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☆ Rare lunar event may reveal Stonehenge’s link with the moon
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The lunar standstill is when the northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset are farthest apart. Stonehenge's station stones are thought by some to be aligned with the lunar standstill. Ruggles said that Stonehenge’s station stones, which form a rectangle around the circle, roughly align with the moon’s extreme positions during the lunar standstill. However, it’s much more difficult to say whether Stonehenge really has a connection to the lunar standstill. Amanda Bosh/Stephen LevineOther monuments with possible lunar linkStonehenge isn’t the only megalithic monument potentially linked to the lunar standstill.

Persons: Clive Ruggles, ”, Fabio Silva, ” Ruggles, Ruggles, Andre Pattenden, Silva, ” Silva, Amanda Bosh, Stephen Levine, Erica Ellingson, Ellington, Bradley Schaefer Organizations: CNN, archaeoastronomy, University of Leicester, Bournemouth University, University of Oxford, English Heritage, University of Colorado, Sun, Louisiana State University Locations: Salisbury, England, Rock , Colorado, United States, University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado, Pueblo, Lewis, Scotland

☆ The evolutionary twist that could have helped dinosaurs rule Earth
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New research this week is adding fresh detail to one of paleontology’s biggest questions: Did dinosaur blood run hot or cold? Clues from fossilized eggshells and bones have now suggested that some dinosaurs were warm-blooded and others were not. Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild/Getty ImagesMarine scientists have used artificial intelligence to decode previously unknown complexity in the calls of sperm whales. The whales produced a catalog of clicking sounds, which the researchers described as akin to a “phonetic alphabet” for sperm whales. What sperm whales are saying with their clicks remains a mystery to human ears, but understanding the scope of their vocal exchanges is an important step toward linking their calls with specific behavior.

Persons: Dinos, Davide Bonadonna, Jeff Lichtman, Reinhard Dirscherl, Napoleon Bonaparte, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Vigo, UCL, Google Research, Lichtman, Harvard University, Google, Harvard, Northern, Central America, Getty Images Marine, —, Heritage, CNN Space, Science Locations: Universidade, North America, Scandinavia, Europe, Central, India, Dover, England

☆ Dover Castle: Soldier graffiti found on tower door in ‘astonishing discovery’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —More than 50 etchings from soldiers have been discovered on an English castle door in an “astonishing discovery,” including graffiti of what could depict the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte being hanged. The door was only recently discovered in Dover Castle, in southeast England, charity English Heritage said in a press statement Wednesday. The graffiti on the door is thought to have been created by soldiers living inside the castle between 1789 and 1855. English Heritage suggests that, with hours to kill and “questionable artistic talents,” the soldiers may have whittled into the door to simultaneously whittle away the time. Three significant dates are also inscribed onto the door, English Heritage said: 1789, the year of the French Revolution; 1798, a period of rebuilding in Dover Castle; and 1855, when changes were planned to St. John’s Tower.

Persons: Napoleon Bonaparte, St, whittle, Jim Holden, Napoleon, Helena, Hopper, Hooper, ’ Paul Pattison, ” Pattison, ” Organizations: CNN, Heritage, Dover Castle Locations: Dover Castle, England, Napoleon, France, John’s, British, Waterloo, St, Dover

☆ Amateur archaeologists found a mysterious 12-sided object from the Roman Empire that experts can't explain
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An amateur archaeology group found a mysterious dodecahedron near an ancient Roman villa. Amateur archaeologists with the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group have been excavating its remains, including a bathhouse, gatehouse, and ancient tiled mosaic floors for the last few years when they made a miraculous discovery. Though he'd never seen one in person, Rob Evershed, a member of the group, recognized the hollow, rounded object as a Roman dodecahedron. No one knows the purpose of the dodecahedronThe Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group on the day they discovered the dodecahedron. Dodecahedrons may have been custom-madeParker thinks it would've taken an expert to make the dodecahedron that the Norton Disney group found.

