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Science (General/Chat)

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  • New Dmanisi fossil study suggests multiple human species left Africa 1.8 million years ago

    07/01/2026 6:30:20 AM PDT · by Cronos · 12 replies
    Archaeology magazine ^ | 1st January 2026
    Recent studies on fossils found at the Dmanisi archaeological site in the Republic of Georgia are changing the way scientists have understood the initial migration out of Africa by humans. For decades, the commonly accepted theory about the earliest migration out of Africa was that one species of human, Homo erectus, migrated out of Africa approximately 1.8 million years ago. But the new study, which was published in PLOS ONE, now indicates that this pivotal migration could have involved more than one human species.This facial reconstruction represents a male individual from the Dmanisi excavation. Credit: Cicero Moraes et al. (Luca...
  • Q ~ Trust Trump's Plan ~ 07/01/2026 Vol.521, Q Day 3168

    06/30/2026 9:00:00 PM PDT · by ransomnote · 100 replies
    Qalerts.net ^ | July 1, 2026 | FReeQs, FReepers, LurQers and Vanity
    A celebration like no other in history - American Revolution 2026We are moving into a season of celebration as we and our allies around the world are shrugging free of the last of the dying New World Order.All Glory to God - He has indeed shed His grace on us, even after our enemies foreign and domestic were certain we were defeated.May God bless all who served His purpose in bringing about our miraculous rescue. Father in Heaven, thank you for leading America in battle, and granting her victory.To commemorate these amazing days, we're invited to celebrate Q+/Q/mil's victory and...
  • Rare Assyrian-Period, Mother-of-pearl Seal Discovered at Tel Hadid

    06/30/2026 8:59:08 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 12 replies
    Armstrong Institute ^ | June 8, 2026 | Micah van Halteren
    Excavators of Tel Hadid recently released the discovery of a unique seal stamp from the seventh century b.c.e., the time of Assyrian domination of the Levant. It is not the first find from this remarkable site that gives us a better understanding of the people who were moved into Israel during the Assyrian period...The first thing to stand out about the small oval seal (less than 2 centimeters at its widest) is its unique material. Made out of the inner shell of a nacreous mollusk, also known as mother-of-pearl because of its role in the creation of pearls, it is...
  • The largest digital camera ever begins decade-long journey to capture unseen corners of the universe

    06/30/2026 4:23:03 PM PDT · by Libloather · 23 replies
    NEW YORK — The largest digital camera ever built is starting to capture images of unseen corners of the universe. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has officially begun its cosmic survey, meant to capture swathes of the sky in more depth and detail. Perched on a Chilean mountaintop, the telescope will point its eye at the southern sky for the next 10 years, taking hundreds of images per night. Researchers hope Rubin’s observations will help them take a better census of the universe, mapping billions of stars in the Milky Way and billions more galaxies beyond it. It takes pictures...
  • ‘State sanctioned’ Russian mob ran $1B Medicare scam out of New York, compromised 1M medical records: Feds

    06/30/2026 3:42:13 PM PDT · by Libloather · 16 replies
    NY Post ^ | 6/30/26 | Chadwick Moore
    A quiet Brooklyn storefront served as a key part of a $1 billion Medicare fraud scheme led by the Russian mob, a federal indictment charges — and could even have been backed by the Kremlin. The scheme was so brazen, one medical supply company linked to the outfit submitted bills totaling over $250 million for urinary catheters in 2023 alone, according to the feds. The number was so large it amounted to $50 million more than the combined spend of every other medical provider in the country on catheters that year. The scam started in 2022 when a Russia-based transnational...
  • Holy Grail find? Archaeologists claim they may have uncovered ruins linked to Ark of the Covenant

    06/30/2026 3:30:24 PM PDT · by Libloather · 33 replies
    NY Post ^ | 6/30/26 | Marissa Matozzo
    It’s the kind of discovery that sounds more Indiana Jones than archaeology lab. Researchers digging in Israel say they may have uncovered ruins linked to the Ark of the Covenant — the gold-covered biblical chest said to have held the Ten Commandments. The Ark is described in scripture as a sacred chest built by the Israelites after their Exodus from Egypt. It was kept in the Tabernacle, a portable sanctuary some scholars date to around 1445 BC. According to the Bible, Moses himself placed the stone tablets inside. And then — like a divine disappearing act — it vanishes from...
  • The Real Man Behind Achilles? [26:08]

    06/30/2026 7:20:11 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 33 replies
    YouTube ^ | June 19, 2026 | Dig.
    Dig explores whether the legendary figure Achilles has roots in late Bronze Age history. The video analyzes linguistic clues, Mycenaean-era records, and parallels between the epic hero and a renegade figure known from historical Hittite diplomatic texts, examining how oral traditions may have synthesized real events into myth. The Real Man Behind Achilles? | 26:08 Dig. | 37.8K subscribers | 32,790 views | June 19, 2026 00:00 Achilles Impact 00:57 Academic consensus? 02:15 Proto-Indo European background 05:03 Linear B and Etymology 08:13 Konstantinos Kopanias 09:19 A Biography of Achilles 15:36 A Biography of Piyamaradu 23:17 To [sic] similar to be...
  • 'Remarkable' discovery in Kent could reveal more about Anglo-Saxon history

