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☆ Ocomtun: Laser mapping reveals a forgotten Maya city in the jungle
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Maya civilization is best known for its pyramid temples and impressive stone structures that have been found across southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. Pictured here are the remains of a building with a staircase in the city of Ocumtun. He’s mapped more than 20,000 square kilometers (7,722 square miles) of Central American jungle and been involved in 45 archaeological projects, including the discovery of the largest and oldest Maya temple near Tabasco, Mexico, and tens of thousands of Maya structures and settlements in the Guatemalan jungle. Unraveling OcumtunIt could take years to fully excavate Ocomtun and get a deeper understanding of the site and why it was abandoned. A stone block with a relief, reused in a stairway in the city of Ocumtun.

Persons: Juan Carlos Fernandez, Diaz, he’s, they’ve, Juan Fernandez, Jonathan Burke, ”, Fernandez, LiDAR, Ivan Šprajc —, —, Šprajc, Ivan Šprajc, ” Fernandez, Založba Rokus, Ken, Julie Jones, it’s Organizations: CNN, University of Houston, National Center, Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, ZRC, Ocumtun, SAZU, Adria, Kreditna družba, Ars Longa, Julie Jones Charitable Foundation, Milwaukee Audubon Society Locations: Campeche, Yucatan, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, America, Ocumtun, Central American, Tabasco, Guatemalan, Kreditna družba Ljubljana

☆ Scientists decode an ancient curry recipe
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The sandstone slab, buried 2 meters (6.5 feet) below the surface, was dug up in 2018 at the Oc Eo archaeological complex in southern Vietnam. The site was once an overseas trading hub of an ancient Southeast Asian kingdom known as Funan, according to a new study of the substances found on the slab. The findings offer clues to how curry — and the people who made it — migrated to Southeast Asia. “Nowadays, preparing curry in Vietnam has become much simpler for most families due to the widespread availability of curry powder in supermarkets. Nguyen added that the team planned to recreate the 2,000-year-old curry based on the ingredients found at the site.

Persons: ”, . Hsiao, chun Hung, ” Hung, Hung, Khanh Trung Kien, Khanh Trung Kien Nguyen, Nguyen Organizations: CNN, Australian National University, Center for Archaeology, Southern Institute of Social Sciences, Oc Eo, Eo Locations: Vietnam, Canberra, India, Southeast Asia, Ho Chi Minh City, South, Cambodia, South Asia

☆ These ancient Egyptian paintings were hiding a secret
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.CNN —Researchers using a cutting-edge technique have discovered hidden details in two ancient Egyptian paintings in the Theban Necropolis, near the River Nile, that date back more than 3,000 years. Using portable chemical imaging technology, the researchers identified alterations made by the artists that are rare in Egyptian paintings, commonly thought to be the product of highly formalized workflows. We want to understand how these paintings were made.”X-ray fluorescence in chemical imaging technology helps to reveal alterations made in Egyptian tomb paintings that may not seem obvious to the naked eye. “It demonstrates the potential value of quantitative data, obtained through scientific analysis, for a more comprehensive and less subjective interpretation of ancient Egyptian art,” she said. “And the adaption of portable (X-ray) instruments as mobile devices designed for use in the field is a very exciting advancement in the study of ancient Egyptian wall paintings.”

Persons: ”, Philippe Martinez, Amenhotep III, Mona Lisa of Egypt, ” Martinez, “, Menna, Osiris, Ramesses II, Martinez, I’m, ” Joann Fletcher, Lorelei Corcoran Organizations: CNN —, Sorbonne University, MAFTO, UK’s University of York, of Egyptian Art, University of Memphis Locations: Paris, Egypt, Menna, Luxor, Tennessee

☆ Spain's entombed 'Ivory Lady' reveals leadership role of women in antiquity
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Researchers said on Thursday an analysis of tooth enamel showed that the body entombed at the site near Seville was not a man as previously thought, a finding that indicates the leadership role women played in this ancient society that predated the pyramids of Egypt - and perhaps elsewhere. In the British Isles, it is the peak time of Stonehenge, a major megalithic monument and sanctuary," García Sanjuán said. The 'Ivory Lady' reflects all these elements," García Sanjuán said. "This study throws new light on a problem we know preciously little about: the social and political role of women among early complex pre-state societies," García Sanjuán said. The "Ivory Lady" shows that women may have held high leadership positions during the Copper Age, a transitional period between the Stone Age and the more technologically sophisticated Bronze Age.

