The caramel-colored skull of an ancient cave bear is believed to be at least 60,000 years old, and it’s up for auction in Anchorage.

The event, which is now in its third consecutive year, allows hunters to bring in their deer or elk racks, or bear skulls, to be measured for possible inclusion into the state record book.

Yet the story of humanity in these lands began long before the Ainu, and today, Hokkaido’s furthest reaches are hoping the treasures of long-forgotten peoples could be the key to drawing curious ...

Scores are tallied based on the greatest length and greatest width of the skull measured to the nearest 1/16 of an inch and then added together; there is no reduction of fractions. A score above 21 ...