Bajirao Mastani, A Forbidden Love Story

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 15-year dream project Bajirao Mastani, which he had been conceiving since his Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam days, finally saw the light of day in December 2015. This epic historical romance stars in its principal cast, Ranveer Singh in the eponymous role of Peswa Bajirao I, Deepika Padukone as Mastani Bai, his love interest and the warrior princess of Bundelkhand, and Priyanka Chopra as the Peshwa’s first wife, Kashibai.

The film, adapted from the Marathi novel Raau by Nagnath S. Inamdar, relates the trials and tribulations faced by lovers from two different religions – while Bajirao hails from a staunch Hindu sect, Mastani belongs to a Muslim cast.  Though their tragic love story is heart-wrenching in countering extreme religious intolerance, the film also portrays the wrongs done to Kashibai, whom the Peshwa, in his pursuit and fierce defensiveness of Mastani, completely sidelines. Bhansali thus proves successful in producing a dichotomy in the minds and emotions of the viewers. On the one hand, a viewer is full of awe and admiration for Bajirao’s skills as a warrior and administrator, as well as his earnest feelings towards Mastani. On the other hand however, the same hero becomes hateful for his injustice towards his loyal and loving wife. One is bound to applaud Kashibai’s prudence – she makes sacrifices but they are not blinded by love for her husband. Yet at the same time, a viewer is forced to praise Mastani too, for her undying courage and perseverance in uniting with her beloved, despite repeated obstacles, taunts, insults and even fatal threats from the Peshwa’s family.

Irrfan Khan’s voice over narrates, at the beginning of the film, the political context of Bajirao Mastani, the hero’s conquests and his prowess as an able warrior and leader. The cinematography is certainly worth a mention, with panoramic and long shots of the battlefield, combined with close-ups of Bajirao and Mastani, as they fight intensely and save each other’s lives. A slow motion movement of the camera makes their actions even more heroic, as they leap up and swerve around to defeat the enemy. The wars off the battlefield, like those between Bajirao and the Brahmins, or Nana Sahib’s plotting against Mastani, are equally intensely captured. The visual effects, especially those at the very end, when the Peshwa goes into the water trying to fight enemies visible to him alone, are convincing.

 Set against the backdrop of 18^th century royalty, Bhansali’s set designs and costumes are grand, to say the least, and the dialogues are overelaborate, though befitting of the era. Ranveer Singh’s crisp Marathi accent is commendable, and the poetical shayari-like dialogues are enjoyable. Mise-en-scene with the rich use of colour , lighting, shadows and props such as chandeliers , fountains and the palaces themselves, is well replicated in this period drama. The dance sequences are somewhat reminiscent of Mughal-e-Azam and the music, along with the background scores, are in perfect sync with their corresponding scenes.

The film is fraught with religious significance and addresses, in a subtle way, the issues of war, love, marriage and religion in the same context. In this respect, a particular scene comes to mind, where Kashibai and her mother-in-law Radhabai – who is most forthcoming in her hatred of her son’s Muslim bride – are sewing a flag in preparation of a war. They sew an orange coloured cloth, but in a moment of pathos, they are seen to helplessly laugh, discussing how they should have sewn a green flag instead, green being the colour of Mastani’s Muslim faith.

Therefore, Bajirao Mastani is not only a commercial entertainer or a drab replica of history – the film in fact, specifically claims not be completely accurate from a historical point of view – but is also a critique of religious obstacles in the course of love , in the garb of a political period drama.

The film has to its credit several awards, won at various award ceremonies through the year, both in the critics’ choice and popular choice categories, including those of Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Film.

Top 10 Fastest Cars in the World

When it comes to cars and their performance in general, there is nothing quite enthralling and electrifying than speed. These four-wheeled tech beasts are the finest representations of human engineering and show the real fun of adrenaline pumping through your veins. Right now Right where we are going to talk about the World's Top 10 Fastest cars. 

We begin with number 10....... Here is the List

NUMBER 10

Built by the British Manufacturer Aston Martin, the One-77 is the most extreme and fastest road-going Aston to ever be created. It shares a similar layout with regular Astons you see on the road, but the One-77 is a completely different beast which sports a 7.3-Liter V12 Engine producing 750 HP and 800 lb-ft torque. A total of 77 cars have been produced and apart from its performance, the vehicle is primarily known for its jaw-dropping good looks. The vehicle has a top speed of 220 mph and can easily accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds.

 

CAR: ASTON MARTIN ONE-77 

TOP SPEED: 220 MPH

NUMBER 9 

The Italian supercar manufacturer that has taken the supercar market by storm, Pagani, has developed quite a reputation in a short period of time. The company provides car enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies with top and high-quality cars which not only provide great speed, but also feature unique design cues, earning the title of hyper cars.

The Huayra model specifically is known for its amazing and outrageous performance that beats the best racing cars in the market. It isn’t exactly the fastest, but the acceleration is what surprises many car enthusiasts. It comes equipped with a large and power Twin-Turbo V12 6-Liter Engine that can easily produce a whopping 738 lb-ft of torque and 730 horsepower.

 

CAR:  PAGANI HUAYRA

TOP SPEED:  230 MPH

NUMBER 8

Manufactured by the Danish company Zenvo, the ST 1 is a high-performance supercar hand-made by a small team of workers. It is the company’s first ever supercar model and was introduced back in 2009. The vehicle easily dishes out a max speed of 233 mph and has the ability to accelerate from zero to 60 mph in a mere 3 seconds.

It comes equipped with a 6.8-Liter V8 Engine and generates an impressive horsepower of 1,104 and torque of 1,050 lb-ft, enabling the vehicle to reach 0 to 200 mph in only 8.9 seconds. It also has great features, such as telescopic steering wheel adjustment and a keyless-entry system.

CAR: ZENVO ST1
TOP SPEED: 233 MPH
 

NUMBER 7

Even after 23 years, the McLaren F1 still manages to make the fastest cars’ in the world list. The car has a unique interior design of being a three-seater with the driver’s seat at the center and two passenger seats on the sides. The vehicle is a former champion, but with its center driver’s seat, gold-line engage bay, and carbon-fiber body, it is also one of the coolest cars ever made.

Equipped with a 6.1-Liter BMW M V12 engine, the supercar produces 670 Horsepower and peak torque of 520 lb-ft, enabling the vehicle to accelerate from zero to 60 in just 3.2 seconds. The overall design of the vehicle is also impressive and has great aerodynamics to ensure maximum speed and performance. In a period of 6 years, a total of 106 McLaren F1 vehicles were produced.

CAR: McLAREN F1

TOP SPEED: 241 MPH

NUMBER 6

Koenigsegg enters the top 10 list with its CCR model that is a mid-engine sports car that also briefly held the ‘world’s fastest’ title before being vanquished by the original Bugatti Veyron. The CCR model reached a top speed of 242 mph in 2005 at the Italy’s Nardo Ring and it was among the trendsetters for faster supercars, after McLaren and Ferrari of course.

The CCR is an earlier generation of Koenigsegg’s cars, but it still manages to be one of the fastest. Not to mention, the Koenigsegg was the first ever production vehicle to beat McLaren’s 8-year streak as the fastest production car on the market. The car comes equipped with a large and powerful 4.7-liter V8 Engine that is capable of generating 806 hp and 920 lb-ft torque. According to manufacturer estimates, the vehicle can zoom from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.7 seconds and can complete a standing quarter mile of 9.7 seconds at 146 mph.