Persons: Miriam Lucianez Trivino, Leonardo García Sanjuán, Lady, García Sanjuán, Miriam Luciañez, Triviño, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, University of Seville, University of Seville's, University of Seville's Department of, Thomson Locations: Handout, Spain, African, Seville, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Iberia, University of Seville's Department, Washington

☆ Mysterious giant 300,000-year-old hand axes were found at an Ice Age site in England. Scientists can't work out why they are so big.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Two giant hand axes have been uncovered in prehistoric sediment in England. The largest of the two hand axes, which is about 12 inches long, is "one of the longest ever found in Britain," said Ingrey, who participated in the excavation. Archaeologist Letty Ingrey inspects the largest of two "giant" prehistoric hand axes. But these particular hand axes "are so big it's difficult to imagine how they could have been easily held and used," Ingrey said. Archaeologist Letty Ingrey holds up the smallest of the two "giant" prehistoric hand axes, shortly after uncovering it on site.

Persons: —, Letty Ingrey, Ingrey Organizations: Service, UCL, of Archeology, UCL Archaeologists Locations: England, Medway, Kent, Britain

☆ Archaeologists are stunned by the discovery of 25 'incredibly significant' prehistoric pits dug in straight lines containing ancient animal bones
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Archaeologists recently found straight lines of 25 pits dating to around 8,000 years ago. The Mesolithic pits contain animal bones, including those of an extinct species of cattle. The pits are arranged in straight lines, and a few contain animal bones with marks suggesting people ate them. The arrangement of the pits appears intentional, dug in several straight lines covering an area of up to about 1,600 feet. The researchers at MOLA plan to investigate whether the Bedfordshire pits' arrangement coincides with the solstice or other celestial events.

Persons: —, Joshua Pollard, MOLA, Pollard, Nick Snashall Organizations: Service, Museum of London, Southampton University, Albion Archaeology, Guardian, BBC, Heritage Locations: what's, Bedfordshire, England, Britain, Flint, France, Avebury, Europe

☆ Shattering the myth of men as hunters and women as gatherers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But researchers have found that women in foraging societies were often the ones bringing home the bacon (and other prey, too). Of the 63 foraging communities examined, 50 had records documenting women hunting. Women hunted game of all sizes, “with large game pursued the most,” the study authors reported. Women also used specialized tools: In the Philippines, for example, Agta women hunted with knives, bows and arrows, or a combination of the two weapons, depending on personal preference. In many of the groups, it seemed as though women had a more flexible approach to hunting than men did, Wall-Scheffler said.

Persons: Cara Wall, Scheffler, “, ”, Vivek Venkataraman, ” Venkataraman, Venkataraman, ” Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle Pacific, Charles University, University of Calgary, Scientific Locations: Czech Republic, Philippines, Canada

