Circulation Supervisor Cándida Miniño recommends National Geographic.
As I found myself browsing through the pages of the December 2024 issue of National Geographic, I remembered how I used to look at this magazine when I was a kid. Up to the present, I love pictures of animals from all over the world. Today, however, what caught my attention was an archaeology article titled: “Why scientists are rethinking ancient gender roles.”
A tomb was found in Spain in 2008 filled with riches from around 5,000 years ago. Experts were convinced that this was the grave of an especially important man. Turns out that in 2023 a team of researchers used protein in a tooth to conclude that the man was a biological woman.
Proteomics is the new tool used to study proteins made by either an X or Y chromosome. It is a cheaper technique than DNA analysis that can save the more expensive tests to answer more specific questions.
In this case, the finding led the scientists to see that women could have been leaders in the Copper age in Iberia, changing conventional assumptions.
You can find this and other issues of National Geographic in our Learning Commons. You will also find 4,000 other magazine titles with back issues immediately available ion the Libby app in our Digital Collections.
