Newsdesk Archive
An archaeological dig in the City of David, an ancient site in Jerusalem, uncovered shards of pottery, clay lamps, figurines and a ceramic bowl with a 2,700-year-old inscription in ancient Hebrew, according to new research.A layer of artifacts was found during a recent excavation of an area known as Gihon Spring, which was the main source of water for the City of David.
A 2,000-year-old skeleton with a mask on its face has been found in the Aizanoi ancient city in Kütahya, during excavations in the area which have been continuing for two years now with new findings emerging.Speaking to Anadolu Agency, excavation group president Pamukkale University Archeology academic Elif Özer said the excavations had been ongoing since 2011, and many findings had been excavated from the area. The skeleton was excavated from the northern part of the necropolis eras.
Clumps of squid beaks sticking out of clay in Italy's Umbrian badlands may be the first fossilized ambergris, or whale poo, ever found.Ambergris is a fatty, waxy-looking substance. Scientists believe sperm whales
An Iron Age settlement unearthed in Devon has been described as one of the most important finds of its kind.It was prompted by the chance discovery of Roman coins in fields at Ipplepen, near Newton Abbot about four years ago.Archaeologists, who have recently started examining the site, said it is the first of its kind in the county.The excavation is being funded by the British Museum, Exeter University, the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and Devon County Council.
Tiny, round, cold clouds in space have all the right characteristics to form planets with no parent star. New observations, made with Chalmers University of Technology telescopes, show that not all free-floating planets were thrown out of existing planetary systems. They can also be born free.Previous research has shown that there may be as many as 200 billion free-floating planets in our galaxy, the Milky Way. Until now scientists have believed that such "rogue planets," which don't orbit around a star, must have been ejected from existing planetary systems.
The space-based telescope known as WISE has been orbiting our planet in a hibernative state for the past two and a half years. But now, nap time is over.WISE has some asteroid hunting to do.
When it comes to detecting laser pulses aliens might shoot at Earth to attract our attention, scientists now find they can detect signals as faint as a single photon of light every few tiny fractions of a second.Astronomers have gazed at the skies for decades searching for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence. Lasers can in principle help transmit messages over extraordinary distances, but while scientists have monitored a large number of stars looking for alien laser signals
Archaeologists are preparing to extract a sarcophagus discovered at Lincoln Castle and thought to contain "somebody terribly important".The stone sarcophagus, believed to date from about AD900, was found alongside the remains of a church which was previously unknown.Archaeologists have been on site for almost a year and their work came to an end this week.
The colorful secret of a 1,600-year-old Roman chalice at the British Museum is the key to a supersensitive new technology that might help diagnose human disease or pinpoint biohazards at security checkpoints.The glass chalice, known as the Lycurgus Cup because it bears a scene involving King Lycurgus of Thrace, appears jade green when lit from the front but blood-red when lit from behind
Since the 1970s, NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey have been amassing satellite images of every inch of our planet as part of the Landsat program. Over time, the images reveal a record of change: of cities expanding, lakes and forests disappearing, new islands emerging from the sea off the coast of rising Middle East metropolises like Dubai.
One of the most massive volcanic eruptions in the solar system has been spotted on Jupiter's moon Io
The sun fired off an intense solar storm at Earth Wednesday (Aug. 21)
Want to lose weight fast? No need to adjust your diet
During the Starship Congress last week in Dallas, Texas, discussions focused on the myriad of topics associated with humans pushing into space and, ultimately, becoming an interstellar civilization. It quickly became apparent that if you think on a large enough scale, over a vast enough time frame, pushing humanity deeper into the galaxy is not a sci-fi notion, it
In October, Saudi Arabia will host millions of travelers on the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Islam
One of the first stepping stones for Europeans as they explored across the Atlantic to ultimately land in the Americas was colonized much earlier than previously thought -- and not by the Vikings, who were once thought to be the pioneers of those isles, researchers say.The Faroe Islands are located about halfway between Norway and Iceland. They were the first stepping stones beyond the Scottish archipelago of the Shetlands for the Viking diaspora that culminated in the European discovery of continental North America in the 11th century, about 400 or 500 years before Christopher Columbus made his famous voyage.
