In a recently published study, a pair of researchers from universities in the United States and Canada examined the chemical composition of glass beads made in Europe that were traded among indigenous people in the Western Great Lakes region in the 17th century. Through a unique and extensive process of analysis, the researchers were able to track indigenous participation in transatlantic exchange networks that predated the arrival of European settlers in the Great Lakes area, meaning glass beads made in Europe got to that region before actual Europeans!  Read moreSection: ArtifactsOther ArtifactsNewsHistory & ArchaeologyRead Later