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9/11 Triggered Sharp Spike in Mental Disorders Outside the USA

Statue of Liberty and WTC fire (2)

American Journal of Epidemiology. Using population data from the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register, covering the period from 1995 to 2012, the team looked for changes in the incidences of mental disorders around the time of the 9/11 attacks. By analysing 1,448,250 contacts with psychiatric services, the team found the week following September 11, 2001, coincided with a 16% rise in the incidence rate of stressor and trauma related disorders, such as post traumatic stress or adjustment disorders. For six months after the attacks, the incidence of stressor and trauma related disorders remained elevated by around 5% above the normal level. The surge did not dissipate until roughly a year after 9/11. No similar increases were found for other mental disorders in the same period. “[the outcome of the study] sadly confirms that one of the alleged purposes of [certain types of] terrorism – to generate mass-scale attention and intimidation – is in fact achieved”. the authors write, in their conclusion. Anyone old enough to remember 9/11 will know that one of the most startling things about the events that day was the extensive mass media coverage they received, a tragedy transmitted across the globe almost in real time. Unsurprisingly, the study authors think this was key to the effect they observed. “The extra-national character of the post-9/11 deterioration of mental health observed in this study also highlights the pronounced importance of mass media in transmitting stress-inducing information to populations in countries far removed from the target of the [terrorist] attack.” The study, by Bertel T. Hansen; Søren D. Østergaard; Kim M. Sønderskov and Peter T. Dinesen, highlights the impact of 9/11 as it was experienced vicariously in Denmark – across the Atlantic and thousands of miles away from the actual site of the attacks. Beyond this historical insight however, it also offers an ominous warning for the future. “Although this remains to be examined, it seems likely that such an effect [as observed in the study] would become even stronger in the future, given the highly visual and real-time nature of today’s mass media.” For more information: oxfordjournals.org]]>

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Children Sacrificed to Serve as “Guardians” for Chornancap Priestess

Raccollte Extraeuropee

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Sunken WWII-Era British Submarine Found off Danish Coast

British T-class submarine (3)

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High Protein Diet Caused Differences Between Neanderthals and Humans

Neanderthal Skeleton

homo sapiens‘ closest extinct relatives. Although bearing many physical similarities to a modern human, there is no doubt that the two species are markedly different in appearance. Neanderthals were shorter and stockier than humans, with significantly wider rib cages and larger pelvises. Published in the July edition of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, the new study argues that these differences were the result of Neanderthals having to adapt to a high-protein diet. The conclusion was reached using a model the researchers developed to detect dietary stress. Neanderthals lived in Ice-Age Europe, demonstrating remarkable resilience by surviving the brutally cold conditions. The authors of the study, from the Tel-Aviv University (TAU) in Israel, suggest that Neanderthals changed their diets during the coldest periods of the Ice Age, taking between 74% and 85% of their caloric intake from animal fat when carbohydrates weren’t available. However, during winter, large animals shed some of their fat content, a fact which according to the model developed by the researchers would have led to a “significant stressful dietary fat deficit” for the Neanderthals. The authors suggest that this deficit could have been ameliorated by an increased capability to convert protein into energy. “Given that high protein consumption is associated with larger liver and kidneys in animal models, it appears likely that the enlarged inferior section of the Neandertals’ thorax and possibly, in part, also his wide pelvis, represented an adaptation to provide encasement for those enlarged organs.” the authors write, in the abstract to their study. “During harsh Ice-Age winters, carbohydrates were scarce and fat was in limited supply. But large game, the typical prey of the Neanderthal, thrived,” explained study coauthor Miki Ben-Dor, of the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at TAU, in an interview with the Pakistan Observer. “This situation triggered an evolutionary adaptation to a high-protein diet – an enlarged liver, expanded renal system and their corresponding morphological manifestations. All of these contributed to the Neanderthal evolutionary process.” Ben-Dor continued. The liver is the organ responsible for converting protein into energy, and is therefore likely to enlarge with a high protein diet. Such a diet also increases metabolism, placing a greater demand on the kidneys and bladder to remove toxic urea, and in turn leading to their enlargement. Consequently, the study reasons, Neanderthal pelvises and rib cages had to evolve to house these larger organs. Protein only makes up 30% of the diet for homo sapiens on the other hand, meaning humans have a limited ability to convert protein to energy. Homo sapiens therefore increase their intake of fat and carbohydrates to meet their nutritional needs. ]]>

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Floor Tiles from Second Temple of Jerusalem Reconstructed

Second Temple Roof (1)

