CAIRO — What’s this? Egypt’s new Islamist leaders want to raze the Great Pyramids, scratch away the images on the death masks of the pharaohs, maybe even wipe the grin off what is left of the face of the Sphinx?
Someone who reads a lot of right-wing blogs in the United States these days might be forgiven for thinking so, though there is no sign here that any such Islamist clamor to destroy the monuments of ancient Egypt has actually arisen. |  |
Caveman about the house
The traditional image of Neanderthals as gritty people who spent most of their time out hunting might not be entirely accurate, according to a new study revealing that they may have had to devote hours to daily subsistence tasks instead.
Our extinct prehistoric cousins, the Neanderthals, may have spent less of their time living the rugged life of the hunter and more of it carrying out tedious domestic chores, a new study suggests. |  |
Humans Blamed for Neanderthal Extinction
About 40,000 years ago, a huge volcanic eruption west of what is now Naples, Italy, showered ash over much of central and Eastern Europe. Some researchers have suggested that this super-eruption, combined with a sharp cold spell that hit the Northern Hemisphere at the same time, created a “volcanic winter” that did in the Neandertals. But a new study of microscopic particles of volcanic glass left behind by the explosion concludes that the eruption happened after the Neandertals were already mostly gone, putting the blame for their extinction on competition with modern humans.
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U.S. Drought Could Cause Global Unrest
Twice in the last five years, rising food prices triggered global waves of social unrest. With drought baking U.S. crops, another round of soaring, society-straining price spikes may happen in coming months.
According to researchers from the New England Complex Systems Institute, commodity speculation — investors betting on food prices — will amplify the drought’s market signals, creating a new food bubble and the crises that follow. “The drought is clearly going to kick prices up. It already has. What happens when you have speculators is that it goes through the roof,” said NECSI president Yaneer Bar-Yam. “We’ve created an unstable system. Globally, we are very vulnerable.”. |  |
Ancient 'mistake' led to humans
More than 500 million years ago a spineless ocean-dwelling creature experienced a dramatic change to its DNA, which may have led to the evolution of vertebrates, says a new study.
The good news is that these ancient DNA doublings boosted cellular communication systems, so that our body's cells are now better at integrating information than even the smartest smartphones. The bad part is that communication breakdowns, traced back to the very same genome duplications of the Cambrian Period, can cause diabetes, cancer and neurological disorders. |  |
Italian archaeologists close in on real 'Mona Lisa'
Archaeologists on Tuesday unearthed a skeleton in a rare state of preservation in Florence in what they believe may be a crucial step towards unraveling the mystery of the identity of the woman with the most enigmatic smile in the world.
Several bodies have been discovered in the hunt to find the mortal remains of Lisa Gherardini, the Florentine noblewoman widely believed to have served as the muse for Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa". |  |
Ancient water harvesting for new dry times?
The dry regions of India have a long history of collecting rainwater. Indian water guru Anupam Mishra has photographed some of the country's old - and new - water projects, as part of his effort to promote water conservation and management, particularly through sharing knowledge of ancient rainwater harvesting systems.
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Ancient Poop Gives Clues to Modern Diabetes Epidemic
The ancient Native Americans of the desert Southwest subsisted on a fiber-filled diet of prickly pear, yucca and flour ground from plant seeds, finds a new analysis of fossilized feces that may explain why modern Native Americans are so susceptible to Type II diabetes.
Thousands of years of incredibly fibrous foods, 20 to 30 times more fibrous than today's typical diet, with low impact on the blood sugar likely left this group vulnerable to the illness when richer Anglo foods made their way to North America, said study researcher Karl Reinhard, a professor of forensic sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. |  |
Ancient air reveals the secrets of warming
SMH.COM.AU
A BREAKTHROUGH by Australian and Danish climate scientists has shown that carbon dioxide was linked more closely to the ending of the last ice age than previously thought.
The team studied tiny bubbles of ancient air, trapped in layers of compressed ice around the coast of Antarctica, and traced rising levels of carbon dioxide more accurately than earlier studies.
The team studied tiny bubbles of ancient air, trapped in layers of compressed ice around the coast of Antarctica, and traced rising levels of carbon dioxide more accurately than earlier studies.
Dust Veil of AD 536: Cometary Impact, Volcanic Eruption or Near Miss?
According to written records and supported by dendrochronology and archaeological evidence, for 12-18 months in AD 536-537, a thick, persistent dust veil or dry fog darkened the skies between Europe and Asia Minor. The climatic interruption brought by the thick, bluish fog extended as far east as China, where summer frosts and snow are recorded in historical records; tree ring data from Mongolia and Siberia to Argentina and Chile reflect decreased growing records from 536 and the subsequent decade.
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Mystery Tug on Spacecraft Is Einstein’s ‘I Told You So’
It’s been a bad year to bet against Albert Einstein.
