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Science (General/Chat)

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  • 7,000 Years Ago, a 1,200-Ton Boulder Was Dropped on a Pacific Island -- Now Scientists Know How It Got There [Maka Lahi boulder, tsunami]

    06/05/2025 10:46:55 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 22 replies
    The Debrief ^ | June 4, 2025 | Micah Hanks
    Martin Köhler, a PhD candidate with the University of Queensland's School of the Environment, said the odd discovery was made while he and other researchers were exploring the southern side of the island of Tongatapu."It was late in the day, and we were talking to some farmers when they directed us to this boulder," ...Köhler says that the massive boulder's location much further inland beyond the team's field work area means that it must have been transported there by some tremendous force...When the first erratics were identified in the 18th century, they were initially considered a major paradox. However, it...
  • Astronomers Discover Giant Planet Orbiting Tiny Star, Defying Planet Formation Theories

    06/05/2025 9:39:34 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 32 replies
    Daily Galaxy ^ | June 05, 2025 | Staff
    A groundbreaking discovery in the field of exoplanet research is forcing scientists to reconsider long-held theories about how planets form. An international team of astronomers, led by the University of Warwick, recently revealed the existence of TOI-6894b, a giant planet orbiting the ultra-low-mass star TOI-6894, in a study published in Nature Astronomy. This find has raised significant questions about the accuracy of the prevailing models of planet formation, which have long argued that gas giants like TOI-6894b cannot form around small stars. Unlikely Host Star: The Tiny TOI-6894 At the heart of this discovery is TOI-6894, a red dwarf star...
  • Penshurst Place: One of England's Greatest Historic Houses and Gardens [33:50]

    06/04/2025 6:38:16 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 7 replies
    YouTube ^ | July 13, 2024 | MemorySeekers
    This time we explore the magnificent Penshurst Place, one of England's most iconic Historic Houses. This stunning estate boasts centuries of history, from its Tudor origins to its role as a beloved retreat for King Henry VIII and a love nest with Anne Boleyn. Penshurst Place: One of England's Greatest Historic Houses and Gardens | 33:50 MemorySeekers | 191K subscribers | 114,231 views | July 13, 2024
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - A Milky Road to the Rubin Observatory

    06/04/2025 11:53:19 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 10 replies
    NASA ^ | 4 Jun, 2025 | Image Credit: NSF, DOE, Rubin Obs., Paulo Assunção Lago (Rubin Obs.)
    Explanation: Is the sky the same every night? No -- the night sky changes every night in many ways. To better explore how the night sky changes, the USA's NSF and DOE commissioned the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Cerro Pachón, Chile. In final testing before routine operations, Rubin will begin to explore these nightly changes -- slight differences that can tell us much about our amazing universe and its surprising zoo of objects. With a mirror over 8 meters across, Rubin will continually reimage the entire visible sky every few nights to discover new supernovas, potentially dangerous asteroids, faint...
  • The Best-Preserved Roman Theater [4:21]

    06/04/2025 8:09:59 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 27 replies
    YouTube ^ | June 3, 2025 | Toldinstone Footnotes (Garrett Ryan, Ph.D)
    The Roman theater at Aspendos, now in southern Turkey, is better-preserved than any other in the classical world. It is still routinely used for performances. The Best-Preserved Roman Theater | 4:21 Toldinstone Footnotes | 41.7K subscribers | 5,896 views | June 3, 2025
  • Why Slow-Moving Tropical Storms And Hurricanes Can Be Worse Than Major Hurricanes

    06/04/2025 6:44:57 AM PDT · by ChicagoConservative27 · 28 replies
    weather ^ | 06/03/2025 | Jonathan Belles
    Tropical storms and hurricanes that move slowly near the coast or inland are among the most feared by forecasters. Sometimes these tropical cyclones may not have powerful wind speeds, but the threats posed can be amplified due to their sluggish pace. Here's a look at what a slow speed means for rainfall potential and some other typical threats from a storm that's in no hurry to exit a region. A slow-moving storm brings relentless rainfall In focus: The slower a storm moves, the more incredible the rainfall amounts can become. A storm chugging along at just 5 mph has a...
  • Newly Discovered Large-Scale Pompeii Frescoes [10:25]

    06/03/2025 6:06:04 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 28 replies
    YouTube ^ | June 2, 2025 | Darius Arya Digs
    Thanks to the generosity of Pompeii Sites, we can explore the newly discovered large-scale frescoes from an ongoing excavation in Region IX and compare it with two other nearly contemporary fresco cycles. This new hall with Dionsysiac scenes is truly a one of a kind discovery. Join Darius for a unique opportunity on site in Pompeii as the excavation continues! Newly Discovered Large-Scale Pompeii Frescoes | 10:25 Darius Arya Digs | 31.8K subscribers | 35,437 views | June 2, 2025
  • Earthquake Reveals Roman Theater in Croatia

