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Science (General/Chat)

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  • A 400-year-old secret unlocked: CT scans crack the four-letter code on a brass lock recovered from a shipwreck off the coast of Wales in 1583

    11/10/2026 9:59:40 PM PST · by SunkenCiv · 8 replies
    Daily Mail (UK) ^ | November 5, 2026 | Xantha Leatham, Executive Science Editor
    For over 400 years, this brass padlock has remained firmly sealed at the bottom of the sea. But scientists have finally cracked its code, after using cutting-edge CT technology to solve the four-letter sequence that has kept it locked since 1583. A team from Cardiff University were able to peer into the lock's internal mechanism without causing any damage. They identified the correct letter combination -- ANCE -- and successfully opened the historic artefact... Experts believe the lock once secured a treasure chest containing valuable possessions aboard the Ann Francis, a ship that was wrecked during a violent storm. The...
  • Researcher Argues Famous British Iron Age King Was Really a Queen

    11/10/2026 12:46:06 PM PST · by SunkenCiv · 29 replies
    Archaeology Magazine ^ | November 6, 2026 | editors / unattributed
    According to a statement released by Bournemouth University, Iron Age British ruler Verica was actually female and not male, contrary to long-held assumptions. Verica ruled the Celtic tribe called the Atrebates in the first century A.D. and was a central figure in the Roman invasion of Britain. After she was ousted from power in A.D. 40, she fled to the Roman emperor Claudius and convinced him to invade the island three years later. The new research was led by Bournemouth archaeologist Miles Russell, who said that the patriarchal mindset of nineteenth-century classical historians is largely to blame for the confusion...
  • Roman Coins Recovered in Hungary

    11/10/2026 12:42:59 PM PST · by SunkenCiv · 12 replies
    Archaeology Magazine ^ | October 30, 2026 | editors / unattributed
    More than 700 coins were discovered at three sites near the Drava River in southwestern Hungary by archaeologists from the Rippl-Rónai Museum, Hungary Today reports. Most of the coins have been dated to the rule of the emperor Constantine (A.D. 307–337), but silver coins dating to the reigns of the emperors Antoninus Pius (A.D. 138–161), Severus Alexander (A.D. 222–235), Aurelian (A.D. 270–275), and Probus (A.D. 276–282) have also been identified. One coin, known as a "consecration coin," is thought to have been minted to mark the death of Claudius II (reigned A.D. 268–270) and his deification. Pottery, brooches, and fragments...
  • The Salme Ships [Viking Archaeology]

    11/10/2026 11:52:57 AM PST · by SunkenCiv · 4 replies
    Viking Archaeology ^ | prior to November 10, 2026 | editors / unattributed
    In 2008, workmen digging trenches for electrical cables in the Estonian island town of Salme uncovered human bones and a variety of objects that they piled next to their trench. At first the bones were thought to be from a soldier killed in World War II, but archaeologists realized that the objects dated to the Viking period. A small team of archaeologists working under Marge Konsa, an archaeologist at the University of Tartu, started excavating and soon found the hull of a ship. Nearly all of the ship's timber had rotted away, leaving behind only discolorations in the soil. But...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Saturn Behind the Moon

    11/10/2026 11:24:55 AM PST · by MtnClimber · 17 replies
    NASA ^ | 10 Nov. 2026 | Credit & Copyright Roberto Ortu
    Explanation: Sometimes Saturn disappears. It doesn't really go away, of course -- it just disappears from our view when Earth's Moon moves in front. Such a Saturnian eclipse, more formally called an occultation, was visible in early 2025 along a small swath of Earth -- from Greenland through central Europe and into northern Africa. The featured image is a digital fusion of three images, the first of just Saturn before it disappeared, and then two more of the Moon with different exposure lengths. The images were taken from Sardinia, Italy, after sunset. The bright dot near Saturn is not a...
  • "I never took anything from any man": the enigmatic inscription on the tomb of the official Khuwy discovered in Saqqara

    11/10/2026 9:26:08 AM PST · by SunkenCiv · 10 replies
    La Brújula Verde ^ | November 4, 2026 | Guillermo Carvajal
    Broken pieces of limestone from a 4,400-year-old tomb in Egypt carry one of the earliest known Egyptian autobiographies. In it, an official named Khuwy presents himself as an honest man who was close to the royal couple. An Egyptian official who lived some 4,400 years ago wanted to be remembered as a man who never took anything from anyone. His words survive only in fragments, but those fragments may help show where a long Egyptian habit began: carving your own life story on the walls of your tomb. The man was called Khuwy. His tomb was uncovered in 2019 at...
  • Archaeologists Uncover Original Floor of Nubia's Largest Medieval Cathedral

    11/10/2026 8:18:29 AM PST · by SunkenCiv · 1 replies
    Archaeology Magazine ^ | November 9, 2026 | editors / unattributed
    Excavations within the medieval Great Church of Jesus in northern Sudan's Old Dongola uncovered a section of the original cathedral floor for the first time, according to an IFL Science report. Old Dongola was the capital of Makuria, a flourishing Nubian kingdom that converted to Christianity in the sixth century A.D. The cathedral once dominated the ancient metropolis, measuring 154 feet wide and 187 long, and standing over six stories high. It was one of the most monumental and important Christian buildings in Nubia, likely serving as the seat of the Bishop of Dongola, one of the most senior Christian...
  • Playing Cards Found in Mongol Invasion Shipwreck Off Japan

    11/10/2026 7:55:12 AM PST · by SunkenCiv · 9 replies
    Archaeology Magazine ^ | November 6, 2026 | editors / unattributed
    The Mainichi reports that another thirteenth-century shipwreck has been discovered off Takashima Island, after two others had previously been identified in 2011 and 2015. It is believed that all three vessels went down during the 1281 Battle of Koan, when the Mongol-led Chinese Yuan Dynasty attempted to invade Japan. The recently investigated ship originally measured around 100 feet long and was equipped with living quarters, likely serving as the mother ship of the fleet. Among the items recovered by archaeologists were five dice and 29 small cards used to play koppai, a game that originated in China. "The koppai cards,...
  • Patients Sue GLP-1 Drugmakers Over Risk of Sudden Vision Loss

    11/10/2026 7:21:41 AM PST · by DUMBGRUNT · 28 replies
    WSJ ^ | 18 Sept 2026 | Alex Janin
    Some countries have compelled Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to include warnings or information about NAION, a rare vision-loss condition, on their GLP-1 drug labels. There is no NAION warning on the drugs’ labels in the U.S., though the Food and Drug Administration is investigating a potential link. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly face lawsuits from patients claiming the medications caused the condition, but both companies are fighting the litigation.
  • 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 · 32 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 · 21 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 · 33 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....