CAR: KOENIGSEGG CCR

TOP SPEED: 242 MPH

NUMBER 5

Produced by SSC North America (formerly known as Shelby SuperCars), the SSC Ultimate Aero is a mid-engine sports car that held the title of the world’s fastest production car from Guinness World Records for 3 years (2007 to 2010), till Bugatti introduced the Veyron Super Sport. However, in 2013, the Guinness World Records disqualified the Bugatti Veyron’s record time due to some unknown reasons and reinstated the SSC Aero as the fastest production car ever.

However, this change too was reverted five days later. Regardless, for a rather new company in the market, SSC has generated a lot of attention with its Ultimate Aero car. The vehicle comes equipped with a 6.3-Liter Twin-Turbocharged V8 Engine that is capable of generating an impressive horsepower of 1,287 and torque of 1,112 lb-ft.

It has a top speed of 256 mph, just 1 mph less than the GT9-R! Nevertheless, with its beast of an engine the vehicle can easily hit 200 mph in under 16 seconds, which is quite reasonable for a car that is available for only €550,000. The only drawback of the vehicle is it doesn’t feature any electronic driver aids to help control the power of the engine. The vehicle may gain both positive and negative reviews, as some would like a purer driving experience and others would bemoan the lack of top of the line safety features.

CAR: SSC ULTIMATE AERO

TOP SPEED: 256 MPH

NUMBER 4

Built by the German tuning company, 9ff, the GT9 is a supercar based on the historic Porsche 911. In fact, the looks and exterior styling of the car is also pretty similar to the 911, only with the interior of the car being stripped out for lightness and looks basic as compared to the Porsche. The car is faster than the original Bugatti Veyron, but slower than the SuperSport model.

Regardless, the GT9-R is purely a beast on the roads and comes equipped with a rather unique technology. It is fitted and modified with a 4.0-Liter Flat 6 Engine (six cylinders arranged horizontally in two banks of three cylinders) which enables the vehicle to produce an impressive horsepower of 1,120 and torque of 910 lb-ft.

This massive engine enables the vehicle to reach top speeds of 257 mph and also gives it the ability speed from zero to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds, and accelerate from halt to 190 mph in under 16 seconds. The makers of the GT9-R have ensured no two vehicles manufactured are alike and offers potential owners with the option of customizing or personalizing their vehicles to their liking when it comes to design, color, and performance.

CAR: 9FF GT9-R

TOP SPEED: 257 MPH

NUMBER 3

The Bugatti Veyron held the Guinness World Record for being the fastest supercar in the world for years and was the first ever production car to exceed the 250 mph mark. However, after facing a few technical difficulties, its title was taken over by the Koenigsegg. This is when Bugatti introduced its Super Sport model that has a max speed of 268 mph.

5 mph less than the Koenigsegg, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport comes equipped with an 8-Liter Quad-Turbo W16 Engine that is capable of generating an impressive torque of 1,106 lb-ft and horsepower 1,200 HP, enabling the car to go from zero to 60 in 2.4 seconds. The best feature of the Super Sport is it makes reaching insane speeds seem effortless. As a result, the vehicle is a breeze to drive and also comfortable and luxurious to sit in, even though it is a supercar. And, this is one of the main reasons why that despite its €1.6 million price tag, the vehicle has been selling well and the demand is high.

 

CAR: BUGATTI VEYRON SUPER SPORT

TOP SPEED: 268 MPH

NUMBER 2

Coming second in the world’s fastest cars category is the Hennessey Venom GT, which is a relatively new name in the industry, but has generated quite a buzz in a short period of time. The car is based on a modified Lotus Exige and has a max speed of 270 mph (just 3 mph less than the Koenigsegg). As a result, the vehicle will terrify anyone upon first glance, as it is purely a beast.

Packed with a mighty 7.0 Liter Twin-Turbocharged V8 Engine, the Venom GT is capable of generating an outstanding and dazzling horsepower of 1,244 and torque of 1,155 pound-feet, hence enabling the car to fly from halt to 62 mph within 2.8 seconds only and accelerate from zero to 200 mph in 14.51 seconds (all thanks to the intercooler upgrades and single-clutch shift system to ensure faster shift times).

CAR: HENNESSEY VENOM GT

TOP SPEED: 270 MPH

AND HERE IS OUR...... NUMBER 1 

Although, Koenigsegg isn’t a household name in the world of supercars, like Bugatti or Ferrari, it has managed to develop quite a reputation over a short period of time, beating the best supercars in the market. And, the Agera R model is a perfect example of the brand’s might and power that blows all other supercars in the storm with a top speed of over 273 mph, faster than any other supercar you will find on the market today. This is why it’s also known as the fastest car in the world currently.

The car comes with a 5-Liter Turbocharged V8 DOHC engine with a compression ratio of 9.0:1 and is capable of generating an impressive 1200 pound-feet of torque and horsepower of 1140, hence enabling the vehicle to zoom from halt to 60 mph within less than 2.5 seconds and reach speeds from 0 to 186 mph within 11.7 seconds (a world record).

CAR: KOENIGSEGG AGERA R
TOP SPEED:  273 MPH

Cannibalism among late Neanderthals in Northern Europe

Grisly evidence has been uncovered by researchers that Neanderthals butchered their own kind some 40,000 years ago, opening up many possibilities regarding the way late Neanderthals dealt with their dead in this last period before they died out. 

Neanderthal bones from an excavation in Belgium have yielded evidence of intentional butchering. The findings, from the Goyet caves near Namur, are the first evidence of cannibalism among Neanderthals north of the Alps. The skeletal remains were radiocarbon-dated to an age of around 40,500 to 45,500 years. Remarkably, this group of late Neanderthals also used the bones of their kind as tools, which were used to shape other tools of stone.
Professors Hervé Bocherens and Johannes Krause of Tübingen's Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, along with Cosimo Posth and Christoph Wissing, also of the University of Tübingen, took part in the investigations. A review of the finds from the Troisième caverne of Goyet combined results from various disciplines; it identified 99 previously uncertain bone fragments as Neanderthal bones. That means Goyet has yielded the greatest amount of Neanderthal remains north of the Alps.
By making a complete analysis of the mitochondrial DNA of ten Neanderthals, the researchers doubled the existing genetic data on this species of humans which died out some 30,000 years ago. They confirmed earlier studies' results, which showed relatively little genetic variation in late European Neanderthals -- in other words, that they were closely related to one another. The findings have been published in the latest Scientific Reports.
The Troisième caverne of Goyet was excavated nearly 150 years ago. Today, researchers are able to extract vast amounts of information using current methods -- such as precise digital measurement and categorization of the bones, examination of the conditions in which the bone fragments were preserved, as well as isotopic and genetic analysis.
Some Neanderthal remains from Goyet have been worked by human hands, as evidenced by cut marks, pits and notches. The researchers see this as an indication that the bodies from which they came were butchered. This appears to have been done thoroughly; the remains indicate processes of skinning, cutting up, and extraction of the bone marrow. "These indications allow us to assume that Neanderthals practised cannibalism," says Hervé Bocherens. But he adds that it is impossible to say whether the remains were butchered as part of some symbolic act, or whether the butchering was carried out simply for food. "The many remains of horses and reindeer found in Goyet were processed the same way," Bocherens says. Researchers have long debated the evidence of cannibalism among Neanderthals, which until now focused on the sites of El Sidrón and Zafarraya in Spain and two French sites, Moula-Guercy and Les Pradelles. The Troisième caverne of Goyet is the first example of this phenomenon from more northern parts of Europe.
Four bones from Goyet clearly indicate that Neanderthals used their deceased relatives' bones as tools; one thigh bone and three shinbones were used to shape stone tools. Animal bones were frequently used as knapping tools. "That Neanderthal bones were used for this purpose -- that's something we had seen at very few sites, and nowhere as frequently as in Goyet," Bocherens says.
The new findings open up many possibilities regarding the way late Neanderthals dealt with their dead in this last period before they died out. Bocherens says none of the other Neanderthal sites in the region have yielded indications that the dead were dealt with as they were in Goyet. On the contrary, they have yielded burials. Researchers say that, in addition, other northern European Neanderthal sites had a greater variety and various arsenals of stone tools. "The big differences in the behavior of these people on the one hand, and the close genetic relationship between late European Neanderthals on the other, raise many questions about the social lives and exchange between various groups," says Bocherens.

