The Indonesian archipelago is host to some of the earliest known rock art in the world1,2,3,4,5. Previously, secure Pleistocene dates were reported for figurative cave art and stencils of human hands in two areas in Indonesia—the Maros-Pangkep karsts in the southwestern peninsula of the island of Sulawesi1,3,4,5 and the Sangkulirang-Mangkalihat region of eastern Kalimantan, Borneo2. Here we describe a series of early dated rock art motifs from the southeastern portion of Sulawesi. Among this assemblage of Pleistocene (and possibly more recent) motifs, laser-ablation U-series (LA-U-series) dating of calcite overlying a hand stencil from Liang Metanduno on Muna Island yielded a U-series date of 71.6 ± 3.8 thousand years ago (ka), providing a minimum-age constraint of 67.8 ka for the underlying motif. The Muna minimum (67.8 ± 3.8 ka) exceeds the published minimum for rock art in Maros-Pangkep by 16.6 thousand years (kyr) (ref. 5) and is 1.1 kyr greater than the published minimum for a hand stencil from Spain attributed to Neanderthals6, which until now represented the oldest demonstrated minimum-age constraint for cave art worldwide. Moreover, the presence of this extremely old art in Sulawesi suggests that the initial peopling of Sahul about 65 ka7 involved maritime journeys between Borneo and Papua, a region that remains poorly explored from an archaeological perspective.
Tag: indonesia
Imports contaminated with radioactive isotope likely to continue for foreseeable future: US bulletin
Commodities from Indonesia beyond shrimp will almost certainly test positive for a radioactive isotope in the coming weeks and months, according to a new intelligence bulletin that follows a recall last month of 84,000 bags of frozen raw shrimp imported from Indonesia.
Federal regulators announced the recall on Dec. 19, after finding the shrimp may have been prepared, packed or held under conditions that could have exposed them to cesium-137, a radioactive isotope.
The new Homeland Security bulletin, a copy of which was obtained by ABC News, said the contamination is “very likely” to continue for the foreseeable future and spread beyond Indonesian imports that have already been interdicted — including shrimp, as well as spices and sneakers.
“Due to the high number of factories and wide variety of goods produced at facilities in the area of the contamination, additional commodities from Indonesia will almost certainly test positive for Cs-137 in the coming weeks and months,” the bulletin said. “While improbable, we cannot rule out the potential that Cs-137 contaminated goods will arrive in the United States via tourism or passenger travel.”
Malaysia, Indonesia Block Musk’s Grok Amid Explicit Content Scrutiny
Malaysia and Indonesia have announced a decision to block access to Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, amid scrutiny over the tool’s use to generate sexually explicit images, including ones that appear to depict minors.
The coordinated actions by the two Southeast Asian nations mark the strongest regulatory response yet against Grok, as governments across Europe and North America press X and xAI to explain how the system allowed the creation of sexualized and manipulated images.
In Indonesia, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs said on Jan. 10 that it had temporarily suspended access to Grok to protect the public from “the risk posed by fake pornographic content” generated using artificial intelligence. The ministry said the decision was aimed at safeguarding women, children, and society at large.
“The Government considers the practice of non-consensual sexual deepfakes to be a serious violation of human rights, dignity, and the security of citizens in the digital space,” Communications and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said in a statement.
The ministry also said it had requested representatives from X to clarify the negative impacts linked to Grok use.
Indonesia’s communications ministry said the temporary suspension was carried out under its existing regulatory authority. It cited a 2020 regulation governing private electronic system operators, which requires platforms to ensure their systems do not host or facilitate prohibited electronic content.
Indonesian Government Restores TikTok’s License After Platform Shares User Data
TikTok has handed over a broad collection of user data to Indonesian authorities, a move that cleared the way for the platform’s operations to resume in the country after a brief suspension.
The company acted under pressure from regulators following its failure to cooperate during a volatile stretch of anti-government demonstrations in late August.
According to government officials, the data shared included analytics on traffic behavior and signs of potential online gambling.
The request was triggered by a surge in livestream activity tied to the protests, which erupted after public anger over political perks collided with the fatal police killing of a motorcycle delivery driver.
Currently owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, TikTok is deeply embedded in Indonesia’s digital life, with over 100 million users and a rapidly growing e-commerce arm.
