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☆ What did King Richard III sound like? State-of-the-art technology re-creates voice of medieval monarch
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-18 | by ( Freddie Clayton | Freddie Clayton Is A Freelance Journalist Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON — Britain’s King Richard III was immortalized with the Shakespeare line, “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse.”Now state-of-the-art technology has revealed what it may have sounded like if he did indeed utter those words just before his death in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth. Just over 100 years later in 1592, Shakespeare vilified him as a hunchback, giving him the famous cry of despair about a horse as his last line. He was able to speak in public.”“Without the discovery of his mortal remains, this project would not have been possible,” she added. The skeleton also helped Morley-Chisholm find the actor that would eventually play the king’s avatar. “I think when people see it and hear it, then, you know, forget Richard.

Persons: King Richard III, Shakespeare, Yvonne Morley, Chisholm, ”, England, Richard, Morley, David Crystal, Crystal, “, King Richard III of England, Philippa Langley, ” Morley, Thomas Dennis, Dennis, Langley, Richard III, ” Mathew Morris, it’s Organizations: Theatre Royal, Liverpool John Moores University, NBC News, Alamy, University of Leicester's Archaeological Services Locations: Bosworth, York, Yorkshire, England, British, Leicester, London

☆ Employers are increasingly tracking staff in the return-to-office world. One academic says surveillance at work has its good, bad, and ugly.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Nora Redmond | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Go to newsletter preferencesSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. There was a brief period during the pandemic and the years after it when hybrid work, four-day workweeks, and flexible hours gave employees more power than ever before. And now, employee surveillance is on the rise. "That might create high staff turnover rates," he said, "and there are all sorts of costs associated with recruiting staff." Overall, Kayas held that whether staff surveillance is good or bad, or right or wrong, comes down to whether you're asking the employee or the employer.

Persons: —, JPMorgan Chase, Leo Lukenas III, BofA, Oliver Kayas, Kayas Organizations: Service, Business, Street Journal, Bank of America, JPMorgan, of America, Army, Liverpool John Moores University, Citigroup

☆ Amazon's 5-day office push may be the beginning of the end for remote working
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-22 | by ( Nora Redmond | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewAmazon is waving goodbye to remote work. Workers were previously told to come in at least three days a week, but Amazon seems eager to end pandemic-era habits. AdvertisementThe memo outlined extenuating circumstances such as illness, a household emergency, and the need to finish coding in a more isolated environment as scenarios when remote work may be permitted. Jones, however, does not believe this new requirement will spell the end of remote work. AdvertisementIn the context of globalization, she said, Amazon employees will still be working remotely with each other because they're based in different locations.

Persons: —, Andy Jassy, Jassy, Gemma Dale, Liverpool John Moores, Dale, Amanda Jones, Jones, Khaddage, Diab, it's Organizations: Service, Workers, Business, King's College London, Amazon, AM Bank Locations: Washington, Arlington , Virginia, Liverpool, Khaddage Bou, Diab

☆ Planet-forming disk detected around star in another galaxy for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —For the first time, astronomers have glimpsed a young star outside the Milky Way galaxy that’s ringed by a dense disk where planets may form. The massive star, called HH 1177, and its rotating disk were spotted in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a neighboring dwarf galaxy that’s about 160,000 light-years away. The gas and dust accumulate in a flat disk around the star, known as an accretion disk, as a result of strong gravitational forces. The Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer, or MUSE instrument, on the telescope captured a jet of material releasing from the young star. To discern whether a disk was present around the star, the team needed to measure how quickly dense gas moved around the star.

Persons: ”, Anna McLeod, ” McLeod, McLeod, Jonathan Henshaw, aren’t, “ Organizations: CNN, Durham University, Southern, ESO, Liverpool John Moores University Locations: ALMA, United Kingdom, Chile

☆ In a first, a newborn star's spinning disk is seen in another galaxy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Newborn stars with these circumstellar disks had been observed by astronomers only in our Milky Way galaxy - until now. Observing these disks in other galaxies is very important because it tells us about how stars form in environments different from that of the Milky Way," McLeod added. The Large Magellanic Cloud is considered a satellite galaxy of the sprawling Milky Way, as is another galaxy called the Small Magellanic Cloud. The Large Magellanic Cloud has less dust than the Milky Way and a smaller content of what astronomers call metallic elements - those other than hydrogen and helium. McLeod expressed hope for detecting other circumstellar disks in the Large Magellanic Cloud and perhaps the further Small Magellanic Cloud.

Persons: Anna McLeod, McLeod, Jonathan Henshaw, Liverpool, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: European Southern Observatory, Durham University, Liverpool John Moores University, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, England, Atacama

☆ New mosaic of Mars could enable humans to settle on another world
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —When the Perseverance rover landed on Mars in February 2021, it wasn’t alone. The instrument’s capabilities demonstrated that oxygen for life support systems and rocket fuel could be created on Mars rather than transported from Earth. The device is another tool enabling the eventual exploration of Mars by humans. Other worldsThis map of Mars, created by researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi, uses color photographs of the entire planet. That’s what researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi are aiming to do with the Mars Atlas.

