Ninus news letter
Saturday, October 24, 2026 — America/Detroit
Connected in the Ice Age · Anthropology / Archaeology
Paleolithic DNA reveals east-west connections across Ice Age Europe
New genomic data from rare Gravettian remains — including a woman from Isturitz Cave in southwestern France who lived around 30,000 years ago, the oldest modern-human genome from that region — show eastern ancestry mixed into a western line between 32,500 and 31,500 years ago. Published Oct. 23 in *Science Advances*, the work, led by Pere Gelabert's team, overturns the picture of two isolated ancestry groups and aligns genetics with the shared tools and art archaeologists already saw across the continent. Sediment DNA from El Mirón also shows ancestry persisting through the Last Glacial Maximum, supporting Iberia as a refuge. Sources: [Phys.org](https://phys.org/news/2026-10-paleolithic-human-dna-reveals-east.html) · [Archaeology Magazine](https://archaeologymag.com/2026/10/ice-age-europeans-stayed-connected-across-distances/)
Dry land, now underwater · Archaeology
Searching the seabed for Florida's Ice Age societies
Five miles off Florida's coast, archaeologist Morgan Smith of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga recovered a stone scraping tool from blue-gray clay that could only have formed on dry land — dropped there about 7,000 years ago, alongside 8,500-year-old wood. Florida's shoreline once ran as much as 100 miles farther out, and teams are now diving from Texas to Florida for artifacts that could help settle when humans first arrived in the Americas. Source: [National Geographic, Oct. 23](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/mapping-texas-florida-coasts-ancient-american-archaeology)
No digging required · Archaeology
Magnetic scans reveal a full Roman roadside station in southern Spain
At Mellaria, near Fuente Obejuna in Córdoba province, a gradiometer survey mapped a 48-metre mansio — about 1,290 square metres, with up to eight small front rooms, a probable bath block, and a yard for animals and carriages — without opening a trench. The station sat on Route XI of the Antonine Itinerary, linking Córdoba and Mérida. Miriam González Nieto of the University of Hamburg reports the plan in the *Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports*. Source: [Archaeology Magazine](https://archaeologymag.com/2026/10/roman-roadside-station-near-fuente-obejuna-in-spain/)
Oil up, almost everything else down · Economy & Markets
Gold breaks below $4,000 for its worst week since June as oil surges
Friday's chain ran the opposite of the usual safe-haven script: Brent settled at $116.72, its highest since April, on supply fears after Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia; higher energy prices fed inflation concerns and Fed hike bets; and gold, which pays no interest, fell. Spot gold slipped to $3,998.35 intraday, down about 4% on the week. Stocks fell too, with breadth weak — nearly three in four S&P 500 stocks down — while Michigan sentiment came in at 48.0 and one-year inflation expectations rose to 4.7%. The Fed meets Oct. 27–28; traders put about a 92% chance on no change next week, with the PCE report due Oct. 29. Sources: [Kitco / Reuters, Oct. 23](https://www.kitco.com/news/off-the-wire/2026-10-23/gold-set-steep-weekly-loss-rising-oil-prices-bolster-fed-rate-hike) · [Ausecure close, Oct. 23](https://www.ausecure.com/gold-market-close-oct-23-2026/) · [WXYwaves Friday close](https://wxywaves.com/friday-close-stocks-fall-oil-116-treasury-yields-fed-october-24/)
| S&P 500 | 7,623.68 · −0.52% | | Nasdaq Composite | 25,955.34 · −0.21% | | Dow | 52,215.16 · −1.23% | | Gold (spot / Dec futures) | ~$3,999 / $4,007.90 · −1.3% | | Silver | $54.05 · −1.2% | | Brent / WTI (Dec) | $116.72 · +3.14% / $103.27 · +3.8% | | US 10-year / 30-year | 5.00% / 5.33% · +4bp |
Beijing opens a door · AI
China's DeepSeek and MiniMax win approval for global AI use
Major Chinese developers DeepSeek and MiniMax have won state approval for global use of their AI models, according to a post by a CCTV-affiliated account reported by Reuters on Oct. 23. The clearance comes a week after China proposed export controls on 23 AI technologies on Oct. 16 — covering models, agents and computing clusters — while saying most AI technology would remain exportable, with simplified licensing for open-source exports. Source: [Reuters, Oct. 23](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/chinas-deepseek-minimax-win-approval-ai-global-use-state-media-affiliated-entity-2026-10-23/)
Fact-checked by Mr. Nimbus, Meta's Muse