☆ Spanish archaeologists plan rescue of 2,500-year-old Phoenician shipwreck
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A diver from Valencia University maps and assesses the state of a 2,500-year-old Phoenician vessel that is submerged 60 meters from the beach of Mazarron, Spain, June 20, 2023. Jose A Moya/Regional Government of Murcia/Handout via REUTERSMADRID, June 30 (Reuters) - A group of Spanish archaeologists have made detailed diagrams of a 2,500-year-old Phoenician shipwreck to help work out how best to recover it from the sea before a storm destroys it forever. Later this year, the experts will recommend how to protect and retrieve the wreck, possibly as early as next summer. It now lies under about 1.7 metres (5.6 ft) of crystal-clear Mediterranean water, surrounded by sandbags and a metal structure built for protection. Reporting by Emma Pinedo, editing by Inti Landauro and Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jose A Moya, Carlos de Juan, Emma Pinedo, Inti Landauro, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Valencia University, Regional Government of, REUTERS, University of Valencia, University of Valencia - Institute of Nautical Archaeology, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Mazarron, Spain, Regional Government of Murcia, Handout, REUTERS MADRID, Spanish, Murcia, la, Lebanon, Syria

☆ Police say tourist filmed allegedly carving ‘Ivan+Hayley’ on Rome’s Colosseum has been identified
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —He caused shockwaves around the world when he was filmed apparently carving his name into a wall of Rome’s 2,000-year-old Colosseum – and grinning when he realized he was caught on camera. The visitor who this week allegedly scratched “Ivan+Hayley 23” on a brick wall of one of the world’s most precious buildings, has been identified, according to Italy’s culture minister. Police “identified the main suspect through traditional investigations and photographic comparison,” they wrote. In 2020, an Irish tourist was reported to the police for allegedly carving his initials into a wall. Last August, an American couple were caught carving their initials into the Arch of Augustus, a 2,000-year-old monument beside the Colosseum.

Persons: Ivan, Hayley, ”, Gennaro Sangiuliano, Hayley ”, Sangiuliano, commesso, k2apyx026A — Gennaro Sangiuliano, UK . Police “, “, ” Sangiuliano, Augustus, CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite Organizations: CNN, . Culture, Ministry, Culture, Piazza Venezia, Carabinieri, UK . Police, ” Locations: shockwaves, England, Irish, American

☆ Italian police blame couple from England for Colosseum graffiti
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A general view of the Colosseum, in Rome, Italy May 30, 2023. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File PhotoROME, June 29 (Reuters) - Italian police have identified a couple from England as the likely culprits after graffiti was scribbled on a wall at the Colosseum in Rome last week, prompting widespread anger. Italy's Carabinieri police said they had been helped to identify the couple by photographic evidence but did not name them. A police source said the man had been placed under formal investigation but the couple had left the country before the authorities could catch up with them. "This act was offensive to everyone around the world who appreciates the value of archaeology, monuments and history," said Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano.

Persons: Remo Casilli, Ivan, Hayley, Gennaro Sangiuliano, Emilio Parodi, Keith Weir, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, England, Italian

☆ Face of seventh-century teen buried with rare cross revealed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

She was ceremoniously laid to rest with a gold and garnet-encrusted cross, and her burial site was uncovered more than a decade ago. The remains of the teen, who died around the age of 16, according to researchers, presented striking questions: Where did she come from? The Trumpington Cross was found during an excavation of the grave in 2012. And her ornately decorated cross, often referred to as the Trumpington Cross, indicates she was likely an aristocrat, if not royalty, and one of the era’s earliest Christian converts. The Trumpington Cross that was found at the burial site, believed to have been unearthed for the first time since the seventh century.

Persons: —, you’ve, ”, Sam Leggett, Leggett, ” Leggett, University of Cambridge Leggett, bioarchaeologists, Hew Morrison, Morrison, ” Morrison, It’s, Sam Lucy, ” Lucy, she’s, “ Organizations: CNN, University of Edinburgh, University of Cambridge, Christian Church, University of Cambridge’s Museum of Archaeology Locations: Great Britain, Cambridge, Trumpington, Scotland, England, Germany, what’s, United Kingdom, Cambridge Region, ”

☆ OceanGate Expeditions' Titanic tourism is a thing, and it's dangerous
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But for those willing to shell out, tourism and research company OceanGate Expeditions offered eight-day missions that allow customers to explore the Titanic more than 13,000 feet below the ocean’s surface using five-seat carbon fiber and titanium underwater vessels. OceanGate launched successful expeditions to the Titanic wreckage in 2021 and 2022. Geoffrey Kent, the founder of luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent, has recently planned trips for clients including race car driving on ice in Finland and orangutan trekking in Borneo. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush has also repeatedly claimed that existing submersible regulations needlessly prioritize passenger safety over commercial innovation. But it also hasn’t innovated or grown—because they have all these regulations,” Rush said in an interview that appeared in a June 2019 issue of Smithsonian Magazine.

