Humans have been flashing jewelry around for a long time. Seashell beads found in Algeria and Israel in the early 20th century were reexamined by researchers in 2006. According to a chemical and elemental analysis of them, they were worn 100,000 to 135,000 years ago—25,000 years earlier than researchers previously believed. The findings were first published in the journal Science.

January 2008 Newsletter