Haaretz, representatives from the Temple Mount Sifting Project believe that these ornate tiles had once been used as adornment on the Temple Mount, decorating porticos – or colonnades covered by roofs – between 37 BCE and 4 BCE. If true, it means the tiles were there during the reign of Herod, Jerusalem’s ruler and a vassal of the Romans. Project director and co-founder Zachi Dvira stated in a blog post that this marks the first time a portion of the Second Temple complex has been restored. The shards of shattered marble were discovered through a painstaking process of debris sifting. The detritus was left over by an excavation of the 600-square-yard underground prayer space known as Solomon’s Stables, undertaken by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf: the civil organization that maintains Islamic centers of worship within Old Jerusalem. The Israeli authorities classify the 1999 excavation of the site as illegal, citing that the Waqf began its excavation and renovation efforts without first seeking a permit to do so. Around 600 pieces of colored floor tile have been found in the rubble. Around 100 of these pieces have so far been traced back to the Second Temple period with a high degree of certainty. Archaeologists say these tiles share characteristics of other relics dating to the time, specifically in other monuments built for and by Herod. Two of these – the Herodian palaces at Jericho and Masada – have been a rich source of artifacts in the past. Cut with precision in a wide array of geometric shapes, the multicolored stone that comprises these tiles is thought to have been polished to a bright shine. The majority of the stones used in constructing the tiles had been imported from Egypt, Tunisia, Asia Minor, and of course Rome. Additional clues as to the origin of the tiles is that they were sized to correspond with the pes, the Roman unit of measurement that is roughly equivalent to a foot (0.971 feet). The particular design of tile, referred to as “opus sectile”, originated during Herod’s time; researchers say that the elite of the Second Temple era preferred these tiles due to their increased cost and prestige. The newly restored tiles – seven in total – are to be displayed this month at the City of David Archaeological Conference. While these reconstructions are only potential designs –the flooring was not discovered in situ and therefore these designs cannot be proven conclusively to have been the ones the tiles were set in all those centuries ago – the best guess of some of the world’s foremost experts on the Second Temple of Jerusalem represents the closest we may ever be able to come to recapturing the alleged splendor of Herod’s Temple. The project, which is officiated by the Israel Parks and Nature Authority, is funded by the City of David Foundation. Images of the the reconstructed floor tiles can be found here ]]>

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Oldest Maya Codex Proven Authentic

Image from the Grolier Codex (2)

Maya Archaeology, are: “… a confirmation that the manuscript, counter to some claims, is quite real.” said Houston, in a Brown University press release. Coe’s team carried out a rigorous analysis of the codex to reach their conclusion, looking at everything from the manuscript’s style and iconography, to the paper it was produced on. Most crucially, they radio carbon dated it and found it came from the thirteenth century, predating three other well known Mayan codices: the Dresden, Madrid and Paris – named after the cities in which they are now housed. The authors note that because the Dresden, Madrid and Paris codices were discovered first, their features are regarded as canonical. The Grolier is undoubtedly different to those three codices, but the authors argue that in itself isn’t proof it is inauthentic. Most significantly, Coe et al point out that it actually would have been almost impossible for forgers to have created the forgery by 1964. The Grolier Codex depicts in detail gods and deities which archaeologists had yet to discover at that point; while the illustrations and paintings contain perfect Maya blue pigments, pigments that were not successfully synthesised in a laboratory until the 1980s. As the authors write in the study: “A reasoned weighing of evidence leaves only one possible conclusion: four intact Mayan codices survive from the Precolumbian period, and one of them is the Grolier.” For more information: Journal of Maya Archaeology Image courtesy of Justin Kerr ]]>

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Black has Always Been the New Black Where Pigs are Concerned

Feral Hawaiian pig (1)

Royal Society Journal, Open Science; the study argues that wild pigs would naturally have camouflaged coats. Human societies however, seem to have a preference for pigs with a black coloured coat, and have selectively domesticated pigs exhibiting that trait on at least three separate occasions in history. It seems that the Polynesians, Europeans and Chinese all had a penchant for black pigs, perhaps due to the novelty of the animals’ colour. The domestication history of pigs is incredibly complicated, in large part because it’s incredibly difficult to distinguish between domesticated and wild pigs in the archaeological record. Archaeologists believe that Sus scrofa (wild boar) were domesticated independently between 9,000 and 10,000 years ago in two locations: eastern Anatolia and central China. After this initial domestication, the pigs accompanied farmers as they migrated across Europe and Asia, eventually arriving in Polynesia. The focus of the latest study, led by Professor Greger Larson from Oxford University, were pigs on Hawaii. The animals have had an important cultural role on the isolated archipelago ever since they were first brought there by the Polynesians some 800 years ago. It has long been a source of debate however, whether the feral pigs there (populations once descended from domesticated pigs but now living in the wild) are descended from the initial Polynesian stock, or from European domestic pigs that arrived with explorer James Cook in 1778. Experienced sailors, Polynesians spread across the Pacific region, bringing dogs, sweet potatoes and chickens, as well as pigs, in their boats; allowing these flora and fauna to spread through the Pacific islands. Larson’s team carried out analyses on the DNA sequences of modern feral pigs on Hawaii, and discovered a ‘novel mutation’ was responsible for their black coat. This discovery was particularly surprising, as the team had expected to find either the European or Asian genetic mutation had led to the black fur. It’s a result which suggests that for thousands of years humans across the globe have been independently selecting and breeding pigs for their black colour. Professor Larson, from Oxford’s Palaeogenomics and Bio-Archaeology Research Network, explained the results in a press release. “The first pigs introduced to Hawaii by the Polynesians were kept as domestic animals. No wild boar have black colours since natural selection only allows camouflaged pigs to survive long enough to reproduce. Humans, on the other hand, love all kinds of coloured coats and have selected for black coats at least three times independently in domestic pigs in Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. In the case of pigs, black has always been the new black.” Image courtesy of Jack Jeffrey Photography ]]>