Pet-keeping and animal sacrifice in antiquity were common practices. How the animals were treated can often be seen archaeologically.By most modern standards, household pets such as cats and dogs are looked at as companion animals. It can be assumed that some people in the past acquired a similar affection to household or working animals. A companion animal is generally valued as being able to bring its owner a sense of loyalty, comfort, security and friendship.
A treasure hunter has unearthed a valuable silver ring that provides new evidence for the spread of early Christianity in Britain before St Augustine arrived on an official mission in 597AD.The ring, found by an anonymous treasure hunter in Swaffham, Norfolk, is inscribed with words commonly found on converts' rings.Experts have dated the ring between 312 and 410AD, long before Augustine's official mission to convert the Britons in 597AD.
An archaeological dig in the City of David, an ancient site in Jerusalem, uncovered shards of pottery, clay lamps, figurines and a ceramic bowl with a 2,700-year-old inscription in ancient Hebrew, according to new research.A layer of artifacts was found during a recent excavation of an area known as Gihon Spring, which was the main source of water for the City of David.
A 2,000-year-old skeleton with a mask on its face has been found in the Aizanoi ancient city in Kütahya, during excavations in the area which have been continuing for two years now with new findings emerging.Speaking to Anadolu Agency, excavation group president Pamukkale University Archeology academic Elif Özer said the excavations had been ongoing since 2011, and many findings had been excavated from the area. The skeleton was excavated from the northern part of the necropolis eras.
Clumps of squid beaks sticking out of clay in Italy's Umbrian badlands may be the first fossilized ambergris, or whale poo, ever found.Ambergris is a fatty, waxy-looking substance. Scientists believe sperm whales
An Iron Age settlement unearthed in Devon has been described as one of the most important finds of its kind.It was prompted by the chance discovery of Roman coins in fields at Ipplepen, near Newton Abbot about four years ago.Archaeologists, who have recently started examining the site, said it is the first of its kind in the county.The excavation is being funded by the British Museum, Exeter University, the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and Devon County Council.
Tiny, round, cold clouds in space have all the right characteristics to form planets with no parent star. New observations, made with Chalmers University of Technology telescopes, show that not all free-floating planets were thrown out of existing planetary systems. They can also be born free.Previous research has shown that there may be as many as 200 billion free-floating planets in our galaxy, the Milky Way. Until now scientists have believed that such "rogue planets," which don't orbit around a star, must have been ejected from existing planetary systems.
The space-based telescope known as WISE has been orbiting our planet in a hibernative state for the past two and a half years. But now, nap time is over.WISE has some asteroid hunting to do.
When it comes to detecting laser pulses aliens might shoot at Earth to attract our attention, scientists now find they can detect signals as faint as a single photon of light every few tiny fractions of a second.Astronomers have gazed at the skies for decades searching for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence. Lasers can in principle help transmit messages over extraordinary distances, but while scientists have monitored a large number of stars looking for alien laser signals
Archaeologists are preparing to extract a sarcophagus discovered at Lincoln Castle and thought to contain "somebody terribly important".The stone sarcophagus, believed to date from about AD900, was found alongside the remains of a church which was previously unknown.Archaeologists have been on site for almost a year and their work came to an end this week.
The colorful secret of a 1,600-year-old Roman chalice at the British Museum is the key to a supersensitive new technology that might help diagnose human disease or pinpoint biohazards at security checkpoints.The glass chalice, known as the Lycurgus Cup because it bears a scene involving King Lycurgus of Thrace, appears jade green when lit from the front but blood-red when lit from behind
Since the 1970s, NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey have been amassing satellite images of every inch of our planet as part of the Landsat program. Over time, the images reveal a record of change: of cities expanding, lakes and forests disappearing, new islands emerging from the sea off the coast of rising Middle East metropolises like Dubai.
