Tracking Maize in the Southwest over 4,100 Years

Tracking Maize in the Southwest over 4,100 Years
After it was first domesticated from the wild teosinte grass in southern Mexico, maize, or corn, took both a high road and later on a coastal low road as it moved into what is now the U.S. Southwest. The study, reported in the journal Nature Plants (open access) is based on DNA analysis of corn cobs dating back over 4,000 years, and provides the most comprehensive tracking to date of the origin and evolution of maize in the Southwest. This settles a long debate over whether maize moved via an upland or coastal route into the United States. http://bit.ly/1AEVeti – Past Horizons

The Origin and Evolution of Maize in the Southwestern United States
The origin of maize (Zea maysmays) in the US Southwest remains contentious, with conflicting archaeological data supporting either coastal or highland routes of diffusion of maize into the United States. Furthermore, the genetics of adaptation to the new environmental and cultural context of the Southwest is largely uncharacterized. To address these issues, we compared nuclear DNA from 32 archaeological maize samples spanning 6,000 years of evolution to modern landraces. We found that the initial diffusion of maize into the Southwest about 4,000 years ago is likely to have occurred along a highland route, followed by gene flow from a lowland coastal maize beginning at least 2,000 years ago. Our population genetic analysis also enabled us to differentiate selection during domestication for adaptation to the climatic and cultural environment of the Southwest, identifying adaptation loci relevant to drought tolerance and sugar content. http://bit.ly/1DMN43h – Nature Plants

Tracking Dogs of the Western Hemisphere for 10,000 Years
A new study suggests that dogs may have first successfully migrated to the Americas only about 10,000 years ago, thousands of years after the first human migrants crossed a land bridge from Siberia to North America. The study looked at the genetic characteristics of 84 individual dogs from more than a dozen sites in North and South America, and is the largest analysis so far of ancient dogs in the Americas. The findings appear in the Journal of Human Evolution. http://bit.ly/1xdzrEr – Science Daily

New Conference to Focus on Consequences of Colonialism
The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) and the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) are accepting submissions for Connecting Continents: Archaeological Perspectives on Slavery, Trade, and Colonialism to be held in Curacao, November 5-7, 2015. Submissions will be accepted until February 2, 2015. Information on the conference and instructions for submissions of paper abstracts can be found at www.saa.org. Unlike the annual meetings of the SAA or EAA, Connecting Continents is designed as a small, thematic conference. The topics of slavery, trade, and colonialism will be thoroughly discussed from multiple vantage points across time and space and from a variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives. Four distinguished keynote speakers from North America, Europe, and the Caribbean—Kathleen Deagan, Corinne Hofman, Tom Gilbert, and  Roberto Valcárcel Rojas—will set the tone for the conference. Other sessions will be determined by the scientific committee. http://bit.ly/1A63SOT – Society for American Archaeology

Archaeology Southwest’s January Archaeology Cafe (Phoenix) Welcomes Jesse Ballenger
On January 20, 2015, Dr. Jesse A. Ballenger (Statistical Research, Inc.) will share a tale of life more than 5,000 years ago in the area that is now Luke Air Force Base. We meet in the Aztec Room of Macayo’s Central, 4001 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, near the Indian School light rail stop. Presentations begin after 6:00 p.m. It is best to arrive at about 5:30 p.m. in order to get settled, as seating is open and unreserved, but limited. http://bit.ly/1DO0pZ7 – Archaeology Southwest

Audio Interview Examines Zuni Views on Turquoise
Turquoise has long been valued for its beautiful blue-green color in jewelry of many kinds, but southwestern Native American groups use the stone for other traditional uses as well. KSJD’s Tom Yoder talks with Dan Simplicio, a tribal member from the Pueblo of Zuni, silversmith, and fetish jeweler, about how turquoise is understood and used by the Zuni people, as well as how this relationship has changed through time. http://bit.ly/1xSkwV5 – KSJD Public Radio

More Problems with the Clovis Comet Hypothesis
For the second time in a year, scientists have cast doubt on a controversial theory that a massive asteroid or comet was responsible for a deep freeze that enveloped much of North America nearly 13,000 years ago. A new study in the Journal of Archeological Science concludes that rock soil droplets that purportedly came from an asteroid or comet in soil from Syria were not caused by cosmic impact, and were more likely the remnants of ancient house fires. http://cbsn.ws/1y3jnMh – CBS News

Arizona Archaeology Expo Planning Meeting 
The Arizona Archaeology Expo is on Saturday, March 7, 2015, at the Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park. Come join us for our next Archaeology Expo planning meeting on Wednesday, January 14, at 1:00 p.m. in Yuma at the Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park. For those who would like to participate, but cannot make the meeting in Yuma, please contact me directly for our teleconference option. Kris Dobschuetz, kd2@azstateparks.gov or 602-542-7141.

Archaeology Expo Participation Forms
The 2015 Archaeology Expo is being held at the Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park on March 7, 2015. For those who would like to participate in the Archaeology Expo, please fill out an Archaeology Expo Participation Form and return the form to kd2@azstateparks.gov or by fax at 602-542-4180. The Expo Participant Form can be found at http://azstateparks.com/archy/downloads/2015_Archy_Expo_participation_Fillable_Form.pdf. The forms are due by February 6, 2015.

Lecture Opportunity – Tucson
The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society (AAHS) is pleased to present William K. Hartmann on Monday, January 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the University Medical Center’s DuVal Auditorium (1500 N Campbell Ave, Tucson 85724), who will present Searching for Golden Empires: Epic Cultural Collisions in 16th-Century America. This talk traces Spanish explorations in the 1500s, from Mexico City northward through Sonora and Arizona, all the way to Kansas. Meetings are free and open to the public. For more information please visit the AAHS website, or contact John D. Hall at jhall@sricrm.com with questions about this or any other AAHS program. http://bit.ly/1uhONZh – Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Matt Peeples, Preservation Archaeologist, Archaeology Southwest, Tucson, Arizona, and Research Associate, Southwest Social Networks Collaborative Project, University of Arizona; with extensive field and laboratory research in Greater Zuni/Cibola and Mimbres Regions of Arizona and New Mexico, who will give a lecture: Zuni Culture and Cooking Pots: 13th-Century Migration and Changing Social Landscapes as part of the annual Ancient Sites Ancient Stories I Lecture Series held to honor and acknowledge the people of Picuris Pueblo. Admission is by subscription or $12 at the door. No reservations are necessary. Seating is limited. Contact Connie Eichstaedt, tel: 505 466-2775; email: southwestseminar@aol.com. http://bit.ly/YhJddr – Southwest Seminars

A Hopeful Note for Media in 2015
After a year of disastrous television at the Discovery Channel, which gained a reputation for airing factually misleading documentaries about mermaids, prehistoric sharks, and snakes eating dudes, the channel’s new chief made a public promise: no more of that. During the Winter TV press Tour 2015 on Thursday, Discovery’s brand-new chief, Rich Ross, promised to stop running programs such as Eaten Alive and Megalodon, which drew huge ratings and scorn for its false claims. http://bit.ly/1FHZ5vr – MediaITE

Thanks to Adrianne Rankin for contributions to this week’s newsletter.