60秒科学:Prehistoric Human-Fashioned Fibers Found

A report in the journal Science announces the finding of the oldest known human-fashioned threads, left in a cave by the Caucasus mountains about 34,000 years ago. Cynthia Graber reports.

We humans love to decorate things. We wear flashy clothes, tie ribbons to suitcases and personalize the cases for our iPhones. And apparently¹ we’ve had this tendency for a long, long time. More than thirty-four thousand years, to be exact.

Harvard researchers, together with Israeli and Georgian scientists, recently discovered the oldest known fibers² used by humans, in a cave by the foothills of Georgia’s Caucasus mountains. The researchers weren’t searching for thread. They were looking for tree pollen³ samples that would reveal how environmental and temperature fluctuations⁴ influenced people’s lives. But they knew they’d found something historic when they saw the colored thread.

The fibers were made from wild flax. Some were twisted, indicating rope, while others were knotted. They might have been used to sew pieces of clothing to keep these ancient people warm. Or maybe they tied together packs that would allow the group to be more mobile. The strings⁵ could also have served as handles for stone tools.

The fibers were colored black, grey, turquoise⁶ and pink. So in addition to cave paintings, we now have evidence of cave fashion, the first tentative steps on the way to the cover of Vogue⁷.

—Cynthia Graber

To put more fiber into your reading diet, follow this thread 

1 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

2 fibers   

光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质

参考例句：

• Thesolution of collagen-PVA was wet spined with the sodium sulfate as coagulant and collagen-PVA composite fibers were prepared. 在此基础上，以硫酸钠为凝固剂，对胶原-PVA共混溶液进行湿法纺丝，制备了胶原-PVA复合纤维。
• Sympathetic fibers are distributed to all regions of the heart. 交感神经纤维分布于心脏的所有部分。

3 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

4 fluctuations   

波动，涨落，起伏( fluctuation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table. 他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• There were so many unpredictable fluctuations on the Stock Exchange. 股票市场瞬息万变。

5 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

6 turquoise   

n.绿宝石；adj.蓝绿色的

参考例句：

• She wore a string of turquoise round her neck.她脖子上戴着一串绿宝石。
• The women have elaborate necklaces of turquoise.那些女人戴着由绿松石制成的精美项链。

7 Vogue   

n.时髦，时尚；adj.流行的

参考例句：

• Flowery carpets became the vogue.花卉地毯变成了时髦货。
• Short hair came back into vogue about ten years ago.大约十年前短发又开始流行起来了。