CaaC (John)

Oldest carving in East Asia found. But its maker is a mystery. Maya Wei-Haas © Photograph by Francesco d’Errico & Luc Doyon About the size of a thumb, this engraved bone fragment is one in a pair recently unearthed in eastern China. The etchings push back the date of such abstract carvings in this region by tens of thousands of years. More than a hundred thousand years ago in what is now eastern China, an ancient human relative decided to carve a bit of bone. Surrounded by the fragmented skeletons of butchered animals, the ancient engraver chose a tidbit of rib hardened from its time under the sun and carved seven nearly parallel lines, highlighting them with a smear of vibrant ochre pigments. Now, these straight lines are making waves among paleoanthropologists, who believe that this tiny fragment, along with a second engraved bone found nearby, provide the oldest evidence of intentional symbolic carvings yet found in East Asia. If so, the find would beat the previous record-holder by some 60,000 years, the team reports in the journal Antiquity. The branch of the human family tree to which the artist belongs remains shrouded in time. But fossil skulls from an unknown species found near the bones hint that the carvings were not the handiwork of our species, Homo sapiens. “Archaeological digs are full of mystery; you never know what you're going to discover,” study author Zhanyang Li of Shandong University says in an email. “A small object invisible to the eye can change people's understanding.” While we’re far from understanding the purpose behind the newly described lines, or whether they are truly symbols, the deliberateness of their creation underscores the complexity of our ancient relatives’ behaviours and interactions with the natural world. The work also continues to challenge the outdated notion that modern humans were the only hominins with the cognitive capacity to think abstractly. "It is really exciting work," says archaeologist Leslie Van Gelder of Walden University in Minneapolis. “We don’t have to know what it means, we just have to know that to the people making it, it meant something.” Discovering a doodle Scientists discovered the tiny pair of bones, each about the size of an adult’s thumb, at an open area known as the Linjing site in Henan Province. The region once harboured a spring, which likely drew an array of animals and hungry hominins to the region, says study author Francesco D’Errico of the Université de Bordeaux in France. Researchers have uncovered thousands of bone fragments at the site, including remains from horses, extinct wild oxen known as aurochs, and donkey relatives called onagers. Many of the bones sport cut marks made when they were still fresh, evidence of many successful hunts. A collection of stone tools found at the site also revealed surprisingly sophisticated methods of tool shaping. In 2016, while studying the fossil menagerie, researchers spotted clues to something even more intriguing: evidence of purposeful engraving. For the latest work, the team began careful analysis of the shape and arrangement of the grooves in the two bones, revealing that they differed from butchery slashes in several ways. For one, the marks were much more shallow, indicating they were likely cut into a semi-fossilized rib. But the carved lines even dip into the pits in the bone, pointing to their creation with the sharpened tip of a rock as opposed to the long edge of a stone tool, which was more commonly used to cut meat. The analysis also revealed a stunning number of details about the ancient carver. The hominin was likely right-handed, based on the lines' asymmetry and direction of carving. In spots where the tool seemed to dull, the hominin made several passes of the stone tip, etching multiple lines that nearly overlap. Perhaps most telling, microscope images revealed red residue on one fragment, and chemical analysis showed that it contains traces of iron oxide not found in the sediments on the opposite side of the bone. This suggests that the pigments were not accidental: The mystery human relative likely smeared iron-rich clay called ochre into the lines to make them stand out. Mysterious artists On the surface, discovering a set of straight lines may not seem like a big deal, but “it’s not so much the lines themselves, it’s the deliberateness in the making of those lines,” Van Gelder explains. These marks weren’t just the product of random swipes of a tool across the surface of an old bone; they were created with thoughtfulness, she says. Who exactly made these scratches, however, remains a mystery. Neanderthals likely didn’t venture this far into Asia; to date, we only know of Neanderthals making it as far east as Denisova cave in the Altai mountains—nearly 1,900 miles northwest of where the etched fragments were found. And it’s unclear if modern humans made it this far north at this early date. The two fossil skulls found at the site contain a mosaic of ancient and modern features. Prior work hinted that they might be Denisovan, but thanks to the scant traces of Denisovan remains yet found, DNA evidence would be necessary to say for sure. Past research also suggested that Denisovans could be responsible for personal adornments, such as tooth pendants, found in Denisova cave. Still, scientists can’t exclude the possibility that modern humans had a hand in making those artefacts. “My take on this is: It wasn’t purely modern humans,” University of Wisconsin-Madison paleoanthropologist John Hawks says of the capacity for crafting such material culture. “In fact, the idea that anything was ‘pure’ has gone by the wayside.” The more scientists look, the more interspecies mingling they seem to find. Genetic evidence shows that when waves of modern humans began pouring out of Africa around 60,000 years ago, they met and interbred with at least two of their hominin cousins: Neanderthals and Denisovans. Along with this genetic exchange, there could have been a cultural exchange, too. “I don’t think they saw themselves as being different forms of humans,” says Hawks, who was not involved in the new study. The latest find joins a number of ancient carvings or ochre sketches popping up around the world that are attributed to a variety of human species. The oldest known ancient art is a set of zigzags carved on a mussel shell found in Trinil, Indonesia, which dates to some 540,000 years ago and is interpreted as the work of Homo erectus. A 73,000-year-old hashtag-like mark appears to be a doodle made by early H. sapiens in the Blombos cave in South Africa. And a set of 65,000-year-old ochre sketches in the Cueva de los Aviones in southeastern Spain were possibly crafted by Neanderthals. “Modern behaviours do not seem to be the direct consequence of a speciation event creating modern humans, but more the result of shared cognition,” D’Errico says. But what all these abstract forms mean is still up for debate, notes archaeologist Jillian Huntley of Griffith University. While she finds the new work fascinating, Huntley cautions that it’s unclear whether this latest carving and others like it are truly symbols for something, and even if they are, whether these abstract symbols translate to evidence of cognitive capacity. “I think that’s a bit of a longer bow to draw,” Huntley says. Still, the latest find provides an intimate look into the lives—and perhaps the minds—of our ancient human relatives. “And we’re just going to keep finding more,” Van Gelder says. “That’s the beauty of archaeology: Just when you think you know something, someone digs up the next thing.” https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/oldest-carving-in-east-asia-found-but-its-maker-is-a-mystery/ar-AAEQ2nM

