The secret of Silbury Hill, the most enigmatic prehistoric monument in Europe, isn’t the monument but the monumental effort which went into building it, according to the archaeologist who has spent most of the last year slipping around on wet chalk deep in the heart of the hill.
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/news/story/0%2C%2C2279497%2C00.html
A search for geriatric buttercups is under way to enable scientists to work out the age of Britain’s meadows.
Buttercups are thought to be able to survive, like some grasses, for hundreds of years and perhaps more than a thousand. By identifying the presence and spread of buttercups in a meadow, researchers hope that it will be possible to date them just as rings in trunks give the age of trees.
Archaeologists have discovered one of the Vikings` most important trading centres in Ireland, which is estimated to be 1,200 years old.
According to a report, a total of 6,000 artefacts and a Viking chieftain`s grave has been discovered at the site, which is located at Woodstown in County Waterford.
It was discovered during archaeological excavations for a road by-pass for Waterford city, which was founded by the Vikings.
PRISON officers have been ordered to allow Pagan prisoners to take twigs into their cells to use as magic wands.
The ruling has been announced as part of a prisons policy that requires Pagan prisoners to have the same rights as prisoners of other religions.
NASA, lasers, the rainforest canopy and Maya ruins sound like the ingredients for the next Hollywood blockbuster.
The list actually describes a University of Central Florida study under way in Belize that promises to revolutionize archaeology thanks to the latest technology. Researchers are using LiDAR remote sensing to unlock the secrets of the Maya hidden by forest canopy.
“The lasers we’re using to map the ruins have never been used before,” said UCF archaeologist Arlen Chase. “And it’s going to make a world of difference because traditional methods of mapping are very time consuming, very laborious and very slow.”
http://news.ucf.edu/UCFnews/index?page=article&id=00240041a0ca090119cd98901306f35&mode=news
Medieval physicians believed that they could diagnose disease by holding up a flask of the patient’s urine to the light and squinting at it. Now, scientists at Imperial College London believe they could have been on to something.
Researchers have completed the first worldwide study of the metabolites (breakdown products) that are found in urine, reflecting the diet, inheritance and the lifestyle of the people from whom it came. They call such studies “metabolomics.”
Rising oil prices, global food shortages and the economic crisis are proof for many survivalists that society is on the brink of meltdown. But are their predictions all gloom and doom - or a chance to create new communities? Harriet Green reports
For three years, my husband has talked about taking to the hills. About buying a smallholding on Exmoor where, with our four-year-old daughter, we can safely survive the coming storm - famine, pestilence and a total breakdown of society. I would wait for his lectures to finish, then return to my own interests. I had no time for the end of civilisation. As an editor on a glossy magazine until a few months ago, I was too busy. There was always a new Anya Hindmarch bag to buy, or a George Clooney premiere to attend.
But recently, I’ve wavered. Much of what he has been predicting has come true: global economic meltdown, looming environmental disaster, a sharp rise in oil and food prices that has already led to the rationing of rice in the US, and riots in dozens of countries worldwide.
This week, the details got scarier. The UN warned of a global food crisis, like a “silent tsunami”, while Opec predicts that oil, which broke through $100 (£50) a barrel for the first time a few weeks ago, may soon top $200.
A LEADING scientist has warned a new species of “humanzee,” created from breeding apes with humans, could become a reality unless the government acts to stop scientists experimenting.
In an interview with The Scotsman, Dr Calum MacKellar, director of research at the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, warned the controversial draft Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill did not prevent human sperm being inseminated into animals.
He said if a female chimpanzee was inseminated with human sperm the two species would be closely enough related that a hybrid could be born.
A LONG-TERM strategy is planned to protect one of Europe’s most important archaeological sites from erosion.
A consultation was launched yesterday into a future management plan for the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site (WHS), which aims to protect, conserve and improve understanding of the historic area.
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Plan-to-prevent-erosion-of.4066905.jp
Young adults in Europe deliberately binge on drink and drugs to improve their sex lives, research suggests.
The UK has one of the worst reputations for binge drinking and underage sex but there are striking similarities between countries, a study found.
A third of 16 to 35-year-old men and 23% of women questioned said they drank to increase their chance of sex.