Ancient Blanket Made With 11,500 Turkey Feathers by Inhabitants of the American Southwest
The ancient inhabitants of the American Southwest used around 11,500 feathers to make a turkey feather blanket, according to a new paper in the Journal…
History
Students Discover Hidden 15th-Century Text on Medieval Manuscripts
Imaging system they built as freshmen reveals new information about Otto Ege Collection. Rochester Institute of Technology students discovered lost text on 15th-century manuscript leaves…
The First Battle for Oil in Norway: The Long Arm of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil
The world’s richest man and the world’s largest oil company dominated the petroleum market in Norway long before landmark finds on the Norwegian continental shelf…
Ancient Writing Practices Unveiled by Red and Black Ink From Egyptian Papyri
Scientists led by the ESRF, the European Synchrotron, Grenoble, France and the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, have discovered the composition of red and black inks…
Defining Moment in Human Evolution: Turbulent Era Sparked Leap in Human Behavior, Technology 320,000 Years Ago
New drill core shows a boom-bust landscape in the east African rift valley at a defining moment in human evolution, technology and culture. For hundreds…
Medieval Plague Outbreaks Picked Up Speed Over Time – Quadrupled in Size Over 300 Years
McMaster University researchers who analyzed thousands of documents covering a 300-year span of plague outbreaks in London, England, have estimated that the disease spread four…
Closely Guarded Secret Technology: 6,500-Year-Old Copper Workshop Uncovered in the Negev Desert
Tel Aviv University and Israel Antiquities Authority believe copper-producing technology was closely guarded secret. A new study by Tel Aviv University and the Israel Antiquities…
Max Planck and the Birth of Quantum Mechanics
In the early evening of Sunday, October 7, 1900—120 years ago—Max Planck found the functional form of the curve that we now know as the…
CERN Timepix Technology Helps Rediscover Lost Painting by the Great Renaissance Master, Raphael
CERN’s Timepix particle detectors, developed by the Medipix2 Collaboration, help unravel the secret of a long-lost painting by the great Renaissance master, Raphael. 500 years…
World’s Largest DNA Analysis of Viking Skeletons Yields Unexpected Results About Who They Really Were
In the popular imagination, Vikings were fearsome blonde-haired warriors from Scandinavia who used longboats to carry out raids across Europe in a brief but bloody…
New Dating of Nebra Sky Disk Makes All Previous Astronomical Interpretations Obsolete
Archaeologists from Frankfurt and Munich prove origins in the first millennium B.C. Until now the Nebra sky disk was deemed to be from the Early…
Vast Stone Monuments Discovered in Saudi Arabia Were Constructed in 7,000 Years Ago
New archaeological research in Saudi Arabia documents hundreds of stone structures interpreted as monumental sites where early pastoralists carried out rituals. The last decade has…
Leonardo da Vinci’s Biological Enigma: New Clues to a 500-Year Old Mystery About the Human Heart
Scientists show that muscular structures first described by Leonardo da Vinci are essential for heart function. Researchers used artificial intelligence and genetic analyses to examine…
Behind the Strange Dead-Water Phenomenon: What Makes Ships Mysteriously Slow Down or Even Stop?
What makes ships mysteriously slow down or even stop as they travel, even though their engines are working properly? This was first observed in 1893…
Meandering Mississippi River: Photo Taken by Astronaut on Space Station Shows Divergence From State Boundaries
The winding Mississippi River historically has been used to define many state lines in the United States. This photo, taken by an astronaut onboard the…
Origins of the Sarsen Megaliths: Chemical Composition Reveals Where Stonehenge’s Large Boulders Actually Came From
Most of Stonehenge’s large boulders share origin in west woods, Wiltshire. Most of the hulking sandstone boulders — called sarsens — that make up the…
Medieval Medicine Remedy – Found in 9th Century Bald’s Leechbook – Could Provide New Treatment for Modern Day Infections
To fight antibiotic resistance more antimicrobials are needed to treat bacterial biofilms, which protect an infection from antibiotics. Using the ‘Balds eyesalve’ medieval mixture containing…
Grape Seeds Reveal Collapse of Ancient Economy in the Grip of Plague and Climate Change
While we all try to understand the new reality imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, many look to the past for historical precedents such as the…