FUCK THAT!!

Before..."It's only Ireland lads, we are the World Champs..." if they lose..."We had Australia and the ashes on our minds...we are the World Champs Lads..."

FFS, England love making quotes after the CWCup just gone and get eggs in their faces England must "ride the wave" of their World Cup triumph on their return to Test cricket, according to captain Joe Root. England v Ireland: Hosts 'have Ashes points to prove' at Lord's Live LIVE England collapse to 43-7 against Ireland - clips, radio & text https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket

I managed to get back to sleep and yes...thunder woke me up and the wife and the lighting lit up the bedroom window, the thunder must have been right above our roof but I loved it as it cooled the room down and it was lashing down outside. Thunderstorms batter Britain as African plume heatwave bites with torrential downpours bringing flood warnings before it gets even HOTTER later today (but relief is on the way by Friday) © Provided by Associated Newspapers Limited Various beams of lightning was seen striking down on Plymouth overnight as the Met Office puts in place a yellow weather warning The UK has been battered by a series of thunderstorms which swept the country overnight as many continued to struggle with the heat. The Met Office has now also put a yellow warning in place for the whole of the UK, as thunderstorms move north, with the potential to cause power cuts and travel delays as the African plume heatwave continues to bite the UK, with torrential downpours on the way. MORE