One of the most massive volcanic eruptions in the solar system has been spotted on Jupiter's moon Io
The sun fired off an intense solar storm at Earth Wednesday (Aug. 21)
Want to lose weight fast? No need to adjust your diet
During the Starship Congress last week in Dallas, Texas, discussions focused on the myriad of topics associated with humans pushing into space and, ultimately, becoming an interstellar civilization. It quickly became apparent that if you think on a large enough scale, over a vast enough time frame, pushing humanity deeper into the galaxy is not a sci-fi notion, it
In October, Saudi Arabia will host millions of travelers on the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Islam
One of the first stepping stones for Europeans as they explored across the Atlantic to ultimately land in the Americas was colonized much earlier than previously thought -- and not by the Vikings, who were once thought to be the pioneers of those isles, researchers say.The Faroe Islands are located about halfway between Norway and Iceland. They were the first stepping stones beyond the Scottish archipelago of the Shetlands for the Viking diaspora that culminated in the European discovery of continental North America in the 11th century, about 400 or 500 years before Christopher Columbus made his famous voyage.
Pet-keeping and animal sacrifice in antiquity were common practices. How the animals were treated can often be seen archaeologically.By most modern standards, household pets such as cats and dogs are looked at as companion animals. It can be assumed that some people in the past acquired a similar affection to household or working animals. A companion animal is generally valued as being able to bring its owner a sense of loyalty, comfort, security and friendship.
A treasure hunter has unearthed a valuable silver ring that provides new evidence for the spread of early Christianity in Britain before St Augustine arrived on an official mission in 597AD.The ring, found by an anonymous treasure hunter in Swaffham, Norfolk, is inscribed with words commonly found on converts' rings.Experts have dated the ring between 312 and 410AD, long before Augustine's official mission to convert the Britons in 597AD.
An archaeological dig in the City of David, an ancient site in Jerusalem, uncovered shards of pottery, clay lamps, figurines and a ceramic bowl with a 2,700-year-old inscription in ancient Hebrew, according to new research.A layer of artifacts was found during a recent excavation of an area known as Gihon Spring, which was the main source of water for the City of David.
A 2,000-year-old skeleton with a mask on its face has been found in the Aizanoi ancient city in Kütahya, during excavations in the area which have been continuing for two years now with new findings emerging.Speaking to Anadolu Agency, excavation group president Pamukkale University Archeology academic Elif Özer said the excavations had been ongoing since 2011, and many findings had been excavated from the area. The skeleton was excavated from the northern part of the necropolis eras.
Clumps of squid beaks sticking out of clay in Italy's Umbrian badlands may be the first fossilized ambergris, or whale poo, ever found.Ambergris is a fatty, waxy-looking substance. Scientists believe sperm whales
An Iron Age settlement unearthed in Devon has been described as one of the most important finds of its kind.It was prompted by the chance discovery of Roman coins in fields at Ipplepen, near Newton Abbot about four years ago.Archaeologists, who have recently started examining the site, said it is the first of its kind in the county.The excavation is being funded by the British Museum, Exeter University, the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and Devon County Council.
Tiny, round, cold clouds in space have all the right characteristics to form planets with no parent star. New observations, made with Chalmers University of Technology telescopes, show that not all free-floating planets were thrown out of existing planetary systems. They can also be born free.Previous research has shown that there may be as many as 200 billion free-floating planets in our galaxy, the Milky Way. Until now scientists have believed that such "rogue planets," which don't orbit around a star, must have been ejected from existing planetary systems.
The space-based telescope known as WISE has been orbiting our planet in a hibernative state for the past two and a half years. But now, nap time is over.WISE has some asteroid hunting to do.
When it comes to detecting laser pulses aliens might shoot at Earth to attract our attention, scientists now find they can detect signals as faint as a single photon of light every few tiny fractions of a second.Astronomers have gazed at the skies for decades searching for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence. Lasers can in principle help transmit messages over extraordinary distances, but while scientists have monitored a large number of stars looking for alien laser signals
Archaeologists are preparing to extract a sarcophagus discovered at Lincoln Castle and thought to contain "somebody terribly important".The stone sarcophagus, believed to date from about AD900, was found alongside the remains of a church which was previously unknown.Archaeologists have been on site for almost a year and their work came to an end this week.
