新文科大學(xué)英語CollegeEnglishfor

NewLiberalArts4UnitWhenarchaeologymeetstechnology新文科大學(xué)英語CollegeEnglishfor

NewLiberalArtsAfterstudyingthisunit,youwillbeableto:identifyhownewtechnologieshelpacceleratearchaeologicaldiscoveries;describetheuseofinnovativetechnologiesinarchaeologicalexcavations;usecounterargumentstostrengthenyourpoint;presentChina’sarchaeologicalcontributionstotheworld.Learning

objectives新文科大學(xué)英語CollegeEnglishfor

NewLiberalArtsCONTENTSUnlockingthetopicViewingtoknowReadingtoexploreBuildingyourlanguageTellingChina’sstoriesSettingthesceneAsHomosapiens,wearenotonlycommittedtoexploringthefuturebutalsoobsessedwithdiggingintoourpast.Itseemsnoonehaseverfailedtobefascinatedbythemysterioussymbolsorintricateartifactsunearthedinancienttombsorruins.Thenewdigitaleraismakingthiswholeprocessincreasinglyfasterandeasier.Whatnewtechnologieshavebeenappliedinarchaeology?Howdotheyhelpusunveilthepast,understandthepresent,andpredictthefuture?SettingthesceneToexplorethesequestions,aninternationalassociationofamateurarchaeologistsishostingaforumthemed“TechnologicalAdvancesinArchaeology.”Theyareinvitingpeopletopresenttheirowncountries’archaeologicalcontributionstotheworld.Youandyourpeershavedecidedtojointheforum.Whatwillyoushare?Howdeeplyhaveyoudivedintothefusionofarchaeologyandtechnology?ScanthecodeandcompletetheknowledgeactivationexerciseonUcampus.Workingroupsanddiscussthequestions.Whatarethecommonarchaeologicalpractices,andhowhavetheyevolvedwiththeadventofdigitaltechnology?Inwhatwaysdoesdigitaltechnologyenhancearchaeologicalpracticesintermsofdatahandling,siteexploration,artifactstudy,etc.?ReferenceanswersCommonarchaeologicalpracticesincludesitesurveying,excavation,artifactrecording,andanalysis.Traditionally,thesetasksreliedheavilyonmanualmethods,suchasnote-taking,sketching,andon-sitemeasurements.Forexample,archaeologistswoulddocumentsiteinformationthroughhandwrittennotesandphotographs,andmanuallycalculatespatialrelationshipsbetweensites.Withtheadventofdigitaltechnology,thesepracticeshavetransformedsignificantly.GeographicInformationSystems(GIS)havebeenusedinarchaeologysincethe1980s,Referenceanswersallowingresearcherstointegratespatially-relateddatafromvarioussourcesintoauser-friendlyenvironment.Thishelpsinmonitoringthespatialdistributionofarchaeologicalsites,identifyingpatterns,andrecognizingpotentialsitesbasedonfactorsliketopography,landuse,andhistoricalrecords.Additionally,3Dscanningandphotogrammetryhavebeenwidelyadoptedforheritagerecordingsincethe1990s,providingarapidandsystematicapproachtocapturingthegeometryofculturalheritagesites.Thesetechnologiesnotonlyenhancetheefficiencyandaccuracyofarchaeologicaldocumentationbutalsoofferpowerfultoolsforanalysis.ReferenceanswersDigitaltechnologyenhancesarchaeologicalpracticesinmanyways.Forexample,GIStechnologyintegratesvariousdatasets,suchasmapsandfielddata,enablingarchaeologiststoefficientlyorganizeandretrievelargeamountsofinformation.Moreover,mobileapplicationsanddigitalrecordingsystemsallowarchaeologiststodocumentfindingsdirectlyon-site,usingbuilt-inGPStopreciselymarkartifactlocationsandimmediatelyintegratedataintotheproject,significantlyimprovingtheefficiencyandaccuracyofdataReferenceanswerscollection.Inaddition,remotesensingtechnologies,suchasLiDARandSyntheticApertureRadar(SAR),providenon-invasive,efficient,andhighlyaccuratetoolsforsiteanalysisandmonitoring.Thesetechnologiescanrevealburiedstructuresandartifactsindenseorinaccessibleterrain,offeringinsightsthatwouldbeimpossibletoobtainthroughgroundsurveysalone.dodge

v.躲避

shark-infested

a.大量鯊魚出沒的

scale

vt.