Authorities revoked its license last week after the platform did not supply information about user activity during the period from August 25 to 30. Police reported that some TikTok users live-streamed protest scenes and used the broadcasts to solicit digital gifts or payments from viewers.
On Monday, officials confirmed that TikTok submitted data showing the number of such livestreams and how much money they generated.
Alexander Sabar, a director general at the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, said in a written message, and as reported by Bloomberg: “The summary data provided is aggregate data, not specific to a particular user, and therefore cannot be used to track or monitor individuals — including accounts broadcasting demonstrations.”
He said the ministry’s primary interest was in activity tied to online gambling and other prohibited uses of the platform.
Technology companies around the world are often cautious when responding to government data requests.
Firms such as Meta and Google typically weigh these demands against potential backlash from users and the risk of exposing proprietary systems.
Radioactive metal at Indonesia industrial site may be linked to shrimp recall
Contaminated metal at an industrial site in Indonesia may be the source of radioactive material that led to massive recalls of imported frozen shrimp, international nuclear safety officials say, as efforts are underway to halt more U.S.-bound shipments.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday that officials are in “constant contact” with Indonesian nuclear regulators who have detected Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope, at a processing plant that sent millions of pounds of shrimp to the U.S.
“Preliminary information suggests that it may have originated from activities at a metal melting facility at the same industrial site or from the disposal of scrap metal junk to other areas of the site,” IAEA spokesperson Fredrik Dahl said in an email.
No U.S. investigators have been sent to the site in Serang, west of Jakarta, federal officials said.
Meanwhile, the company that exported the shrimp, PT Bahari Makmur Sejati, also known as BMS Foods, has recalled more than 300 shipping containers that were already on their way to the U.S., Dahl said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned last month that Cesium-137 was detected in shipping containers sent to four U.S. ports, and in a sample of imported frozen shrimp. That spurred multiple recalls of shrimp sold at Walmart, Kroger and other stores.
This week, additional recalls were issued by Tampa Maid Foods LLC, of Florida, for breaded butterfly shrimp sold under Admiral of the Fleet, Portico Seafood Classic and other labels.
None of the shrimp that triggered alerts or tested positive for Cesium-137 was released for sale, the FDA said. But other shipments sent to stores may have been manufactured under conditions that allowed the products to become contaminated, the agency said.
The risk appears to be small, but the shrimp could pose a “potential health concern” for people exposed to low levels of Cesium-137 over time, FDA officials said.
The FDA issued an import alert for shrimp from BMS Foods to stop the products from coming into the U.S.
FDA Warns About Potentially Radioactive Frozen Shrimp Sold at Walmart Stores
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday issued a public warning against potentially radioactive frozen shrimp products sold at Walmart stores in several states.
The FDA alert urged the public not to consume, sell, or serve certain Great Value raw frozen shrimp due to possible contamination with Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope.
Impacted Shrimp Products
Walmart also shared the FDA’s warning on its website.
The impacted raw frozen shrimp products were sold under the Great Value brand at stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia.
The impacted products have been stamped with lot codes 8005540-1, 8005538-1, and 8005539-1.
They also have Best by Dates of 3/15/2027.
What is Cesium-137?
Cesium-137, also referred to as Cs-137, is a radioactive isotope of cesium that is man-made through nuclear reactions, according to the FDA. The agency says because Cs-137 is “widespread worldwide,” trace amounts of the radioisotope can be found in soil, food, and the air.
Million-Year-Old Tools Reveal Mystery Human Species
Archaeological excavations on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi have uncovered seven stone tools dating back at least 1.04 million years, potentially extending to 1.48 million years ago. This groundbreaking discovery, published in the journal Nature, represents the oldest evidence of hominin occupation in the Wallacean archipelago and suggests that unknown human relatives were capable of oceanic crossings far earlier than previously imagined. The identity of these ancient toolmakers remains one of archaeology’s most tantalizing mysteries.
The Calio Site Discovery
The seven chert stone artifacts were excavated between 2019 and 2022 at Calio, located in a modern corn field in southern Sulawesi. These simple yet sophisticated tools were manufactured using hard-hammer percussion techniques, where ancient toolmakers struck larger pebbles from nearby riverbeds to create sharp-edged flakes suitable for cutting and scraping tasks. Professor Adam Brumm from Griffith University’s Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, who co-led the international research team, described the artifacts as “simple, sharp-edged flakes of stone that would have been useful as general-purpose cutting and scraping implements.”
