Ancient poem deifies wife of brutal Roman emperor Nero
A just-deciphered ancient Greek poem discovered in Egypt deifies Poppaea Sabina, the wife of the infamous Roman emperor Nero, showing her ascending to the stars.
Based on the lettering styles and other factors, scholars think the poem was written nearly 200 years after Nero died (about 1,800 years ago), leaving them puzzled as to why someone so far away from Rome would bother composing or copying it at such a late date. In the poem, Poppaea ascends to heaven and becomes a goddess. The ancient goddess Aphrodite says to Poppaea, "my child, stop crying and hurry up: with all their heart Zeus' stars welcome you and establish you on the moon." |  |
UN launches 'Heritage of Astronomy' portal
PARIS — Observatories in Britain, France and the United States, a pharaonic temple in Egypt, a 3,000-year-old pillar in China and a 1920s tower in Berlin have been inscribed on a UN-backed heritage list for astronomy, unveiled on Friday.
The Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy (http://www2.astronomicalheritage.net/) aims to give astronomical sites the same place in public awareness as UNESCO's World Heritage List does for places of historical importance. The website was launched on the sidelines of an International Astrononomical Union (IAU) meeting in Beijing on Friday, the IAU said in a press release. It is being backed by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). |  |
Link found between cold European winters and solar activity
Scientists have long suspected that the Sun's 11-year cycle influences climate of certain regions on Earth. Yet records of average, seasonal temperatures do not date back far enough to confirm any patterns. Now, armed with a unique proxy, an international team of researchers show that unusually cold winters in Central Europe are related to low solar activity – when sunspot numbers are minimal. The freezing of Germany's largest river, the Rhine, is the key.
Although the Earth's surface overall continues to warm, the new analysis has revealed a correlation between periods of low activity of the Sun and of some cooling – on a limited, regional scale in Central Europe, along the Rhine. |  |
Da Vinci painted himself into Last Supper?
London: Code cracked? Leonardo da Vinci used his own face for two apostles, Thomas and James the Lesser, in his popular painting 'the Last Supper' , according to a new theory. The theory presented by a renowned art historian Ross King suggests Leonardo used his own face for two of the apostles.
King believes he has uncovered new evidence that the master artist inserted himself not once, but twice, into his famous mural, 'The Last Supper'.
King believes he has uncovered new evidence that the master artist inserted himself not once, but twice, into his famous mural, 'The Last Supper'.
Richard III could be buried under Leicester car park, archaeologists say
Archaeologists are hoping to find the lost grave of King Richard III under a Leicester car park, which they believe was once the site of a church where the medieval monarch was buried more than 500 years ago.
Richard III, the last Plantagenet, ruled England from 1483 until he was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. It is believed his body was stripped and despoiled and brought to Leicester, where he was buried in the church of the Franciscan Friary, known as Greyfriars. |  |
A Turkish origin for Indo-European languages
Languages as diverse as English, Russian and Hindi can trace their roots back more than 8,000 years to Anatolia — now in modern-day Turkey. That's the conclusion of a study1 that assessed 103 ancient and contemporary languages using a technique normally used to study the evolution and spread of disease. The researchers hope that their findings can settle a long-running debate about the origins of the Indo-European language group.
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Laotian fossil skull represents oldest modern human in SE Asia
Researchers working in the Annamite Mountain range in northern Laos at the site of Tam Pa Ling (“the Cave of the Monkeys”), a limestone cave at the top of the Pa Hang Mountain at over 1170 metres above sea level, have unearthed a fragmented partial skull that represents the the oldest anatomically modern human fossil found in Southeast Asia as well as the earliest skeletal evidence for modern humans east of the Middle East.
The fragments were originally found back in 2009 under nearly 2½ metres of material built up in the cave and initial observations of the skull and teeth morphology demonstrated that the fossils are definitely from a fully anatomically modern human with no archaic traits at all and not from an extinct lineage such as the Neanderthals.
The fragments were originally found back in 2009 under nearly 2½ metres of material built up in the cave and initial observations of the skull and teeth morphology demonstrated that the fossils are definitely from a fully anatomically modern human with no archaic traits at all and not from an extinct lineage such as the Neanderthals.
Researchers study Dead Sea climate past, finding dramatic results
he Dead Sea, a salt sea without an outlet, lies over 400 metres below sea level. Tourists like its high salt content because it increases their buoyancy.
