How did ancient civilizations make sense of the cosmos, and what did they get right?
In the spring of 1900, a group of Greek sponge divers, blown off course by a storm in the Aegean, stumbled upon the wreck of an ancient Roman ship loaded with treasure that had sunk more than 2,000 years earlier off the remote Greek island of Antikyt.....»»
Researchers explore raw materials and firing technology for porcelain from late sixth-century Xing kiln
In the process of firing ceramics, the appearance, structure and properties of ceramics are determined by raw materials and firing technology, so the study of raw materials and firing technology of ancient ceramics has always been a very important ar.....»»
Fitbit Sense 2, Fitbit Charge 6 just got handsome price cuts
The Fitbit Charge 6 fitness tracker and the Fitbit Sense 2 smartwatch are available from Best Buy for cheaper than usual. Don't miss this chance for discounts!.....»»
Ancient scroll reveals new story of Plato"s death—here"s why you should be suspicious of it
Plato of Athens (429–347 BC) may be one of the most famous philosophers of all times. He was the thinker who came up with the "theory of forms" and founded the first academic institution. Yet we know little about his life, such as how he died, or w.....»»
Astronomers observe elusive stellar light surrounding ancient quasars
MIT astronomers have observed the elusive starlight surrounding some of the earliest quasars in the universe. The distant signals, which trace back more than 13 billion years to the universe's infancy, are revealing clues to how the very first black.....»»
Beautifully crafted Roman dodecahedron discovered in Lincoln—but what were they for?
Roman dodecahedra are something of an enigma: there is no known mention of these 12-sided, hollow objects in ancient Roman texts or images. First discovered in the 18th century, around 130 dodecahedra have been found across the Roman Empire, although.....»»
AI in space: Karpathy suggests AI chatbots as interstellar messengers to alien civilizations
Andrej Karpathy muses about sending a LLM binary that could "wake up" and answer questions. Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) On Thursday, renowned AI researcher Andrej Karpathy, formerly of OpenAI and Tesla, tweeted a ligh.....»»
Assyriologist claims to have solved archaeological mystery from 700 BC
Ancient symbols on a 2,700-year-old temple, which have baffled experts for more than a century, have been explained by Trinity Assyriologist Dr. Martin Worthington......»»
Mayans burned and buried dead political regimes
After burning, the remains were dumped in construction fill. Enlarge / Mayans built impressive structures and occasionally put interesting items in the construction fill. (credit: Dr. Jürgen Tenckhoff) As civilizations.....»»
Hadeda ibises" "sixth sense" works best in wet soil: New research is a wake-up call for survival of wading birds
Hadeda ibises (Bostrychia hagedash) are one of the most familiar species of birds across sub-Saharan Africa. They are large, long-legged birds with long, thin beaks for probing invertebrates out of soil, and though they appear dull brown at a glance,.....»»
Positive school climate boosts high school grades, study finds
A study led by a UC Riverside graduate student has found that Latino high school students achieve higher grades when they perceive a more positive school climate and when they have a stronger sense of self-esteem......»»
Best Fitbit deals: Save on Versa 4, Charge 6, and Sense 2
Whether you want a dedicated fitness tracker or a health-focused smartwatch, there's something for you from these Fitbit deals that we've collected right here......»»
Maya used hallucinogenic plants in rituals to bless their ball courts
eDNA analysis found traces of xtabentum, as well as lancewood, chili peppers, and jool. Enlarge / A decorative ring made from carved stone is embedded in the wall of a ballcourt in the ancient Maya city of Chichen Itza. (credit:.....»»
For the ancient Maya, cracked mirrors were a path to the world beyond
Some people fear that breaking a mirror can lead to seven years of misfortune. The history of this superstition may go back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who ascribed mysterious powers to reflected images......»»
Maya used hallucinogenic plants in “ensouling” rituals for their ball courts
eDNA analysis found traces of xtabentum, as well as lancewood, chili peppers, and jool. Enlarge / A decorative ring made from carved stone is embedded in the wall of a ballcourt in the ancient Maya city of Chichen Itza. (credit:.....»»
Scientists show that ancient village adapted to drought, rising seas
Around 6,200 BCE, the climate changed. Global temperatures dropped, sea levels rose and the southern Levant, including modern-day Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon, southern Syria and the Sinai desert, entered a period of drought......»»
Isotopic evidence reveals surprising dietary practices of ancient hunter-gatherers
It has long been thought that meat played an important role in the diet of hunter-gatherers before the Neolithic transition. However, due to the scarcity of well-preserved human remains from Paleolithic sites, little information exists about the diet.....»»
African farmers look to the past and the future to address climate change
From ancient fertilizer methods in Zimbabwe to new greenhouse technology in Somalia, farmers across the heavily agriculture-reliant African continent are looking to the past and future to respond to climate change......»»
The Mysterious ‘Dark’ Energy That Permeates the Universe Is Slowly Eroding
Physicists call the dark energy that drives the universe “the cosmological constant.” Now the largest map of the cosmos to date hints that this mysterious energy has been changing over billions of years......»»
The first glow-in-the-dark animals may have been ancient corals deep in the ocean
Many animals can glow in the dark. Fireflies famously blink on summer evenings. But most animals that light up are found in the depths of the ocean......»»
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense......»»