A human jawbone housed in a small Bristol museum has contributed ancient DNA to ground-breaking research into bacteria. The jawbone was found in Fishmonger’s Swallet, a cave in South Gloucestershire, and is now in the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society’s museum. This was one of four samples from across the UK, ranging from 2,300 to…
The latest book on Irish caves to be published by the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society (UBSS) in conjunction with the Speleological Union of Ireland (SUI), Caves of southern Ireland has now gone to the printers and is expected to be launched this Autumn in both Ireland, at the SUI’s annual symposium, and in Bristol….
Covid continues to create certainty for events organisers, with some cancelled and others moving online, but there might be light at the end of the tunnel … unless it’s a caver coming the other way. Hidden Earth: the National Caving Conference The following announcement has been made by the Hidden Earth team: “We are sorry…
In a world first, British caver, polar explorer and climate change scientist Gina Moseley is preparing to lead an expedition to the planet’s northernmost caves in Greenland. While the expedition will explore several caves, there is one giant cave in particular that Gina is captivated by. She first found out about it in a conversation…
This account of a caving holiday in South Wales has no exciting discoveries, no dramatic incidents, and no unusual activities. But we hope Peter Burgess’ account of a caving trip to South Wales reminds our readers of the pleasures of simple caving that we have all been missing this year. I returned to one of…
Sammy Field, from the University of Southampton, visited the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society’s collections as a PhD researcher to collect data for her thesis, ‘Re-evaluating the use of dental wear to estimate age at death of British archaeological remains.’ Sammy has kindly written a guest blog about her work in the UBSS collection. Age…
UBSS, Bristol. 2019. 364pp, 20 colour photographs, 136 maps and surveys. Hardback, 180mm × 248mm. £20 ISBN 978-0-9545850-1-3 In one sense, Caves of Mid-West Ireland is the fourth edition of this caving guidebook, while in another it is the first. That is, the University of Bristol SS has a longstanding and well known intimate…
On Saturday, 9th November 2019, the University of Bristol Speleological Society brought the public facing part of their centenary year to an end with a superb symposium, and attracted a good number of cavers to enjoy a day of fascinating talks on a wide range of cave science subjects. It was early afternoon on a…
In 2019, The University of Bristol Spelaeological Society (UBSS), one of the oldest caving clubs in the country, celebrates 100 years of cave and archaeological exploration and research. On the 9th/10th November, to mark the occasion, the society is hosting a weekend of presentations and fieldtrips celebrating its past, present and future. UBSS member Professor…
New samples taken for DNA analysis from human bone from Aveline’s Hole by Natural History Museum researchers have thrown up surprising results. Graham Mullan reports on their findings. Aveline’s Hole, Burrington Combe, Mendip, contained the largest assemblage of Mesolithic human remains yet found anywhere in Britain. The cave was excavated in the 1920s by the…
Dr Gina Moseley from the Innsbruck Quaternary Research Group will receive one of this year’s prestigious Austrian Science Foundation (FWF) START prizes. The START programme is an Austrian initiative to support and strengthen outstanding research projects in science and humanities. Gina, a member of the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society and current Symposium Lecture Secretary…
At the beginning of the summer break of 2017, six members of the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society (UBSS) travelled to County Clare on our annual Ireland expedition. Our main objective was to continue the re-surveying of the Coolagh River cave which was started last year. We also had the secondary objective of continuing survey…
On 4 August 2016, Pen Park Hole was notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest by Natural England, and cavers and local residents held a celebratory party, as the notification came about after a joint campaign to give the cave added legal protection in the event of nearby development proposals proceeding. The period in…
The good news is that no animals or humans have been harmed recently, well not for a couple of thousand years in anyway, it’s not really a crime scene! This research is being headed up by Dr Rhiannon Stevens from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London and Dr Sophy Charlton from the Natural History…
In November 2015, the University of Bristol unveiled the brand new Bristol Radiocarbon Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (BRAMS). This instrument is based on one of the new generation of ultra-compact high-precision AMS instruments and will be used for 14C analysis in environmental, archaeological and palaeoenvironmental research. The term ultra-compact is relative, as the instrument weighs 4.5 metric…
Pen Park Hole, a spectacular hydrothermal cave beneath north Bristol, has now been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by Natural England. The cave has a long and interesting history. It was first been descended in July 1669 by Captain Samuel Sturmy, a local mariner, accompanied by a miner. It was eventually…
Si Flower and Andrew Atkinson of UBSS have been making progress following the stream in Upper Flood Swallet. The pair, with occasional assistance from John Bennetts (UBSS) and Rob Adams (BEC), began work at a point known as “Terminal 3” where a slightly too tight rift had previously failed to yield to attempts at capping…
A major breakthrough has been made in Tween Twins Hole, Burrington Combe, Somerset. Darkness Below has received the following report from the diggers: After many years of work a team of Wessex Cave Club diggers have made an interesting discovery at Tween Twins Hole in Burrington Combe, Mendip. Tween Twins, known to members of the…
Since the completion of the show-cave tunnel to Chamber 20 in Wookey, last year, a number of groups have been digging and exploring in various nooks and crannies that had never been properly pushed by the divers. This work has now borne its first fruits with the discovery of an overland (dry) route to Edmund’s…
Looking for information on human remains in caves? Look no further. Professor Andrew Chamberlain of the University of Manchester has compiled a gazetteer of all sites in Britain in which human remains have been found. This resource is hosted by the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society (UBSS) and can be found here. The gazetteer contains…
