An eclectic assortment of stuff: food, archaeology, fun, books, history, geekery, etc.
Posted in history & archaeology on Apr 30th, 2008
From the 24 Hour Museum: Gloucester’s Roman mass grave skeletons were plague victims.
A mass Roman grave, discovered in Gloucester in 2005, may have contained the victims of an acute disease of epidemic proportions, possibly plague.
This is the startling conclusion to a new report by Oxford Archaeology and archaelogical consultancy CgMs, who have been conducting an [...]
Posted in health on Apr 30th, 2008
So some poor fellow sliced off his finger in the propeller of a model airplane. Then, according to the BBC, he grew a new fingertip to replace the one he cut off. Of course. As one does.
Posted in Canada, DNA, history & archaeology on Apr 28th, 2008
From the Vancouver Sun: Iceman’s family found.
Sisters Sheila Clark and Pearl Callaghan of Whitehorse clutched each other’s hands and blinked back tears Friday as they talked about their ancestor Kwaday Dan Ts’inchi, better known as Long Ago Person Found.
Eight days ago, 17 aboriginal people from northern B.C., Yukon and Alaska were told that DNA testing [...]
Posted in history & archaeology on Apr 28th, 2008
From the Telegraph: Nero’s gate unearthed in Cologne.
A two thousand year old Roman gate thought to have been built by Emperor Nero has been discovered in the western German city of Cologne.
The gate, and 11 metres of town wall alongside, were discovered by builders excavating Cologne’s new metro line. [continue]
Posted in history & archaeology on Apr 27th, 2008
From Tomb of Cleopatra and lover to be uncovered.
Archaeologists have revealed plans to uncover the 2000 year-old tomb of ancient Egypt’s most famous lovers, Cleopatra and the Roman general Mark Antony later this year.
Zahi Hawass, prominent archaeologist and director of Egypt’s superior council for antiquities announced a proposal to test the theory that the couple [...]
Posted in history & archaeology on Apr 27th, 2008
From naukawpolsce.pl: Mysterious church and palace from the beginning of the 1st millennium A.D. discovered by Polish archaeologists in Sudan.
At the beginning of this year, archaeologists from Warsaw University, headed by Dr Bogdan Żurawski discovered the remains of an Early Christian church and an even older palace. "During research in the area of Selib, a [...]
Posted in fun on Apr 27th, 2008
I’ve blogged about Improv Everywhere before (see Public hilarity and When Chekhov meets whoopee cushion) but it’s been a while. You’ve just got to go see their latest mission: Best Game Ever. Go. Really. Now! You’ll love it.
(You might also enjoy: Subway living room in Prague.)
Posted in history & archaeology on Apr 27th, 2008
From National Geographic: Ancient Maya Tomb Yields "Amazing" Fabrics.
Fabric fragments excavated from the tomb of an ancient Maya queen rival modern textiles in their complexity and quality, scientists say.
The tomb was discovered in the Maya city of Copán in Honduras by a team led by archaeologist Robert Sharer of the University of Pennsylvania.
Researchers believe the [...]
Posted in coffee on Apr 27th, 2008
We would never have bought an inexpensive espresso machine, because we’re serious about our coffee, and we though you’d need an expensive machine to make a really good shot. But surprise: a cheap machine came as a gift from a relative. Now that we’ve perfected our technique, our home-made espresso is awesome! We’ve got flavour, [...]
Posted in health on Apr 27th, 2008
From New York Magazine: You Walk Wrong.
Well, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you: You walk wrong.
Look, it’s not your fault. It’s your shoes. Shoes are bad. I don’t just mean stiletto heels, or cowboy boots, or tottering espadrilles, or any of the other fairly obvious foot-torture devices into which we wincingly jam [...]
Posted in history & archaeology on Apr 26th, 2008
From discovery.com: Egypt’s Pyramids Packed With Seashells.
Many of Egypt’s most famous monuments, such as the Sphinx and Cheops, contain hundreds of thousands of marine fossils, most of which are fully intact and preserved in the walls of the structures, according to a new study.
The study’s authors suggest that the stones that make up the examined [...]
Posted in dogs, history & archaeology on Apr 25th, 2008
From National Geographic: Buried dogs were divine “Escorts” for ancient Americans.
Hundreds of prehistoric dogs found buried throughout the southwestern United States show that canines played a key role in the spiritual beliefs of ancient Americans, new research suggests.
Throughout the region, dogs have been found buried with jewelry, alongside adults and children, carefully stacked in groups, [...]
Posted in history & archaeology on Apr 25th, 2008
From Reuters: Vikings acquitted in 100-year-old murder mystery.
Tests of the bones of two Viking women found in a buried longboat have dispelled 100-year-old suspicions that one was a maid sacrificed to accompany her queen into the afterlife, experts said on Friday.
The bones indicated that [continue]
Posted in animals, birds, insects, etc, science on Apr 25th, 2008
From the New York Times: Tests Confirm T. Rex Kinship With Birds.
In the first analysis of proteins extracted from dinosaur bones, scientists say they have established more firmly than ever that the closest living relatives of the mighty predator Tyrannosaurus rex are modern birds.
The research, being published Friday in the journal Science, yielded the first [...]
Posted in history & archaeology, music on Apr 13th, 2008
From the BBC: Experts ‘rebuild’ composer’s face
The face of Johann Sebastian Bach has been recreated by experts at Dundee University more than 250 years after the German composer’s death.
It is believed that only one portrait he sat for still exists.
However, forensic artists at the university built up a picture of his appearance using a bronze [...]