Free Republic 4th Qtr 2026 Fundraising Target: $60,000 Receipts & Pledges to-date: $22,142
36%  
Woo hoo!! And now only $58 to reach 37%!! Thank you all very much!! God bless.

Science (General/Chat)

Brevity: Headers | « Text »
  • Ivory Tools 400,000 Years Old | Discoveries That Rewrote History [54:57]

    11/10/2026 5:14:25 AM PST · by SunkenCiv · 1 replies
    YouTube ^ | November 3, 2026 | History with Kayleigh Movies and History with Kayleigh
    Ivory Tools 400,000 Years Old Discoveries That Rewrote History | 54:57 History with Kayleigh Movies and History with Kayleigh | 31,350 views | November 3, 2026
  • Archaeologists discover a 3,300-year-old sword at the bottom of a volcanic lake in Italy - and it's still sharp

    11/10/2026 5:12:58 AM PST · by SunkenCiv · 8 replies
    Daily Mail ^ | November 9, 2026 | Xantha Leatham, Executive Science Editor
    In an eerie retelling of the Arthurian legend of Excalibur, archaeologists have found a 3,300-year-old sword at the bottom of a lake. The weapon was found during an underwater excavation at Lake Mezzano, a small volcanic lake in central Italy, where it had been submerged for millennia with its blade still sharp. Experts believe the sword, which dates to around 1300 BC, may have been deliberately deposited as part of a ritual offering, a practice already linked to several Bronze Age European sites. The discovery was announced by Italy's Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Province of...
  • How DNA Reveals Neolithic Europeans Colonized Africa 7,000 Years Ago [22:05]

    11/09/2026 5:30:03 PM PST · by SunkenCiv · 19 replies
    YouTube ^ | October 28, 2026 | Dan Davis History
    Over 7,000 years ago, Neolithic farmers crossed the Mediterranean from Iberia into North Africa. Carrying Cardial Ware pottery, domesticated crops and livestock, these European migrants established communities in Morocco and mixed with indigenous Maghrebi hunter-gatherers. Archaeology and ancient DNA shows how farming spread through migration, cultural adoption and later movements from the Levant. Including the remarkable spread of the R1b-V88 paternal lineage from Mesolithic Europe and Neolithic Iberia into the Green Sahara, and ultimately to populations living around Lake Chad today. How DNA Reveals Neolithic Europeans Colonized Africa 7,000 Years Ago | 22:05 Dan Davis History | 392K subscribers |...
  • Sacred bones of saint who inspired Santa Claus destroyed in church raid just before Christmas

    11/09/2026 4:20:18 PM PST · by SunkenCiv · 27 replies
    Daily Mail ^ | 9 November 2026 | Stacy Liberatore
    Bone fragments attributed to Saint Nicolas were stolen from a church in France, then allegedly burned and crushed. Priests at Saint Nicolas de Port, one of France's few sanctuaries to hold a relic of the saint, reported the theft of a reliquary containing a fragment of the saint's body on November 2. Police later arrested the suspect, who reportedly admitted acting spontaneously out of a 'desire to destroy' the relic because he viewed devotion to the bones as a form of idol worship. Saint Nicolas, the inspiration behind Santa Claus, lived between 270 and 343 AD and is famous for...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula

    11/09/2026 12:47:05 PM PST · by MtnClimber · 13 replies
    NASA ^ | 9 Nov. 2026 | Credit & Copyright: Piotr Czerski
    Explanation: Does the blue nebula look like the head of a witch? The nebula is known popularly as the Witch Head Nebula because, it is said, the nebula's shape resembles a Halloween-style caricature of a witch's head. Exactly how, though, can be a topic of imaginative speculation. What is clear is that IC 2118 is about 50 light-years across and made of gas and dust that points to -- because it has been partly eroded by -- the nearby star Rigel. One of the brighter stars in the constellation Orion, Rigel lies just below the center of the featured image....
  • Mouse Blocker Pro

    11/09/2026 10:57:10 AM PST · by Pontiac · 53 replies
    MouseBlocker ^ | Unknown | Merchant
    MouseBlocker PROx 12V – Under-Hood Ultrasonic Mouse & Rat Repeller for Cars, Trucks, RVs, Campers & EVsProtect your vehicle’s wiring harness, hoses and insulation from costly rodent damage. Experience the varying and enhanced power of adjustable ultrasonic sounds, now 200 times more potent than the original model. These powerful sounds create an uncomfortable environment for rodents, discouraging them from nesting in your vehicle. Additionally, the MouseBlocker Pro incorporates two bright strobing LED lights, providing an extra deterrent that rodents despise.Crafted with a robust all-aluminum alloy case, the MouseBlocker Pro not only safeguards our advanced microcomputer but also effectively dissipates heat....
  • Lindisfarne's 'Palace' Exposed: Tudor Naval Brew House on Holy Island [48:44]