Persons: –, ”, Nick D’Annunzio, TARA, OceanGate, Stockton Rush, Andrea Doria, Bill Sikes, Rush, Knight Frank, “, Gideon Kimbrell, Everest’s, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, Geoffrey Kent, Sal Mercogliano, hasn’t, It’s, ” Rush, David Pogue, don’t, “ Don’t, ” It’s, D’Annunzio, Ann Epting, Epting, Brad Lendon, Parija Kavilanz Organizations: CNN, OceanGate Expeditions, US Coast Guard, Expeditions, Stockton Rush, Rescuers, OceanGate Foundation, Virgin Galactic, Virgin, VSS Unity, Origin, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Abercrombie, Kent, Campbell University, Smithsonian Magazine, CBS, Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX, FAA, Kent’s, Abercrombie & Kent Locations: Everett , Washington, Boston, Stockton, Finland, Borneo, North Carolina, Oman

☆ Ornate Roman mausoleum found beneath London construction site
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Caolán Magee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —An “incredibly rare” Roman mausoleum has been discovered beneath a south London construction site, archaeologists have said. A team from Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) made the find in Southwark, close to the Thames River’s south bank. MOLAIn 2017, an excavation just a stone’s throw from the site uncovered a Roman sarcophagus. And in February last year, Roman mosaics approximately 1,800 years old were discovered at the site. The mausoleum will be restored and put on public display, Landsec Developers, which co-owns the site, told CNN.

Persons: MOLA, MOLA MOLA, Antonietta, Catherine Rose Organizations: London CNN, Museum of London, Borough Market, CNN Locations: London, Southwark, Britain, Borough, MOLA, London Borough

☆ 21 questions to ask before choosing a job you'll stay happy in long-term
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Bruce Feiler | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Bruce Feiler analyzed 400 people to find out what makes some people love what they do and others feel frustrated. Ask yourself questions like "If you could do one thing to be happier at work today, what would it be?" Author Bruce Feiler. You'll find a new job — but soon enough you'll be back where you started, asking the wrong questions and getting the wrong answers. Copyright © 2023 by Bruce Feiler.

Persons: Bruce Feiler, —, I've, they've, Bruce Feiler ., Jonica Moore, You'll, you'll, — you'll, Mark Savickas, It's Organizations: Service, Kent State University, Penguin Press, Penguin Random

☆ Egypt bans Dutch archaeology team from Saqqara due to museum’s ‘Afrocentric’ exhibition
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A team of archaeologists from a Dutch museum has been banned from carrying out excavations in Egypt’s rich Saqqara necropolis, after the museum mounted an exhibition that drew condemnation from Egyptian authorities. He also confirmed that the journalist who wrote the NRC article had seen the email from the Egyptian authorities. Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, did not respond to CNN’s request for comment. Some commented with photos showing light-skinned ancient Egyptian drawings, next to ones with darker skin tones, which they say the museum is propagating. It recently criticized the Netflix docuseries “Queen Cleopatra,” which portrays the ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt as a woman of color.