Persons: —, Richard Parker, Richard Watts, they've, Norton, we'd, Parker, he'd, Rob Evershed, Frances McIntosh, McIntosh, haven't, dodecahedrons Organizations: Service, Norton Disney, Group, BBC, Lincoln Museum, English Heritage, Washington Post Locations: London, Hertfordshire, England, England's Midlands, British, Britain, Roman, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Africa, Turkey

☆ Spring equinox: First day of spring arrives
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The spring equinox will arrive exactly at 3:06 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) on Wednesday, March 20, according to EarthSky. Click here to look up the exact moment of the spring equinox where you’re located. Spring equinox has another nameIf you ever hear anyone say “vernal equinox,” it means the same thing. Zhang Xiaoyu/Xinhua News Agency/Getty ImagesIn Japan, Vernal Equinox Day is a public holiday (on Wednesday, March 20, this year). In China, trying to stand an egg upright is a popular game during the spring equinox, according to VisitBeijing.com.

Persons: Tuesday •, •, • Chiang Mai, David Silverman, Alex Pena, It’s, you’ve, it’s, Hugo Borges, Itzá, El Castillo, Zhang Xiaoyu, ” Organizations: CNN, Tuesday, United, Southern, Anadolu Agency, Getty, NASA, Northern Hemisphere, Northern, Southern Hemisphere, National Weather Service, Heritage, Xinhua News Agency Locations: • Anchorage, Alaska, Vegas ( Nevada, Tuesday • Guadalajara, Mexico, Chicago, Illinois, Toronto, Canada, Jacksonville, Florida, Halifax, • Dublin, Ireland, Accra, Ghana, • Berlin, Germany, • Alexandria, Egypt, • Ankara, Turkey, • Dubai, United Arab Emirates, • Mumbai, India, Thailand, • Hong Kong, • Tokyo, Japan, Stellenbosch , South Africa, Northern, South, Quito, Ecuador, Singapore, San Andrés, Zapotitán, El Salvador, Pole, Scandinavia, Itzá, Yucatan State, AFP, England, Malta, Yoyogi, Tokyo, Vernal, Persian, China

☆ ‘Amusing insight’ revealed in Marx’s ‘Das Kapital’ gift to Darwin
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Karl Marx once gifted a signed copy of “Das Kapital” to scientist Charles Darwin, but the book remained largely unread, providing an “amusing insight” into the dynamics between these two intellectuals, according to experts. In “Das Kapital,” economist and philosopher Marx explored how the capitalist system works and, he argued, its tendencies toward self-destruction. The gift copy of "Das Kapital" with Marx' inscription top right. Down House, Darwin's former home, in Kent, southern England. The catalog includes 9,300 links to copies of the library contents that are available for free online, inviting the public to peruse what Darwin read.

Persons: CNN — Karl Marx, “, Charles Darwin, Marx, Darwin, Karl Marx, ”, Mankind, Darwin's, Tal Cohen, Reuters Tessa Kilgarriff, Kilgarriff, Francis Darwin, Francis Organizations: CNN, Heritage, Down, Cambridge University Library, Reuters, Kapital, Darwin Locations: Darwin, Kent, England

☆ Conservators restore 17th-century portrait of noblewoman to remove cosmetic touch-ups
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

English Heritage, an organization that manages more than 400 historic buildings, monuments and sites in England, has discovered that a portrait dating back almost four centuries was later altered to “improve” the subject’s appearance. The portrait before the added changes were removed by the conservation team English HeritageConservators have now revealed the true face of noblewoman Diana Cecil, after spending hours removing changes to her features. Cecil (1596–1654), was the great-granddaughter of William Cecil, Lord Burghley, one of Elizabeth I’s closest friends and advisers. The restored version of the portrait will go on display in London from November 30. Christopher Ison//English HeritageAccording to English Heritage, Cecil was “one of the great beauties of the age” but the full-length painting was found to have undergone some cosmetic alterations since it was painted in the 17th century.