The colorful secret of a 1,600-year-old Roman chalice at the British Museum is the key to a supersensitive new technology that might help diagnose human disease or pinpoint biohazards at security checkpoints.The glass chalice, known as the Lycurgus Cup because it bears a scene involving King Lycurgus of Thrace, appears jade green when lit from the front but blood-red when lit from behind
Since the 1970s, NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey have been amassing satellite images of every inch of our planet as part of the Landsat program. Over time, the images reveal a record of change: of cities expanding, lakes and forests disappearing, new islands emerging from the sea off the coast of rising Middle East metropolises like Dubai.
One of the most massive volcanic eruptions in the solar system has been spotted on Jupiter's moon Io
The sun fired off an intense solar storm at Earth Wednesday (Aug. 21)
Want to lose weight fast? No need to adjust your diet
During the Starship Congress last week in Dallas, Texas, discussions focused on the myriad of topics associated with humans pushing into space and, ultimately, becoming an interstellar civilization. It quickly became apparent that if you think on a large enough scale, over a vast enough time frame, pushing humanity deeper into the galaxy is not a sci-fi notion, it
In October, Saudi Arabia will host millions of travelers on the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Islam
An archaeological dig in the City of David, an ancient site in Jerusalem, uncovered shards of pottery, clay lamps, figurines and a ceramic bowl with a 2,700-year-old inscription in ancient Hebrew, according to new research.A layer of artifacts was found during a recent excavation of an area known as Gihon Spring, which was the main source of water for the City of David.
A 2,000-year-old skeleton with a mask on its face has been found in the Aizanoi ancient city in Kütahya, during excavations in the area which have been continuing for two years now with new findings emerging.Speaking to Anadolu Agency, excavation group president Pamukkale University Archeology academic Elif Özer said the excavations had been ongoing since 2011, and many findings had been excavated from the area. The skeleton was excavated from the northern part of the necropolis eras.
An Iron Age settlement unearthed in Devon has been described as one of the most important finds of its kind.It was prompted by the chance discovery of Roman coins in fields at Ipplepen, near Newton Abbot about four years ago.Archaeologists, who have recently started examining the site, said it is the first of its kind in the county.The excavation is being funded by the British Museum, Exeter University, the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and Devon County Council.
Tiny, round, cold clouds in space have all the right characteristics to form planets with no parent star. New observations, made with Chalmers University of Technology telescopes, show that not all free-floating planets were thrown out of existing planetary systems. They can also be born free.Previous research has shown that there may be as many as 200 billion free-floating planets in our galaxy, the Milky Way. Until now scientists have believed that such "rogue planets," which don't orbit around a star, must have been ejected from existing planetary systems.
The space-based telescope known as WISE has been orbiting our planet in a hibernative state for the past two and a half years. But now, nap time is over.WISE has some asteroid hunting to do.
Archaeologists are preparing to extract a sarcophagus discovered at Lincoln Castle and thought to contain "somebody terribly important".The stone sarcophagus, believed to date from about AD900, was found alongside the remains of a church which was previously unknown.Archaeologists have been on site for almost a year and their work came to an end this week.
Since the 1970s, NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey have been amassing satellite images of every inch of our planet as part of the Landsat program. Over time, the images reveal a record of change: of cities expanding, lakes and forests disappearing, new islands emerging from the sea off the coast of rising Middle East metropolises like Dubai.
One of the first stepping stones for Europeans as they explored across the Atlantic to ultimately land in the Americas was colonized much earlier than previously thought -- and not by the Vikings, who were once thought to be the pioneers of those isles, researchers say.The Faroe Islands are located about halfway between Norway and Iceland. They were the first stepping stones beyond the Scottish archipelago of the Shetlands for the Viking diaspora that culminated in the European discovery of continental North America in the 11th century, about 400 or 500 years before Christopher Columbus made his famous voyage.
Pet-keeping and animal sacrifice in antiquity were common practices. How the animals were treated can often be seen archaeologically.By most modern standards, household pets such as cats and dogs are looked at as companion animals. It can be assumed that some people in the past acquired a similar affection to household or working animals. A companion animal is generally valued as being able to bring its owner a sense of loyalty, comfort, security and friendship.
A treasure hunter has unearthed a valuable silver ring that provides new evidence for the spread of early Christianity in Britain before St Augustine arrived on an official mission in 597AD.The ring, found by an anonymous treasure hunter in Swaffham, Norfolk, is inscribed with words commonly found on converts' rings.Experts have dated the ring between 312 and 410AD, long before Augustine's official mission to convert the Britons in 597AD.