Persons: CNN —, Museum of Antiquities Wim Weijland, Oudheden, ” Weijland, Mostafa Waziri, Weijland, “, Nubia …, Miles Davis, Sun Ra, Rihanna, ”, Cleopatra Organizations: CNN, National Museum of Antiquities, Egyptian Antiquities Service, NRC, Leiden Turin Expedition, Museum of Antiquities, “, Supreme, of Antiquities of, Netflix Locations: Kemet, Egypt, Hip, Leiden, Saqqara, Leiden Turin, Cairo, of Antiquities of Egypt, Nubia, ” Nubia, Africa, Khartoum, Sudan, Nubian, Ptolemaic Kingdom

☆ Archeologists made a game-changing discovery at Greece's oldest dig site where ancient humans used to roam 700,000 years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Nicholas Paphitis | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Archeologists discovered simple stone tools that date back an estimated 700,000 years. The discovery was made at Greece's oldest site where ancient humans were thought to exist. The Greek site was one of five investigated in the Megalopolis area during a five-year project involving an international team of experts, a Culture Ministry statement said. This skull from a member of the deer family was also discovered at the dig site Megalopolis, southern Greece. These stone tools, discovered at the dig site Megalopolis, southern Greece, date back about 700,000 years ago.

Persons: —, Panagiotis Karkanas, Eleni Panagopoulou, Katerina Harvati, Homo antecessor, antecessor, directorss, Nikos Efstratiou, Efstratiou, Megalopolis Organizations: Service, Ministry, Greek Culture Ministry, American School of Classical Studies, Athens, University of Tübingen, Associated Press, Greece's University of Thessaloniki Locations: ATHENS, Greece, Europe, Spain, Germany, Megalopolis, Mycenae, Olympia, Pylos

☆ Plague: Oldest known cases in Britain uncovered in mass burial
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A team of researchers excavating mass burial sites in England have detected the DNA of the bacteria that caused the plague in human skeletal remains — and they are the oldest known cases of the disease in Great Britain. The bacterial DNA is thousands of years more ancient than the oldest strain uncovered prior to this latest finding. When it comes to the disease, there is a lot that scientists still don’t know — including how it spread, Swali said. And science may never truly know the severity of the plague 4,000 years ago when it came to humans, Roberts said. And while there are historical records of plague outbreaks, ancient DNA could potentially give us a look even further back, Swali said.

Persons: CNN —, Pooja Swali, Francis Crick, Swali, ”, Benjamin Roberts, ” Swali, Lee Mordechai, pestis, Roberts, ” Roberts, paleogeneticists, Mordechai, ” Mordechai Organizations: CNN, Nature Communications, Francis, Francis Crick Institute, Durham University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Locations: England, Great Britain, Cambridgeshire, London, Somerset, Cumbria, Scotland, United Kingdom, Britain, Europe

☆ Horrific World War II bunker where Japanese scientists experimented on prisoners with biological weapons, found by archaeologists, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Archaeologists found a bunker used by WWII Japanese scientists to conduct human experiments, says a report. The Japanese scientists captured by the US were granted immunity in exchange for their research findings. Japanese scientists exposed prisoners to pathogens and dissected them to learn about the effects on the human body. The researchers are yet to enter the bunkers, but the survey has revealed details about the underground structures, South China Morning Post reported. Most of the surface-level buildings at the Anda site were destroyed in 1945 to erase evidence of the experiments, but the underground structures remain, archaeologists said.

☆ 2,500-year-old toilets reveal that the people of ancient Jerusalem were afflicted by painful stomach cramps and diarrhea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Archeologists excavated the cesspits below two toilets from Iron Age Jerusalem. At the time, Jerusalem was the capital of Judah — a vassal state under the control of the Assyrian Empire. "Toilets with cesspits from this time are relatively rare and were usually made only for the elite," Mitchell said. The study suggests the "long-term presence" of the disease across the Near East. Indeed, medical texts from the first and second millennium BC describe diarrhea afflicting the Near and Middle East populations.

