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Sandee Oster

Sandee Oster

Author

Sandee is an archaeology PhD candidate at the University of the Witwatersrand, where my research focuses on the relationship between humans and animals throughout history, particularly during the 8.2k event in South Africa. As a science writer for Science X since 2024 and an archaeology blogger on Medium, I transform complex archaeological concepts into engaging narratives that captivate broad audiences. With extensive field experience across South Africa and published research, I am committed

Articles by Sandee Oster

Phys.org / Rapa Nui's catastrophic deforestation: Invasive rats, not just humans, may be to blame

Dr. Terry Hunt from the University of Arizona and Dr. Carl Lipo from the University of Birmingham have published a study in the Journal of Archaeological Sciences, reassessing the role of Polynesian rats (Rattus exulans) ...

Nov 6, 2025
Phys.org / Archaeologists examine evidence for Indigenous long-distance voyaging below 50°S

In a study published in the Journal of Coastal and Island Archaeology, Dr. Thomas Leppard and his colleagues, John Cherry and Atholl Anderson, evaluate the evidence for pre-European long-distance voyages below the 50th parallel ...

Nov 6, 2025
Phys.org / Numismatic analysis incorporates legal frameworks to trace illegally traded Carthaginian coins

In a study published in the journal Libyan Studies, Professor Håkon Roland and Dr. Paolo Visonà examined the 2022 case dealing with the seizure of 30 Punic bronze coins by Norwegian authorities.

Oct 30, 2025
Phys.org / DNA study reveals origins, migrations and genetic legacy of 'forgotten' Sarmatians

In a recent study, Dr. Oszkár Schütz and his colleagues analyzed 156 ancient genomes from the Sarmatian period, spanning the 1st to 5th centuries CE. The aim of the study was to clarify the origins and genetic relationships ...

Oct 29, 2025
Phys.org / Ancient Scythian animal-style art began with functional objects, study finds

In a recent study, Dr. Timur Sadykov and his colleagues analyzed the Scythian animal-style artifacts recovered from one of the few securely dated early Scythian sites, Tunnug 1. The research is published in the journal Antiquity.

Oct 24, 2025
Phys.org / Giant wooden marker post dates Cahokia's political and economic peak

Dr. Nicholas Kessler and his colleagues examined the largest known marker post from the ancient North American city of Cahokia. Their study is published in PLOS One.

Oct 22, 2025
Phys.org / New study suggests the ancient Egyptian plague of Akhetaten may not have happened

The plague of Akhetaten has long been cited as a possible explanation for the mysterious abandonment of ancient Egypt's short-lived capital city. However, a comprehensive new archaeological analysis by researchers Dr. Gretchen ...

Oct 17, 2025
Phys.org / Maya salt-making compound found preserved underwater in Belize

In a recent study by Dr. Heather McKillop and Dr. E. Cory Sills, a complete Late Classic Maya residential compound discovered preserved in mangrove peat below the sea floor of the Punta Ycacos Lagoon was analyzed. The work ...

Oct 16, 2025
Phys.org / Rare disease possibly identified in 12th century child's skeletal remains

In the journal Childhood in the Past, Ph.D. candidate Duru Yağmur Başaran published the results of an analysis of an over 900-year-old skeleton of a child. The study revealed that a 2.5 to 3.5-year-old child had suffered ...

Oct 10, 2025
Phys.org / Ancient Patagonian hunter-gatherers took care of their injured and disabled, study finds

In a study published in the International Journal of Paleopathology, Dr. Victoria Romano and her colleagues analyzed the bones of 189 hunter-gatherers who lived during the Late Holocene (~4000 to 250 BP) in Patagonia.

Oct 7, 2025
Phys.org / Neolithic Chinese culture artifacts show systematic human bone modification

In a recent study by Dr. Sawada and his colleagues published in Scientific Reports, 183 human bones were surveyed, of which 52 were found to be worked human bones, all of which belong to the Neolithic Liangzhu culture.

Oct 3, 2025
Phys.org / Study finds ancient Parthian man shot by an arrow which was never removed

A study published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, led by Dr. Mohammad Reza Eghdami and his colleagues, examined the remains of a Parthian-era individual. The Parthians were descendants of the Parnian tribe ...

Oct 1, 2025
Phys.org / Study finds Levantine ivory came from Ethiopia not Egypt

In a recent study, Dr. Harel Shochat from the University of Haifa and his colleagues analyzed the biological and geographical origins of ivory artifacts from the southern Levant dating to the Late Bronze Age to the Iron Age ...

Sep 30, 2025
Phys.org / 3,300 year-old Egyptian bone whistle discovered at 18th Dynasty city of Akhenaten

A recent study by Michelle Langley, Anna Stevens, and Christopher Stimpson, which was conducted as part of the Amarna Project through the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, has identified ...

Sep 28, 2025
Phys.org / First family statue of its kind discovered in ancient Egypt

A study appearing in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology by Dr. Zahi Hawass and Dr. Sarah Abdoh describes a unique Egyptian family statue.

Sep 24, 2025