I HAVE been struggling with an addiction to opiates for the past three years. It started with prescription painkillers and progressed to full-blown heroin dependence.In an attempt to kick the habit I signed up for a traditional 30-step inpatient treatment that involved individual and group counselling, and which cost about $30,000. That was a year ago, and it didn't work. I felt unable to stay away from heroin.
Willpower may be plentiful
More details continue to emerge on the UK government's two recent anti-journalist actions. The Guardian reports that the order to (pointlessly) smash up Guardian hardware came from the top.A spokesman for Clegg made clear that Heywood was acting on the authority of both the prime minister and his deputy.Related: WikiLeaks: Govts attacks on media
The Independent this morning published an article - which it repeatedly claims comes from "documents obtained from the NSA by Edward Snowden" - disclosing that "Britain runs a secret internet-monitoring station in the Middle East to intercept and process vast quantities of emails, telephone calls and web traffic on behalf of Western intelligence agencies." This is the first time the Independent has published any revelations purportedly from the NSA documents, and it's the type of disclosure which journalists working directly with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden have thus far avoided.
A few months ago, internet entrepreneur Avi Freedman received an unexpected email from a prince. A decade earlier, Freedman had been part of an effort to create a data haven
News emerged this week that an indigenous tribe in the Peruvian Amazon, the Mashco-Piro, has been trying to make contact with outsiders. In the past, the Mashco-Piro have always resisted interaction with strangers, avoiding
ALMOST a tenth of children are given a mobile phone before age five, new research shows.A uSwitch.com report found the average child gets their first mobile aged 11 years and eight months
When you see them on the beach, spinach-like plops of green sprawled on the sand, you'd never guess their teeny nervous systems are imprinted with beach-ness. They are the ultimate Beach Boys. For them it's always summer.They don't look like it at first, but they are worms.
In Pennsylvania, the closer you live to a well used to hydraulically fracture underground shale for natural gas, the more likely it is that your drinking water is contaminated with methane. This conclusion, in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA in July, is a first step in determining whether fracking in the Marcellus Shale underlying much of Pennsylvania is responsible for tainted drinking water in that region.
Long ago, when the Earth had only one continent and one ocean, an earthquake rippled through western North America's great sand sea. The early Jurassic earthquake left its mark in the vast dunes that now form the famous red cliffs of Zion National Park in Utah, a new study finds.
There's a joke among scientists: Prediction is difficult, especially about the future. For Ross Stein, it wasn't a joke after the Indian Ocean quake and tsunami in 2004. It killed some 275,000 people. "I just felt almost a sense of shame," Stein says, "that this tragedy could have been so immense in a world where we have so much intense research effort."
A Japanese committee today recommended a site in Japan's Tohoku region for the International Linear Collider (ILC) -- if the country ends up hosting the facility, which could cost $10 billion.The ILC is expected to pick up where Europe's Large Hadron Collider leaves off in studies of the Higgs boson and other exotic particles.
Scientists have harnessed the tools needed to stage Earth
Researchers from Michigan State University and Imperial College London have just received $1.87 million in funding to conduct a treasure hunt. It will take them from Germany to Hawaii in the US and elsewhere, in search of the smallest needle
New research has linked deformed insects to pesticide pollution from intensive tobacco cultivation around the Oven
Every time a scientist thinks he
One night as she lay down to sleep, a 60-year-old woman suddenly started having strange hallucinations. She told her doctors she heard music that seemed like it was playing from a radio at the back of her head.Within a few months, she was hearing music all the time, with some songs on repeat for up to three weeks. Curiously, she did not recognize many of the tunes that dogged her, but they had full vocals and instrumentals; and when she sang or hummed the melodies for her husband, he identified them as popular songs.
The dentist who purchased John Lennon's rotten molar for $31,000 at a 2011 auction now has plans for the tooth: He's getting it genetically sequenced in the hopes of cloning the musician, who died in 1980.Seriously. Dr. Michael Zuk has started up a website, JohnLennonDNA.com and put out a press release with all the gory details. "I am nervous and excited at the possibility that we will be able to fully sequence John Lennon's DNA, very soon I hope,".
