19 Surge.
“I can’t stop thinking about the 40-something man who told me, ‘I can’t die like this. I just got engaged and have a 6-month-old baby.’ I encouraged him to be positive, but that didn’t stop him from d...
huffpost.com
For the past five months the only refugees the USA has accepted are white South Africans fleeing equality & safety meanwhile they are disappearing or strapping ankle monitors on any Haitian they can get ahold of. It needs to be understood how thoroughly connected these two things are.
We created this guide for anyone who could experience a miscarriage in a state with abortion restrictions. We wrote it in consultation with dozens of doctors, including those who regularly treat patients who are miscarrying 👇
If You’re Pregnant, Here’s What You Should Know About the Medical Procedures That Could Save Your Life
Women experiencing pregnancy loss in states with abortion bans told us they wished they had known what to expect and how to advocate for themselves. We created this guide for anyone who finds themselv...
propublica.org
Ah yes. Nothing like generalizing an entire type of performance based on..... Nothing really. Let's see: Latinos shouldn't be at mime shows and you would know why if you've ever been to one.
This is a response that has nothing to do with the law, nothing to do with the case, nothing to do with the arguments, and nothing to do with the decision. Aside from all of that, thanks for sharing, Josh.
Josh@josh2028.bsky.social · yesterdayIt is not "anti drag" to prohibit children from attending an explicitly adult performance. Children should NOT be at most drag shows, and anyone who has been to a drag show knows this.
Genuine answer: 1️⃣ the published, peer-reviewed research evidence points to a zoonotic origin (as with previous viral epidemics & pandemics) 2️⃣ there are ongoing harms from promoting the lab leak hypothesis given the lack of peer-reviewed research to support it (see journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...)
Matthijs Hollanders@matthollanders.bsky.social · 21h agoGenuine question, what's so crazy about lab leak?
Judge Wise finds that ICE coerced a 20-year-old Tongan man — admitted legally to the country three years ago — to sign a document accepting deportation, despite no criminal record or immigration proceedings against him. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
I suppose you would probably believe that if you had made billions of dollars in the past 18 months
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 20h agoTrump: "Then they say, 'On the economy, Trump is at 42%.' I shouldn't be at 42%. We have the greatest economy maybe in the history of the world."
Medicine. Medicine has grown by leaps and bounds. You cannot introduce vaccines that crater cancer rates, cure AIDS, and cure sickle cell, and then tell me things have only gotten worse. Also: Food. To a HUGE degree. I eat what I once considered rare treats every day, now.
Constantine@ajaxsinger.bsky.social · 21h agoFood, man. Food is so much better than it was in 1986. All of it. Poor-people food, restaurant food, fresh food, frozen food. Food is just a hell of a lot better.
As someone who grew up in SoCal and remembers smog alerts and maybe being able to see the mountains once a year, yeah, air quality is soooooooo much better these days
Constantine@ajaxsinger.bsky.social · 21h agoFood, man. Food is so much better than it was in 1986. All of it. Poor-people food, restaurant food, fresh food, frozen food. Food is just a hell of a lot better.
In 1986, contracting HIV meant you were going to die, usually slowly, painfully, and alone. Now it's a chronic illness like hypertension. In 1986, gay and lesbian couples couldn't have their relationships legally recognized and had to adopt elaborate legal workarounds.
Constantine@ajaxsinger.bsky.social · 21h agoFood, man. Food is so much better than it was in 1986. All of it. Poor-people food, restaurant food, fresh food, frozen food. Food is just a hell of a lot better.
