{
  "id": 7826467,
  "title": "Ice Age carvers used mammoth tusk patterns to create unique art, study finds",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/ice-age-carvers-used-mammoth-tusk-patterns-to-create-unique-art-study",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-16T16:40:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ice-age-carvers-mammoth-tusk.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Archaeologists studying 18,000-year-old female figurines from Mizyn, Ukraine, have discovered that Ice Age carvers meticulously incorporated the natural patterns found in mammoth tusks into their artistic engravings. The study, published in the journal npj Heritage Science, challenges previous assumptions about the evolution of Stone Age art across Europe. By employing high-resolution microscopic analysis and 3D digital modeling, researchers revealed that the carvers deliberately replicated Schreger and Owen lines, which are the natural growth rings in mammoth tusks, to structure their designs. This discovery sheds new light on the independent artistic path pursued by Eastern European figurine makers following the Last Glacial Maximum, about 1,000 to 3,000 years after the emergence of figurine-making in Europe. The findings were made possible through collaborative efforts of researchers from the University of York, University of Stavanger, and the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, as well as digital preservation efforts amid ongoing conflicts.",
  "summary": "Intricate designs engraved across the surface of 18,000-year-old female figurines carved from mammoth ivory were inspired by the distinctive growth patterns visible in the tusks, a new study published in the journal npj Heritage Science has revealed.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}