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The Antikythera Mechanism, the World’s Oldest Computer, Followd the Greek Lunar Calendar

The Antikythera mechanism - deposit photos

The Antikythera mechanism — an ancient shoebox-sized device that was used to track the motions of the sun, moon and planets — followed the Greek lunar calendar, not the solar one used by the Egyptians, as was previously thought, new research reveals. The Antikythera mechanism, found by sponge divers off the Greek island of Antikythera … Read more

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Writer Fuel: 2600-Year-Old Asyrian Tablet Tells Tale of Flood Similar to Noah’s Ark

Noah's Ark - deposit photos

What it is: Also known as the 11th tablet of the Epic of Gilgamesh, this fragment of a baked clay tablet contains cuneiform inscriptions describing an epic flood that swept through Babylon. It is considered one of the oldest pieces of literature in the world. Where it was found: Nineveh (also known as Kouyunjik), an … Read more

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Writer Fuel: Could a Cosmic Dust Storm Have Triggered an Ice Age on Earth?

Earth Ice Age - Deposit Photos

Scientists believe Earth may have briefly lost protection from the sun around two million years ago, left to endure the extreme environment of interstellar space as the solar system passed through a dense cloud of gas and dust between stars. At that time, early human ancestors shared our planet with prehistoric animals like mastodons and … Read more

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Writer Fuel: Rare 1,000 Year-Old Wword “Excalibur” Found in Spain

A sword nicknamed Excalibur was found to date to the Islamic period of Spain during the 10th century. (Image credit: Valencia City Council Archaeology Service)

A rare sword nicknamed ”Excalibur” from the Spanish city of Valencia is 1,000 years old, meaning it was last wielded when much of Spain was controlled by Muslim rulers, new research reveals. The 18-inch-long (46 centimeters) iron sword was found in an upright position inside a grave in 1994, leading its finder to call it … Read more

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Writer Fuel: Passing Stars May Have Altered Earth’s Orbit – And Climate – Many Times

Earth and two suns - deposit photos

Earth’s present-day climate change is human-induced, but the gravitational tugs of other planets can also cause long-term climatic patterns by slightly changing our planet’s orbit. Now, research suggests that massive passing stars can alter Earth’s path, too — and that these cosmic tugs may limit researchers’ ability to study the links between past changes in … Read more

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Writer Fuel: Jewelry Study Reveals Nine Distinct Cultures in Stone Age Europe

A selection of beads dating to the Gravettian period in Europe. (Image credit: J. Baker, et al)

Tens of thousands of years ago, prehistoric humans in Europe adorned themselves with such a wide variety of beads that researchers have classified nine distinct cultural groups across the continent based on their location and distinctive styles. The researchers focused on the Gravettian period, which stretched between 34,000 and 24,000 years ago and was defined … Read more

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Writer Fuel: Rare Piece of Roman Armor Pieced Back Together Like a Jigsaw Puzzle

The reconstructed brass Roman armguard will be on display next month as part of an exhibition at National Museums Scotland. (Image credit: Duncan McGlynn)

Conservators at National Museums Scotland have reconstructed a 1,800-year-old segment of Roman armor that was broken into more than 100 pieces. The completed work will be part of an upcoming exhibition. For several weeks, museum conservators painstakingly pieced together what they’re calling an “ancient jigsaw puzzle.” The second-century brass armor was shattered into dozens of … Read more

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Writer Fuel: Ancient Lost Tomb Discovered in Ireland

Dingle Peninsula, Ireland - deposit photos

An archaeologist in Ireland has discovered an ancient megalithic tomb — one that was seen and sketched in the 19th century but then lost for almost 200 years. Local scholar Billy Mag Fhloinn, an archaeologist and folklorist with Sacred Heart University in the Irish town of Dingle, found the tomb with the help of photogrammetry, … Read more

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Writer Fuel: Gigantic Lava Eruptions May Have Turned Earth into a Snowball 717 Million Years Ago

ice planet - deposit photos

Devastating volcanic eruptions may have been so enormous they turned the planet into “Snowball Earth” 717 million years ago, a study has found. The volcanic outburst — one of the largest in Earth’s history — likely triggered a series of chemical reactions that sucked carbon dioxide (CO2) from Earth’s ancient atmosphere. The massive eruptions, which … Read more

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Writer Fuel: Nuclear Testing Set Off a New Age on Earth – the Anthropocene

nuclear explosion - deposit photos

Nuclear weapons testing in the 1950s and early 1960s left the first obvious and indelible marks of “overwhelming” human activity on Earth, and these events may signal the beginning of a new geological epoch known as the Anthropocene, geologists say. Fallout from these tests snowed down from the atmosphere and became trapped in the earth … Read more