Taken from The Science Daily

Climate Change pushes the Penguins in real Danger in Antarctica

Washington: According to a new study,  continued warming of Antarctica due to climate change may lead to decline of 60 per cent of Adelie Penguin colonies by the end of this century.

Antarctic Climate is be behaving very peculiarly. It is cooling is some places and warming in others. According to the researchers this is causing a dramatic shifting in the population of  the Adelie Penguins. 

Historic satellite observations and future climate model projections were used to estimate past and future changes in habitat suitability during the penguins' chick-rearing period.

The climate change impacts will be highly site specific based on regional climate trends on Antarctica, said Vincent Saba who works at the geophysical fluid dynamics laboratory at Princeton.

A continued southward contraction of the range of Adelie penguins is likely over the next century.
Saba helped analyse the global climate model output and applied the climate change projections to the penguin presence-absence models.

Over time, Adelie penguins were once positively affected by warming and negatively affected by cooling. 

Researchers found that further warming is no longer beneficial at some locations on Antarctica, although some cooler regions could serve as a refuge and buffer the effects for a while.

Continued warming is expected to lead to population declines at approximately 30 per cent of colonies by 2060 and 60 per cent of colonies by 2099, researchers said.  

Antarctic Ozone Layer is Healing

Scientists at MIT and elsewhere have identified the "first fingerprints of healing" of the Antarctic ozone layer.

The team found that the September ozone hole has shrunk by more than 4 million square kilometers -- about half the area of the contiguous United States -- since 2000, when ozone depletion was at its peak. The team also showed for the first time that this recovery has slowed somewhat at times, due to the effects of volcanic eruptions from year to year. Overall, however, the ozone hole appears to be on a healing path.

The ozone hole was first discovered using ground-based data that began in the 1950s. Around the mid-1980s, scientists from the British Antarctic survey noticed that the October total ozone was dropping. From then on, scientists worldwide typically tracked ozone depletion using October measurements of Antarctic ozone.

Ozone is sensitive not just to chlorine, but also to temperature and sunlight. Chlorine eats away at ozone, but only if light is present and if the atmosphere is cold enough to create polar stratospheric clouds on which chlorine chemistry can occur -- a relationship that Solomon was first to characterize in 1986. Measurements have shown that ozone depletion starts each year in late August, as Antarctica emerges from its dark winter, and the hole is fully formed by early October.

The researchers tracked the yearly opening of the Antarctic ozone hole in the month of September, from 2000 to 2015. They analyzed ozone measurements taken from weather balloons and satellites, as well as satellite measurements of sulfur dioxide emitted by volcanoes, which can also enhance ozone depletion. And, they tracked meteorological changes, such as temperature and wind, which can shift the ozone hole back and forth.

They then compared their yearly September ozone measurements with model simulations that predict ozone levels based on the amount of chlorine that scientists have estimated to be present in the atmosphere from year to year. The researchers found that the ozone hole has declined compared to its peak size in 2000, shrinking by more than 4 million square kilometers by 2015. They further found that this decline matched the model's predictions, and that more than half the shrinkage was due solely to the reduction in atmospheric chlorine.

Agents Raid Jerusalem Souvenir Store

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL—Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) agents confiscated bronze arrowheads, 2,000-year-old coins, perfume vessels, and other ancient artifacts during the raid of a souvenir store in an upscale Jerusalem mall that was lacking a proper license. The Times of Israel reports that earlier this year, the IAA mandated licensed dealers of antiquities use a digitized inventory system and upload detailed descriptions of their items for sale into an IAA database. According to the IAA, the new system should prevent licensed dealers from “laundering” artifacts acquired illegally and manipulating inventories. Eitan Klein, deputy head of the IAA's theft prevention unit, said that before the new regulations were implemented “it was abundantly clear that in order to supply the merchandise antiquities sites in Israel and around the world were being plundered and history was sold to the highest bidder.

Who Was Buried in Egypt’s KV55?

LUXOR, EGYPT—Funded with a grant from the American Research Center in Egypt Endowment Fund, Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities will begin the second phase of a study to identify a sarcophagus found in tomb KV55 in the Valley of the Kings in 1906. The results of the first phase of the study suggested that a box of 500 gold sheets, found in a storage room at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, may belong to the KV55 sarcophagus. Ahram Online reports that the remains of a skull and a note written in French were found along with the box. Elham Salah, head of the ministry’s Museums Department, says the note is dated to the time of the discovery of tomb KV55, and it states that the gold sheets were discovered with a sarcophagus.

Family Burial Plot Unearthed in Indiana Roadway

AMITY, INDIANA—The remains of two women, a man, and four children have been recovered from a family plot in the middle of a road in rural central Indiana. The Associated Press reports that a team of archaeologists from the University of Indianapolis were investigating the area ahead of the expansion of the road when they found the graves. All but one of them were thought to have been moved in the early 1900s when the road was constructed. Nancy Kerlin Barnett’s grandson is said to have defended her 1831 grave with a shotgun. “As it stands right now, it looks at least in the immediate area by where we feel like where the Nancy Kerlin Barnett grave was, nothing was removed,” said archaeologist Christopher Schmidt. The road remains closed while the investigation continues. For more on archaeology in the Midwest.

Rare Skara Brae Figurine Rediscovered in Scotland

STROMNESS, SCOTLAND—According to a report in The Orcadian, a figurine unearthed on the largest of the Orkney Islands in the 1860s has been rediscovered in a box at Stromness Museum. Dubbed the “Skara Brae Buddo,” the figurine had been packed away among artifacts from Skaill House, a historic manor overlooking the Neolithic site of Skara Brae, since the 1930s. The 5,000-year-old figurine, carved from a piece of whalebone, was originally found in the remains of a house in the Neolithic village. Modern scholars only knew of the sculpture, which has eyes and a mouth cut in its face and a navel in its body, from a sketch in the nineteenth-century notebooks kept by antiquarian George Petrie. Researchers think the holes in the carving may have been used to suspend it.