Scientists Just Discovered A 310-Mile Coral Reef Corridor In The Gulf Of Mexico Yessenia Funes © Photo: Courtesy of Leonardo Ortiz Lozano A taste of what the team found in the Corazones reef, which they discovered this year. (Photo: Courtesy of Leonardo Ortiz Lozano) In the Gulf of Mexico, scientists have found five new coral reefs forming a so-called coral reef corridor. The team of scientists from the University of Veracruz and Mexico’s National Institute of Technology announced their findings earlier this month, reminding us there’s still so much we don’t know about the underwater world. The five coral reefs -- Corazones, Pantepec South, Piedras Altas, Los Gallos, and Camaronera -- join a number of other reefs to make up the Reef Corridor of the Southwest Gulf of Mexico, which stretches from near the Tamiahua Lagoonin the state of Veracruz into the Gulf. The scientists have speculated about the existence of the corridor for years, and this discovery confirms it. This corridor stretches at least 499km, said Leonardo Ortiz Lozano, a researcher with the University of Veracruz who made the discovery alongside Ana Gutierrez of the National Institute of Technology. This corridor offers incredible biological productivity for this region, Ortiz told Gizmodo. The reefs offer habitat for a number of species, fuelling an incredibly biodiverse ecosystem. The region is currently unprotected, but the scientists who discovered the corridor want to change that before the oil and gas industry moves into this part of the Gulf. © Photo: Courtesy of Leonardo Ortiz Lozano More coral found in the Corazones reef. (Photo: Courtesy of Leonardo Ortiz Lozano) “We want the coral corridor to be officially recognised to protect it from the fossil fuel industry,” Ortiz said. Related Slideshow: Stunning photos of coral reefs around the world (Provided by Photo Services) SLIDES 1/33 This group of researchers is now working to protect the corridor in coordination with the Mexican Center for Environmental Law. The fishing industry and sedimentation from runoff are threatening the reefs, but the ecologists are mindful about creating protections that won’t sacrifice the well-being of the fishing industry that’s built a dependence on the thriving ecosystem, which includes sponges, crustaceans, sea turtles, and sharks. “What’s most important is that these sites are where hundreds of fishermen receive their nourishment and work,” Ortiz told Gizmodo. “It’s important to protect these sites, but it’s necessary to maintain the fishing industry.” © Photo: Courtesy of Leonardo Ortiz Lozano A type of coral found in Los Gallos, another reef the team found. (Photo: Courtesy of Leonardo Ortiz Lozano) And of course, the threat of climate change is looming over coral reefs, many of which are already feeling its impacts around the world. Warmer waters have caused waves of coral bleaching in the Gulf of Mexico. When corals bleach, they expel algae (a main source of food) as a response to the added stress. In other words, they essentially die. Currently, these new reefs are scattered within and outside of protected areas. Setting up protections for all the reefs is a solid first step to ensuring they survive. © Photo: Courtesy of Leonardo Ortiz Lozano Another coral formation in Corazones, one of the reefs recently discovered. (Photo: Courtesy of Leonardo Ortiz Lozano) https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/scientists-just-discovered-a-310-mile-coral-reef-corridor-in-the-gulf-of-mexico/ar-AAEJEnewhere hundreds of fishermen receive their nourishment and work,” Ortiz told Gizmodo. “It’s important to protect these sites, but it’s necessary to maintain the fishing industry.”

