Month: March 2016

A Ring Worn by Joan of Arc Returns to France

Post author By Ginger.Perales
Post date March 14, 2016
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Joan of Arc at the coronation of Charles VII

Le Parisien, “We suspected that the sale would beat all records. […] The Puy du Fou Hope Foundation could reach up to €80,000, but not beyond. Then we turned to potential donors and managed to collect the sum of €350,000.” By the end of frenzied bidding, Nicolas de Villiers had won out for the sum total of 376,833 euros ($415,063). Joan of Arc, known to some as the Maid of Orleans, is remembered for her role in the Hundred Years’ War during the fifteenth century, specifically the Siege of Orleans. Even though historians are still debating the extent of her actual participation in battle they do agree on one thing; the army was remarkably successful the short time she was with it. Born to peasant parents in northeast France in the village of Domrémy, Joan of Arc claimed to have experienced visions of Saint Margaret, the Archangel Michael, and Saint Catherine beginning when she was just thirteen. The visions instructed her to release France from English authority by supporting Charles VII. At just seventeen years old she gained distinction after several military engagements, most notably the Siege of Orleans. Shortly afterwards she was captured by the Burgundians and imprisoned at Beaurevoir Castle in May of 1490. She was later moved and tried in Rouen, England’s headquarters in France. Joan of Arc was found guilty of heresy and sentenced to death. She was burned at the stake on May 30, 1431. After her death, the charred body was exposed to avoid the claim that she had escaped, then they burned the body two more times (to protect against relics being claimed) and threw her remains into the Seine River. Joan of Arc is said to have worn the ring which was forged in brass, engraved with the initials JM and embellished with three crosses. Legend has it Joan would habitually stare down at the ring before going into combat. She was later exonerated and martyred in 1456, and canonized by Pope Benedict XV in 1920. The ring will be exhibited at the theme park Puy de Fou, which is owned by Philippe De Villiers. The park’s official website states that it “aims to contribute to the brilliance of France, its history, its wonders, and its achievements.” And that it was their “duty to end the exile of this symbol that belonged to the greatest heroine of the history of France.” ]]>

Tags 100 years War, De Villiers, France, joan of arc, Returned, Ring

Breaking News

Iron Age Discovery First of Its Kind on Arabian Peninsula

Post author By Ginger.Perales
Post date March 14, 2016
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Mudhmar Est – Unfinished axe made of copper/bronze

Tags Arabian, bronze, Mudhmar, Non-Utilitarian, Oman, weapons

News

Albert Einstein Born in Germany

Post author By Daryl.Worthington
Post date March 13, 2016
1 Comment on Albert Einstein Born in Germany

This article was changed on 14th March 2016. It wrongly stated that Einstein won the 1921 Nobel Peace Prize, when in fact he won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics]]>

Tags Albert Einstein, Atomic Bomb, born, Einstein, On this day, particle physics, Relativity, world government

Breaking News

Shipwrecks Seen by Landsat Satellites

Post author By Daryl.Worthington
Post date March 13, 2016
No Comments on Shipwrecks Seen by Landsat Satellites