“For scientists, however, the Dead Sea is a popular archive that provides a diachronic view of its climate past,” says Prof. Dr. Thomas Litt from the Steinmann-Institute for Geology, Mineralogy and Palaeontology at the University of Bonn.
Using drilling cores from riparian lake sediments, palaeontologists and meteorologists from the University of Bonn deduced the climate conditions of the past 10,000 years. This became possible because the Dead Sea level has sunk drastically over the past years, mostly because of increasing water withdrawals lowering the water supply.
“For scientists, however, the Dead Sea is a popular archive that provides a diachronic view of its climate past,” says Prof. Dr. Thomas Litt from the Steinmann-Institute for Geology, Mineralogy and Palaeontology at the University of Bonn.
Using drilling cores from riparian lake sediments, palaeontologists and meteorologists from the University of Bonn deduced the climate conditions of the past 10,000 years. This became possible because the Dead Sea level has sunk drastically over the past years, mostly because of increasing water withdrawals lowering the water supply.
Livestock drugs 'link' to obesity epidemic
Farmers may have fuelled the obesity epidemic by using antibiotics to fatten up livestock, a new study suggests.
Researchers found evidence that low exposure to the drugs upsets the delicate balance of gut bacteria which in turn alters metabolism.
The findings indicate a possible link between rising rates of obesity and modern farming methods.
Researchers found evidence that low exposure to the drugs upsets the delicate balance of gut bacteria which in turn alters metabolism.
The findings indicate a possible link between rising rates of obesity and modern farming methods.
How Do You Make a Building Invisible to an Earthquake?
An inventive mathematician has a new idea for protecting buildings from earthquake damage: hide them.
William Parnell, of the University of Manchester in England, suggests wrapping a building’s base, or at least key components, in specialized rubber that diverts certain temblor shock waves, leaving the building virtually untouched by them. Parnell’s “elastodynamic cloak,” which engineers have just started testing, builds on a familiar concept: Waves headed directly for an object can be diffracted or bent so they miss it entirely. In the best-known example, scientists make objects appear invisible by encasing them within substances that have been engineered to alter the trajectory of light. When light waves pass through the cloak, they are channeled like water flowing around a rock. To an observer downstream, it appears that the light moved along a straight line, as if the object was not there. |  |
Black magic of the Roman era: Ancient lead tablet found in UK contains a curse
An ancient tablet unearthed in Kent has turned out to be inscribed with curses intended to bring bad luck to more than a dozen people.
The rolled up lead tablet found in East Farleigh, on the site of a Roman farmstead, was found in a 3rd to 4th Century building that may have been some kind of temple. Inscribed on the lead in capital letters are the names of 14 people, which an Oxford University expert says were the intended victims of the curse. It was discovered by the Maidstone Area Archaeological Group during excavations three years ago and has since undergone a series of detailed tests to determine its purpose. |  |
‘Invisibility cloak’ science to bring broadband Internet to everyone, everywhere
A lightweight, compact antenna made with an exotic “metamaterial” will soon bring broadband satellite Internet connections to anyone, anywhere with a portable laptop-sized hotspot.
The hotspot is the first product to be offered by Kymeta, a startup launched Tuesday by Intellectual Ventures, a Bellevue, Wash.,- based patent and research company led by former Microsoft chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold.
The hotspot is the first product to be offered by Kymeta, a startup launched Tuesday by Intellectual Ventures, a Bellevue, Wash.,- based patent and research company led by former Microsoft chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold.
Brain Hackers Pluck Your Private Data
You know that case-sensitive password you have? The "unguessable" alphanumeric cipher you think is safeguarding your private accounts? Well, the jig is up.
That's because a team of researchers from the University of Oxford in Geneva and the University of California in Berkeley just showed how easy it is to hack a human brain and pluck things such as bank details from your head. Not only that, they did so using an off-the-shelf Emotiv brain-computer interface that only cost a few hundred dollars. Volunteers for the security experiment were asked to wear an Emotiv BCI head piece and sat in front of a computer screen that showed images of maps, banks and card PINS. |  |
Milky Way Has a Twin (or Two): First Group of Galaxies Like Ours Found
Research presented Aug. 23, 2012 at the International Astronomical Union General Assembly in Beijing has found the first group of galaxies that is just like ours, a rare sight in the local Universe.
The Milky Way is a fairly typical galaxy on its own, but when paired with its close neighbours -- the Magellanic Clouds -- it is very rare, and could have been one of a kind, until a survey of our local Universe found another two examples just like us. |  |
Nice blog posting. Thanks!
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