SS Coast Trader Identified in Canadian Waters

VANCOUVER, CANADA—A team of researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Vancouver Maritime Museum, and Ocean Exploration Trust has confirmed that a well-preserved shipwreck in the Strait of Juan de Fuca is the SS Coast Trader, a World War II–era merchant marine vessel. The 324-foot supply ship exploded and sank off the coast of Vancouver Island in June 1942. At the time, reports indicated that an “internal explosion” caused the ship to sink. The survey, reported in The Lookout, revealed that the ship had been struck with a torpedo. “This finding brings an important part of [the Second World War] right to our doorstep and proves the fears of a full-scale attack were very real and the [Japanese] submarines were right here operating on Canada’s west coast,” said Ken Burton, executive director of the Vancouver Maritime Museum. The 56 people on board the freighter were rescued by the Royal Canadian Navy after 40 hours at sea. One of the sailors eventually died from injuries and exposure.

Flint Tools From Spain May Be One Million Years Old

BARCELONA, SPAIN—An excavation led by scientists from the Catalan Institute of Human Paleo-Ecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) in the La Mina area at Barranc de la Boella has uncovered 50 flint tools estimated to be between 800,000 and one million years old. Well-preserved remains of deer, horses, cattle, rhinoceros, and hyenas were also found, in addition to hyena coprolites. IPHES researcher Josep Vallverdú told the Catalan News Agency that the site “contains the oldest files on human evolution in Catalonia and on the Iberian Peninsula." Plans are being made for the continued excavation of the site, which is located in the Francolí River Basin.

Belgium Returns Marble Head to Italy

ROME, ITALY—Reuters reports that the Cinquantenaire Museum in Brussels has repatriated a sculpture of Rome’s first emperor that it purchased in 1975 from an antiquities dealer in Zurich. Art historians say the veiled head resembles another in the town of Nepi's museum, and was probably part of a statue of a young man wearing a toga. Now known as the “Augusto di Nepi,” the sculpture is thought to depict the young Octavius before he became emperor of Rome around 27 B.C. “After more than 40 years of exile in Europe, he’s finally home. Welcome back Augustus,” said Nepi mayor Pietro Soldatelli.

Roman Silver Hoard Discovered in Scotland

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND—Researchers led by Gordon Noble of the University of Aberdeen returned to a farmer’s field in northeastern Scotland where a hand pin, chain, and spiral bangle all made of silver in the fourth or fifth centuries A.D. had been found more than 170 years ago. According to a report in Live Science, on the second day of the investigation, the team, which had the assistance of metal detectorists, found three Roman silver coins, a silver strap end, a piece of a silver bracelet, and pieces of hack silver. Over a period of 18 months, they gathered a total of 100 artifacts, now known as the Gaulcross Hoard. The pieces are thought to have been high-status objects imported from the Roman world. The research team suggests that the items in the hoard had been collect by non-Romans, such as the Picts, through looting, trade, bribes, or as military pay. Noble adds that the chunks of silver may even have served as currency.

Solar Boat Timbers Removed from Giza Plateau Pit

CAIRO, EGYPT—Conservators are restoring a second solar boat discovered in 1954 in a pit beside the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The first boat was found dismantled but arranged to resemble a boat, and was reconstructed. A Japanese-Egyptian team began the restoration of the second boat in 2009. So far, they say they have documented and removed 700 of the 1,200 pieces of the boat from the pit’s 13 levels. Eissa Zidan, supervisor of the restoration work, told Ahram Online that the solar boats each had two shrines—one for the pharaoh at the rear of the boat, and one for the captain, at the front of the boat. Timbers removed from the pit recently may be the floors to the captain’s shrine. “This is a great step forward in the conservation of Khufu’s second boat,” Zidan said.

An Update From Cambodia’s Lidar Campaign

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA—According to a report in The Guardian, analysis of data collected last year with lidar (light detection and ranging) technology over a 734-square-mile area reveals the extent of multiple cities, iron smelting sites, and a system of waterways that surrounded Angkor Wat and other medieval temple complexes built by the Khmer Empire. The results of the study, led by Australian archaeologist Damian Evans of the École Française d’Extrême-Orient and the Cambodian Archaeological Lidar Initiative, suggest that Mahendraparvata, discovered in 2012 beneath Mount Kulen, was larger than had been previously thought. Evans’ team also discovered a city surrounding the archaeological site of Preah Khan of Kompong Svay. In addition, the researchers expect that the lidar information will help them understand what has been thought of as the collapse of Angkor. “There’s an idea that somehow the Thais invaded and everyone fled down south—that didn’t happen, there are no cities [revealed by the aerial survey] that they fled to. It calls into question the whole notion of an Angkorian collapse,” Evans said.

Ship Sheds of Ancient Naval Bases Found in Greece

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—Haaretz reports that the Zea Harbor Project mapped the remains of ancient Greek naval bases in Mounichia Harbor and Zea Harbor between 2001 and 2012. The team of archaeologists, working on land and under water, has found massive fortifications and a total of 15 structures that were used to house ships when they were pulled ashore. “It is an enticing thought that some of the Athenian triremes that fought against the Persians at Salamis in 480 B.C. were most probably housed in these ship-sheds,” said project director Bjørn Lovén of the Danish Institute at Athens. The foundations for the sheds measured more than four feet wide and stood more than 160 feet long and 20 feet talla.

Lead Sling Bullets May Have “Whistled” During Battle

DUMFRIESSHIRE, SCOTLAND—Cast-lead sling bullets recently unearthed in southwestern Scotland are thought to have been used by Roman auxiliary troops during an attack of a fort on Burnswark Hill some 1,800 years ago. Such sling bullets range in size from an acorn to a lemon. About 20 percent of the sling bullets recovered from the site had been drilled with a small hole. Similar sling bullets have been found at ancient battle sites in Greece, and at first, researchers thought the small holes might have contained poison. Now archaeologist John Reid of the Trimontium Trust thinks the projectiles with holes might have produced a whistling sound intended to terrify opponents, since his brother pointed out that lead weights used for casting fishing lines can produce a whistle in flight. “We think it was an all-out assault on the hilltop, to demonstrate to the natives what would happen to them if they resisted,” Reid said in a Live Science report. His team thinks the small bullets, shot in groups of three or four from a pouch attached to two long cords, were used for close-range fighting.

East Africa’s Vegetation Changes Detected in Marine Sediments

NEW YORK, NEW YORK—Climate change and the appearance of grasslands coincided with the evolution of the first hominins, according to a study led by Kevin Uno of Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. He and his team collected sediment cores dating back 24 million years from the bottom of the Red Sea and the western Indian Ocean. Analysis of the chemicals in the sediments suggests that plants that grew in East Africa, where the first hominins are thought to have evolved, blew out to sea and sank. More than ten million years ago, those plants came from dense forests. Chemicals linked to grasses slowly began to appear in later layers of sediment. “This now gives us a timeline for the development of those grasses, and tells us they were part of our evolution from the very beginning,” Uno said in a UPI report.

Scientists Unearth Macaque “Tools” in Thailand

OXFORD, ENGLAND—The wild macaques of coastal Thailand have been using stones as tools for generations, according to a UPI report. Scientists led by Michael Haslam of the University of Oxford observed the monkeys searching for good stones and using them to process oysters, snails, nuts, and crabs. When particular stones worked well, the monkeys placed them near the boulders where they preferred to eat. The researchers then examined the marks on the stones and excavated the area to look for similar ones. They found identical marks on stones in a layer with oyster shells that were carbon-dated to between ten and 50 years ago. “As we build up a fuller picture of their evolutionary history, we will start to identify the similarities and differences in human behavior and that of other primates,” Haslam explained.