    06/29/2026 8:45:18 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 9 replies
    Kent News ^ | June 18, 2026 | Anahita Hossein-Pour Press Association
    The discovery of an Anglo-Saxon tool in Kent could reveal more about where Britain's "iconic archaeological treasures" were made, according to experts. A small copper-alloy die stamp was found by metal detectorist Stephen Newbury near Lynsted, which has officially been declared as treasure by a coroner for being of significant historical interest, Kent County Council (KCC) said.The sixth or seventh century item is believed to have been used to create decorative metal foils for military equipment such as helmets. It is the only confirmed example of its kind found in Britain, according to analysis from KCC and the British Museum,...
  • A diving suit for cyborg cockroaches could enhance search-and-rescue operations

    06/29/2026 2:16:14 PM PDT · by DFG · 8 replies
    Techxplore ^ | 06/29/2026 | Nanyang Technological University
    Scientists from NTU Singapore and Waseda University have developed a flexible "diving suit" for cyborg cockroaches, enabling the insects to survive and move underwater and in low-oxygen environments for up to three hours. Published today in Nature Communications, the study could expand the use of cyborg insects in search-and-rescue missions, especially in disaster zones where flooded rubble, puddles or partially submerged spaces can block access for conventional robots. Cyborg insects are living insects fitted with electronic controllers that guide their movement. Because they use the insect's own muscles to move, they require far less power than small artificial robots, which...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - M82: Galaxy with a Supergalactic Wind

    06/29/2026 12:01:52 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 14 replies
    NASA ^ | 29 Jun, 2026 | M82: Galaxy with a Supergalactic Wind
    Explanation: Why is the Cigar Galaxy billowing red smoke? M82, as this starburst galaxy is also known, was stirred up by a recent pass near large spiral galaxy M81. This doesn't fully explain the source of the red-glowing outwardly expanding gas and dust, however. Evidence indicates that this gas and dust is being driven out by the combined emerging particle winds of many stars, together creating a galactic superwind. The dust particles are thought to originate in M82's interstellar medium and are actually similar in size to particles in cigar smoke. The featured photographic mosaic combines images taken in visible...
  • Bronze Age mines discovered in Spain may explain Scandinavian metal mystery

    06/29/2026 10:07:37 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 11 replies
    ScienceDaily ^ | April 29, 2026 | University of Gothenburg
    Archaeologists have uncovered six previously unknown Bronze Age mining sites in Extremadura in southwestern Spain. The discoveries were made during a February survey led by researchers from the Maritime Encounters program at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. These sites could help answer a long-standing question about where the metal used in Scandinavian Bronze Age artifacts originally came from.Fieldwork took place from February 9 to 16 in the region surrounding Cabeza del Buey in the province of Badajoz. The project was carried out in partnership with the Universidad de Sevilla and specialists from the Museo Arqueológico Provincial de Badajoz.Researchers documented...
  • Amber workshops of ancient Masovia reveal a hidden craft industry

    06/29/2026 9:57:16 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 8 replies
    Science in Poland ^ | April 22, 2026 | Ewelina Krajczyńska-Wujec [tr. RL]
    In the first centuries of the Common Era, far from the Baltic coast where amber naturally occurs, communities in Masovia were producing large quantities of amber jewellery -- leaving behind traces of a craft that has only gradually come to light.Archaeologists have identified as many as 10 ancient amber workshops across five settlements. In some of them, they uncovered up to 20,000 amber fragments, along with decorative beads and pendants, pointing to production on a significant scale...At the time, much of present-day Poland was inhabited by communities of the Przeworsk Culture. Known for their advanced craftsmanship, they developed large-scale iron...
  • Thomas Jefferson: A Summary View of the Rights of British America

    06/28/2026 10:07:19 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 8 replies
    Teaching American History ^ | July 30, 1774 | Edited and introduced by Robert M.S. McDonald
    IntroductionThe Coercive Acts not only sparked outrage among the common people whom Gouverneur Morris (1752–1816) derided as members of the mob; they also inflamed the indignation of Americans who occupied positions of power and influence. One such person was Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), a member of Virginia's House of Burgesses who helped write a May 1774 resolution designating a day of fasting and prayer to show solidarity with the people of Massachusetts. Soon after, Lord Dunmore (1730–1809), the royal governor, showed his solidarity with Parliament by dissolving the House of Burgesses. As the elected members of that body prepared to regroup...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - AR 4478: Giant Sunspot Group