    06/03/2025 5:22:38 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 17 replies
    Archaeology Magazine ^ | May 27, 2025 | editors / unattributed
    When a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck central Croatia in 2020, it caused extensive damage to the city of Sisak's town hall—and led to a fortuitous archaeological discovery, The Miami Herald reports. During renovation and repair work to the building, construction crews encountered long forgotten and well-preserved Roman ruins buried just beneath the modern structure’s basement. Archaeologists determined that they belonged to a small theater or odeon, measuring around 65 feet in diameter, which would have once held musical performances and political gatherings. Croatian authorities described the unexpected find as “extremely valuable” and one that helps provide a deeper glimpse into the...
  • Sculptural Relief of Roman Victory Goddess Uncovered at Vindolanda

    06/03/2025 5:21:08 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 10 replies
    Archaeology Magazine ^ | May 22, 2025 | editors / unattributed
    A sandstone relief believed to represent Victoria, the Roman goddess of Victory, was unearthed from the Vindolanda fort near Hadrian's Wall in northern England, according to a statement released by the Vindolanda Trust. The deity was highly esteemed in Roman society, especially among soldiers, and was often honored after military success on the battlefield. The foot-and-a-half-tall sculpture was found in the rubble above a military barracks at the site, where as many as 800 Roman auxiliary troops were stationed.Archaeologists believe that it may have been part of an ornamental arch or gate that once adorned the building. The barracks and...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day -

    06/03/2025 12:49:13 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 10 replies
    NASA ^ | 3 Jun, 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Miguel Claro (TWAN); Rollover Annotation: Judy Schmidt
    Explanation: Why would the sky glow like a giant repeating rainbow? Airglow. Now, air glows all of the time, but it is usually hard to see. A disturbance however -- like an approaching storm -- may cause noticeable rippling in the Earth's atmosphere. These gravity waves are oscillations in air analogous to those created when a rock is thrown in calm water. The long-duration exposure nearly along the vertical walls of airglow likely made the undulating structure particularly visible. OK, but where do the colors originate? The deep red glow likely originates from OH molecules about 87 kilometers high, excited...
  • How changing weather patterns can affect Illinois farming

    06/03/2025 9:18:18 AM PDT · by ChicagoConservative27 · 21 replies
    advantagenews ^ | 06/03/2025 | Kevin Bessler
    Illinois’ unpredictable weather is throwing a curveball to the state’s farmers. Some areas of the state are significantly behind in rainfall and early indications are that the conditions will persist this summer. “It has just been super dry from Springfield and Peoria up to Rockford and especially over the Chicago area we have had half of our normal rain, a third of our normal rain,” said CBS Chicago meteorologist David Yeomans during an Illinois Soybean Association webinar. According to the latest crop progress and condition report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly a fifth of farmers who responded said...
  • Occupant of Egyptian Tomb Finally Identified After 50 Years

    06/03/2025 12:44:23 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 18 replies
    Archaeology Magazine ^ | May 28, 2025 | editors / unattributed
    During the 1970s, excavations at the Al-Asasif necropolis on Luxor's west bank uncovered an elaborate rock-cut tomb. Archaeologists theorized that it must have belonged to an Egyptian dignitary, but at the time they were unable to identify the deceased and the tomb was labeled with the generic name of Kampp 23. Now, Ahram Online reports, a joint Egyptian-Canadian team has finally determined that the Kampp 23 tomb was built for a man named Amun-Mes, the erstwhile mayor of Thebes during the Ramesside period (ca. 1295–1070 b.c.). Several inscriptions found elsewhere in Luxor mention a certain Amun-Mes along with many other...
  • Herodotus On The Origins of Language

    06/02/2025 11:31:11 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 26 replies
    Society for Classical Studies ^ | 2025 (?) | Rachel Wong
    ...the account may best be understood as a form of conjectural history. This genre is a particular kind of narrative strategy which, as Christopher Pelling suggests, '[analyzes] the logical presuppositions of a functioning system and transposing them, for expositional clarity, into a historicist register.' Herodotus' narrative strategies interrogate the very same presuppositions on which Psammetichus' experiment is built: the primacy of language in human development, and the analogy between childhood and the world's first humans.Reading Herodotus' passage alongside Lucretius' De rerum natura and Plato's Cratylus, I argue that Herodotus exploits an ambiguity in terms φωνή and ἔπος in order to...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Veil Nebula: Wisps of an Ancient Supernova

