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An aristocrat's Robe shows the dragon with 5 claws. (Tibet Metropolitan Museum of Art/CC0)

Mongol Empire's Frozen Mummies Reveal Surprising Drink of Choice – Yak Milk!

Scientists have analyzed the remains of high-ranking individuals from the Mongol Empire, who were buried in graves with luxury items such as leather, silk, and gold, and had been preserved in...
Ceramic strainer and collared flasks found to have high-curd content indicating the production of dairy products (Evans et al./The Royal Society)

Neolithic Solutions to Lactose Intolerance Revealed in New Study

During the Neolithic period up until the Late Bronze Age, lactose intolerance was prevalent among the European population. However, a genetic mutation eventually became widespread, allowing adults to...
Nursing Madonna (Madonna Lactans) by anonymous master from the School of Bruges. At the Chapel of the Milk Grotto in Bethlehem, Virgin Mary milk powder is sold as a cure for infertility. Source: Public domain

Even Today, Virgin Mary Milk Powder is Used as a Cure for Infertility

The Virgin Mary’s breast milk has been the subject of veneration for centuries and even today couples battling infertility often imbue it with miraculous powers. This is especially true at the Chapel...
Saint Bernard and the Virgin by Alonso Cano. Source: Public domain

The Virgin Mary Squirted Saint Bernard with Breast Milk

Mythology is filled with an array of outlandish and far-fetched stories. Christianity is no exception. One of the most surprising, at least for me, is the story of the 12th century monk, Saint...
Farmer milking cow. Source: peopleimages.com / Adobe Stock

Ancient People Drank Milk Even Though They Were All Lactose Intolerant

A team of international scientists has just completed a comprehensive study of ancient European milk drinking habits. They wanted to see if there was a connection between increased milk consumption...
Man in the desert extracting camel milk. Source: padraic spencer/EyeEm / Adobe Stock

Camel Milk, The Ancient Liquid Gold Superfood, is Rising in Demand

A U.S. farm is struggling to supply rising demand for bottles of their ancient nomadic survival juice - camel milk. But at $12-$16 a pint, consumers pockets are getting humped. Ancient nomadic and...
Images of the MS. 632 birthing girdle. a) The dripping side-wound. b) The rubbed away green cross or crucifix. c) Tau cross with red heart and shield.  Source: Courtesy of the Wellcome Collection

New Birthing Girdle Study Answers Questions About Medieval Childbirth

In the Middle Ages, pregnant women allegedly wore a type of specially prepared wrap known as a birthing girdle. Birthing girdles were long, thin, rolls made from animal skin parchment. They were...
Just Like Us, Neanderthal Babies Ate Solid Food at 6 Months Old

Just Like Us, Neanderthal Babies Ate Solid Food at 6 Months Old

A new study proves that just like modern humans, Neanderthal babies were also weaned at six months old. This fascinating new discovery comes after a team of researchers studied three Neanderthal milk...
Bronze Age skull in situ in the Tollense valley Source: ©: Stefan Sauer / Tollense Valley Project

Ancient Warriors Show Europeans Were Late Adopters of Dairy Produce

Research undertaken on Bronze Age warriors who died in a battle in Germany has revealed something remarkable about the evolution of human digestion. It established that it is only in the past few...
A new study of Neolithic pottery fragments has revealed ancient Britons were among the first people to farm dairy. Pictured: Cow and her calf in sunset. Source:  lassedesignen / Adobe stock

Thirsty Brits Turned to Drinking Cow’s Milk 7,000 Years Ago

Molecular food remains sampled from Neolithic pottery determines dairy farming “took hold” in what is modern-day Britain and Ireland . A new study of pottery fragments by a team of scientists led by...
Milking a cow. Credit: stanislavss / Adobe Stock

Humans Have Been Drinking Animal Milk for At Least 6,000 Years

Researchers have found the earliest direct evidence of milk consumption anywhere in the world in the teeth of prehistoric British farmers . The research team, led by archaeologists at the University...
Waiting yak.’ A new study analyzing ancient Mongolian teeth may help explain the origins of lactose intolerance in humans.

Ancient Mongolian Teeth Demand New Research Into the Mysterious Origins of Lactose Intolerance in Humans

Over 3000 years ago, the Steppes of Mongolia were dominated by herds of horses, sheep, cows and yaks, and the humans that ate them, according to a new study published this week in the Proceedings of...
Prehistoric rock art using ochre paint on a cave wall in Drakensberg, South Africa

Prehistoric Man in South Africa Made Milk-based Paint 49000 years ago

A paint mixture of ochre and wild bovid milk, possibly from a buffalo or eland or similar animal, was found on a chip of a stone tool dating back 49,000 years in Sibudu Cave, a rock shelter in...
Should Adults Really Be Drinking Milk? Studying Neolithic Ancestors Suggests Not

Should Adults Really Be Drinking Milk? Studying Neolithic Ancestors Suggests Not

Is drinking cow’s milk healthy for humans? Many remember the rush to get to the head of the line for milk at morning recess in elementary school and TV ads showing healthy kids running around the...
The Toda mund, from Richard Barron, 1837, View in India, chiefly among the Neelgherry Hills

Oval Huts, Dairy Temples and Holy Milkmen: How a Secluded Existence Produced the Idiosyncratic Toda Traditions

The Todas are an ethnic group that inhabit the Nilgiri Plains of south India. They were once one of the most isolated people in the world. Their customs and language are still considered strange to...
Swiss cheese

Iron Age Man Was as Fond of Swiss Cheese as We Are

Archaeologists have uncovered evidence that Swiss cheesemaking dates back to prehistoric times, paving the way for such delicacies as Gruyere and Emmental. An international team led by the University...
Ancient European hunters face an Uro (European bison).

8000 Years of European Evolution Disclosed by Genome Study

Through the analysis of 230 samples of prehistoric genome, scientists believe they have identified the genes that gave rise to the European Neolithic revolution - with the transition from hunting and...
A reconstruction depicting how the row of megalithic stones would have looked.

Feeding Stonehenge: Hearty Menu for Monument Builders Revealed - Barbeque Pork, Roast Beef, Yogurt and Cheeses

Remnants of delicious barbeque-style feasts at a major Neolithic settlement in the UK have revealed that pork roasts, milk, yogurt and cheeses were on the menu for the prehistoric builders of...
Donkey milk: Ancient elixir of life

Donkey milk: Ancient elixir of life experiences modern-day resurgence

Donkey milk was hailed by the ancients as an elixir of long life, a cure-all for a variety of ailments, and a powerful tonic capable of rejuvenating the skin. Cleopatra, Queen of Ancient Egypt,...
The Beauty of Xiaohe

Oldest cheese in the world found around the neck of The Beauty of Xiaohe

Unusual clumps of an unknown material found on the necks and chests of the famous Chinese mummies of the Tarim Basin have now been revealed to be the world’s oldest cheese, dating back an incredible...
Digesting Milk in Ethiopia

Should Humans Drink Cow’s Milk? Part 2 - Digesting Milk in Ethiopia

Yesterday we reported on a new study of our ancient Neolithic ancestors who first began the practice of dairy-related animal husbandry and discussed the implications this may have with regards to the...
Ancient drawing with Cows and Milk

Should Adult Humans Drink Milk? Study of Neolithic Farmers May Have the Answer

Many would remember the days when a milk trolley would be rolled out during morning recess at school and all the children would come running for their daily glass of milk, or the TV images of...