    06/28/2026 11:30:27 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 18 replies
    NASA ^ | 28 Jun, 2026 | Image Credit & Copyright: Alfredo Vidal Pérez
    Explanation: Right now, one of the largest sunspot groups in recent history is crossing the Sun. Active Region 4478 is not only big -- it's violent, showing tangled magnetic fields capable of throwing off huge clouds of particles into the Solar System. Some of these CMEs might impact the Earth. At the extreme, these solar storms could cause some Earth-orbiting satellites to malfunction, the Earth's atmosphere to slightly distort, and electrical power grids to surge. When impacting Earth's upper atmosphere, these particles can produce beautiful auroras. Pictured here, AR 4478 and its dark sunspots were captured in visible light a...
  • China's top-secret 'dragon' space plane just released another unidentified object over Earth

    06/28/2026 8:18:21 AM PDT · by BenLurkin · 30 replies
    Live Science ^ | 06/25/2026 | Harry Baker
    The Shenlong, or "divine dragon," space plane is a reusable, robotic spacecraft that China has repeatedly launched into low Earth orbit (LEO) on board vertical rockets, before reentering the atmosphere for a horizontal runway landing — similar to the iconic spacecraft from NASA's now-defunct Space Shuttle program. The space plane has never been photographed by outside nations, so we have no clear idea what it looks like or how large it is. Shenlong first launched into space on a two-day mission in September 2020, before completing an eight-month stint in LEO between August 2022 and May 2023, and a nine-month...
  • NASA is racing to save Swift telescope from falling back to Earth

    06/28/2026 7:20:59 AM PDT · by devane617 · 13 replies
    wfla ^ | 06/28/2026
    NASA is racing to save an aging telescope from falling back to Earth with a daring rescue mission. The $30 million salvage operation gets underway as soon as this week with the planned launch of a robotic lifesaver. NASA hired startup Katalyst Space Technologies to boost the Swift Observatory to a higher orbit where it can continue hunting for some of the universe’s biggest explosions. A three-armed spacecraft built by Katalyst will chase after Swift once it takes off from an atoll in the Pacific’s Marshall Islands aboard an airplane-launched Pegasus rocket. Liftoff could occur as early as Tuesday. Scanning...
  • The Decline and Fall of Sparta [11:02]

    06/28/2026 5:44:31 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 13 replies
    YouTube ^ | Febuary 25, 2026 | Garrett Ryan, Ph.D (as toldinstone)
    How Sparta, the most powerful Greek city-state, collapsed in only 20 years. The Decline and Fall of Sparta | 11:02 toldinstone | 627K subscribers | 82,207 views | Febuary 25, 2026Chapters 0:00 Introduction 0:38 Classical Sparta 1:29 Spartan politics 2:22 Helots 3:24 Population decline 4:37 Hubris 5:25 The Battle of Leuctra 6:42 Messenia liberated 7:35 Enter Macedon 8:08 Attempts at reform 9:08 Irrelevance 9:37 Roman Sparta
  • The ocean produces roughly half of Earth’s oxygen — not the rainforest, which uses up most of what it makes...

    06/28/2026 5:18:06 AM PDT · by Eleutheria5 · 31 replies
    Space Daily ^ | 22/6/26
    ...through photosynthesis by phytoplankton, microscopic marine organisms so abundant that a single teaspoon of seawater can contain as many as a million of them. (continuation of overlong headline) The invisible forest Phytoplankton are tiny, individually invisible, and almost unimaginably numerous. A single teaspoon of seawater can hold more than a million microscopic organisms, of which phytoplankton are a large part, although the count rises and falls enormously with season, sunlight and the nutrients in the water. One group stands out. Prochlorococcus, the smallest known photosynthetic organism, is so abundant that, by NOAA’s account, it alone produces up to a fifth...
  • How big of a nuclear load could an iranian suicide drone carry?

    06/28/2026 2:12:17 AM PDT · by Jonty30 · 84 replies
    Today | Jonty30
    Iranian suicide/loitering drones (kamikaze UAVs) typically have modest payload capacities, in the range of 30–50 kg for the most common types, with some variants or larger models reaching higher. Key Examples Shahed-136 (most prominent, widely exported/used): ~200 kg total weight, payload ~30–50 kg (commonly cited as ~40 kg warhead). Russian variants (Geran-2) have reached ~90 kg in some modified configurations by reducing fuel/range. Shahed-131 (smaller variant): ~10–20 kg payload. Other types like Ababil series or Hadid-110: Often 30–40 kg. Larger systems (e.g., Arash series): Up to ~225–260 kg in some reports, but these are less common for pure "suicide drone"...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Mars Marathon by Perseverance

    06/27/2026 11:18:14 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 14 replies
    NASA ^ | 27 Jun, 2026 | Image Credit: NASA, LPL (U. Arizona), MRO, HiRISE
    Explanation: In this recent HiRISE view from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the little green dot indicated on the surface of the big Red Planet is the Perseverance Mars rover. Recorded on June 13, the car-sized, six-wheeled robot was imaged a day before completing a Martian marathon, traveling a total distance of 26.218 miles (42.195 kilometers) since it began exploring the surface of Mars. That equivalent marathon distance was achieved by Perseverance on its mission sol (Martian day) 1,890, after about 5 Earth years and 4 Earth months of driving. Perseverance is continuing to hunt for biosignatures. In the HiRISE image,...