I HAVE been struggling with an addiction to opiates for the past three years. It started with prescription painkillers and progressed to full-blown heroin dependence.In an attempt to kick the habit I signed up for a traditional 30-step inpatient treatment that involved individual and group counselling, and which cost about $30,000. That was a year ago, and it didn't work. I felt unable to stay away from heroin.
Willpower may be plentiful
More details continue to emerge on the UK government's two recent anti-journalist actions. The Guardian reports that the order to (pointlessly) smash up Guardian hardware came from the top.A spokesman for Clegg made clear that Heywood was acting on the authority of both the prime minister and his deputy.Related: WikiLeaks: Govts attacks on media
The Independent this morning published an article - which it repeatedly claims comes from "documents obtained from the NSA by Edward Snowden" - disclosing that "Britain runs a secret internet-monitoring station in the Middle East to intercept and process vast quantities of emails, telephone calls and web traffic on behalf of Western intelligence agencies." This is the first time the Independent has published any revelations purportedly from the NSA documents, and it's the type of disclosure which journalists working directly with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden have thus far avoided.
A few months ago, internet entrepreneur Avi Freedman received an unexpected email from a prince. A decade earlier, Freedman had been part of an effort to create a data haven
News emerged this week that an indigenous tribe in the Peruvian Amazon, the Mashco-Piro, has been trying to make contact with outsiders. In the past, the Mashco-Piro have always resisted interaction with strangers, avoiding
ALMOST a tenth of children are given a mobile phone before age five, new research shows.A uSwitch.com report found the average child gets their first mobile aged 11 years and eight months
When you see them on the beach, spinach-like plops of green sprawled on the sand, you'd never guess their teeny nervous systems are imprinted with beach-ness. They are the ultimate Beach Boys. For them it's always summer.They don't look like it at first, but they are worms.
In Pennsylvania, the closer you live to a well used to hydraulically fracture underground shale for natural gas, the more likely it is that your drinking water is contaminated with methane. This conclusion, in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA in July, is a first step in determining whether fracking in the Marcellus Shale underlying much of Pennsylvania is responsible for tainted drinking water in that region.
Long ago, when the Earth had only one continent and one ocean, an earthquake rippled through western North America's great sand sea. The early Jurassic earthquake left its mark in the vast dunes that now form the famous red cliffs of Zion National Park in Utah, a new study finds.
There's a joke among scientists: Prediction is difficult, especially about the future. For Ross Stein, it wasn't a joke after the Indian Ocean quake and tsunami in 2004. It killed some 275,000 people. "I just felt almost a sense of shame," Stein says, "that this tragedy could have been so immense in a world where we have so much intense research effort."
A Japanese committee today recommended a site in Japan's Tohoku region for the International Linear Collider (ILC) -- if the country ends up hosting the facility, which could cost $10 billion.The ILC is expected to pick up where Europe's Large Hadron Collider leaves off in studies of the Higgs boson and other exotic particles.
Scientists have harnessed the tools needed to stage Earth
Researchers from Michigan State University and Imperial College London have just received $1.87 million in funding to conduct a treasure hunt. It will take them from Germany to Hawaii in the US and elsewhere, in search of the smallest needle
New research has linked deformed insects to pesticide pollution from intensive tobacco cultivation around the Oven
Every time a scientist thinks he
One night as she lay down to sleep, a 60-year-old woman suddenly started having strange hallucinations. She told her doctors she heard music that seemed like it was playing from a radio at the back of her head.Within a few months, she was hearing music all the time, with some songs on repeat for up to three weeks. Curiously, she did not recognize many of the tunes that dogged her, but they had full vocals and instrumentals; and when she sang or hummed the melodies for her husband, he identified them as popular songs.
The dentist who purchased John Lennon's rotten molar for $31,000 at a 2011 auction now has plans for the tooth: He's getting it genetically sequenced in the hopes of cloning the musician, who died in 1980.Seriously. Dr. Michael Zuk has started up a website, JohnLennonDNA.com and put out a press release with all the gory details. "I am nervous and excited at the possibility that we will be able to fully sequence John Lennon's DNA, very soon I hope,".