攀登algorithm

n.（尤指計算機使用的）算法indigenous

a.（人、習(xí)俗等）本地的capture

vt.

采集archaeobotanist

n.

植物考古學(xué)家legislation

n.

立法Wordbank

Whatwillhappenwhenweusedigitaltechnologyinthestudyofancientrockart?Watchthevideoclipandcompletetheoutlinewithwhatyouhear.(Withsubtitles)(Withoutsubtitles)OverviewofarchaeologicalworkArchaeologyisone1)_____________,witharchaeologiststravelingaroundtheworldtouncovermysteries.Archaeologicalworkisfascinatingasitinvolvesinvestigating2)_____________tounderstandpeopleandtheircultures.bigadventurerockartsitesTechnologyinuse3Dtechnologyisconsidereda(n)3)_____________.3Dtechnologyenablesthediscoveryofnewworksofartunseenwiththe4)_____________.3Dtechnologyhelpspreserveartworkandcontinue5)_____________inculturalheritage.gamechangernakedeyestorytellingMultidisciplinarypathstoarchaeologyYoucancombinearchaeologywithdifferent6)_____________basedonyourinterests.disciplinesFutureprospectsofarchaeologyArchaeologycanbeusedtoenrichandhealtherelationshipbetweenpeoplesandcultures,andstrengthenthe7)________betweenthem.Akeyfocusforthefutureishowtopreserverockartforeveryonetoenjoy,andhowto8)_______________infuturegenerations.bondfosterapassion

ScriptsPeoplemightthinkthatarchaeologistsjustdigalotofholes,butarchaeologyisonebigadventure.Wetravelallovertheworldanduncoversomeofthebiggestmysteries.IhavethecoolestjobbecauseIgettomakeadifferenceinthelivesofpeopleandtheirculturesbyinvestigatingsomeofthemostinterestingandsignificantrockartsitesintheworld.Hi,I’mDr.AndreaJalandoni.Iamadigitalarchaeologist,andaseniorresearchfellowatGriffithUniversity.Asadigitalarchaeologist,Iam

Scriptsusingcutting-edgetechnologytoanswerfascinatingquestionsaboutthepast.Usingtheverylatesttechnology,IhaveworkedasanarchaeologistinthePacific,SoutheastAsiaandAustraliasofar.Ihavedodgedcrocodiles,sailedtraditionalcanoesthroughshark-infestedwaterandscaledlimestonecliffs.I’vehadtherareopportunityofgettingupcloseandpersonalwithremotecommunities.Igettoenjoythesights,sounds,smells,andflavorsofuniqueandvariousculturalexperiences.

ScriptsWhenIwasintroducedto3Dmodeling,Iknewthatwasgoingtobeagamechanger.Suddenlywecouldcapturesomuchmoreinformationinamuchshortertime,andmoreaccurately.Aphotographis2D,buttheworldisthreedimensional.Andsobycapturingtherockartin3Ditalsoprovidesuswithsomuchmoredatawecanusetogetmeasurementsorrunalgorithmstodiscovernewworksofartthatwejustcan’tseewiththenakedeye.Thismeantthatcommunitiescouldaccessstoriesandlostculturalheritage.Iwashooked.

ScriptsWhatIloveaboutrockartisdiscoveringanewsiteinaremoteareaorontopofamountain,andstandinginfrontofit,likeit’ssteppingbackintimesomethousandsortensofthousandsofyearsagoandfeelingconnectedtothepast,likestandingalongsidetheartists,discoveringandacknowledgingthestorytheyaretryingtotellus.OneofthesespeciallocationsisAustralia’stopendinwesternArnhemLand.In2021,webeganworkingwithindigenousartistsonInjalakHilltocapturetheirancestors’rockartin3D.Together,we