Researchers Decipher Antikythera Mechanism Text

ATHENS, GREECE—Using X-ray scanning equipment and imaging technology, an international team of scientists has read most of the explanatory text engraved in tiny letters on the known surviving fragments of the Antikythera Mechanism. Mike Edmunds of Cardiff University said that the text does not instruct the reader on the use of the device, but is more like a descriptive label. The artifact, recovered from a first-century B.C. shipwreck off the coast of a Greek island in the early years of the twentieth century, is made up of bronze gears and plates, and was probably encased in wood and operated with a hand crank. It is thought to have functioned as an astronomical instrument to  track the position of the sun, the phases of the moon, the positions of the planets, and the timing of eclipses. “It’s like a textbook of astronomy as it was understood then, which connected the movements of the sky and the planets with the lives of the ancient Greeks and their environment,” Alexander Jones of New York University said in an Associated Press report. Investigators have returned to the shipwreck to look for more pieces of the device.

ZSI to record climate change impact on animals in Himalayas

Kolkata: Zoological Survey of India has started five long-term monitoring plots in the Himalayas to document the impact of climate change on animal world.

The project, funded by the Ministry for environment, forest and climate change, will monitor indicators in species like fish, butterflies, bees and other insects to find how their distribution has been affected by climate change, officials said.

ZSI director Kailash Chandra said it has very old records and will compare the distribution of species in the past and present to come out with a study report on the impact of climate change on their survival.

The project will run for three years in West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh and more than Rs 2 crore has been earmarked for the exercise.

Last year, 262 new animal species were discovered from India out of which 70 have been credited to ZSI scientists.

Chandra said the number of scientists working in ZSI has decreased over the years. He said only 80 scientists were working with the organisation now as compared to 120-130 in the past.

This has also resulted in the decline of reporting of new species. An average of over 100 new species was recorded by ZSI scientists in the past which has now come down, he said.

India is home to 94,515 species from the animal kingdom as on 31 December 2015.

 

Taken from TOI

Monsoon may hit Delhi by July 2, light rain likely till June 30

Monsoon may hit Delhi either on July 1 or July 2 — a couple of days after the scheduled date.

“Monsoon winds usually reach Delhi on June 29. This year, it is expected to reach by the end of this week,” said BP Yadav, director, India Meteorological Department.

The wind system, which brings rain to the Indian subcontinent, reached India a week late earlier this month.

The monsoon, unlike the previous two years, is expected to be above normal, especially in the north-western region.

A strong El Nino — an ocean current which is blamed by many for India’s poor monsoon — had pushed India into drought in 2014 and 2015. The phenomenon has grown weaker this year.

Delhi has been witnessing warm and muggy days for the past week, with barely any rain thrown in. According to the Met department, pre-monsoon showers are expected by Wednesday and Thursday.

According to the seven-day forecast, there is a possibility of scattered light rain in the city till June 30. Starting July, widespread rain is expected.

On Monday, the maximum temperature was recorded as 39.6 degrees Celsius, two degrees above normal. The minimum was recorded as 30 degrees Celsius, also two degrees above normal.

The humidity oscillated between 79% and 49%, making the day uncomfortable and muggy.

According to Met officials, the city is expected to see a clear day on Tuesday. Light rains could be seen in the evening.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be between 39 and 30 degrees Celsius.

On Sunday, the maximum temperature was recorded as 39.4 degrees Celsius.

Taken from HT

Monumental Structure Found at Petra with Satellite Images

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA—Sarah Parcak of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Christopher Tuttle, executive director of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers, spotted a monumental structure at Petra, a 2,500-year-old Nabatean city in southern Jordan, using high-resolution satellite imagery and pictures taken with aerial drones. National Geographic reports that the structure consists of a building measuring roughly 28 feet square, centered on a rectangular, paved platform, surrounded by a larger, 184-by-161-foot, platform. The building faced a row of columns and a staircase to the east. Pottery recovered from the site dates to the mid-second century B.C. Parcak and Tuttle say that the platform’s design is unique in the ancient city, and may have been used for ceremonial purposes in the early days of the settlement. “I’ve worked in Petra for 20 years, and I knew that something was there, but it’s certainly legitimate to call this a discovery,” Tuttle said.

5,000-Year-Old Livestock Pen Examined in Spain

BARCELONA, SPAIN—A rock shelter in the Sierra de Cantabria mountains in northern Spain was repeatedly used as an animal pen some 5,000 years ago, according to a study conducted by scientists from the University of Barcelona, the University of the Basque Country, and the Spanish National Research Council. Analysis of charcoal, pollen, seeds, and other plant remains recovered during the investigation indicate that Copper Age herders held their goats and/or sheep in the rock shelter intermittently, probably to take advantage of hazelnut and acorn trees that grew in the area. “We also know thanks to the microscopic study of the sediments that every now and again they used to burn the debris that had built up, probably to clean up the space that had been occupied,” archaeologist Ana Polo-Diaz of the University of the Basque Country said in a UPI report.

New Flores Fossils May Be Hobbit Ancestors

WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA—Six teeth and a jawbone fragment thought to belong to ancestors of Homo floresiensis, the hominin often referred to as the "hobbit," have been discovered at a site called Mata Menge on the Indonesian island of Flores. The fossils represent at least one adult and two children of small stature who lived 600,000 years earlier than Homo floresiensis. Gert van den Bergh of the University of Wollongong and colleagues argue that this ancient human relative descended from Homo erectus individuals who arrived on the island and shrank over a period of about 300,000 years, perhaps because they were challenged by few predators and thus did not have a need for a big brain. “But what is clear is that they made stone tools, so they weren’t stupid,” van den Bergh said in an ABC News report. He recovered the fossils from an ancient riverbed that had been covered and preserved by a volcanic mudflow. His team will continue to look for additional fossils, such as wrist bones and skulls, for more information on possible Homo floresiensis ancestors.

Revolutionary War Encampment Identified in Connecticut

REDDING, CONNECTICUT—Archaeologists Beth Morrison and Laurie Weinstein of Western Connecticut State University and their students surveyed a possible Revolutionary War–era encampment in Redding, Connecticut, and concluded that the site was likely home to 1,000 to 1,500 Connecticut soldiers during the winter of 1779. Known as the Middle Encampment, the site was under the command of General Samuel Holden Parsons. Twelve collapsed fireplaces and other piles of rocks are thought to mark the locations of cabins and other outbuildings. A layer of burned animal bone at the site is similar to debris found at nearby Putnam Park, where soldiers from New Hampshire and Canada camped under the command of Major General Israel Putnam over the same winter. The investigators also recovered military buttons, shoe buckles, and musket balls. “We’re happy to say that every single [site] we put a hole into came up with a period-specific artifact,” Morrison said in a report by The Redding Pilot. The site of a third Revolutionary War encampment in the region has been lost to development. The Middle Encampment has been named a state archaeological preserve.

