Free Republic

Global Times reports that archaeologists investigating the tomb of Liu Hemarquis, the Marquis of Haihun, in east China's Jiangxi Province discovered the world's oldest steel acupuncture needles. Dating to the time of the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 9), the 2,000-year-old needles were found within a jade tube, which itself was placed inside a gilded lacquer box. A wooden label lying nearby inscribed with the words "Nine Needles Complete" confirms their identification, as ancient Chinese medical texts recommend the use of nine different needles during acupuncture. Analysis indicated that they were made from steel created through an advanced technique known...

A dinosaur that died just before it was about to lay two eggs has been found by an international team of scientists. The creature, which lived 65-98 million years ago, was discovered in China's Jiangxi Province. The fossilised remains comprise little more than a pelvis with the shelled eggs still viewable in the body cavity. Tamaki Sato and colleagues tell Science magazine the dinosaur's reproductive system shares similarities with both primitive reptiles and modern birds. The animal was probably a theropod; the name describes a broad group of bipedal, largely carnivorous dinosaurs which many scientists believe gave rise to birds....