Scriptsusedthistechnologytopreservetheirartworkandtohelpcontinuestorytellinginculturalheritage.Somethingthat’samysterytousisthatAustraliahasover100,000rockartsites,andonlyafractionhavebeenrecordedin3D.Therearestillsomanystoriestotellandsecretstounveil.Todothiskindofwork,theobviouspathwaystostudyarchaeologyareatuni,butitcanbecombinedwithmanyotherdifferentdisciplines,dependingonwhatyou’reinterestedin.Ifyoulikediving,

Scriptsyoucanbeamarinearchaeologist.Ifyoulikeplants,youcanbeanarchaeobotanist.Ifyoulikelaw,youcanworkonculturalheritagelegislation,whichcanreallyhelpcommunities.Therearesomanydifferentpathways,geology,anthropology,chemistry,biology,datascience,remotesensing,evenfashion.Whenyoubegintolookatthefabricsthatwereleftbehind,it’sfascinating.It’shardtothinkofadisciplinethatcan’tbeappliedtoarchaeology.Whetheryourinterestisinartsorscience,thereisaplaceforyouinarchaeology.

ScriptsIfindinspirationintheworkthatIdoincommunitiesandteachingthemhowtousethetechnologysotheycanmaketheirowndiscoveriesandmanagetheirownculturalheritage.Myhopeisthatwecanusearchaeologytodeepenthelinkbetweenthepast,presentandfuture,enrichingandhealingtherelationshipbetweenpeoplesandcultures,andstrengtheningthebondaswemoveforward.Theultimatequestionsformearehowtopreserverockartforeveryonetoenjoy,andhowtofosterapassioningenerationstocomesothattheycanrecognizethevalueandtherarityofwhattheyhave.Workingroupsanddiscussthequestions.Inadditiontothe3Dtechnologymentionedinthevideoclip,whatothertechnologiescanbeusedinarchaeology?AsDr.Jalandonisaid,whetheryouareinterestedinartsorscience,thereisaplaceforyouinarchaeology.Ifyouhavetheopportunity,whichdisciplinewouldyouliketochoosetocombinewitharchaeologyandwhy?ReferenceanswersInadditionto3Dtechnology,severalotheradvancedtechnologiesarewidelyusedinarchaeology.Herearesomeofthem.LiDAR(LightDetectionandRanging)isaremotesensingtechnologythatuseslaserpulsestocreatedetailed3Dmapsoflandscapes.Itcanpenetratedensevegetationandrevealhiddenarchaeologicalfeaturessuchasancientroads,settlements,andagriculturalsystems.LiDARisparticularlyusefulformappinglargeareasquicklyReferenceanswersandaccurately,andithelpsarchaeologistsplanexcavationsmoreeffectively.GeographicInformationSystems(GIS)isapowerfultoolformanaging,analyzing,andvisualizingspatialdata.ArchaeologistsuseGIStocreatedetailedmaps,conductpredictivemodelingtoidentifypotentialarchaeologicalsites,andanalyzethespatialrelationshipsbetweendifferentsites.Ithelpsinunderstandingthebroaderlandscapecontextofarchaeologicalfindsandsupportsheritagemanagement.ReferenceanswersGround-PenetratingRadar(GPR)usesradarpulsestodetectburiedstructuresandobjects.Itcanidentifyfeaturessuchaswalls,foundations,andevenundergroundutilitieswithouttheneedforexcavation.Thisnon-invasivemethodisparticularlyusefulforsurveyinglargeareasandidentifyingareasofinterestforfurtherinvestigation.ReferenceanswersIfIcouldchooseadisciplinetocombinewitharchaeology,Iwouldpickcomputerscience.ItprovidespowerfultoolslikeGISfordatamanagement,3Dmodelingforartifactpreservation,andmachinelearningforpatternrecognition.Thesetechnologiescanrevolutionizehowweexploreandunderstandarchaeologicalsites,makingresearchmoreefficientanddiscoveriesmoreimpactful.v新文科大學(xué)英語CollegeEnglishfor