Tracking Paleocoastal People in California’s Channel Islands

EUGENE, OREGON—Western Digs reports that archaeologist Jon Erlandson of the University of Oregon and his team predicted where they would find stone artifacts left behind by early seafaring people on Santa Cruz Island by analyzing the attributes of known Paleocoastal sites in the Channel Islands. They looked for areas with natural shelter, access to rocks and fresh water, and a view of the coastline. “We added overlook sites later as our surveys revealed that they, too, were important,” Erlandson said. In fact, two of the new sites were discovered on high bluffs overlooking the ocean. Erlandson thinks the ancient mariners valued the commanding views for spotting seals and sea lions, and maybe even other people. One of the sites has been carbon-dated to about 8,500 years ago with cast-off mussel shells. The types of tools at the other two sites suggest that they may be 11,000 or 12,000 years old.

Possible Shishman-Dynasty Graves Unearthed in Bulgaria

SOFIA, BULGARIA—The graves of several aristocrats have been found under the site of the medieval Church of St. George, located near the town of Botevgrad in northwestern Bulgaria. Archaeology in Bulgaria reports that Filiip Petrunov of the country’s National Museum of History discovered a ring with the monogram of the Shishman Dynasty, which ruled from 1331 to 1395, in the grave of one woman that had been built into the foundations of the church. His team also found evidence that the church had been part of a monastery, which at the time was located on an island in a small lake. Byzantine coins from the fifth and sixth centuries suggest that the monastery could date to the early Christian era.

Skeletons and Gold Coins Found in Pompeii Shop

ROME, ITALY—Archaeologists excavating a shop on the outskirts of Pompeii have found four skeletons, several gold coins, and a necklace pendant, according to an Associated Press report. The skeletons belonged to young people who died in the back of the shop when nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79. There was an oven in the shop that the archaeologists believe may have been used to make bronze objects. There is evidence that the shop was targeted by looters seeking treasure after the eruption, but they apparently missed the gold coins and the gold-leaf-foil, flower-shaped pendant. Archaeologists have been excavating a second shop as well, though they are unsure what its purpose was. The dig has also turned up a fourth-century B.C. tomb containing an adult skeleton surrounded by six black vases.

Stray bear trapped near Kalakkad

Even as forest personnel are in search of a stray bear that was spotted near Moolaikkaraipatti in the district last Saturday, a male sloth bear that was creating panic among farmers after it strayed into the farmlands close to the Western Ghats near Kalakkad was caged in the early hours on Thursday.

The animal, which reportedly sustained injuries in a bid to escape from the cage, was released in the Sengaltheri area of Kalakkad Division of Kalakkad–Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve by noon.

The bear, reportedly from the Western Ghats, had entered the farm in search of food and water a couple of weeks ago and remained in the orchards close to Kalakkad. On noticing the movement of the animal, a farmer, Ramesh of Pillaikulam, filed a complaint with forest officials.

After securing permission from the field director, KMTR, A. Venkatesh, the officials placed a cage in the farm. The bear was caged around 3 a.m. at Pillaikulam.

The three-year-old animal had a bleeding injury on its snout and thighs, which it might have sustained while trying to escape from the steel enclosure.

A villager alleged that the forest personnel took it to the Sengaltheri area to free it without treating it.

However, forest authorities said an antiseptic cream was applied on the injury though the bear was aggressive.

The animal apparently sustained injuries on its snout and thighs while trying to escape from the enclosure.

Taken from The Hindu

Mystery 'extinct' space rock found in Sweden

A morsel of never-before-seen alien rock has been dug up in a limestone quarry in Sweden, where it had lain deeply buried for about 470 million years, scientists have said.

The biscuit-sized remains are unlike any other meteorite found on Earth to date, and may shed light on the history and formation of our Solar System, they reported in the journal Nature Communications.

Dubbed Öst 65, it is thought to be a splinter of a potato-shaped rock some 20-30 kilometres (12-19 miles) wide, which had smashed into another much larger body, sprinkling our adolescent planet with debris.

Previously, remnants of only one of the two rocks had been found, in the form of meteorites called chondrites.

But now scientists believe they have unearthed a piece of the second space orb, boosting the theory of a major smash-up between two galactic travellers.

It is thought that the breakup of the bigger chondrite body, about 100-150km across, had yielded a major cluster of rocky debris in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

The resultant flux of extraterrestrial material, some of which rained down on Earth, coincided with a massive expansion of invertebrate ocean life at a time our planet's landmass was largely fused together into a supercontinent called Gondwana.

"The single meteorite that we now found... is of a type that we do not know of from today's world," study co-author Birger Schmitz of Lund University in Sweden told AFP.

Along with about 100 chondrite pieces discovered to date, the new alien fragment had sunk to the floor of an ocean covering parts of what today is a limestone quarry in southern Sweden.

'Extinct' space rock? 

"The object contains very high concentrations (compared to Earth materials), of elements such as iridium, which is very rare on Earth," Schmitz explained by email.

"The meteorite also contains high concentrations of rare isotopes of the element Neon" -- and in different proportions than in chondrites.

The team measured telltale signs of cosmic radiation in the meteorite to determine how long it had flown around in space before crashing to Earth.

"Our meteorite fell 470 million years ago," said Schmitz -- more or less the same period as the chondrite fragments.

The mysterious morsel "may be a fragment of the impactor that broke up the (chondrite) parent body," concluded the study.

The extraterrestrial lander may be the first documented example of an "extinct meteorite" -- so called because it's parent body had been entirely consumed by space collisions, meaning no more fragments can fall to Earth today.

Chondrites still drop to our planet every now and then.

The findings mean that today's meteorites -- on which scientists base much of their assumptions about our Solar System's formation -- are not fully representative of what is, and once was, out there.

"Apparently, there is potential to reconstruct important aspects of solar-system history by looking down on Earth sediments, in addition to looking up at the skies," wrote the study authors.

Taken from The Local

Marvel at Sweden's new levitating plants

Sweden is known as a country that likes to push the boundaries of technology, but the latest effort from one Swedish company is even more futuristic than most. Step forward, levitating plants.

Stockholm-based start-up Flyte is using crowdfunding website Kickstarter to fund its ‘zero-gravity growing system’, which consists of a plant pot that hovers above an oak base through magnetic levitation, producing an effect that looks like something straight out of a science fiction movie.
And it appears to have struck a chord. With 15 days to go, backers have already pledged $209,341 to the project – six times its original funding goal. Flyte founder Simon Morris told The Local that the pots are not just an attempt to push the boundaries of technology, but also an experiment to see how plants are affected by growing in mid-air.
“We’re interested in challenging what house plants can do. We have them at home, they provide us with oxygen, but we wanted to raise some questions,” he explained.
“What if plants are affected by magnetism? What happens if the plant rotates too, so sunlight is distributed evenly, rather than the plant growing towards the sun as usually happens? We’re leaving it up to the customers to judge the results.”
It was Sweden’s reputation for pushing boundaries that inspired Morris, originally from New York, to relocate to the country.
“I didn’t move here because of a girl, I moved here because of design. Sweden has a big reputation for being a design and innovation capital for start-ups. It’s a very fertile environment for that,” he noted.
The plant pots use the same technology as Flyte’s previous invention, a levitating light bulb which receives its power through the air. That project managed to achieve seven times its original funding goal, and with the plant pots also doing well, the magnetism enthusiast has good cause to be content.
“We got a great response to our first project and way over-funded our goal. The response to this one has been very positive too,” he beamed.
“We started from humble beginnings in Sweden, an international team of designers with a background in science and engineering, so crowdfunding is a great platform for us to test our ideas,”
“The alternative is that we would need to find an investor, whereas this is so instant.”