Nasa Moon lander vision takes shape Nasa has outlined more details of its plans for a landing craft that will take humans to the lunar surface. The plans call for an initial version of the lander to be built for landing on the Moon by 2024; it would then be followed by an enhanced version. The news comes as work was completed on the Orion spacecraft that will fly around the Moon in 2021. This mission, called Artemis-1, will pave the way for the first attempt to land since 1972. The presolicitation notice to industry calls for proposals on an initial lander design capable of carrying two people down to the Moon's South Pole in 2024. Companies will then be given the option to develop an enhanced lander capable of carrying four astronauts to the lunar surface. It would also be able to stay for longer, including through the two-week lunar night. To the Moon and beyond Can America get back to the Moon by 2024? Read the article This lander would support Nasa's plans for a "sustainable" return to the Moon that would eventually involve the construction of an outpost on the surface. In May, Nasa announced that 11 companies would be carrying out studies and developing initial prototypes of lunar landers. The lander would start its journey from a small space station in lunar orbit called Gateway. Nasa wants a lander that's split into three parts: a transfer vehicle or "tug" that would carry astronauts from Gateway to a lower lunar orbit, a descent stage that would take them from low lunar orbit to the surface, and an ascent stage that would blast the crew back to Gateway at the end of their mission. On 20 July, the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, Nasa unveiled the completed Orion crew module and service module for the Artemis-1 mission. The announcement was made by Vice President Mike Pence at a ceremony to celebrate the Apollo 11 mission at Nasa's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. "Orion is a new class of spaceship, uniquely designed for long-duration deep space flight, that will return astronauts to the Moon and eventually take the first humans to Mars, and bring them all back safely," said Lisa Callahan, vice president and general manager of commercial civil space at Lockheed Martin, which has built the Orion crew module for Nasa. "Orion will accelerate the scientific discovery of our solar system and will be the cornerstone of the defining space achievement of this era." Lockheed Martin, Nasa and supporting contractors have assembled the Orion crew module to its finished state at KSC. The work included installing the capsule's avionic computers, harnesses, propulsion system, 11 parachutes, and the largest heat shield ever built. The crew module is designed to carry four astronauts beyond Earth orbit. The capsule and its service module were stacked together earlier in the week at Kennedy. The service module provides power and other life support systems to the crew module and houses 33 different engines to manoeuvre the spacecraft. It was provided by the European Space Agency (Esa) and built by Airbus. The combined Orion stack will soon be powered up and undergo a series of integrated systems tests. In September, the combined stack will be shipped to Nasa's Plum Brook Station in Ohio, where it will go through environmental testing in a large thermal vacuum chamber as well as testing for electromagnetic interference and compatibility. Once Orion returns to KSC at the end of the year, the spacecraft will go through final preparations before Lockheed Martin delivers it for launch processing in early 2020. The spacecraft will be launched on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, built by Boeing, possibly in 2021. The huge SLS launcher, taller than a 30-storey building, uses technology derived from the space shuttle programme. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49084696

Our daughter took this photo today up Portabella Beach here in Leith, told her I wished I had been there I would have been straight into the water with the heat we had today.

Can't sleep, lying on the bed with just my briefs on and still sweating like a pig and had to get up and have a shower but that's just woke me up more, it's cooled down a wee bit and the Met boys reckon there is some heavy rain on the way with some thunder and lightning, that will do me but not the wife, she hates thunder & lightning. I can remember growing up in Australia in the summertime and they had a heatwave, sometimes 2 weeks on the trot with temp around 35/40 it was bloody horrible but you could always tell when a cool change was on the way, you could feel a cool gentle breeze then it would piss down solid for about 3 hours or more and people like me who hated the heat would just stand outside and let the rain soak you to the skin like a beauty.

New 'Pocket Shark' Species That Squirts Glow In The Dark Liquid Found In Gulf Of Mexico The shark was found nearly 10 years ago, but it's only been recently been considered a new species. Named the American Pocket Shark, it has pouches near its front fins and was collected in 2010 when researchers were trying to work out what sperm whales eat. It isn't what you think. The little lad is able to shoot little glowing clouds into the ocean from its pouches. The shark has five features that haven't been seen in the only other known specimen of its kind. The other was captured in the Eastern Pacific Ocean back in 1979 and is now on display at the Zoological Museum in St Petersburg, Russian. Mark Grace of the NMFS Mississippi Laboratories of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Henry Bart and Michael Doosey of the Tulane University Biodiversity Research have described their findings in an article in the Zootaxa journal. Mr Grace said: "I've been in science for about 40 years and I can usually make a pretty good guess about a marine animal's identity. "I couldn't with this one." Not one to give up, he asked the experts at Tulane University and the American Museum of Natural History in New York, as well as the Florida Museum of Natural History, located at the University of Florida for help. Despite a 2015 paper identifying the shark of the second of its kind, it's now known to be a new species Bart said: "The fact that only one pocket shark has ever been reported from the Gulf of Mexico, and that it is a new species, underscores how little we know about the Gulf - especially its deeper waters - and how many additional new species from these waters await discovery." If you're wondering why a shark would be able to squirt florescent fluid from its pouches, then researchers have you covered. They suggest that it's used to help conceal it from prey or predators. A bit like a rainbow-infused pepper spray. https://www.ladbible.com/entertainment/latest-new-pocket-shark-species-that-squirts-glow-in-the-dark-liquid-found-20190723