Journal of Archaeological Science. The team of researchers found that shipwrecks close to the coast can leave sediment plumes which are visible on the surface of the sea, revealing their location. Using free data from the Landsat 8 satellite, the team have detected plumes extending as far as 4 km downstream from the site of a shipwreck. It is the first study of its kind to show that Landsat 8 and similar satellites can be used to find shipwrecks in sediment heavy coastal waters. Around three million ships are scattered throughout the planet’s oceans, with the vast majority close to shore due to the abundance of navigational hazards in coastal areas. 25% of all the world’s shipwrecks are estimated to be in the North Atlantic. In particular, the narrow 100 mile stretch of the North Sea which separates England from the Netherlands and Belgium is saturated with Second World War wrecks, a consequence of mines, submarines and warships being deployed during the conflict to disrupt shipping between the Allies and Dutch and Belgian ports. So substantial is the potential environmental threat from these wrecks, the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly recommended they be mapped and monitored. This was the region that formed the focus of the researchers’ study. Taking the known locations of four shipwrecks from the Second World War: the SS Sansip, the SS Samvurn, the SS Nippon and the SS Neutron, as a starting point, the team mapped sediment plumes extending from the wrecks’ locations using Landsat 8 images and tidal models. They found that two of the wrecks which were mostly unburied created sediment plumes which could be measured during ebb and flow tides. The team suggest that the exposed parts of these ships create pits which fill with sediments during slack tides (when currents are reasonably still). During ebb and flow tides, the sediments are re-suspended in the water, creating the plumes which point to a shipwreck’s location. By mapping sediment plumes during different stages of the tides, the team postulate that it is possible to trace their origins and find as yet unearthed shipwrecks. As long as the waters in which a ship sank are shallow enough for the plumes to reach the surface, it is possible to detect them with optical satellites such as Landsat, according to the authors of the study. As coastal waters, where most shipwreck’s take place, are normally shallow and rich in sediment, the team’s findings could add a valuable new shipwreck detection method to the tool kit of marine archaeologists. Image courtesy of NASA/USGS Landsat image/Jesse Allen, NASA Earth Observatory]]>

Tags Landsat 8, NASA, plumes, satellite, Second World War, sediment, shipwrecks

Breaking News

Scientists Reconstruct Habitat of Early Human Ancestors

Post author By David.DeMar
Post date March 13, 2016
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Homo habilis and Paranthropus boisei, these two species were similar in that they had a rough lifespan of anywhere from three to four decades and a height of around 4.5 feet to 5.5 feet. However, the latter is thought to have been more heavyset and with a smaller brain capacity than Homo habilis. Scientists involved in the research feel that the two species were unlikely to have camped there, but instead used the cover of the nearby acacia and palm trees to feed off of the carcasses of either their own kills or those taken from other carnivores. When and where early human ancestors began eating more meat are crucial questions, as an increased amount of protein in the diet of hominins is thought to be one of the first indicators of an increase in brain size. The research study can be found online here Image courtesy of M.Lopez-Herrera via The Olduvai Paleoanthropology and Paleoecology Project and Enrique Baquedano.]]>

Tags Homo habilis, human evolution, meat eating, Olduvai Gorge

Book Reviews

The Wealth Of Nations: Smith's Basis for Modern Political Economy

Post author By Daryl.Worthington
Post date March 12, 2016
1 Comment on The Wealth Of Nations: Smith's Basis for Modern Political Economy

The Wealth of Nations is possibly the defining book of political economy, providing the ideological foundations for economic liberalism and laissez-faire approaches to economics. Written over a ten year period, the book was pioneering in its realisation of the political dimension to modern economics. Works on economics have of course been written throughout human history, but prior to The Wealth of Nations they tended to subjugate economics to the role of facilitator for other goals such as imperial expansion or the consolidation of governmental power. Published in 1776, Smith’s work made economics its focus, striving to explain how an economy could be run most efficiently, and how it was central to any society. The first two books of Smith’s seminal work focus on the division of labour and how it is connected to the prosperity of a society. It ultimately argues that the wealth of a nation depends on the proportion of those who are employed to those who are not, as well as the skill of the workers and the means of distributing the products of their labour. Put simply, a strong, intelligent work force increases the efficiency of production (thus encouraging the reinvestment of surpluses into educating the population). The more people who are employed, the greater the productivity of the economy, but also the more consumers there are for the products of the economy. Moving onto the third book, Smith discusses the development of societies, focusing on his native Great Britain in particular. The book charts the progression from early hunter-gatherers to the rise of agriculture and culmination in the age of international commerce. In particular, it criticises the period of feudalism across Europe following the collapse of the Roman Empire, arguing that indentured labour was an inefficient system, obstructing the progress of society. Book VI criticises the mercantile system of commerce for fixating too heavily on precious metals. Smith argues that on a national scale, true value is found in the goods and services that a nation produces and circulates. Forming the idea of Gross Domestic Product, Smith created a measure by which all modern economies are judged. Finally, Smith uses the last book to discuss ‘the revenue of the sovereign’, essentially the sources of a government’s income, but also governments’ role within the economy. It explains fair taxation, and the roles the government should play in fostering public works which facilitate education, commerce and defence. Again, the role of government is mostly located in ensuring conditions are ideal for the economy to thrive. “The subjects of every state ought to contribute towards the support of the government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities.” Often used as a defense of laissez-faire capitalism, it is important to point out that although a firm believer in the centrality of economy to society, in ‘The Wealth of Nations‘ Smith did not advocate ruthless consolidation of wealth by a few individuals. He argued against monopolies and lobbying groups, on the basis that they interfered with the free, natural movement of the economy. “Wherever there is great property there is great inequality. For one very rich man there must be at least five hundred poor, and the affluence of the few supposes the indigence of the many.” He explains in The Wealth of Nations, “The affluence of the rich excites the indignation of the poor, who are often both driven by want, and prompted by envy, to invade his possessions.” Critics of Smith’s work argue that he focuses too heavily on the strength of the economy and fails to take into account the moral goals it should serve in relation to the population. It is a similar criticism to that often thrown at the governments who most rigidly stick to the ideas of free market economics. However, just because Smith’s work laid the ideological basis for laissez-faire economics doesn’t mean it should also be associated with the worst excesses that have been carried out in its name.

