…ble to classify a huge range of terrain. Dr. Jason Ur said this had removed subjectivity and allowed them to look at a much larger area. In all, about 9,000 possible settlements were identified across 23,000 sq km. Ideally, Dr. Jason Ur said, some of these would be excavated, but the volatile political situation in Syria had forced them to put any ground searches on hold. However, Dr. Jason Ur sai…
the way for the eventual creation of democracy. Solon’s success demonstrates that great statesmen must have the courage to implement unpopular compromises for the sake of justice and stability. 2. What happens next? The Delphic oracle Ancient Delphi was the site of Apollo’s oracle, believed to be inspired by the god to utter truths. Her utterances, however, were unintelligible and nee…
Thousands of people across the world have been preparing for what they believe will be the end of the world on December 21, according to a Mayan prophecy. The date is the apparent end of the “long count” calendar of the ancient Mayan civilisation. Believers have gathered in Mexico near Mayan ruins, and in other supposedly spiritual places around the world. Chinese police have arrested…
An armed robbery took place at a museum in Ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympics, from where dozens of artefacts have been stolen, Greek officials say. Local mayor Thymios Kotzias told media two masked men had broken into the museum after overpowering the sole guard, a woman. Thymios Kotzias said items of “incalculable” value had been stolen, but gave no details. Culture Min…
One in ten of us is said to be anxious that December 21st marks the end of the world. The Ancient Mayans predicted this doomsday, and the press is eating it up. But where are all the believers? That the world will end in 2012 is the most widely-disseminated doomsday tale in human history, thanks to the internet, Hollywood and an ever-eager press corps. Recent hurricanes, unrest in the Middle East…
…ted by a dark page with white text which said: “Imagine a world without free knowledge… The US Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia.” If users tried to access its other pages via search sites, the text briefly flashed up before being replaced by the protest page. H…
…rk and the Rega Institute in Belgium. It is reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. One of the viruses was found to have invaded the genome of a common ancestor around 100 million years ago with its remnants discovered in almost every mammal in the study. Another infected an early primate with the result that it was found in apes, humans and other primates as well….
…rent Landau, a Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Oklahoma, spent two years translating the eighth-century text from its original Syriac. The document has been held in the Vatican for 250 years and the story is thought to have been first told in the late second, or early third, century. This takes it back to possibly just 100 years after Matthew wrote his Gospel – the only o…
On December 21, 2012, the apocalypse foretold 5,125 years ago by the ancient Mayans will come to pass and the world will end. Meanwhile, Harold Camping, an American radio preacher, got thousands of followers worked up when he predicted the Second Coming of Jesus Christ on May 21 last year. When that didn’t happen, Harold Camping said the world would end on October 21. And then he quietly retired…
…icant breakthrough. “No-one is actually making gains here, it is just fighting and more fighting, and terrified people are fleeing,” one activist told Reuters. Activists estimate more than 27,000 people have died in the violence since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began last year….
…basins are at present capped by permafrost, glaciers and ice sheets, such as northern West Siberia, rich in natural gas and partially underlain by thin permafrost predicted to degrade substantially by 2100, a very strong increase in methane carbon cycling will result, with potential implications for climate warming feedbacks.” Quantifying methane release across the Arctic is an active area o…
…supposedly had “anti alcohol” effects. They rapidly homed in on the Asian seed and tested one ingredient – called dihydromyricetin (DHM) in the rats. The rats were given the equivalent of 15 to 20 bottled beers in two hours. Most animals passed out, and remained motionless when flipped over. When given DHM, the rats could “handle” their drink better. They took longer to get drunk, and seeme…
…k Obama’s Marine One helicopter touched down near Petra after an hour-long flight from the Jordanian capital, Amman. The site of the ancient city, which is carved into rose-red stone, dates back 2,000 years and is Jordan’s top tourist attraction, drawing more than half a million visitors each year. President Barack Obama is ending his Middle East tour with a trip to the famous ruins o…
Almost 500 Chinese websites have been defaced in an Anonymous attack, the hacking group claims. Targets hit in the mass defacement included government sites, its official agencies, trade groups and many others. A message put on the hacked sites said the attack was carried out to protest against the Chinese government’s strict control of its citizens. The message urged Chinese people to join…
One of the oldest Mayan tombs ever found has been uncovered in Retalhuleu province, western Guatemala, say archaeologists. Located at a temple site in Retalhuleu, the grave is thought to be that of an ancient ruler or religious leader who lived some 2,000 years ago. Carbon-dating indicated the tomb had been built between 700 and 400 BC, said government archaeologist Miguel Orrego. A rich array of…
…stunt, the incident could not have gone more wrong. The night-time spin, shortly after the car had been hoisted on to the wall, reportedly led to the cancellation of the event itself, a celebration of 20 years since Ferrari entered the Chinese car market. The word Ferrari has now been blocked on Chinese microblogs, perhaps as part of an effort to contain criticism of the actions of government offi…
e mummified all over. “It makes me very confident that his tissues have been mummified correctly and in a very successful manner.” Alan Billis’s mummy is expected to stay in Sheffield until the end of 2011. It will then be studied by scientists researching decomposition….
