Nov 19th, 2024 - The  oldest-known stone tablet featuring an inscription of the Ten Commandments is going to auction, where experts think it could sell for between $1 million and $2 million. The  1,500-year-old marble slab was discovered in 1913 during a railway excavation along the southern coast of what is now Israel. Dating to between 300 and 500 C.E., it was unearthed near the locations of early synagogues, mosques and churches. On December 18, Sotheby's will sell the tablet, which features 20 lines of Paleo-Hebrew script. It stands about two feet tall and weighs 115 pounds. This is the first ... [Read More]

Nov 19th, 2024 - A nearly perfect fossil has been waiting patiently to rewrite the story of flight. In a quarry in southern Germany, encased in limestone, a nearly perfect fossil has been waiting patiently to rewrite the story of flight. The fossil, a pterosaur with a stiff, sword-like tail, is a new species described today in the journal Current Biology . This remarkable discovery, made by an international team of scientists led by Dr. David Hone of Queen Mary University of London, sheds light on a longstanding mystery about how these enigmatic reptiles evolved into the airborne giants of the Mesozoic era. ... [Read More]

Nov 18th, 2024 - A timeless piece of human history is heading to auction this December at Sotheby's. On December 18, the oldest inscribed stone tablet of the Ten Commandments will take center stage as a single-lot sale as part of the Books and Manuscripts auction with an estimate of $1-2 million. Dating back to the Late Roman-Byzantine period (ca. 300–800 CE) and weighing a hefty 115 pounds, this 1,500-year-old stone tablet stands about two feet tall and is considered the only complete example of its kind from this era. Inscribed in Paleo-Hebrew, its version of the commandments features a unique twist: ... [Read More]

Nov 18th, 2024 - After nearly disappearing for good, Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frogs are once again hopping happily around California's alpine lakes. Scientists are celebrating the comeback of the amphibians ( Rana sierrae ) in Yosemite National Park. Though they're still endangered, Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frogs have made a "remarkably successful" recovery from the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus , researchers report this month in the journal Nature Communications . "The lakes are alive again, completely transformed," says study co-author Roland Knapp , a biologist at the University of California, ... [Read More]

Nov 18th, 2024 - To invent the wheel, did people first have to invent the spindle? The physics of spinning objects may have seeded concepts key to the wheel. Twelve-thousand years ago, people in a coastal village in the Levant used stone weights on their spindles to spin thread faster and more evenly—and, some archeologists are arguing, in the process they pioneered the basic mechanics that eventually made cart wheels possible. Archaeologists found hundreds of perforated, roundish, flattish pebbles in the 12,000-year-old village of Nahal Ein-Gev II, all with neat holes drilled in their centers. Based ... [Read More]

Nov 18th, 2024 - In an era characterized by rapid technological development and growing environmental concerns, photosynthesis stands as a remarkable example of nature's enduring efficiency and sustainability. This fundamental process, which has powered life on Earth for billions of years, exemplifies a balance that modern science strives to emulate. Consequently, the need for innovative and sustainable solutions has become more pressing than ever, driven by the urgency to combat climate change and reduce our reliance on finite resources. One potential answer lies in harnessing and replicating the natural ... [Read More]

Nov 18th, 2024 - Amber, the fossilized "blood" of ancient coniferous trees, holds the key to an extraordinary chapter of Earth's history. Imagine stepping into a time machine capable of transporting you back to the era of the dinosaurs. Suddenly, you're immersed in a dense, swampy forest, surrounded by buzzing insects, blooming flowers, ferns, and conifers. Strikingly, this lush habitat is where snowy West Antarctica currently stands. Recently, scientists from top universities in Germany and the UK have unearthed amber in this desolate landscape for the first time. These discoveries reveal that between 83 ... [Read More]

Nov 18th, 2024 - The active galaxy Centaurus A, with jets emanating from the central black hole. ESO/WFI (Optical); MPIfR/ESO/APEX/A.Weiss et al. (Submillimetre); NASA/CXC/CfA/R.Kraft et al. (X-ray), CC BY Black holes don't have many identifying features. They come in one color (black) and one shape (spherical). The main difference between black holes is mass: some weigh about as much as a star like our Sun, while others weigh around a million times more. Stellar-mass black holes can be found anywhere in a galaxy, but the really big ones (known as supermassive black holes) are found in the cores of galaxies. ... [Read More]