Health News

Oxytocin May Help Autistic Children

For children with autism, a dose of oxytocin -- the so-called love hormone -- seems to fine-tune the activity in brain areas linked to social interactions, according to a new study.

DNews: Keeping Secrets Is Bad for Your Health

Secrets are not something you should keep locked away. Do that, and they'll eat you from the inside out! That's according to scientists studying a secret's psychological impact on the secret-keeper. Laci Green details their findings.

Energy Drinks Affect Heart Function

An hour after downing energy drinks high in caffeine and taurine, healthy adults experienced increased heart contraction rates, a new study said.

Single Fear

Fear of being single leads people to settle for less in relationships

Fear of being single is a meaningful predictor of settling for less in relationships among both men and women, a new University of Toronto (U of T) study has found. The results are published in […]

Twenty-one Science Fictions That Became Science Facts In 2013

Its been quite a year for tech developments, although you might not realize until you see a list of them together. Stem cell transplants that keep AIDS at bay. A prosthetic leg that is controlled by the user's mind. Artificial skin that responds to touch -for now made for robots, but who knows what the future holds? There's also a few that are more silly than earth-shattering, like the glow-in-the-dark ice cream in a list of 2013's science fiction-to-fact developments at Buzzfeed.

Mega-Sub

World War II Japanese Mega-Sub Found Off Hawaii

The discovery of the Imperial Japanese Navy's mega-submarine, the I-400, solves a decades-old mystery.

'Secret' Labyrinth of Roman Tunnels Mapped

'Secret' Labyrinth of Roman Tunnels Mapped

Ancient quarries under Rome threaten modern buildings and streets with collapse, leading geologists to go underground to map the passageways.

Chachapoyas sarcophagi discovered in Amazonas, Peru

Archaeologists working in the Amazonas region of Peru have discovered 35 sarcophagi belonging to the Chachapoyas culture.

Diminutive size of sarcophagi has led archaeologists to believe that it may be
a cemetery exclusively for children [Credit: Peru21]

Peru21 reports that the find was made this past July with the help of a super long zoom camera. In September, researchers were able to reach the site to confirm the find and discovered that the sarcophagi were only about 70 centimeters tall on average. Researchers believe that the group of sarcophagi may constitute a cemetery in which only children were buried.

According to Peru21, the burial site is unique in that the sarcophagi were buried facing west, which is unusual for Chachapoyas cemeteries.

Manuel Cabañas López of the regional Ministry of Exterior Commerce and Tourism told press “Because of the magnitude of the find, we’re dealing with a discovery that is unique in the world, which should be protected and integrated into the touristic circuit.”

The Chachapoyas culture (sometimes referred to as “The Warriors of the Clouds”) were a powerful civilization that flourished from about 800 AD until shortly before the Spanish conquest of the New World, when they were conquered by the Inca empire. They are known for constructing the jungle fortress of Kuelap, an impressive complex located in Chachapoyas, Amazonas, in northern Peru.

China tomb raiders rescued, then arrested

Two grave robbers trapped underground in a Chinese Tang dynasty tomb for more than 24 hours were rescued by police, who promptly arrested them, state media said Monday.

Tomb raiding occurs with some regularity in China, whose ancient civilisation has left
a wealth of relics buried underground [Credit: AFP]

The pair were among five suspected thieves in the northern province of Shaanxi who were excavating a grave which was among a cluster of emperors' mausoleums and tombs dating from the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).

Two of them became stuck in a chamber 20 metres (66 feet) underground, the official Xinhua news agency said, adding they feared the structure could collapse or they could suffocate from a lack of oxygen.

It quoted police officer Sun Weidong as saying rescuers pulled them out through a crack at the top of the chamber. All five suspects were detained, it added.

Tomb raiding occurs with some regularity in China, whose ancient civilisation has left a wealth of relics buried underground. Police investigated 451 tomb-raiding cases in 2010, state media said.

Skull find shows women were sacrificed in neolithic China

Archaeologists in China have unearthed the skulls of more than 80 young women who may have been sacrificed more than 4,000 years ago, state media reported on Monday.

The Shimao Ruins, the site of a neolithic stone city in Shenmu county, northern
China's Shaanxi province [Credit: AFP]

The skulls were found in what appears to have been a mass grave at the Shimao Ruins, the site of a neolithic stone city in the northern province of Shaanxi.

The women’s bodies were not present, the official news agency Xinhua said, adding that archaeologists concluded that the skulls were “likely to be related-china to the construction of the city wall” in “ancient religious activities or foundation ceremonies” before construction began.

There may have been an outbreak of mass violence or ethnic conflict in the region at the time since “ancient people were prone to use their enemies or captives as sacrifices”, it added.

The discovery is not the first instance of researchers unearthing remains related to human sacrifice in early China. Kings and emperors were regularly buried along with their servants and concubines, who were sometimes killed first – and on other occasions buried alive.