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Jurassic 'Seamonster' Discovered in Scotland Finally Revealed

Ichthyosaur skull (1)

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Historic Cemetery Unearthed During College Renovation

Aquinas Colleage

Tennessean, Nance remarked that so far two grave shafts have been discovered at the cemetery. However, the likelihood of discovering more remains high. To date, there are at least ten discovered gravesites present at the long-buried cemetery; five of the graves still bear markers, including Mary, Bosley’s infant daughter who died in 1825, and Bosley’s wife as well. The Tennessee DEC partnered with excavation firm TRC Companies Inc. to provide the heavy equipment and manpower to conduct the lion’s share of the dig. TRC archaeologist Jared Barrett, who has been involved in several Nashville-area digs, characterized the find as celebratory; finding something that has been lost to history for more than a century is a thrill, Barrett told The Tennessean. With Nashville gaining in popularity, leading to new construction and renovation projects, thrilling finds such as the Bosley cemetery have become increasingly common. It’s no surprise to local developers when cemeteries such as the one at Aquinas College are uncovered, according to Nance, who added that many early Nashville families would have started their own cemeteries, especially since most of the areas outside of downtown Nashville were farmland. The only thing needed to start one of these cemeteries was a shovel, the archaeologist remarked. While there are graves and headstones buried beneath the ground of Aquinas College, it’s likely that the site does not host any human remains. Eleanor Whitworth, a descendant of the Bosley family, remarked in an interview that the bodies were relocated in the 1920s. Researchers plan to conduct thorough analysis to ensure the site is indeed devoid of any remains. ]]>

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Findings from the Site of David Versus Goliath on Display for the First Time

David and Goliath (2)

Tazpit Press Service (TPS), “Archaeology cannot find a man and we did not find the remnants linked to King David himself, but what we did find is archaeological evidence of the social process of urbanization in Judea.” This evidence of urbanization is in line with what the Bible describes as the formation of the Kingdom of David, when fortified towns replaced small agricultural communities. Carbon testing on olive pits unearthed at the Khirbet Qeiyafa site indicates the town was built towards the end of the eleventh century BCE, which fits the chronology of the Biblical narrative. Two aspects of the Elah Fortress were of particular interest to archaeologists, the large number of iron stones found and the wall with two unusual hollows, which encircled the site. Sha’arayim means “two gates” in Hebrew, and the hollows in the modern wall, which was constructed directly on top of the ancient wall, were in the same place, precisely, as the ancient wall’s two gates had been. The town’s geographical location also fits with the Biblical description of Sha’arayim, following the battle of David and Goliath and again in the Book of Joshua. The finds from the site include two inscriptions (in Canaanite script) which are considered to be the earliest writing examples of the Hebrew language, and a pottery shard with the Hebrew words, “king”, “don’t do”, and “judge”, easily identifiable. “Although I led the excavations, I myself was amazed to see the different pieces brought together in a way that allows visitors to get a clear picture of how the town looked and that gives them an opportunity to go back in history to the times of the kingdom of David,” Professor Garfinkel told TPS. The biblical account of the battle between David and Goliath tells of it occurring near the Valley of Elah, when the Israelites were facing the Philistines. For 40 days, twice daily, Goliath, the Philistines’ champion, challenges the Israelites to send out their own champion to decide the outcome with a single combat. No one comes forward until David accepts the challenge, taking only his staff, sling and five stones. David defeats Goliath with just one stone from his sling, and the Philistines flee. The exhibition, “In the Valley of David and Goliath”, at the Bible Lands Museum will include the pottery shards in addition to a clay model of a shrine discovered at the site and the huge stones used to build the wall enclosing the town. ]]>