NewLiberalArtsReadingtoexploreReading

2Reading

1Acceleratingarchaeologicaldiscoverieshelpsrefinethehumanstory1In1924,athree-year-oldchild’sskullfoundinSouthAfricaforeverchangedhowpeoplethoughtabouthumanorigins.2TheTaungChild,ourfirstencounterwithanancientgroupofproto-humansorhominins,wasaturningpointinthestudyofhumanevolution.ThisdiscoveryshiftedthefocusofhumanoriginsresearchfromEuropeandAsiaontoAfrica,settingthestageforthelastcenturyofresearchonthecontinentandintoits“CradleofHumankind.”3Fewpeoplebackthenwould’vebeenabletopredictwhatscientistsknowaboutevolutiontoday,andnowthepaceofdiscoveryisfasterthanever.Just20yearsago,noonecouldhaveimaginedwhatscientistsknowtwodecadeslaterabouthumanity’sdistantpast,letalonehowmuchknowledgecouldbeextractedfromathimbleofdirt,ascrapeofdental

plaque,orsatellitesinspace.4Humanfossilsareoutgrowingthefamilytree.ArchaeologistspreviouslythoughtHomosapiensevolvedinAfricaaround200,000yearsago,butfossilsdiscoveredinMoroccohavepushedthatdatebackto300,000yearsago,consistentwithancientDNA

evidence.Thisraisesdoubtsthatourspeciesemergedinanysingleplace.DiscoveriesfromEuropeandAsiainthiscenturyshowthatfromenigmatic“Hobbits”ontheIndonesianislandofFlorestotheDenisovansinSiberia,ourancestorsmayhaveencounteredavarietyofotherhomininswhentheyspreadoutofAfrica.In2019,researchersreportedanewspeciesfromthePhilippines.AnthropologistsarerealizingthatourHomosapiensancestorshadmuchmorecontactwithotherhumanspeciesthanpreviouslythought.Today,humanevolutionlookslesslikeDarwin’streeandmorelikeamuddy,braidedstream.5Whathasacceleratedthepaceofarchaeologicaldiscoveries?6Firstofall,thenewscienceofancientDNArevealsoldrelationships.Sincescientistsfullysequencedthefirstancienthumangenomein2010,datafromthousandsofindividualshaveshednewinsightsintoourspecies’originsandearlyhistory.Oneshockingdiscoveryisthatalthoughourlineagessplitupto800,000yearsago,modernhumansandNeanderthalsmatedanumberoftimesduringthelastIceAge.ThisiswhymanypeopletodaypossesssomeNeanderthalDNA.7DNAisnottheonlymoleculerevolutionizingstudiesofthepast.Otherbiomoleculesarealsomakingtheinvisiblevisible.Paleoproteomics,thestudyofancientproteins,candeterminethespeciesofafossilandrecentlylinkedathree-meter-tall,600-kgextinctapethatlivednearlytwomillionyearsagototoday’sorangutans.LipidresiduestrappedinpotteryhaverevealedtheoriginsofmilkconsumptionintheSaharaandshowedthatoddlyshapedpotsfoundthroughoutBronzeandIronAgeEuropewereancientbabybottles.8Dentalcalculusisparticularlyinformative,revealingeverythingfromwhowasdrinkingmilk6,000yearsagotothesurprisingdiversityofplantsinNeanderthaldiets.Calculuscanhelpscientistsunderstandancientdiseasesandhowthehumangutmicrobiomehaschangedovertime.Researchersevenfindculturalclues–brightbluelapislazulitrappedinamedievalnun’scalculusledhistorianstoreconsiderwhopennedilluminatedmanuscripts.9Whilebiomoleculeshelpresearcherszoomintomicroscopicdetail,bigdataletthemzoomout.Forexample,thewidelyavailablesatelliteimagerynowenablesresearcherstodiscovernewarchaeologicalsitesandmonitorexistingonesatrisk.Dronesflyingoversiteshelpinvestigatehowandwhytheyweremadeandcombatlooting.10ScientistsnowalsousetheLiDARtechniquetomapthree-dimensional(3D)surfacesandvisualizelandscapesontheearth,andasaresult,ancientcitiesareemergingfromdensevegetationinplaceslikeMexico,Cambodia,andSouthAfrica.TechnologiessuchasGround-PenetratingRadarhelppeerundergroundfromthesurfaceandarealsorevolutionizingthefield–forexample,revealingpreviouslyunknownstructuresatStonehenge.Moreandmore,archaeologistsareabletodotheirworkwithoutevendiggingahole.11Theseadvancesbringresearcherstogetherinexcitingnewways.Teamsofarchaeologistsarecombiningbigdatasetstounderstandlarge-scaleprocesses.In2019,over250archaeologistspooledtheirfindingstoshowthathumanshavealteredtheplanetforthousandsofyears,forexample,witha2,000-year-oldirrigationsysteminChina.Alsonewconnectionsareraisingnewpossibilities.InthePeruviandesert,over140newNazcaLineswerediscoveredusingartificialintelligencetosiftthroughdroneandsatelliteimagery.Withthewealthofhigh-resolutionsatelliteimageryonline,researchersarealsoturningtocrowdsourcingtofindnewarchaeologicalsites.12Asnewmethodsenableprofoundinsightsintohumanity’ssharedhistory,achallengeistoensurethattheseinsightsarerelevantandbeneficialinthepresentandfuture.