    11/09/2026 8:44:52 AM PST · by SunkenCiv · 23 replies
    YouTube ^ | November 7, 2026 | Deep Dive History Channel
    On Holy Island, a field called "The Palace" hides a story no one expected. Time Team digs into Lindisfarne's past to learn whether this plot belonged to monks, soldiers, or something stranger. Armed with a 1548 plan, geophysics and local archives, the team chases clues from a chamfered plinth and cobbled yards to twin circular structures that point to a very different "palace." A debated cannonball, boundary stones that redraw the Priory line, and an eerie butchered horse burial twist the plot. Then a Neolithic cup-marked stone surfaces from a medieval pit, and a Charles I coin keeps the dates...
  • Three Forgotten Roman Celebrities [11:08]

    11/09/2026 6:06:33 AM PST · by SunkenCiv · 4 replies
    YouTube ^ | November 6, 2026 | Garrett Ryan, Ph.D (as toldinstone)
    This video explores the careers of three of the Roman Empire's strangest celebrities. Three Forgotten Roman Celebrities | 11:08 toldinstone | 653K subscribers | 1,874 views | November 6, 2026
  • The Roman Fort in Luxor Temple [7:14]

    11/08/2026 3:40:23 PM PST · by SunkenCiv · 5 replies
    YouTube ^ | November 6, 2026 | Scenic Routes to the Past (Garrett Ryan, Ph.D)
    For more than three centuries, Egypt's Luxor Temple served as the base of a Roman legion. The Roman Fort in Luxor Temple | 7:14 Scenic Routes to the Past | 62.8K subscribers | 31:37 views | November 6, 2026
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Major Fireball Meteor

    11/08/2026 11:31:46 AM PST · by MtnClimber · 6 replies
    NASA ^ | 8 Nov. 2026 | Credit & Copyright: Ollie Taylor
    Explanation: The sky glows with soft pinkish colors of fading twilight in this serendipitous mountaintop vista. Taken in subfreezing temperatures, the thoughtfully composed photo shows snowy, rugged peaks seen from a mountain pass on 2017 November 14. Below lies the village of La Villa, Alta Badia in Italy's Dolomite Alps. Above the nestled village lights, the constellation Ursa Major hangs over the northern horizon. But most stunning is the intense fireball meteor. It was captured during the camera's exposure by chance as it flashed east to west across the northern horizon, under Ursa Major's familiar Big Dipper asterism. Sightings of...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - De Gerlache-Kocher Massif

    11/07/2026 2:14:10 PM PST · by MtnClimber · 7 replies
    NASA ^ | 7 Nov. 2026 | Credit: Alejandro Sanz
    Explanation: De Gerlache-Kocher massif looms on the visible horizon in this close-up of the edge of the Moon. The mountainous formation rises about 4 kilometers above its surroundings and is located very close to the lunar south pole. Boasting permanently shadowed crater floors that likely contain deposits of water ice and peaks that receive almost continuous sunlight for solar power generation, the south polar region is considered a prime location for the first human settlement on the Moon. In fact, De Gerlache-Kocher massif itself has been considered as a potential landing site for future crewed Artemis missions to the Moon....
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - A Farewell to Swift

    11/06/2026 1:26:34 PM PST · by MtnClimber · 4 replies
    NASA ^ | 6 Nov, 2026 | Credit NASA/Swift and AndreaMosaic
    Explanation: It is time to say goodbye to NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. After nearly 22 years of service, the satellite re-entered Earth's atmosphere on November 4 at 7:39 EST over the North Sumatra region of Indonesia. The featured image is a mosaic created in 2018 using some of the first million images captured by the satellite's Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope. Swift had a combination of instruments, including an X-ray telescope and a gamma-ray telescope, that worked together to enable humanity to study, in unprecedented detail, the fastest and most energetic explosions in the universe. The most recent solar maximum accelerated the...
  • Demographics, age, and social views: Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, Silent Generation.

    11/06/2026 12:40:07 PM PST · by daniel1212 · 28 replies
    Demographics, age, and social views: Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, Silent Generation. The intersection of demographics, age, and social views explores how a person’s place in society—particularly their generational cohort—shapes their perspective on cultural, political, and systemic issues. Decades of data, notably from researchers like the Pew Research Center, reveal clear patterns in how social views evolve across different age groups. Khan Academy·khanacademymedicine1. The Core Generational FrameworkSociologists and demographic researchers categorize the population into distinct age cohorts to track shifting trends over time: USC Libraries Research Guides +1Generation Z (Born 1997–2012): Digital natives, highly diverse, and fiercely progressive on...
  • Scientist stole trade secrets from startup that wants to bring back extinct species: bombshell suit

    11/06/2026 10:57:27 AM PST · by DFG · 21 replies
    NY Post ^ | 11/06/2026 | Taylor Herzlich
    Colossal Biosciences – a futuristic startup working to bring back extinct species including the woolly mammoth – is suing one of its former scientists for allegedly stealing trade secrets and sharing the data with competing labs. In a bombshell lawsuit filed Friday morning in Texas federal court in Austin, Colossal accused James Kehler, formerly its vice president of animal sciences and later of BioSynergy, of “dishonesty, greed, and the betrayal of the confidential science at the heart of Colossal’s mission.” The Dallas-based firm – which has so far succeeded in creating “woolly mice” that bear woolly mammoth traits and gray...
  • A Hidden Star May Be Plowing Through Betelgeuse’s Giant Atmosphere

