|  Roman-Era Shipwreck Yields Moon Goddess Statue, Coin Stashes  | A ship in Israel's Caesarea Harbor was filled with bronze statues headed for recycling when it sank about 1,600 years ago. Now, thanks to a chance discovery by a pair of divers, archaeologists have salvaged a haul of statuary fragments, figurines and coins from the seafloor. The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced today (May 16) the discovery of the Late Roman-era artifacts, which include a figurine of a moon goddess and a lamp carrying the likeness of a sun god.
| Read More » Remarkable evidence of ancient humans found under Florida river  | By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers who dove hundreds of times into a sinkhole beneath the brown murky waters of Florida's Aucilla River have retrieved some of the oldest evidence of human presence in the Americas including stone tools apparently used to butcher a mastodon. Scientists said on Friday the tools, animal bones and mastodon tusk found at the site showed that people already had occupied the American Southeast by 14,550 years ago, about 1,500 years earlier than previously known. The site provided some of the most compelling evidence that humans had spread across the New World earlier than the so-called Clovis people, who archeologists for six decades considered the Americas' first people.
| Read More » Echoes of Ancient Cosmology Found at Prehistoric Native American Site  | The so-called Heckelman site, located near the town of Milan, in Ohio's Erie County, is on a flat-topped bluff above the Huron River. There, people of the "Early Woodland" period of North American prehistory erected tall, freestanding wooden poles as part of the group's social or religious ceremonies. Archaeologist Brian Redmond, a curator at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, said the location of the site appeared to echo a conception of the cosmos common to many Native American peoples.
| Read More » Cosmic Dust on Earth Reveals Clues to Ancient Atmosphere  | The oldest space dust yet found on Earth suggests that the ancient atmosphere of Earth had significantly more oxygen than previously thought, a new study finds. Although oxygen gas currently makes up about one-fifth of Earth's air, there was at least 100,000 times less oxygen in the primordial atmosphere, researchers say. Previous research suggests that significant levels of oxygen gas started permanently building up in the atmosphere with the Great Oxidation Event, which occurred about 2.4 billion years ago.
| Read More » New State of Water: Strange 6-Sided Molecule Found  | A strange new behavior of water molecules has been observed inside crystals of beryl, a type of emerald, caused by bizarre quantum-mechanical effects that let the water molecules face six different directions at the same time. Under normal conditions, the two hydrogen atoms in each water molecule are arranged around the oxygen atom in an open "V" shape, sometimes compared to a boomerang or Mickey Mouse ears. But in a new experiment, scientists have found that hydrogen atoms of some water molecules trapped in the crystal structure of the mineral beryl become "smeared out" into a six-sided ring.
| Read More » Genes tell how the giraffe got its long neck  | By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have sequenced the genome of the giraffe for the first time, uncovering DNA quirks that help explain how the tallest animals on earth developed their remarkably long necks. To pump blood two meters up from the chest to the brain calls for a turbo-charged heart and twice the blood pressure of other mammals. Giraffes also need special safety valves to let them bend down for a drink and raise their heads again without fainting.
| Read More » Robotic Toy 'Leka' Designed for Kids with Autism  | However, there's another spherical, programmable, rolling robot currently in development that's capable of doing important work to engage children with special needs, particularly children on the autism spectrum. Described by its designers as "a robotic companion," the roly-poly Leka robot is shaped like a ball, has an endearing "face" that changes expressions, and uses sound, light and colors to interact with users through customizable games that improve cognitive and motor skills. Caregivers and educators can program the toy to guide children with developmental disabilities through a range of activities, helping them to improve communication and learn to connect with their environment and with others around them.
| Read More » NASA launches near-space monitoring balloon from New Zealand  | NASA successfully launched a super pressure balloon from New Zealand's South Island Wanaka Airport Tuesday to conduct near-space scientific investigations. The launch marks the fifth attempt to get the massive balloon airborne, with previous bids thwarted by bad weather, NASA said in a release. Long-duration balloon flights at constant altitudes play an important role in providing inexpensive access to the near-space environment for science and technology.
| Read More » Genes tell how the giraffe got its long neck  | By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have sequenced the genome of the giraffe for the first time, uncovering DNA quirks that help explain how the tallest animals on earth developed their remarkably long necks. To pump blood two metres up from the chest to the brain calls for a turbo-charged heart and twice the blood pressure of other mammals. Giraffes also need special safety valves to let them bend down for a drink and raise their heads again without fainting.
| Read More » Silent But Deadly: Half of All Heart Attacks Have No Symptoms Nearly half of all heart attacks may have no symptoms at all — but that doesn't mean they're any less deadly than heart attacks with symptoms, a new study finds. "Silent" heart attacks account for 45 percent of all attacks in the U.S., according to the study, published today (May 16) in the journal Circulation. In addition, the researchers also found that silent heart attacks raise a person's risk of dying from heart disease by three times, compared with if they had not had a heart attack. Read More » That's My Mom: Mother's Voice Lights Up Kids' Brains There really is something special about a mother's voice, science confirms. Children's brains respond more strongly to their mothers' voices than to the voices of strangers, even when heard for only a fraction of a second, according to a new study published today (May 16), in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "We know that hearing [their] mother's voice can be an important source of emotional comfort to children. Read More » Doctors Perform US' 1st Penis Transplant A 64-year-old man in Massachusetts has become the first person in the United States to receive a penis transplant, doctors announced today. The patient, Thomas Manning, needed his penis removed in 2012 because of aggressive penile cancer. The penile transplant was performed in order to reconstruct the genitalia so it has a more natural appearance, restore urinary function and hopefully achieve sexual function, the doctors said. Read More » | |