Related Books

The Wealth of Nations
Vol. 2 of 2Vol. 2 of 2
by Adam Smith

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Tags Adam Smith, capitalism, Laissez-Faire, Modern Political Economy, the Economy, The Wealth of Nations

Breaking News

Ichthyosaurs – Ancient Victims of Climate Change

Post author By Ginger.Perales
Post date March 12, 2016
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Tags climate, diversity, Extinct, Ichthyosaur, reptiles, Temperatures

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Food Prep and Meat Eating Helped Human Evolution

Post author By David.DeMar
Post date March 11, 2016
No Comments on Food Prep and Meat Eating Helped Human Evolution

Nature this week says that our Paleolithic evolutionary ancestors helped pave the way for their own evolution into modern humans by both eating meat, and preparing their food in certain ways prior to cooking it. The changes led humans living in the Stone Age to evolve with smaller teeth and faces thanks in no small part to adopting a more omnivorous diet that required some complexity to prepare, according to study author Daniel Lieberman from Harvard University. Research conducted into cooking in the past has singled out how pivotal it was to human evolution, but has been criticized for being too broad in giving credit for the changes that occurred to the face and head over the last 3 million years or so. The new study tackles this question; in an interview with USA Today, Lieberman did acknowledge that cooking food is certainly important, but the simple act of roasting raw meat over a fire isn’t the entirety of the story. The author and his colleagues point out in the research study how pounding, slicing, chopping, and other methods of food preparation and processing had effects on human anatomy and physiology that were profound – even to the point in helping humanity develop the ability to speak and run on two legs. There are other important facets of the paper, including the methods used to gather research. One of these methods involved volunteers willing to chew all manner of food while the researchers monitored their bite strength and other variables. Katherine Zink, a colleague of Lieberman from Harvard, worked together with him to see how humans handled masticating food like beets, carrots, yams, and even raw goat meat sourced from local goats. At first, the goat meat proved to be too tough for human teeth; however, once sliced into smaller pieces, the meat was much more manageable and was easily eaten. Vegetables that were eaten intact instead of first pounded by a stone tool were likewise harder to eat for the volunteers. Based on these findings, the research team feels that the inclusion of meat – sliced meat especially – into the diet of our human ancestors made it easier for them to enjoy relatively high levels of nutrition without having to work their jaws quite as hard. This could have contributed to the differences in jaw muscles and teeth in Homo erectus, a human ancestor that evolved shortly after the practice of using stone tools and eating meat. As humans no longer had to process and prepare their food by mouth but were instead able to do so with tools, early humanity evolved adaptations like shorter jaws and smaller faces that improved their ability to speak and to run. However, not everyone at Harvard is convinced that the new study is on the mark. Richard Wrangham, a colleague of both Zink and Lieberman, told USA Today that the relatively diminutive digestive tract of Homo erectus would have precluded the species from extracting enough calories from raw plants to thrive. Instead, he says that cooking food would have had to have played a much more important role than it does in the new study. The research can be found online here]]>