    06/02/2025 12:11:15 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 13 replies
    NASA ^ | 2 Jun, 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Abdullah Alharbi
    Explanation: Wisps like this are all that remain visible of a Milky Way star. About 7,000 years ago that star exploded in a supernova, leaving the Veil Nebula. At the time, the expanding cloud was likely as bright as a crescent Moon, remaining visible for weeks to people living at the dawn of recorded history. Today, the resulting supernova remnant, also known as the Cygnus Loop, has faded and is now visible only through a small telescope directed toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus). The remaining Veil Nebula is physically huge, however, and even though it lies about 1,400...
  • Perpendicular Planet: A 90° Orbit Over Twin Suns Leaves Scientists Stunned

    06/02/2025 8:21:46 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 17 replies
    Scitech Daily ^ | June 02, 2025 | NASA
    A bizarre planet may orbit two brown dwarfs in a steep, pole-skimming path—an unheard-of tilt that challenges our understanding of planetary motion. Detected via gravitational wobbles, it might be the first polar-orbiting circumbinary planet ever found. Credit: SciTechDaily.com =================================================================== Astronomers have discovered one of the weirdest planetary systems yet: a possible planet, 2M1510 b, appears to orbit over the poles of two brown dwarfs in a sharply tilted path—almost perpendicular to their own orbit. This freakish setup, unlike anything in our solar system, was detected not by a dip in starlight but through subtle gravitational wobbles captured using ESO’s Very...
  • Baby Rattles Were Mass-Produced in Bronze Age Syria

    06/01/2025 8:44:30 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 13 replies
    Archaeology Magazine ^ | May 27, 2025 | editors / unattributed
    Bronze Age potters working in the city of Hama in current-day Syria appear to have sold more than just cups, bowels, and dishes 4,500 years ago -- they apparently also sold children's toys. Past excavations at the site have uncovered 19 small clay artifacts that contained bits of clay or small pebbles that produce a sound when shaken. Originally, they were thought to have been musical instruments. However, according to a statement released by the National Museum of Denmark, these objects have now been reinterpreted as baby rattles. Researchers determined that the sound that the artifacts produced was much too...
  • Bronze Coin May Contain Earliest Known Usage of the Word "Turk"

    06/01/2025 8:33:17 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 13 replies
    Archaeology Magazine ^ | May 22, 2025
    A small bronze coin found at an ancient site near Tashkent has the potential to reshape archaeologists' understanding of early Turkic civilization, reports Türkiye Today. According to archaeologist Gaybulla Babayarov of the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, the late sixth– or early seventh–century object is stamped with the phrase "Turk-Kagan" written in the Sogdian language. While the word "kagan," sometimes spelled khagan, refers to the ruler of an empire or khaganate, Babayarov argues the usage of the word "Turk" here denotes the oldest known reference to ethnic Turkic identity. Previously, the earliest known appearance of the term "Turk" came from eighth-century...
  • Experimental Study Posits Possible Function of Mesolithic Beveled Tools

    06/01/2025 8:17:52 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 9 replies
    Archaeology Magazine ^ | May 27, 2025 | editors / unattributed
    ERR News reports that a new experimental archaeology study may have finally solved a decades-old mystery surrounding a set of bone tools found at the oldest known settlement in Estonia. The Mesolithic site of Pulli was first investigated by archaeologists in the 1960s and 1970s, when teams uncovered a large number of stone, antler, and bone tools that were around 10,000 years old. Nineteen of them were made from elk bone and had distinctive beveled points. Initially, these were thought to be chisels, but recent reanalysis as part of the project Life and Death Written in Bones suggested they were...
  • Britain's OLDEST Ancient Monument that Still Confuses us! [13:17]

    06/01/2025 1:36:48 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 6 replies
    YouTube ^ | June 1, 2025 | Paul Whitewick
    Welcome to the story of the Causewayed Enclosure [Windmill Hill, Avebury]. These are quite the monuments. But do we know what they were originally constructed for? Defensive, demarcation, meeting place... lets see if we can find out, as once again I find myself in a ditch. Britain's OLDEST Ancient Monument that Still Confuses us! | 13:17 Paul Whitewick | 177K subscribers | 10,178 views | June 1, 2025
  • 140,000-Year-Old Bones Reveal Clues About Behavior of Extinct Human Species

    06/01/2025 12:44:29 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 16 replies
    Archaeology Magazine ^ | May 23, 2025 | editors / unattributed
    Homo erectus, modern humans' archaic hominin relative, was the first human species to migrate out of Africa. One of the places they eventually settled was in Southeast Asia, as H. erectus fossils found on the island of Java date back 1.6 million years. Archaeologists working there recently gained new insight into the way these early humans lived, according to a statement released by Leiden University.Dredging operations in the Madura Strait recovered two fragments of 140,000-year-old H. erectus skull among the fossilized remains of 36 vertebrate species. This now-submerged region was once part of a landmass called Sundaland, which connected the...