Whilepeople’sconcernaboutourplanetkeepsrisingduetoenvironmentalcrisis,itmayseemcounterproductivetolookbackintime.Yetinsodoing,archaeologistsareprovidingempiricalsupportforclimatechangeandrevealinghowancientpeoplescopedwithchallengingenvironments.13Asoneexample,studiesshowthatwhileindustrialmeatproductionhasseriousenvironmentalcosts,

transhumance

–atraditionalpracticeofseasonallymovinglivestock,nowrecognizedbyUNESCOasintangibleculturalheritage–isnotonlylightonthelandtoday,buthelpedpromotebiodiversityandhealthylandscapesinthepast.14Archaeologiststodayarecontributingtheirmethods,data,andperspectivestowardavisionforahealthierplanetwithasustainablefuture.Whileit’sdifficulttopredictexactlywhatthenextcenturyholdsintermsofarchaeologicaldiscoveries,anewfocuson“usablepasts”pointsinapositivedirection.BackgroundinformationTechnologyhasfundamentallytransformedarchaeology.Traditionalmethods,suchasthedestructivedynamiteblastingusedin1817toexploreEgypt’sGreatPyramid,oftendamagedsitesirrevocably.Modernnon-invasivetechniques,likemuontomography,nowallowresearcherstoseethroughancientstructureswithoutphysicalintrusion,revealinghiddenchambersandartifactswhileleavingmonumentsintact.Similarly,toolssuchasLiDAR(LightDetectionandRanging)penetratedensejunglecanopiestomapentirelostBackgroundinformationcities,asdemonstratedinCambodia,revolutionizinglandscapearchaeology.Roboticsanddronesfurtherenhanceexplorationbyaccessinghazardousorinaccessiblearea–likethepyramid’snarrowshaftsorfragilecathedralvaults–capturingultra-precise3Ddataforstructuralanalysis.Crucially,advancedcomputingintegratesthesediversedatasets,revealingpatternsinvisibletothehumaneyeandsafeguardingsitesforfuturestudy.BackgroundinformationBeyonddiscoveryandpreservation,technologyenableswideraccesstoarchaeologicalknowledgeandpromotesglobalcollaboration.Cutting-edgedocumentationmethods–3Dscanning,photogrammetry,andAI-drivenmodeling–createdetaileddigitalarchives,servingasbothconservationrecordsandvirtualreconstructions.Theseenablevirtualreality(VR)andaugmentedreality(AR)experiencesthatresurrectancientsites,likevibrantGreekagoras,forpubliceducationandscholarlyresearch.BackgroundinformationMeanwhile,3Dprintingallowstactileengagementwithreplicaartifacts,expandingaccessibilitybeyondmuseumwalls.Critically,multidisciplinaryprojects(e.g.,ScanPyramidsorROVINA)uniteexpertsacrossphysics,robotics,andart,breakingdownacademicsilosandpoolinginnovations.Asnotedbyresearchers,thiscollaborativeethos,inspiredbyfieldslikespaceexploration,acceleratesproblem-solvingandensuresculturalheritageisstudiedethicallyandsustainably.Thus,technologynotonlyilluminateshumanity’spastbutalsoprotectsitslegacyforfuturegenerations.TaungChild

湯恩小孩（南非湯恩地區(qū)發(fā)現(xiàn)的一具頭骨化石）

proto-human

n.