Persons: Percy, Dimitra Atri, ”, Fujianvenator, Christopher Owen Hunt, Ralph Solecki, Arlette Leroi, Gourhan, Chris Hunt, Nicolas Reusens, Jack Zhi, ” Zhi, —, REx, Comet Nishimura, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, New York University, NYU Abu Dhabi Center for Astrophysics, Mars, United, United Arab Emirates, Mars Research, Liverpool John Moores University, Amagusa, CNN Space, Science Locations: Mars, New York University Abu, New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab, China, Fujian, Kurdistan, Iraq, United Kingdom, Japan, Israel

☆ Neanderthal flower burial theory called into question by new study
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Faye Chiu | Kate Golembiewski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Archaeologist Ralph Solecki discovered the flower burial, as it came to be known, while exploring Shanidar Cave in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. However, elements of the flower burial theory didn’t seem to add up. “That was, for us, an indication that maybe there was something going on with the flower burial,” Hunt said. Shanidar Cave in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq is seen in May. Its presence is due to the activity of bees and not flower burial, suggests a study led by Chris Hunt, professor emeritus at Liverpool John Moores University in the UK.

Persons: Ralph Solecki, Solecki, ”, Chris Hunt, Hunt, ” Hunt, Christopher Owen Hunt, they’re, Christopher Owen Hunt Hunt, “, Paul Pettitt, Pettitt, Hunt “, Fred Smith, it’s, Grandma, Joe, ’ ” Hunt, Shanidar Organizations: CNN, Liverpool John Moores University, Archaeological Science, Durham University, Illinois State University Locations: Kurdistan, Iraq, United Kingdom, Shanidar

☆ A 15-year-old medieval girl was buried face down with her ankles possibly tied together to stop her from returning from the dead, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A 9th century gravesite unearthed in England suggests ancient settlers may have feared the undead. Researchers with the Museum of London Archeology discovered a 15-year-old girl buried face-down. Archeologists, however, discovered the Conington girl buried face-down in a pit that marked the entrance to the small settlement and believe her ankles may have also been tied together, according to the MOLA statement. Archeologists unearthed the remains of a 15-year-old girl in a Medieval settlement near Conington, Cambridgeshire several years ago. "Her burial rites may have reflected the nature of her death, or her social identity or that of her family."

Persons: MOLA, Don Walker, Matteo Borrini, Osteologists, Nicolaus, Walker Organizations: Museum of London Archeology, Service, Privacy, Museum of London, Infrastructure, Conington . Oxford, Liverpool John Moores University, MOLA Headland, Nicolaus Copernicus University Locations: England, Wall, Silicon, Conington , Cambridgeshire, MOLA, Conington, Europe, Cambridgeshire

Vampires have haunted nightmares for centuries, even dictating how people buried their dead. Here are nine unusual burial techniques researchers believe were motivated by a fear of the dead. Archeological digs over the past decades have unearthed remains of several so-called vampire burials, which researchers believe showcase ancient techniques people once used to stop the dead from returning from the grave. But unusual burial practices associated with the belief have been spotted as early as the 5th century in ancient Rome. These are nine techniques researchers have posited were meant to keep "vampires" in their graves for good.

Persons: Matteo Borrini, Borrini Organizations: Service, Liverpool John Moores University Locations: Wall, Silicon, Europe, Rome

☆ Mystery surrounds 19th century 'vampire' found buried in New England with his thigh bones crossed over his chest
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But in recent years, DNA analysis has helped scientists uncover the tale behind the "vampire's" remains. An annotated image shows the placement of the "Connecticut vampire" skull and bones in the grave. The "Connecticut vampire" likely died of tuberculosisFor decades, the "Connecticut vampire" was known only as "JB55," after the initial "JB" that had been carved into the brass tacks used to close the coffin. A 3D-scan of Barber's skull was combined with DNA analysis to estimate John Barber's features, shown here in an artist's illustration. Not everybody agrees, however, that this burial site qualifies as a bona fide "vampire" burial site.

Persons: John Barber, —, Jolly Roger, I'd, Nick Bellantoni, he'd, Michael Ross, Daniels, Ellen Greytak, John Baker, Baker, It's, Parabon NanoLabs, John Barber's, Parabon, Barber's, sickles, Scott, Matteo Borrini Organizations: Service, Smithsonian, Smithsonian Magazine, Armed Forces DNA, Inc, Liverpool John Moores University Locations: Connecticut, Wall, Silicon, Griswold , Connecticut, Virginia, New England

☆ A Cow, a Camel and a Finch Exploded in Space. What Is Going On?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Jonathan O Callaghan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

What do a cow, a koala, a camel, a Tasmanian devil and now a finch all have in common? They are nicknames given to a weird class of space explosions scientists can’t explain. They are more technically called luminous fast blue optical transients, or LFBOTs. These space explosions are much brighter than supernovas (which occur when stars explode), hence the “luminous” designation. They brighten quickly — hence “fast” — and are extremely hot, reaching 70,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and thus emitting “blue” light.

Persons: We’ve, ”, Daniel Perley, Finch, Perley Organizations: Liverpool John Moores University, Palomar Locations: Tasmanian, Madagascar, England, California

☆ Ancient bodies of 'vampires' were buried with rocks in their mouths to stop them returning from the dead
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Many people thought this could be stopped by putting a stone or brick in the mouths, experts said. 'Vampires' were thought to eat their way out of the grave, unless something hard stopped them. These body were not completely dead and were captured by some demonic influence," said Borrini, describing the old beliefs. This one was buried in a child cemetery on the site of the Poggio Gramignano ancient Roman villa in Teverina, Italy. Borrini defines a "vampire" as a dead person rising from the dead as a body.

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