The Shimao Ruins cover more than four square kilometers and were discovered in 1976.

A mass grave protected with plaster at the Shimao Ruins [Credit: AFP]

The total includes 40 skulls that the Shaanxi provincial government said earlier had been discovered at the site last year.

Sun Zhouyong, deputy head of the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, told state broadcaster CCTV that the initial batch “show signs of being hit and burned”.

“This collective burial might also have something to do with the founding ceremony of the city,” he said.

Archaeologists have also found more than 100 remains of murals as well as large amounts of jade ware at the site of the ancient city, which sits in the Yellow River basin and is believed to date back to 2000 BC.

In 2005 archaeologists at Hongjiang in the central province of Hunan found an altar devoted to human sacrifice as well as the skeleton of one victim.

A separate altar was used for sacrificing animals at the 7,000-year-old site, which is believed to be the earliest human sacrificial site ever found in the country.

Ziggy

Foggy Hole

Rare Weather Event Fills Grand Canyon with Fog

A rare weather event has filled the Grand Canyon with fog, offering an even more stunning view than is typical.

Lofoten

Amazing Arctic Circle Anomaly

The archipelago of Lofoten in Norway is north of the Arctic Circle. Yet throughout the year it has temperatures which belie its position. This is because of the largest positive temperature anomaly in the world relative to latitude.

It makes Lofoten an unexpected delight - its early settlers must have thought they had stumbled across an arctic paradise. Prepare to have your breath taken away.

Wolfe Creek Crater

A Natural Garden inside a Meteorite Crater

300,000 years ago, a meteorite hit western Australia, boring a hole 400 feet deep and 2,880 feet across into the surface of the earth. This crater, now known as Wolfe Creek Crater, gradually filled with sand. But it’s still 200 feet deep and the second largest meteorite crater in the world.

Water collects in the basin of the crater, so the center of this hole in the desert is filled with green plants. You can see more photos of the interior here.

Although aboriginal peoples of Australia knew about the crater for a long time, the Western world confirmed its existence in only 1947. It quickly captured the popular imagination and served as the setting for a popular murder mystery novel.

A new theory on the origins of desert glass

Libyan Desert Glass is opaque, greenish glass formed when the desert sands fused in some sort of extremely hot incident. (Alternately, Sandman Volume 2 Number 9 proposes that the glass is the remains of an ancient city.) What, exactly, created the heat that made the glass is a source of scientific debate, but a new paper suggests it might have been the result of a comet impact. Why a comet and not, say, an asteroid? Scientists studied a stone found in conjunction with the glass and discovered that it contained a mixture of elements that you'd be unlikely to get from an asteroid impact. Instead, the elements suggest an origin outside our solar system's asteroid belt.

Not good: Study documents catastrophic collapse of Sahara’s wildlife

Not good: Study documents catastrophic collapse of Sahara’s wildlife

A new study led by the Wildlife Conservation Society and Zoological Society or London warns that the world’s largest tropical desert, the Sahara, has suffered a catastrophic collapse of its wildlife populations. The study by […]

Daily Comic Relief

Astronomical News

How Can the Apollo Landing Sites be Preserved?

How does a country preserve its mark on the moon for decades to come? It may not seem like the moon is a busy space-traffic hub these days, but in the not-too-distant future, that could change.

Turning the Moon into a Giant Space Solar Power Hub

When it comes to space and energy, we need to think big. That's what one Japanese company is doing -- and they're reaching for the moon, literally.

10 Ways to Astronomically Astound Your Friends

For those who understand the Cosmos, or at least part of it, hold the key to explaining some wonderful sights.

Kiss of Death

Black Mamba

The bite of the black mamba is known by South African locals as the "kiss of death." A single strike can deliver enough neurotoxic venom to kill 15 grown men. It has one of Africa's worst reputations, but does it deserve its bad rap? Behind the bad press lies a mercurial reptile that is quite shy. Follow a female mamba looking for a home to incubate her eggs while avoiding her main enemy: humans. Then join snake bounty hunter Simon Keys, whose black mamba sanctuary offers a unique look at the secret behavior of this much-maligned snake. This Snake’s Venom Will Kill You in 20 Minutes A black mamba’s venom is so lethal that even after the snake is dead, its venom can kill if it enters the bloodstream.

Animal News

Expandable Organs Allow Python to Digest Huge Meals

The Burmese python is one of the most evolutionarily advanced creatures on Earth.

Top 10 Weird Ways Animals Stay Warm in Winter

To conquer the cold, animals have astounding survival skills such as antifreeze blood, lounging by hot springs, and even having gender-bender orgies.

Baby Dino Fossil: So Intact It's Lifelike

An extremely well preserved fossil of a baby dinosaur appears to hop out of the rock in which it was fossilized.

Weird Organ Makes Koalas Sound Like Frogs

Koalas have relatively low voices, especially males.

Animal Pictures

The Daily Drift

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