Persons: London CNN —, Diana Cecil, Cecil, William Cecil, Lord Burghley, Elizabeth I’s, Christopher Ison, “, Conservators, Cornelius Johnson, Alice Tate, sweeten, Diana, Thomas Bruce, 1st Earl of Elgin Organizations: London CNN, English Heritage, Kenwood House, Heritage, Harte Locations: England, London

☆ Summer solstice celebrations and traditions around the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Summer solstice scienceThe sun sets behind the Oculus transit hub and One World Trade Center in New York City on the summer solstice in 2019. Gary Hershorn/Corbis/Getty ImagesIs summer solstice all over the world? How to celebrate summer solsticeWhat does Stonehenge have to do with the summer solstice? Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty ImagesWhat other cultural traditions surround the summer solstice? In India, the birthplace of the ancient practice of yoga, the summer solstice is traditionally celebrated with mass yoga sessions throughout the nation.

Persons: It’s, Ivan Kupala, Gary Hershorn, Hakon Mosvold Larsen, NTB, They’ll, ”, Taylor Ward, “, Petras Malukas Organizations: CNN, Northern, Trade, NASA, Heritage, Getty, United Nations Locations: England, Sweden, Eastern Europe, New York City, Chile, South Africa, Australia, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, Earthsky.org, Quito, Oslo, Bjorvika, Norway, AFP, Helsinki, Finland, Fairbanks, Alaska, Earth, United States, Japan, Europe, Southwest England, Lithuania, Ukraine, India

☆ When is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere? Find out what it is, and its meaning
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Marianne Guenot | Shayanne Gal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The 2023 summer solstice happens on Wednesday 21 June at 10:58 a.m. It is due to Earth's tilted axis as it orbits around the sun. How the summer solstice worksThe summer solstice is the point when the sun will stay closest to the horizon all day. Shayanne Gal/Business InsiderOn the summer solstice, the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, where the sun rises earlier and sets later, meaning countries will get the longest day of sunlight they will get all year. Why it's so celebratedRussians celebrating the 2015 summer solstice with a bonfire.

Persons: —, Shayanne, Dmitry Feoktistov Organizations: Service, NASA, Cancer, Heritage Locations: China, Sweden

☆ Roman tweezers: Obsession with hairlessness revealed as more than 50 pairs of tweezers discovered in Britain
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Archaeologists have unearthed dozens of Roman tweezers in Britain, revealing the ancient culture’s obsession with hairlessness. The collection has now gone on display in a new museum at Wroxeter Roman City, which in its prime would have been as large a settlement as Pompeii. The simple tools would have been used not only for plucking eyebrows but for removing any unwanted hair – including in armpits. Usually associated with eyebrow shaping today, tweezers would have been used for general hair removal, including to pluck armpit hair, said English Heritage. The find was made at Wroxeter Roman City, one of the best-preserved Roman towns in Britain.

Persons: Jim Holden, Heritage Cameron Moffett, ”, Moffett, Andrew Maybury, Seneca Organizations: London CNN —, Heritage, English Heritage Locations: Britain, Roman City, armpits, Shropshire, Roman Britain

☆ 2,000 years before 'manscaping' and smooth armpits, the Romans were seriously into hair removal, archaeological findings show
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A team of archaeologists has found that our obsession with hair removal can be traced to Roman times. Hair removal was the way to get "the look" for men and women. Archaeologists working in Wroxeter Roman City, in Shropshire, England, have discovered a huge collection of over 50 tweezers at the settlement that dates from the 2nd to 4th century AD. English HeritageEnglish Heritage has said that the hair removal practices were just as routine for men as they were for women, noting that men who would engage in sports like wrestling would be expected to remove their body hair. Cameron Moffett, English Heritage Curator at Wroxeter Roman City, a new museum that opened last week, told The Times that you "had to have the look.

Persons: —, Cameron Moffett, Seneca, Moffet Organizations: Service, Heritage, English, Times, English Heritage Locations: Wroxeter Roman City, Shropshire, England, Roman City, Wroxeter, Britain

☆ 11 ancient sites that are mysteriously aligned with the sun on the winter solstice, in photos.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Archaeologists have found many ancient sites that line up with the winter solstice sun. Here are 11 sites that line up with the winter solstice, and what experts think about them. Newgrange, County Meath, IrelandPeople celebrating the sunrise at Newgrange on the morning of the winter solstice in 2018. ShutterstockOne of the most famous examples of ancient architecture lining up with the winter solstice is in Machu Picchu, Peru. "From the winter solstice the days are longer, which was a metaphor of the rebirth of the deceased," he said.

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