Greener mines; from trash to runway treasures
 | PHOTOGRAPH BY FABRICE DEMETER AND CLÉMENT ZANOLLI
| | By Victoria Jaggard
A colleague once joked that if you want to help archaeologists, stop brushing your teeth. That’s because chemical clues in preserved plaque and enamel reveal so much about the lives of fossilized humans. Similarly, shape and wear patterns can indicate which species once sported particular teeth and what they were likely eating. That’s why scientists are abuzz this week over the discovery of a partial molar (pictured above) from a cramped cave in the mountains of Laos.
If they are correct, it’s the southernmost fossil evidence yet from a group of mysterious human relatives called the Denisovans.
Based on robust DNA data, Denisovans mingled with early modern humans more than 130,000 years ago—most modern people of Asian descent bear their genetic fingerprints. But fossil evidence had been found in only two sites—one in Siberia; one on the Tibetan Plateau.
The latest discovery indicates Denisovans had a much wider range, Maya Wei-Haas and Michael Greshko report. The exciting find also underscores the scientific importance of Laos’s fossil-rich caves (pictured below). “I do have to say, we’re so proud,” says Souliphane Boualaphane with Laos’s Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism.
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 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY FABRICE DEMETER | | | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY MELISSA FARLOW, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION | | | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY BING GUAN, BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES | | | Greener mines? Let’s face it: Digging stuff up from the ground is intrinsically dirty—and can mess up our land and streams. Yet, even as we cut fossil fuels, we’re going to need critical minerals for renewables and our EVs and smartphones. One greener idea: extracting lithium needed for renewable batteries from geothermal brines. Those hot, mineral-rich waters already are tapped into by geothermal energy plants, Nat Geo reports. (Pictured above, a geothermal plant in Calipatria, California.) | | | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY DIANE COOK AND LEN JENSHEL, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION | | Big cypress: The Montezuma cypress in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca is wide enough—38 feet in diameter—to accommodate 15 students in a line. The image, which appeared in a 2017 story about famous trees around the world, was recently selected for our Photo of the Day archival feature. Like monumentally distinguishing trees? Nat Geo has more where that came from right here.
Related: How to photograph a tree
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 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY OSCAR NILSSON | | Bringing the dead to life: The first humans to arrive in Europe don’t look like today’s Europeans. History “detective” Oscar Nilsson’s job is to re-create what the long-dead looked like when they were here on Earth. As a sculptor and an archaeologist, Nilsson draws on both those skills to show us what people looked like many years ago. Above, a reconstructed bust of a woman who lived 1,200 years ago near Huarmey, Peru. On the latest episode of our Overheard podcast, hear how Nilsson reconstructs people from the past.
Related: See more of Oscar Nilsson’s reconstructions
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 | | I visited my grandparents’ home in south India during a drought. I had to stand in line to get our daily supply of water. I realized that it wasn’t just India that was suffering from drought. I saw people’s wells ran dry, leaving them completely waterless in California. | | | | Shreya Ramachandran | Creator of The Grey Water Project; Nat Geo Young Explorer
Watch: Young climate hero focuses on water
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 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY STÉPHAN GLADIEU | | Garbage to garb: Awash in tires, exhaust pipes, foam, plastic bottles, antennas, tins, feathers, or rubber slippers? Why not use those classic materials for art and dress? Artists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, tired of seeing their nation used as a dump site for global waste, have created vibrant, imaginative works from the waste, Nat Geo reports. (Pictured above, an artwork titled “Plastic Man” by Bestaguy Bayoka.)
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| This was edited and curated by Monica Williams, Heather Kim, and David Beard. Have an idea or a link for us? Let us know at david.beard@natgeo.com. Have a good week ahead! | | | |
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