Scientists from McGill University, Canada, have created the “supersoldier” ants with huge heads and jaws by activating ancient genes. Researchers believe the monster ants may be a genetic throwback to an ancestor that lived millions of years ago. Scientists say they can create the supersoldiers at will by dabbing normal ant larvae with a special hormone – the larvae then develop into supers…
…how much scope for inspections the IAEA would be given. In the past North Korea has limited access to key sites. Pyongyang expelled IAEA inspectors 10 years ago after a deal with the US unravelled. In 2003, the secretive Communist state withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The inspectors were allowed back several years later – but were thrown out again in 2009. …
Thousands of websites in Europe are expected to be in breach of a law that dictates what they can log about visitors. European laws that define what details sites can record in text files called cookies come into force on 26 May. Cookies are widely used to customize what repeat visitors see on a site and by advertisers to track users online. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said…
…n Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), they note this is the oldest plant material by far to have been brought to life. Prior to this, the record lay with date palm seeds stored for 2,000 years at Masada in Israel. Professor David Gilichinsky, the leader of the research team, died a few days before his paper was published. In the workpaper, Professor David Gilichinsky and his co…
Olympic flame which will be used for the London 2012 torch relay has been lit during a ceremony in Olympia, Greece. The flame was kindled by a “high priestess” who captured the morning sun’s rays in a parabolic mirror. The ceremony came amid political and economic turmoil in Greece, the home of the Ancient Olympics, where a week-long leg of the relay will be held. The flame flie…
…ng the bubbles of ancient air trapped in Antarctic ice. One of these can be used to describe CO2 levels over the past 800,000 years. It suggests that CO2 held steady over this longer period at between 200 ppm and 300 ppm….
…s not store information on controversial subjects such as pornography. The Ad preferences page came to public attention following a sweeping change to “privacy policy” which comes into effect on March 1, although the preferences page was launched some time ago. YouTube data, Gmail information and search data will all be used to build up ever more accurate advertising profiles and also the company…
terview with the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. The National Association of Newspapers, known by its Portuguese acronym ANJ, carried out an experiment with Google that began in December 2010. This allowed Google News to carry the top line of news stories, to raise curiosity and get readers to click on the full story on the newspapers’ sites. But the ANJ says the experiment has…
Hilaria Baldwin picked up by husband Alec during Cannes 2013 photocallAlec Baldwin picked up wife Hilaria during a photocall for Seduced and Abandoned at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday. Alec Baldwin, 55, was seen grinning with delight as…
Chris Brown and Karrueche Tran back together?Chris Brown and his ex girlfriend Karrueche Tran engaged in a very raunchy Twitter exchange on Saturday and it appears the rumors that they are back together may very well be…
Kim Kardashian shows off growing baby bump in bikiniAs she proudly showed off her bump in a simple bikini Kim Kardashian proved she is finally at ease with her new shape. Looking happy and healthy, her hair in braids and skin…
Eurovision 2013: Russia calls Azerbaijan's failure to award any points as outrageous actionRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called Azerbaijan's failure to award any points to Russia's entry in this year’s Eurovision song contest as "outrageous". Sergei…
Brad Pitt says he felt he was wasting his life while married to Jennifer AnistonBrad Pitt has revealed he felt he was wasting his life on drugs while he was married to Jennifer Aniston. In yet another blow to his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt…
George Michael fell out of his car at 70 mph while travelling on a four-lane stretch of M1 motorwayAn M1 motorway driver has described the moment she nearly ran over George Michael as he lay covered in blood on the road after falling from his car at 70 mph. Katherine Fox,…
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