[C]anearlyancestralformofhumans,typicallydescribingprehistorichominidsthatexistedbeforetheemergenceofmodernHomosapiens

原人；早期原始人hominin

n.

[C](also

hominid)anearlyformofhumans

原始人類dentalplaque

n.[U]牙菌斑Homosapiens

n.[U]modernhumansconsideredtogetherasaspecies智人（現(xiàn)代人的學(xué)名）DNA(deoxyribonucleicacid)n.

[U]脫氧核糖核酸Hobbit霍比特人（在印度尼西亞的弗洛勒斯島上發(fā)現(xiàn)的古人類物種）Denisovan

丹尼索瓦人（在西伯利亞南部阿爾泰山脈的丹尼索瓦洞發(fā)現(xiàn)的古人類物種）sequence

vt.discovertheorderinwhichasetofgenesorpartsofmoleculesarearranged測定序列g(shù)enome

n.[C]allthegenesinonetypeoflivingthing基因組；染色體組lineage

n.[C,U](fml.)theseriesoffamiliesthatsb.comesfromoriginally

血統(tǒng)；世系Neanderthal尼安德特人（在德國尼安德特河谷發(fā)現(xiàn)的古人類物種）moleculen.[C]thesmallestunitintowhichanysubstancecanbedividedwithoutlosingitsownchemicalnature,usu.consistingoftwoormoreatoms分子paleoproteomicsn.[U]thestudyofancientproteinsfromarchaeological,historical,andpaleontologicalremains古蛋白質(zhì)組學(xué)orangutan

n.

[C]

紅毛猩猩lipid

n.

[C]asubstancesuchasfat,oil,orwaxthatdissolvesinalcoholbutnotinwaterandisanimportantpartoflivingcells脂質(zhì)dentalcalculus

n.

[U]

牙石；牙垢microbiomen.

[C]themicroorganismsthatexistinaparticularenvironmentorinthehumanbody

微生物群系；微生物組lapislazuli

n.[U]

青金石；天青石LiDAR(LightDetectionandRanging)

n.

[U]激光雷達Stonehenge

巨石陣（位于英國南部威爾特郡索爾茲伯里平原）NazcaLines納斯卡線條（位于秘魯利馬東南，靠近現(xiàn)代城鎮(zhèn)納斯卡）transhumance

n.

[U]seasonalmovementoflivestock(suchassheep)betweenmountainandlowlandpastureseitherunderthecareofherdersorincompanywiththeowners

季節(jié)移牧（隨季節(jié)遷移性放牧）Letalone“Letalone”means“evenless”or“certainlynot.”Ithighlightsastrongcontrastinscale,difficulty,orlikelihood,emphasizingthatthesecondthingmentionedissomuchmoreextremethanthefirstthatifthefirstisimpossible/untrue,thesecondmustbecompletelyoutofthequestion.Inthissentence,itemphasizesthatifthegeneralknowledgegainedwasunimaginable20yearsago,thespecificmethoddescribedwasevenmoreunimaginable.e.g.Thecouplehasneverthoughtaboutrentingasmallapartmentinthecity,letalonebuyingabighouse.zoomin/outThephrase“zoomin/out”means“makethe

image

ofsomethingorsomeoneappearmuchlargerandnearer,ormuchsmallerandfurtheraway.”Inthissentence,“zoominto/out”aremetaphorsusedtodescribedifferentlevelsoffocusorperspectiveinresearch.“Zoominto”referstostudyingtheintricatestructuresandfunctionsofindividualmoleculesorsmallgroupsofmolecules,while“Zoomout”referstoanalyzinglargedatasetstoidentifyoverarchingtrends,correlations,andinsights.e.g.