The tools demonstrate remarkable technical knowledge despite their straightforward appearance. Evidence suggests a two-step reduction process was sometimes employed, where large flakes were further reduced into smaller, more manageable tools. Some artifacts even showed retouching – deliberate trimming of edges to enhance sharpness. This level of sophistication indicates that the toolmakers possessed expert understanding of fracture mechanics within a pragmatic, “least effort” approach to tool manufacturing.
Archaeologists Discover 140,000-Year-Old Hidden City Beneath the Ocean
Near Indonesia’s Madura Street in the ocean researchers have discovered a city submerged which dates back around 140,000 years. This incredible discovery has had a ripple effect through the anthropological and archaeological communities around the world. They found this submerged city between the islands of Java and Madura, as it was once part of a prehistoric land mass.
It was discovered during marine sand, mining operations and artifacts, as well as fossilized remains, were discovered. Excavations followed, which revealed homo erect skull fragments and over 6000 other fossils that represents 36 different species such as the Komodo dragon and some other extinct fauna.
The wall land mass that connected parts of Southeast Asia was known as Sundaland. In the modern day, it encompasses Malaysia, Indonesia, and other surrounding oceans. Because of lower sea levels back in the day, this land mass was exposed and was a terrestrial habitat that supported human populations and diverse ecosystems.
Because of climate change, the climate has warmed over time, and the glaciers melted approximately 14,000 to 7000 years ago, making the sea levels rise gradually. This resulted in the Sundaland being submerged and becoming the archipelagic geography we see today. One can only assume that the Submersion of this prehistoric gland mass had incredible implications for prehistoric human populations.
Five Reasons To Disbelieve The Report That Russia Wants An Airbase In Indonesia
None of those in the media who lend credence to Janes’ scandalous report can cogently explain what tangible benefit Russia or Indonesia would obtain from this base arrangement.
Janes Information Service set the Asian media ablaze on Monday after citing unnamed Indonesian sources to claim that Russia requested an airbase on the island of Biak near New Guinea. The Australian Defense Minister spoke to his Indonesian counterpart the next day, however, who told him that this report is “simply not true.” Keen observers would have already known even before this that Janes’ report about Russia wanting an airbase in Indonesia likely wasn’t true for the following five reasons:
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1. Indonesia’s New President Is Passionately Pro-American
New Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who was inaugurated last October after his election in February 2024 and served as Defense Minister from 2019 till then, made headlines for his phone call with Trump shortly after the latter’s electoral victory. He posted a video of their brief exchange where he offered to fly to congratulate him personally and even boasted about how “All my training is American”. This isn’t the behavior of someone who’s willing to get on the US’ bad side by hosting Russian warplanes.
As Kratom Consumers Face Global Market Disruption, It’s Time For FDA To Put Safety Over Stigma
For over a decade, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has quietly crippled the kratom supply chain. Now, Indonesia’s new export regulations—meant to raise kratom quality standards and appeal to U.S. regulators—may have just squeezed the most responsible products out of the market.
At the end of 2024, the Indonesian government enacted sweeping new trade regulations aimed at tightening the export market for kratom, a tree native to Southeast Asia with leaves containing psychoactive alkaloids that have long been used as an herbal remedy.
One provision of the policy strengthens quality control for kratom exports, which was notably absent in the past. Moving forward, all kratom shipments must be sterilized before leaving Indonesia, and only batches that meet minimum thresholds for the concentration of the primary active compound, mitragynine, will qualify for export. These steps are designed to limit contamination and prevent exporters from bulking up shipments with non-kratom plant material.
The second component of the regulations is a prohibition on the export of raw kratom leaf with a particle size over 0.6 millimeters, which includes crushed-leaf kratom. In the United States, crushed leaf is most often used to make extracts. By imposing particle size restrictions, Indonesia aims to ensure that the economic value of processing raw kratom into finished extract products stays within its own borders, rather than being captured by foreign companies.
These new standards represent a step forward for kratom quality control and international industry fairness. The intentions are worth celebrating and supporting.
However, the new regulations have also inadvertently disrupted the supply chain of safer, more traditional kratom products while failing to address the root cause of regulatory tension between the U.S. and Indonesia.
Hellbound and Down 
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