Taken from The Local

Genetic Study Suggests Early Farmers Migrated Into Europe

MAINZ, GERMANY—A new genetic study led by Joachim Burger of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz has linked Neolithic farmers in Germany, Hungary, and Spain to early farmers in Greece and northwestern Anatolia. Burger said in an Associated Press report that the farmers in Central Europe and Spain were more closely related to the Aegean farmers than to each other, which suggests that the farmers arrived in Europe in two separate waves. “One is the Balkan route and one is the Mediterranean route,” Burger said. The study also indicates that the migrating farmers had dark eyes, fair skin, and were not able to digest milk after childhood. A comparison of the ancient DNA with samples collected from modern Europeans found that after hundreds of years, the farmers eventually mixed with European hunter-gatherers and then with a third group of people who traveled from the eastern Steppes some 5,000 years ago.

Bison Fossils Offer Clues to Human Migrations

ALBERTA, CANADA—A new study coordinated by Duane Froese of the University of Alberta has analyzed nearly 200 bison fossils as a way to investigate when people may have been able to travel through an ice-free corridor in the Rocky Mountains. Bison to the north and south of the corridor were separated from each other by the ice some 21,000 years ago and, as a result, became genetically distinct. So, as a first step, the researchers carbon-dated the bison fossils and then analyzed their DNA to show which were from the north and which were from the south. The results suggest that the southern bison began moving north some 13,400 years ago, and that the populations began to overlap some 13,000 years ago, when the corridor was fully cleared of ice. “It’s intriguing from the perspective that as much as bison and game animals were separated, so too would have been early human populations,” Jack Ives of the University of Alberta said in a CBC News report. “Once that corridor region opened … this would open the door for human populations to reengage.”

2,000-Year-Old Estate in Israel Yields Coin Cache

MODI’IN, ISRAEL—A cache of silver coins was discovered during salvage excavations at a 2,100-year-old agricultural estate in Israel. The coins had been placed in a crevice against a wall of the estate. Olive presses and wine presses suggest that the family grew olive trees and vineyards. Ritual baths, vessels made of chalk, and bronze coins minted by Hasmonean kings were also found. The Times of Israel reports that the 16 silver coins include one or two tetradrachms or didrachms minted in the city of Tyre from every year between 135 and 126 B.C. “It seems that some thought went into collecting the coins, and it is possible that the person who buried the cache was a coin collector,” said coin expert Donald Tzvi Ariel of the Israel Antiquities Authority. Excavation director Abraham Tendler thinks that the estate’s Jewish residents may have participated in the rebellion against Rome in A.D. 66, based upon bronze coins found at the site. Hiding places connected by tunnels to cisterns and storage pits were found under the floors of the house. An opening in a ritual bath led to a hiding place that contained artifacts that date to the Bar Kokhba rebellion, which occurred in A.D. 132.

Evidence of Early Campfires Found in Europe

MURCIA, SPAIN—Science News reports that paleontologist Michael Walker of the University of Murcia and his colleagues have found evidence for the earliest controlled use of small fires in Europe at Cueva Negra del Estrecho del Río Quípar. The cave, located in southeastern Spain, has yielded more than 165 stones and stone artifacts and 2,300 heated or charred animal-bone fragments. Microscopic and chemical analysis of these objects indicates that they were heated to between 750 and 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, temperatures consistent with having been burned in fire. Walker thinks the fires were started by human ancestors some 800,000 years ago, based upon the identification of a reversal in the Earth’s magnetic field some 780,000 years ago in sediments above the burned artifacts. Fossils of extinct animals have also been found with the stone tools. Some scientists question the early date and think the tools are at most 600,000 years old. That would still make the fires the earliest known in Europe.

World War I-Era Training Trenches Found in Ireland

COUNTY DOWN, IRELAND— Archaeologist Heather Montgomery of Queen’s University is investigating the remains of military trenches uncovered in Northern Ireland, near the Ballykinler army base. BBC News reports that many of the men who trained in these trenches went on to fight in the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and the Battle of Messines in 1917. “The training they did in there, did it actually help them?” asked Tony Canniford, estate manager for Ballykinler. “Is there any history within the bottom of the trenches? Most soldiers drop stuff when they’re training.” Plans to restore the trenches and open to the public are in the works. To read about a well-known World War I battlefield.

Bronze Wing May Have Graced Roman Victory Statuette

GLOUCESTER, ENGLAND—A bronze wing measuring 5.5 inches long has been unearthed in southwestern England. At first it had been thought that the wing, discovered in an earthen bank behind what would have been the Roman city wall, was part of an eagle statue. But Martin Henig of Oxford University has concluded that the wing was actually part of a Roman statuette of Victoria, the goddess of victory. “It would be nice to think a retired Roman soldier, spending his retirement years in Gloucester, had a nice statuette to Victory as thanks for making it through the Roman invasion of Britain in one piece,” Neil Holbrook of Cotswold Archaeology said in a BBC News report.

Solstice Alignments Spotted in Washington, D.C., Garden

TURIN, ITALY—The statues and walkways in a symmetrical nineteenth-century garden in Washington D.C. are aligned to the rising and setting sun on the summer and winter solstices, according to physicist Amelia Sparavigna of Politecnico di Torino. Live Science reports that, using satellite imagery and astronomical software, Sparavigna found that the solstice sun aligns with the statue of President Andrew Jackson that stands in the center of the Lafayette Square garden. Four walkways radiate out from this statue. Standing near the statue of Andrew Jackson, it would appear that on the summer solstice, the sun rises at the northeast end of one path, and sets at the northwest end of the opposite path. On the winter solstice, the sun would appear to rise at the southeast end of another path and set at the southwest end of its opposite. Sparavigna says it is unclear why designer Andrew Jackson Downing aligned the ends of the walkways to the solstice sun.

Scientists Say “Lost City” Formed by Natural Phenomenon

NORWICH, ENGLAND—Scientists from the University of Athens and the University of East Anglia say that what looked like the paved floors, courtyards, and colonnades of a lost city in shallow waters off the coast of the Greek island Zakynthos were actually created by a natural geological phenomenon up to five million years ago. According to a report in Tech Times, Julian Andrews of the University of East Anglia noticed that there wasn’t any pottery or other signs of human activity around the supposed ruins, which were discovered by recreational divers. The researchers took a closer look at the mineral content and texture of the stones with X-rays, microscopy, and stable isotope techniques. They think the column-shaped concretions are the result of mineralization at hydrocarbon seeps along a fault under the seabed. Microbes in the seafloor sediments used the methane and other gases from the fault as fuel, changing the chemistry of the sediment and forming the concretions. Erosion eventually exposed and shaped the concretions. “This kind of phenomenon is quite rare in shallow waters,” Andrews said. “Most similar discoveries tend to be many hundreds and often thousands of meters deep underwater.”

