*[Enwl-eng] Archaeologists find ancient Europeans loved seaweed
ENWL
 Seaweed found stuck in ancient teethSeaweed is a staple part of many Asian diets. In Japan, for example, it’s an essential component of sushi and ramen. But even though European shores are strewn with the stuff, seaweed just doesn’t seem to feature as a routine ingredient in European dishes. Why don’t we consume something that arrives at our very feet in abundance and is legendary for its health benefits? A pan-European team of researchers revealed this week that this state of affairs wasn’t always the norm. By examining the plaque that hardened around ancient teeth, they were able to discern that both coastal dwelling Europeans and their inland compatriots actually used to munch on the green stuff all the time. Their results significantly alter our understanding of how our forebears lived — and perhaps even act as a call for us to come up with some new, sustainable, nutritious meal ideas. Part of the reason seaweed is so good for you comes down to it containing something called polyphenols. These are a family of food compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can help protect us against heart disease, diabetes and many other conditions. If you're not ready to add seaweed to your plate, you can also find polyphenols in lots of different fruits and vegetables — as well as in coffee, tea and wine. These researchers based in Spain, France and the US have taken us through the century of research that helped us reach the point of understanding just how beneficial they can be for our bodies. This week we’re also tracing modern European languages back in time. Around half of the world’s population speaks an Indo-European language — a grouping that includes English, Spanish Russian and Kurdish. The shared features of these disparate tongues mean that they all derive from one shared parent language — which is known as Proto-Indo-European. But while we know this language existed, we don’t know who spoke it and when — or where they lived. One theory has long been that the original Indo-European language was spoken in the neolithic era by people living in Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey, before spreading towards Europe around 9,000 years ago. Another theory, however, places it somewhere north of the Baltic Sea and posits that it only emerged some 5,000 to 6,000 years ago. A new study set out to decide which hypothesis was more likely by tracing 161 languages a long their family tree. The results? A third theory placing the language somewhere around the Caucusus. But that doesn’t make the two previous theories wrong — in fact, the new version of events comes about by marrying the original two ideas together. Pet owners have theories in need of confirmation too, and we are seeking to provide. It’s widely believed that cereals — which are a common addition to pet food — can make dogs obese and possibly diabetic. So is a gluten-free diet the best option for keeping your hound healthy? We’re putting kibbles on trial, charged with wrecking canine tums and failing to respect their natural meaty diets. Read the verdict here. Discussions are bubbling up here and there around western Europe about the potential for deploying a wealth tax (a levy on a person or entity’s net wealth) to help raise money for our green transition. There has been very little enthusiasm for such a tax among national governments in recent years but groups in France and Germany (and indeed Brussels) now wonder if a European-level mechanism is the way to go. UN secretary-general António Guterres has said that he believes Israel is breaking international law by bombarding Gaza and restricting aid to its residents. And with the international community increasingly struggling to calibrate its response to Israel’s actions, it may soon come time for the International Criminal Court to intervene. Palestine is a member of the ICC but Israel is not. Nevertheless, if either side has committed war crimes, the court can investigate. This explainer will hopefully help shed light on the complex process of reaching an International consensus on the matter. - Laura Hood, Senior Politics Editor, Assistant Editor, The Conversation UK  People in Europe ate seaweed for thousands of years before it largely disappeared from our diets – new researchAncient tooth plaque reveals our ancestors had a very different daily menu than we previously thought – so where did all the green stuff go? Was this email
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