☆ A world in three islands on the Mediterranean
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Pavlo Fedykovych | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

CNN —In the middle of the Mediterranean Sea lies a small country made up of three inhabited islands and irresistible allure. Across its three inhabited islands – Malta, Gozo and Comino – you’ll find every sun-soaked aspect of the perfect vacation. The solution: Marsaskala, towards the southeastern tip of Malta island. Mellieħa Bay and St. Paul’s BayBugibba is a classic seaside resort town in St. Paul's Bay. The population is a modest two people, there are no cars, and no signs of globalization – just the untouched Mediterranean.

☆ Ancient toilets unearthed in Jerusalem reveal a debilitating and sometimes fatal disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Iron Age users of two ancient toilets in Jerusalem were not a healthy bunch, according to an analysis of poop samples from the 2,500-year-old latrines. Ancient poop contains a trove of fascinating informationA stone toilet seat was excavated in 2019 south of Jerusalem in the neighborhood of Armon ha-Natziv. Archaeologists excavating the latrines took samples from sediment in the cesspit beneath each toilet seat. They found one seat south of Jerusalem in the neighborhood of Armon ha-Natziv at a mansion excavated in 2019. Cities such as Jerusalem likely would have been hot spots for disease outbreaks, and illnesses would have spread easily by traders and during military expeditions, according to the study.

☆ Archaeologists discover a lost world of 417 ancient Mayans cities buried in remote jungle, connected by miles of 'superhighways,' WaPo reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scientists in Guatemala have discovered "the first freeway system in the world," The Washington Post reports. Archaeologists have found ancient Mayans built 417 cities interconnected by 110 miles of "superhighways." Historians to rethink what they know of ancient Mayan civilization. The findings have unveiled "a whole volume of human history that we've never known," he told the Post. It allowed the scientists to see ancient dams, reservoirs, pyramids, platforms, causeway networks, and even ball courts, per the study.

☆ Britain's Oxford University cuts ties with Sackler family over opioid links
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The University of Oxford has cut ties with the Sackler family, whose wealth derives from opioid drugs, removing their name form a number of positions and buildings, including two galleries in the Ashmolean Museum. Britain's University of Oxford cut ties with key benefactor the Sackler family, whose wealth derives from addictive opioid drugs and stand accused of helping fuel a U.S. epidemic. The university said that the move, which was approved by its governing council Monday, had also received the "full support" of the Sackler family. "Oxford University has undertaken a review of its relationship with the Sackler family and their trusts, including the way their benefactions to the University are recognized," the university said in a statement. "Following this review, the University has decided that the University buildings, spaces and staff positions using the Sackler name will no longer do so," it said.

☆ Oxford University wipes the Sackler name from its buildings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Oxford University will remove the Sackler name from its buildings following a review of its relationship with the family that recently expressed regret for its role in the US opioid crisis. The 900-year old university said in a statement that it would remove the Sackler name from some of its most prominent landmarks, including parts of the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology and the Bodleian Library. The university said the decision had “the full support of the Sackler family,” adding that it would keep the Sackler name on two donor boards “for the purposes of historical recording of donations to the university.”The Sackler Trust did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment. Oxford said in its statement that it had not received any new donations from the Sackler family or its charitable trusts since January 2019. In March, a US judge approved a $6 billion settlement paid by the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma to several US states as well as victims of the opioid crisis.

☆ Nerja Caves: Europe's oldest 'tourist' site
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The Cueva de Nerja, or Nerja Caves, are a three-mile series of caves near Nerja in Malaga province, southern Spain. Today, visitors can take a 45-minute tour of the “public gallery” to see fantastical formations of stalactites, stalagmites and other speleothems – shapes and structures caused by mineral deposits. So far, 589 prehistoric paintings have been discovered in the caves (modern visitors cannot visit those areas for conservation reasons). Prehistoric visitors mostly burned one type of pine to light their way, the carbon analysis revealed. “I think the magnitude and geological beauty of the Nerja Cave must have overwhelmed its prehistoric visitors, just as it overwhelms us today,” she said.

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