In the spring physicists had to withdraw a sensational report that the subatomic particles known as neutrinos were going faster than light, Einstein’s cosmic speed limit; they discovered they had plugged in a cable wrong. Now scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have reported that they have explained one of the great mysteries of the space age, one that loomed for 30 years as a threat to the credibility of Einsteinian gravity. |  |
Alexander the not so Great: History through Persian eyes
Alexander the Great is portrayed as a legendary conqueror and military leader in Greek-influenced Western history books but his legacy looks very different from a Persian perspective.
Any visitor to the spectacular ruins of Persepolis - the site of the ceremonial capital of the ancient Persian Achaemenid empire, will be told three facts: it was built by Darius the Great, embellished by his son Xerxes, and destroyed by that man, Alexander. That man Alexander, would be the Alexander the Great, feted in Western culture as the conqueror of the Persian Empire and one of the great military geniuses of history. |  |
Fuel Cell Treats Wastewater and Harvests Energy
A new microbial fuel cell creates energy during wastewater treatment and also vastly reduces the amount of sludge produced. Israel-based company, Emefcy, named as a play on the acronym for microbial fuel cell (MFC), starts with the same principle as most wastewater treatment—water is aerated so bacteria in the liquid break down organic material in a closed series of containers known as a bioreactor.
"We didn't invent anything scientifically new," says Ely Cohen, vice president of marketing and business development for the four-year-old company. |  |
Three-in-one drug wipes the floor with TB
After decades rampaging across the globe, tuberculosis has a real fight on its hands. That's thanks to the arrival of a drug combination that could for the first time dramatically shorten treatment and tackle both ordinary and multi-drug-resistant strains of TB.
Called PaMZ, the pill is a combination of the standard TB drug pyrazinamide with the antibiotic moxifloxacin – not previously used against TB – and PA-824, a drug whose potential against TB was reported by New Scientist in 2001.
Called PaMZ, the pill is a combination of the standard TB drug pyrazinamide with the antibiotic moxifloxacin – not previously used against TB – and PA-824, a drug whose potential against TB was reported by New Scientist in 2001.
'Nanorobot' can be programmed to target different diseases
University of Florida researchers have moved a step closer to treating diseases on a cellular level by creating a tiny particle that can be programmed to shut down the genetic production line that cranks out disease-related proteins.
In laboratory tests, these newly created “nanorobots” all but eradicated hepatitis C virus infection. The programmable nature of the particle makes it potentially useful against diseases such as cancer and other viral infections.
In laboratory tests, these newly created “nanorobots” all but eradicated hepatitis C virus infection. The programmable nature of the particle makes it potentially useful against diseases such as cancer and other viral infections.
Put space policy on the presidential to-do list
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — With the lack of jobs and the shape of America’s economy today, I'm sure space exploration isn't on top of the must-do list for President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney.
When asked if we should spend tax dollars to go to the moon, the great Walter Cronkite used to say, "We can’t spend a dime on the moon, son. There’s not even a McDonald’s up there.". |  |
UC research reveals largest ancient dam built by Maya in Central America
Recent excavations, sediment coring and mapping by a multi-university team led by the University of Cincinnati at the pre-Columbian city of Tikal, a paramount urban center of the ancient Maya, have identified new landscaping and engineering feats, including the largest ancient dam built by the Maya of Central America.
That dam – constructed from cut stone, rubble and earth – stretched more than 260 feet in length, stood about 33 feet high and held about 20 million gallons of water in a man-made reservoir. |  |
Marijuana Legalization Could Set Up State-Federal Showdown
This November, a longstanding hypothetical could become a reality: one or more states could legalize marijuana use for adults, possibly setting up a conflict with the federal government about states’ rights and drug prohibition.
Residents in Colorado and Washington will vote on ballot initiatives to legalize cannabis for commercial use, and early polling suggests both have a reasonable chance of passing. A SurveyUSA poll of 630 registered Washington voters this month found 55 percent supported the initiative, while 32 percent were opposed and 13 percent were unsure. A June poll by Rasmussen of 500 likely Colorado voters found 61 percent approved of that state’s initiative; 27 percent disapproved, and 12 percent said they were undecided.
Residents in Colorado and Washington will vote on ballot initiatives to legalize cannabis for commercial use, and early polling suggests both have a reasonable chance of passing. A SurveyUSA poll of 630 registered Washington voters this month found 55 percent supported the initiative, while 32 percent were opposed and 13 percent were unsure. A June poll by Rasmussen of 500 likely Colorado voters found 61 percent approved of that state’s initiative; 27 percent disapproved, and 12 percent said they were undecided.
Greenland ice sheet melted at unprecedented rate during July
The Greenland ice sheet melted at a faster rate this month than at any other time in recorded history, with virtually the entire ice sheet showing signs of thaw.
The rapid melting over just four days was captured by three satellites. It has stunned and alarmed scientists, and deepened fears about the pace and future consequences of climate change. In a statement posted on Nasa's website on Tuesday, scientists admitted the satellite data was so striking they thought at first there had to be a mistake. |  |
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