Callum Hudson-Odoi agrees deal to stay at Chelsea Callum Hudson-Odoi has agreed to a five-year deal worth more than £100,000 a week to stay at Chelsea. The England winger, 18, handed in a transfer request in January after Chelsea rejected a £35m bid from Bayern Munich. But he is set to sign a new contract before the start of the season. The youngster is understood to have been encouraged by positive words from new manager Frank Lampard, who said he wanted Hudson-Odoi to stay. The teenager, who is recovering from an Achilles injury suffered in April, is on track for a quick return to action, potentially as soon as September. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49091233

Pictish man who was ‘brutally’ killed may have been royalty, researchers say By Conor Riordan, PA Scotland © Provided by The Press Association Researchers at the University of Dundee did a facial reconstruction of the Pictish man (University of Dundee) A Pictish man who had a “brutal death” about 1,400 years ago could have been royalty, researchers now say. Archaeologists found the skeleton in a recess of a cave in the Black Isle in the Highlands. He was discovered in a cross-legged position with stones weighing down his limbs while his head had been battered multiple times. Analysis carried out on behalf of the Rosemarkie Caves Project now suggests he was a prominent member of the community, such as royalty or a chieftain. The findings show he had a high-protein diet, which researchers have few other examples of during that period. Simon Gunn, the founder of the project, said: “He was a big, strong fella – built like a rugby player – very heavily built above the waist. “It’s rather peculiar that he had a very high-protein diet throughout his life, to the extent that it’s as if he had been eating nothing but suckling pigs. “He was a bit special, that could be royalty or a chieftain. “Obviously he had a rather brutal death, but he was buried quite carefully in that cave.” © Provided by The Press Association The remains were discovered while archaeologists were trying to establish how long the caves had been in use (Rosemarkie Caves Project) Mr Gunn added he was only aware of two examples of people in Scotland around that time having a similar diet. A bone sample sent for radiocarbon dating indicates that he died sometime between 430 and 630. The man stood at 5ft 6ins and was aged about 30 at the time of his death. His skeleton had no injuries other than those inflicted during his death. This suggests he was not a warrior or engaged in arduous labour. Mr Gunn also said the cave burial could have been a way to place his body at an “entrance to the underworld” as part of a ritual. The team believe there was a feast after Rosemarkie Man’s death, either in celebration or reverence of his passing, as there were piles of animal bones near where he was discovered. Forensic anthropologist Dame Sue Black previously helped to detail his injuries. Earlier analysis from 2017 shows the first three impacts broke the man’s teeth, fractured his left jaw and back of his head. The fourth strike went through his skull from one side and out the other as he lay on the ground, while the fifth blow was to the top of his head. Professor Black added: “It could well be that we are looking at someone prominent. “If you have a high-protein diet you are eating well and are not in the poor of the community.” Researchers at the University of Dundee later did a facial reconstruction of the man. The Rosemarkie Caves Project has been surveying a series of caves along the coast of the Black Isle. Evidence shows the caves were being used in some way from 2,300 years ago until the recent past. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/pictish-man-who-was-brutally-killed-may-have-been-royalty-researchers-say/ar-AAEIvbP?li=AAnZ9Ug

Got to see it last night, not the wife though not to her liking I am afraid but not a bad movie and I would give it an 8.5/10, didn't like the ending but our son said that they are going to make a follow up so remembering the ending again I am sure it will be to do with the...

We are melting up here today buddy, it's roasting and I am sneezing like a beauty as the Sun has bought our neighbours out to do some gardening, mow the lawn and cut the hedges, on comes my asthma and hay-fever.