New Thoughts on Dog Domestication

OXFORD, ENGLAND—A genetic study led by Laurent Frantz of the University of Oxford suggests that dogs may have been domesticated separately in Asia and in Europe or the Near East. The researchers obtained DNA from the inner ear bone of a nearly 5,000-year-old dog discovered at Newgrange, a site on the east coast of Ireland, and sequenced its entire genome. They then compared it to the nuclear DNA of 605 modern dogs from around the world and calculated a genetic mutation rate. The analysis revealed a divide between Asian dogs and European dogs between 6,400 and 14,000 years ago, and a sharp decline in the numbers of European dogs. “We never saw this split before because we didn’t have enough samples,” project leader and evolutionary biologist Greger Larson said in a report in Science. Remains of dogs found in Germany have been estimated to be more than 16,000 years old, however, suggesting that dogs could have been domesticated in Europe before migrating Asian dogs might have replaced them. “We don’t know if the dogs that evolved [early] in Europe were an evolutionary dead end, but we can safely say that their genetic legacy has mostly been erased from today’s dogs,” said Frantz.

Maya May Have Tracked Venus From Acanceh Observatory

MÉRIDA, MEXICO—According to a report in Fox News Latino and the Mexico City newspaper Excelsior, Beatriz Quintal Suaste of the Yucatán National Institute of Anthropology and History says that an observatory at the Early Classic Maya site of Acanceh may have helped priest-astronomers track the movement of the planet Venus. The third-brightest object in the sky after the sun and the moon, Venus is thought to have been represented in Maya mythology by a god named Noh Ek. The new study suggests that the southern edge of the observatory aligns with the northernmost position of Venus in the night sky. Three codexes found at the site support the idea that the ancient astronomers would have been able to track Venus’s 584-day cycle through the sky from the observatory.

Kolkata: Discovery of predator fish that resembles an alligator concerns experts

Experts are concerned about the discovery of a predatory fish that can grow up to eight feet from Subhas Sarovar in Kolkata’s eastern fringe of Beliaghata as it can destroy local ecosystem and biodiversity.

A local angler, Shibu Mondol, caught a 3.5-feet long Alligator Gar – a fish that resembles an alligator with long sharp teeth and equally predatory instincts and sometimes known to attack humans – two months ago.

Biodiversity experts, ecologists and anglers say the fish could kill almost every other fish in the lake. The prehistoric relatives of this mega fish inhabited many parts of the world, but today gars live only in North and Central America. Of the seven known species, the Alligator Gar is the largest.

 “It is a highly carnivorous fish. It not only kills other fishes but there are reports of it attacking humans too. The fish’s egg is also poisonous. It has no natural enemies and hence can become invasive in no time destroying the local ecosystem and biodiversity,” Mathe Rajeev Mathew, expert member of the National Biodiversity Authority and the Telangana State Biodiversity Board, said.

Alligator Gar has already become a nuisance in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and reports of the fish spreading fast and becoming invasive in water bodies of Tamil Nadu are also pouring in. In 2015, an Alligator Gar was caught from a well in Dadar in Mumbai.

A group of experts has been called in to tackle the menace.

“This is the first time that this species has been caught in the city. We would like to send a team and collect the specimen. We would also try to explore the lake to check if their population has proliferated and how big is the threat,” KC Gopi, a fish expert of the Zoological Survey of India, said.

Experts say they are usually smuggled into the country to be reared in aquariums. But when the fish starts gaining size and kills other fish, owners often release them in the local water bodies.

“We have had a similar experience with another aquarium fish called the Crocodile fish while working in East Kolkata Wetlands. They are bought by aquarium keepers and then released into wild when they grow big. Crocodile fish are now found in almost every pond and lake in Kolkata and are destroying the local biodiversity,” Dipayan Dey, who heads the city based NGO South Asian Forum for Environment, said.

Mondol – the person who caught the fish - gave a scary account of how he caught the fish as it tried to attack him and snap his finger. Mondol is a member of the West Bengal Angler’s Association and fishes regularly in Subhas Sarovar.

“Unlike a Rohu or Katla fish, which usually tries to drag the rope deep into the pond after it is hooked, this fish was lying idle in the water like a tortoise. When I started pulling it out of the water, I was shocked to see the alligator-like snout. I screamed and local residents soon rushed to the spot. The fish after being pulled out not only made a dart to bite me but also killed a Katla fish which I caught earlier,” Mondol said.

The Alligator Gar that Mondol caught weighed more than five kilos.

One of Mondol’s friends killed the fish and ate its meat that tasted sour. Mondol, however, managed to retain the skin and head and is drying to preserve it.

“We couldn’t cut the fish with a knife. It was so hard that it had to be hacked with an axe,” Mondol said.

World War I–Era Training Camp Excavated in Ohio

CHILLICOTHE, OHIO—The Chillicothe Gazette reports that archaeologist Andy Sewell, members of the Ohio History Connection, and additional volunteers are investigating Camp Sherman, a large World War I–era training site for the Ohio Army National Guard, ahead of the construction of a power distribution center. The team has uncovered sewer pipes and the foundations of several buildings, including one they think might have been a fire station. “Surprises have been finding parts of buildings that don’t match the maps,” Sewell said. “Mainly, the buildings are where they are supposed to be, but there’s a mess hall, for instance, that’s further to the west than it shows on the map, and it kind of matches up with some of the photos that show it in line with another mess hall,” he said. Footprints in the bakery’s concrete could also reflect how quickly the camp was constructed. Charred pages from a ledger, a broken bottle, the base of a toilet, food waste, and burned soil where the bakery ovens may have been located have also been found.

Blade of Ancient Egyptian Dagger Analyzed

MILAN, ITALY—Daniela Comelli of the Polytechnic University of Milan and her team conducted an analysis of the dagger found in the wrappings of Tutankhamun’s mummy by Howard Carter in 1925. The dagger, which dates to the fourteenth century B.C., has a gold handle, a rock crystal pommel, a gold sheath, and an iron blade. But the ancient Egyptians are thought to have developed iron smelting much later, in the eighth century B.C. “The problem is iron working is related to its high melting point,” Comelli said in an Associated Press report. “Because of it, early smiths couldn’t heat ore enough to extract iron and couldn’t forge the iron into weapons.” Using a technique called X-ray fluorescence, Comelli found that Tutankhamun’s metal blade contains ten percent nickel and 0.6 percent cobalt, a composition that is similar to that of known metallic meteorites. The analysis suggests that the dagger could have been hammered from rare meteoritic iron, which is thought to have been considered more valuable than gold.

Texts From the Early Years of Roman Rule Found in London

LONDON, ENGLAND—Excavations at the site of the new European Bloomberg headquarters have yielded 405 Roman writing tablets, 87 of which have been deciphered. According to a report in BBC News, this more than quadruples the number of known Roman writing tablets recovered in London. Romans would have used styluses to write on a layer of blackened beeswax covering such wooden tablets. The wax did not survive on these tablets, but some of the etchings went through the wax to mark the wood, which was preserved for nearly 2,000 years in the mud of the buried Walbrook River. Roger Tomlin, an expert in cursive Latin, deciphered and interpreted the writings with the help of digital photographic methods. The texts include the earliest-known reference to London, an alphabet thought to have been written as practice or to demonstrate literacy, and a financial document dated January 8, A.D. 57. Researchers from the Museum of London Archaeology say it is the earliest intrinsically dated document to have been found in the United Kingdom.