1)Thedocumentaryzoomsintothelivesofthelocalresidents,revealingtheirstrugglesandtriumphsinarapidlychangingenvironment.2)Inthedocumentary,thefilmmakerzoomedouttoshowtheentirecity,providingcontexttotheindividualstoriesbeingtold.counterproductiveTheadjective“counterproductive”means“havingan

effect

thatis

opposite

totheone

intended

or

wanted.”Inthiscontext,itmeansthatdevotingtoarchaeologywhichisonlyconcernedwiththepastseemstohinderprogresstowardsolvingtheurgentenvironmentalcrisis,ratherthanhelpingit.e.g.Arguingwithsomeonewhoisalreadystressediscounterproductive;itonlymakesthemmoreanxiousandlessabletofocus.lightonthelandTheexpression“l(fā)ightontheland”inthiscontextmeans“havingminimalnegativeimpactontheenvironmentornaturalresources”.Itdescribespracticesthataresustainable,gentleandecologicallyharmonious.Just20yearsago,noonecouldhaveimaginedwhatscientistsknowtwodecadeslaterabouthumanity’sdistantpast,letalonehowmuchknowledgecouldbeextractedfromathimbleofdirt…[Meaning]:Themassiveamountthatscientistshavelearnedaboutancienthumansinjustthelast20yearswasimpossibletopredictbackthen.It’sespeciallyshockingthattheycannowdiscoversomuchcrucialinformationaboutourdeeppastusingonlytinyamountsofdirt,somethingnooneevendreamedof20yearsago.[Notes]:Thissentenceexpresseswonderattherapid,revolutionaryscientificadvancesthatallowustoreconstructincrediblydetailedpicturesofthedeeppastfromseeminglyworthlessfragmentsoftheenvironment.Today,humanevolutionlookslesslikeDarwin’streeandmorelikeamuddy,braidedstream.[Meaning]:Scientistsnowrealizehumanevolutionwasnotaneat,single-filelineofdescentwithclearsplitsintodistinctspecies(likeatree).Instead,itwasmessyandcomplex,involvingmultipletypesofancienthumanslivingatthesametimewhomigrated,met,andinterbred,mixingtheirgenesliketheconstantlyseparatingandrejoiningchannelsofabraidedriver.[Notes]:Thephrase“amuddy,braidedstream”isametaphorwhichindicatesthattherearemultipleinterconnectedpathways,withnumerousinfluencesandexchangesbetweenspecies,ratherthanastraightforwardprogression.Itreflectstheideathatevolutionismessy,withvariousfactorscontributingtoourdevelopment,suchasgeneflow,hybridization,andenvironmentalinfluences,creatingamoreintricateanddynamicpictureofhowhumanshaveevolved.Whilebiomoleculeshelpresearcherszoomintomicroscopicdetail,bigdataletthemzoomout.[Meaning]:Whilestudyingbiomoleculesallowsforin-depthexplorationofspecificbiologicalmechanisms,theanalysisofbigdataenablesthemtotakeabroaderview,allowingfortheexaminationoflargertrendsandinsightsthatemergefromaggregateddataacrossmanysamplesorconditions.[Notes]:Thesentencesuggeststhatwhilestudyingbiomoleculesallowsforin-depthexplorationofspecificbiologicalmechanisms,theanalysisofbigdataenablesabroaderunderstandingofbiologicalsystemsasawhole.Bothapproachesareessentialforadvancingresearchinbiologyandrelatedfields.Asnewmethodsenableprofoundinsightsintohumanity’ssharedhistory,achallengeistoensurethattheseinsightsarerelevantandbeneficialinthepresentandfuture.[Meaning]:Whilecutting-edgescientificandtechnologicalmethodsaregivingusdeeperandmoredetailedunderstandingthaneverbeforeabouthowhumansocietieshaveevolvedandinteracted,amajortaskfacingusnowisfiguringouthowtotranslatethispowerfulknowledgeintopracticalwisdomthathelpsusaddresstoday’spressingproblemsandbuildabettertomorrow.[Notes]:Thesentenceisacalltomovebeyondpurediscoveryandfocusontheresponsibleapplicationofhistoricalknowledgeforthebettermentofhumanitynowandinthefuture.Whilepeople’sconcernaboutourplanetkeepsrisingduetoenvironmentalcrisis,itmayseemcounterproductivetolookbackintime.[Meaning]:Becausepeoplearegettingmoreandmoreworriedabouttheenviro