Age of Discovery ship found perfectly preserved in Baltic Sea David Keys VIDEO The best-preserved shipwreck ever found from the age of Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama has been discovered – at the bottom of the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Estonia. The newly discovered Baltic Mary Celeste is also at the heart of a 500-year-old maritime mystery. Virtually pristine condition, the vessel has been located by archaeologists at a depth of around more than 120 metres some 100 miles South East of Stockholm. Some 99 per cent of the ship is intact – with the masts still standing tall and its two swivel guns in their firing positions. A small tender boat is still sitting on the deck, as is the wooden capstan. Even the bilge pump and elements of the rigging can be seen. The bowsprit and decorated transom stern are also clearly visible. However, the 16-metre long vessel’s aft-castle had somehow been destroyed. This, together with the guns being in their "ready to fire" positions, strongly suggests that the ship was sunk in a previously unknown naval battle. Probably a small Swedish or Danish merchantman, the vessel was almost certainly built at some stage between 1490 and 1540 – most likely in the very early 16th century. It is therefore conceivable that it was sunk during Sweden’s war of independence – the three-year-long conflict between that country and its Danish rulers which raged between 1521 and 1523. Alternatively, the vessel may have been sunk during the Russo-Swedish War of 1554 –1557. Although the ship is by far the best-preserved vessel ever found from Europe’s Age of Discovery, it is of a Northern European rather than southern European design. However, the size of the ship, the shape of the perfectly preserved bow, the design of the anchors and of the masts and rigging are thought to be very similar to those of Columbus’ two smaller vessels, the Pinta and La Niña which he used along with the larger Santa Maria, to cross the Atlantic and discover America in 1492. The discovery will, therefore, help maritime archaeologists and historians to understand more fully some of the ship technologies available to Columbus for his great 1492 voyage of discovery. What happened to the crew of the Baltic ship is a complete mystery? Were all or most of them killed in the attack which destroyed the ship’s aft-castle? Were they captured by the attacking vessel – or did they survive the attack but were somehow unable to launch their tender and consequently went down with their ship? The investigation of the newly discovered ship is being carried out by an international team of scientists, including archaeologists from the University of Southampton. The whole project is being led by Dr Rodrigo Pacheco-Ruiz, a maritime archaeologist working for the Swedish offshore survey company, MMT in collaboration with the Centre for Maritime Archaeology at the University of Southampton and the Maritime Archaeology Research Institute of Södertörn University, Sweden. Dr Pacheco-Ruiz, who is also a Visiting Fellow in Maritime Archaeology at Southampton, said: “This ship dates from Europe’s Age of Discovery, yet it demonstrates a remarkable level of preservation after five hundred years at the bottom of the sea. “It’s almost like it sank yesterday. It’s a truly astonishing sight,” he added. The vessel lies on the seabed with her hull structure preserved from the keel to the top deck and all of her masts and some elements of the standing rigging still in place. The extraordinary level of preservation is a result of the very low levels of oxygen near the seabed in that part of the Baltic. That massively reduces the number of micro and other organisms that would otherwise have quite literally eaten the vessel’s timbers. The video is, therefore, the first occasion on which anybody has been able to actually see a real almost totally preserved Age of Discovery vessel since the 16th century. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/age-of-discovery-ship-found-perfectly-preserved-in-baltic-sea/ar-AAEHu2N?MSCC=1563878010&ocid=chromentp

Aye he can be a bit of a Dick sometimes, was it you @Devil-Dick Willie

Good, I just hope Ole does well, he was in charge of the United Reserve team (2008/11) in his first step's in the management bit and did quite well... He won the 2007–08 Lancashire Senior Cup by defeating the Liverpool Reserves 3–2 in the final. On 12 May 2010, Solskjær won his first Manchester Senior Cup by defeating Bolton Wanderers 1–0 at the Reebok Stadium. Shortly after the resignation of Åge Hareide from the position, Solskjær was offered the opportunity to coach the Norwegian national team; he declined, saying that it was not yet the right time for him to become the Norway coach, Solskjær's final game as Manchester United Reserves manager was a 5–1 victory over Newcastle United on 16 December 2010. Nicky Butt was one of Fergie's Fledgelings or the Class of 92 with Giggs, Beckham, the Neville Brothers, Scholes etc and I reckon he will do well working together with Ole.