(Press-News.org) A study led by McKenna Litynski, a recent Ph.D. graduate in anthropology and adjunct assistant professor at the University of Wyoming, confirms that ancient needles and awls enabled humans to survive in cold climates and shows these tools served a variety of purposes beyond clothing production, from medicine to ceremony.
Some 100,000 years ago, humans began to expand around the globe, including into some of the world’s coldest environments. Scholars have long hypothesized that this remarkable expansion was made possible by a profoundly humble technology: the bone sewing needle.
The theory suggests that the invention of the needle allowed early humans to make tailored leather clothing which, in turn, allowed survival in frigid climates. While plausible, the theory has been difficult to verify.
However, Litynski led a quantitative study that provides strong support for the theory. Drawing on hundreds of ethnographic documents from the 18th through 20th centuries in North America, she analyzed patterns of needle and awl use.
Her article, which was co-written by UW Department of Anthropology Professors Sean Field and Randy Haas and is published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, shows that clothing production is the most common activity associated with sewing needles and awls.
Statistical modeling also revealed that mentions of these tools increase significantly in colder environments, confirming the role of sewing technology in thermoregulation and survival.
The study also uncovered a surprising pattern in the data. While manufacturing clothing accounted for 14 percent of observations, needles and awls were widely used for other purposes, including medical suturing, fishing, tattooing, basketry and ceremonial activities, meaning needles and awls are not limited to cold environments.
These findings demonstrate that the sewing needle not only helped humans survive in extreme climates, but also played a versatile role in daily life and cultural practices.
The research provides new insight into how environmental and social factors shaped human behavior and tool use, offering archaeologists a richer understanding of one of the most common artifact types in the perishable archaeological record.
“Ultimately, it is not only the tools themselves that are significant, but also the people who once used these objects in the past,” Litynski says. “It is through examining needles and awls from different lenses that archaeologists like me can reveal their capacity to unravel the broader story of human ingenuity, adaptability and cultural evolution over the last several thousands of years and throughout the world.”
Litynski is an archaeologist with research interests in zooarchaeology, environmental archaeology, hunter-gatherers and experimental archaeology. To learn more about her research, email her at mlitynsk@uwyo.edu.
END
Study reveals ancient needles and awls served many purposes
2026-03-09
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Key protein SYFO2 enables 'self-fertilization’ of leguminous plants
2026-03-09
Most plants allow fungal microorganisms to enter their root cells and provide them with carbohydrates in exchange for a better supply of nutrients and water. Only leguminous plants like peas, beans, and clover enter into an additional, mutually beneficial symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria. The alliance with so-called rhizobia enables them to supply themselves with the nitrogen they need for their growth from the air.
Within the context of the Enabling Nutrient Symbiosis in Agriculture (ENSA) ...
AI tool streamlines drug synthesis
2026-03-09
Drug discovery is like molecular Tetris. Chemists snap atoms together, adjusting the pieces until everything fits and suddenly, a molecule makes a promising new medicine. Normally, creating better molecules consumes huge amounts of time and money.
In a new study, researchers used machine learning to build a smarter prediction system that could speed up the process at a fraction of the cost.
“Sometimes we use sophisticated, physics-based computational chemistry tools to understand novel reactions. However, these tools are too expensive to make predictions on thousands of potential new molecules,” said Simone Gallarati, the study’s co-lead author ...
Turning orchard waste into climate solutions: A simple method boosts biochar carbon storage
2026-03-09
Researchers have developed a practical and low cost method to transform agricultural waste into high quality biochar, significantly increasing its ability to store carbon and help combat climate change. The study demonstrates that a simple treatment using limewater can dramatically improve the efficiency of biochar production while keeping the process accessible for use directly in the field.
Biochar is a carbon rich material produced when plant biomass is heated in low oxygen conditions. Because the carbon in biochar remains stable in soil for long periods, scientists consider it a promising carbon negative technology that can help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, traditional ...
New ACP papers say health care must be more accessible and inclusive for patients and physicians with disabilities
2026-03-09
New ACP papers say health care must be more accessible and inclusive for patients and physicians with disabilities
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-04524
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-04518
Editorial: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-05480
URL goes live when the embargo lifts
Two new papers from the American College of Physicians (ACP) address barriers to health care for people with disabilities and offer policy recommendations ...
Moisture powered materials could make cleaning CO₂ from air more efficient
2026-03-09
Over the past century, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased dramatically. This rise has contributed to global warming and led to many harmful effects, including shifting weather patterns and more frequent droughts. There is an urgent need to lower the amount of carbon dioxide in the air to protect ecosystems and reduce future damage to the planet.
Paul V. Galvin professor Petra Fromme in ASU’s School of Molecular Sciences (SMS), and her team, have taken an important step toward improving technologies that pull carbon dioxide directly from the air—an approach considered ...
Scientists identify the gatekeeper of retinal progenitor cell identity
2026-03-09
Ikoma, Japan—The retina is a thin layer of neural tissue at the back of the eye that detects light and converts it into signals, sent to the brain. During development, all the specialized neurons in the retina—including photoreceptors and other cells essential for vision—arise from stem-like cells known as retinal progenitor cells (RPCs). Although RPCs can differentiate into multiple retinal cell types, this capacity is only temporary in mammals. As development proceeds, RPCs gradually lose their flexibility and ultimately transform into supporting cells called Müller glia (MG). Once this transition is complete, the retina ...
American Indian and Alaska native peoples experience higher rates of fatal police violence in and around reservations
2026-03-09
Indigenous people in the United States are at higher risk of fatal police violence in and around American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) reservations, according to the first comprehensive national study on the subject from researchers at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health and the University of Washington. The study, using data on the 203 AIAN people killed by police from 2013 through 2024, was published today in the journal PNAS. The authors hope this work will inform policy action to better protect these communities.
The ...
Research alert: Long-read genome sequencing uncovers new autism gene variants
2026-03-09
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have identified new genetic variants associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by using long-read whole genome sequencing (LR-WGS), an emerging approach that reads large sections of the genome at once, making it easier for scientists to find new genetic variants and understand how genetic variants affect the function of a gene. The team found that compared to traditional short-read approaches, LR-WGS enhanced the discovery of several categories of genetic variants. The findings may pave ...
Genetic mapping of Baltic Sea herring important for sustainable fishing
2026-03-09
Herring from different parts of the Baltic Sea belong to distinct populations genetically adapted to local differences in salinity and temperature. However, these populations can also mix with each other, according to a new study by researchers from Uppsala University, Stockholm University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. These results have important implications for the management of the Baltic herring. The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Spring- and autumn-spawning herring in the Baltic Sea as well as in the Atlantic Ocean are genetically distinct. This is well known.
“Despite ...
In the ocean’s marine ‘snow,’ a scientist seeks clues to future climate
2026-03-09
As any diver knows, oceans can be cloudy places. Even on sunny days, snow-like particles drift through the water column, obscuring the aquatic world below.
Scientists have long known that this “marine snow” carries inorganic calcium carbonate – the building block of shells – but couldn’t explain how the mineral dissolves in the upper part of the ocean.
New research from Rutgers University-New Brunswick points to the culprit: bacteria.
“Think of marine particles as the megacities of the ocean,” said Benedict ...