the following report appeared in an archaeology1 journal.
the discovery of distinctively3 shaped ceramic4 pots at various prehistoric5 sites scattered6 over a wide area has led archaeologists to ask how the pots were spread. some believe the pot makers7 migrated to the various sites and carried the pots along with them; others believe the pots were spread by trade and their makers remained in one place. now, analysis of the bones of prehistoric human skeletons can settle the debate: high levels of a certain metallic8 element contained in various foods are strongly associated with people who migrated to a new place after childhood. many of the bones found near the pots at a few sites showed high levels of the metallic element. therefore, it must be that the pots were spread by migration9, not trade.
milk and dairy products are rich in vitamin d and calcium10, substances essential for building and maintaining bones. many people therefore believe that a diet rich in dairy products can help prevent osteoporosis, a disease in which the bones weaken significantly with age and that is linked to both environmental and genetic11 factors. but a long-term study of a large number of people has found that those who have consistently consumed dairy products throughout the years of the study have a higher rate of bone fractures than any other participants in the study. since bone fractures are a symptom of osteoporosis, this study result shows that a diet rich in dairy products may actually increase, rather than decrease, the risk of osteoporosis.
the following appeared in the summary of a study on headaches suffered by the residents of mentia.
salicylates are members of the same chemical family as aspirin12, a medicine used to treat headaches. although many foods are naturally rich in salicylates, for the past several decades food-processing companies have also been adding salicylates to foods as preservatives13. this rise in the commercial use of salicylates has been found to correlate with a steady decline in the average number of headaches reported by participants in our twenty-year study. recently, food-processing companies have found that salicylates can also be used as flavor additives14 for foods. with this new use for salicylates, we can expect a continued steady decline in the number of headaches suffered by the average citizen of mentia.
the following appeared in an article written by dr. karp, an anthropologist15.
twenty years ago dr. field, a noted16 anthropologist, visited the island of tertia and concluded from his observations that children in tertia were reared by an entire village rather than by their own biological parents. however, my recent interviews with children living in the group of islands that includes tertia show that these children spend much more time talking about their biological parents than about other adults in the village. this research proves that dr. field's conclusion about tertian village culture is false, and thus that the observation-centered approach to studying cultures is invalid17. because they are using the interview-centered method, my team of graduate students working in tertia will establish a much more accurate understanding of child-rearing traditions there and in other island cultures.
woven baskets characterized by a particular distinctive2 pattern have previously18 been found only in the immediate19 vicinity of the prehistoric village of palea and therefore were believed to have been unique to the palean people. recently, however, archaeologists discovered such a palean basket in lithos, an ancient village across the brim river from palea. the brim river is very deep and broad, and so the ancient paleans could only have crossed it by boat, but there is no evidence that the paleans had boats. and boats capable of carrying groups of people and cargo20 were not developed until thousands of years after the palean people disappeared. moreover, paleans would have had no need to cross the riverthe woods around palea are full of nuts, berries, and small game. it follows that the so-called palean baskets were not unique to palea.