    11/05/2026 5:27:05 PM PST · by Red Badger · 18 replies
    scitechdaily.com ^ | November 5, 2026 | National Radio Astronomy Observatory
    Radio images suggest a link between Betelgeuse’s changing outline and its companion’s expected orbit, offering clues to how a smaller star may influence a giant’s later life. Betelgeuse, the bright red supergiant marking Orion’s shoulder, may have another star stirring its atmosphere from within. Its recently identified companion, Siwarha, is thought to orbit at a distance of only about twice the giant’s radius. New radio observations suggest that this close neighbor is leaving a visible mark on the shape of Betelgeuse’s outer gas, even though the companion itself is too faint to appear in those observations. Researchers proposed Siwarha’s existence...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Enceladus in Silhouette

    11/05/2026 1:19:32 PM PST · by MtnClimber · 5 replies
    NASA ^ | 5 Nov, 2026 | Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA
    Explanation: One of our Solar System's most tantalizing worlds, Enceladus is backlit by the Sun in this Cassini spacecraft image from November 1, 2009. The dramatic illumination reveals the plumes that continuously spew into space from the south pole of Saturn's 500 kilometer diameter moon. Discovered by Cassini in 2005, the icy plumes are likely connected to an ocean beneath the ice shell of Enceladus. They supply material directly to Saturn's outer, tenuous E ring and make the surface of Enceladus as reflective as snow. Across the scene, Saturn's icy rings scatter sunlight toward Cassini's cameras. Beyond the rings (lower...
  • Denisovan Fossils Identified

    11/04/2026 8:45:41 PM PST · by SunkenCiv · 11 replies
    Archaeology Magazine ^ | October 27, 2026 | editors / unattributed
    Phys.org reports that a new analysis of a skull fragment and jaw fragment found in northern China's Xujiayao archaeological site in the 1970s suggests that the fossils belonged to Denisovans. Qiaomei Fu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and her colleagues identified 18 proteins in the fossils. One of the collagen variants is found only in Denisovans, and not in Neanderthals nor modern humans. Then the researchers evaluated the shapes of the fossils and used 3D computer models to reconstruct the bones. These images were compared with fossils from Neanderthals, modern humans, and other hominins. The study suggests that Denisovans...
  • Neanderthal Hand Bones Discovered in Spain

    11/04/2026 8:41:43 PM PST · by SunkenCiv · 11 replies
    Archaeology Magazine ^ | October 22, 2026 | editors / unattributed
    Well-preserved Neanderthal hand bones containing collagen have been recovered from northern Spain's Abauntz Cave, according to an IFL Science report. The bones have been radiocarbon dated to 46,000 years ago. "The cave's location is important," said Andión Arteaga of the University of Warsaw and the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution, and Mikel Arlegi of the Musée de l'Homme. "Abauntz lies along a natural corridor connecting both sides of the Pyrenees. [This makes] it a particularly interesting site for investigating how these late Neanderthal populations moved across the region and how different groups may have interacted," the researchers...
  • Sstronomy Picture of the Day - The Not-So-Hidden Galaxy, IC 342

    11/04/2026 1:59:03 PM PST · by MtnClimber · 5 replies
    NASA ^ | 4 Nov. 2026 | Credit & Copyright: Artem Mironov
    Explanation: “I see” IC 342, the Hidden Galaxy! Today’s image peers through the plane of the Milky Way, through all its gas, dust and stars, to unveil this spiral galaxy. IC 342 (or Caldwell 5) is one of the brightest members of the IC 342/Maffei group of galaxies. Located about 10 million light years away, this group is quite close to the Local Group that includes our Milky Way. Inaccurate accounting of the crowded and dusty Milky Way foreground has led to misunderstandings in IC 342’s history, including the theory that the galaxy was ejected from the Local Group. IC...
  • Texas Rock Shelter Yields More Than 3,000 Artifacts

    11/04/2026 11:24:31 AM PST · by SunkenCiv · 9 replies
    Archaeology Magazine ^ | October 29, 2026 | editors / unattributed
    KFDA reports that some 3,000 artifacts were recovered from the Schaeffer Shelter in south-central Texas. Situated on private property in Ceta Canyon, the rock shelter, discovered in 1949 by Stanley Schaeffer, measures about 20 square feet. Archaeologist Brandon Tully said that different groups of people likely returned to the site over thousands of years, and he estimates that some of the recovered artifacts are between 8,000 and 10,000 years old. "We really don't have a lot of information about archaic period sites in the Texas Panhandle, especially rock shelters," Tully said. "Almost all of our rock shelters are from about...