Show threadRuth Carden 🦴Nov 14, 2022

Tune in tomorrow evening for more on origins story of the #IrishCaveBones project. I saw this view across from the desk in the Museum stores for many many years - beautiful in late afternoon golden light - where the magic happened & the bones told me their secrets!

#SciCommIE

Show threadRuth Carden 🦴Nov 14, 2022

to give up in due time. Full paper is nearly ready of all of our combined efforts and contributions and there are possiblilities there too..... but I won't spoil them here....yet

#IrishCaveBones #SciCommIE

Show threadRuth Carden 🦴Nov 14, 2022
And so another cave collaboration was developed with a team of excellent researchers. Richard succesfully obtained 3 years worth of funding from the Royal Irish Academy, to conduct new excavations at the cave. And Ballynamintra cave has it's own secrets ... #IrishCaveBones #SciCommIE
Show threadRuth Carden 🦴Nov 14, 2022
Also during 2015, I had finished a full reassessment and identification of the cave bones of Ballynamintra Cave, Co. Waterford and Dr Richard Jennings (Liverpool John Moores University, UK) extended invite to collaborate on this cave. #IrishCaveBones #SciCommIE
Show threadRuth Carden 🦴Nov 14, 2022
This amazing and very surprising discovery changed how we looked at Ireland. Discussions with Allan McDevitt and Daniel Buckley, long time friends and colleagues with mutual interests, and others changed dramatically!! What else was happening at that time? We now have to think about knock on effects on fauna/flora. #IrishCaveBones #SciCommIE
Show threadRuth Carden 🦴Nov 14, 2022
During the later stages of the brief mini cold snap, Younger Dryas, effecting Ireland that seemingly caused the giant deer extirpation on our island. Or now we have human presence, did humans hunt giant deer too? #IrishCaveBones #SciCommIE
Show threadRuth Carden 🦴Nov 14, 2022
So, I dismantled all the boxes in my head, the saying 'to think outside the box' is very apt...I now ask 'What box?' This new Upper Palaeolithic date shows us humans were in Ireland hunting brown bears...a large adult male brown bear. #IrishCaveBones #SciCommIE
Show threadRuth Carden 🦴Nov 14, 2022
The returned radiocarbon date from14CHRONO radiocarbon dating lab in Queen's University Belfast, was AMAZING!!!! One minute Irish Archaeology started in the early Mesolithic and then after reading the results, Irish Archaeology had a Upper Palaeolithic human presence, in c.10,800yrsBP! #IrishCaveBones #SciCommIE
Ruth Carden 🦴Nov 14, 2022
During 2015, I was having a phone chat with Marion Dowd (ATU) and mentioned my findings and we decided to apply together to @RIAdawson
for funding to radiocarbon date the bear knee cap. #IrishCaveBones #SciCommIE
Show threadRuth Carden 🦴Nov 14, 2022
We know, with evidence to date, the brown bears exist into the Bronze Age in Ireland, and brown bears have been dated to before and after the Last Ice Age (LGM) ... so the game was afoot! #IrishCaveBones #SciCommIE