Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Microbiology
Published

Study of ancient British oral microbiomes reveals shift following Black Death      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The Second Plague Pandemic of the mid-14th century, also known as the Black Death, killed 30-60 percent of the European population and profoundly changed the course of European history. New research suggests that this plague, potentially through resulting changes in diet and hygiene, may also be associated with a shift in the composition of the human oral microbiome toward one that contributes to chronic diseases in modern-day humans.  

Engineering: Robotics Research Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Network of robots can successfully monitor pipes using acoustic wave sensors      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An inspection design method and procedure by which mobile robots can inspect large pipe structures has been demonstrated with the successful inspection of multiple defects on a three-meter long steel pipe using guided acoustic wave sensors.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Environmental: Ecosystems Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

Was 'witchcraft' in the Devil's Church in Koli based on acoustic resonance? The crevice cave has a unique soundscape      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The national park of Koli in eastern Finland is home to a famous, 34-metre-long crevice cave known as Pirunkirkko, or Devil's Church in English. A new study investigates the acoustics of the Devil's Church and explores whether the acoustic properties of the cave could explain the beliefs associated with it, and why it was chosen as a place for activities and rituals involving sound.

Archaeology: General Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

How shipwrecks are providing a refuge for marine life      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has highlighted how the estimated 50,000 wrecks around the UK coastline are protecting the seabed, and the species inhabiting it, in areas still open to bottom-towed fishing.

Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology
Published

Casas del Turuñuelo, a site of repeated animal sacrifice in Iron Age Spain      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The Iron Age site of Casas del Turuñuelo was used repeatedly for ritualized animal sacrifice, according to a multidisciplinary study.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
Published

Neanderthals were the world's first artists, research reveals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Recent research has shown that engravings in a cave in La Roche-Cotard (France), which has been sealed for thousands of years, were actually made by Neanderthals. The findings reveal that the Neanderthals were the first humans with an appreciation of art.

Archaeology: General Biology: General Biology: Zoology Environmental: Ecosystems Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Curators and cavers: How a tip from a citizen scientist led to deep discoveries in Utah's caves      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists and colleagues from Utah's caving community have published the first research from their collaborative fieldwork effort deep in Utah's caves. The journal's feature article reveals why caves make such compelling research archives; what was uncovered in Boomerang Cave in northern Utah; why skeletal remains provide new access to hard-to-get data from the recent past; and offers a new zoological baseline for mammalian changes in an alpine community.  

Chemistry: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

New percussion method to detect pipeline elbow erosion      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An engineering research team is pioneering a new method, based on percussion, to detect pipeline elbow erosion to prevent economic losses, environmental pollution and other safety issues.  

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound Physics: Optics
Published

Novel measurement technique for fluid mixing phenomena using selective color imaging method      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A novel measurement technique has been developed to visualize the fluid flow and distribution within two droplets levitated and coalesced in space using fluorescence-emitting particles. This technique enabled the estimation of fluid motion within each droplet, thereby revealing the internal flow caused by surface vibration when the droplet merging promotes fluid mixing.

Anthropology: Cultures Archaeology: General Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Radiocarbon dating meets Egyptology and Biblical accounts in the city of Gezer      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New dates provide detailed insights into the timing of events in the ancient city of Gezer, according to a new study.

Computer Science: General Energy: Nuclear Energy: Technology Mathematics: General Mathematics: Modeling Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Nuclear expansion failure shows simulations require change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of researchers looked back at a model that predicted nuclear power would expand dramatically in order to assess the efficacy of energy policies implemented today.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound Physics: Optics
Published

New laser setup probes metamaterial structures with ultrafast pulses      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new technique offers a safe, reliable, and high-throughput way to dynamically characterize microscale metamaterials. The method could speed up the development of acoustic lenses, impact-resistant films, and other futuristic materials.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Energy: Technology Environmental: General Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Putting sound waves to work to create safer public spaces      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Absorbing excess sound to make public environments like theaters and concert halls safer for hearing and using the unwanted sound waves to create electricity is the aim of a new paper. The authors built a system of piezoelectric sensors that can be installed in walls, floors, and ceilings to absorb sound waves and collect their energy. They used computer simulations to fine-tune variables including the voltage needed to power the main device component, the frequency and intensity of the input sound, and piezoelectric sensors tested in parallel and serial configurations.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Environmental: Ecosystems Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

No scientific evidence for cognitively advanced behaviors and symbolism by Homo naledi      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study casts doubt on claims that Homo naledi, a small-brained hominin dating to between 335-241,000 years ago, deliberately buried their dead and produced rock art in Rising Star Cave, South Africa. Recent articles suggested the recent excavations at the Rising Star Cave system provided evidence of at least three burial features, two in the Dinaledi Chamber and a third in the Hill Antechamber cavity. The group of experts have now called for a deeper dig into the science behind the findings.

Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

New AI noise-canceling headphone technology lets wearers pick which sounds they hear      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed deep-learning algorithms that let users pick which sounds filter through their headphones in real time. Either through voice commands or a smartphone app, headphone wearers can select which sounds they want to include from 20 classes, such as sirens, baby cries, speech, vacuum cleaners and bird chirps.

Anthropology: Cultures Archaeology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

Long-distance weaponry identified at the 31,000-year-old archaeological site of Maisières-Canal      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The hunter-gatherers who settled on the banks of the Haine, a river in southern Belgium, 31,000 years ago were already using spearthrowers to hunt their game. The material found at the archaeological site of Maisières-Canal permits establishing the use of this hunting technique 10,000 years earlier than the oldest currently known preserved spearthrowers. This discovery is prompting archaeologists to reconsider the age of this important technological innovation.

Offbeat: General Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Complex data becomes easier to interpret when transformed into music      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers in the field of human-technology interaction have demonstrated how a custom-built 'data-to-music' algorithms can help to better understand complex data. The transformation of digital data into sounds could be a game-changer in the growing world of data interpretation.

Archaeology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

Cold War spy satellite imagery reveals Ancient Roman forts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study analyzing declassified Cold War satellite imagery reveals 396 previously undocumented Roman forts and reports that these forts were constructed from east to west, spanning from what is now western Syria to northwestern Iraq. The analysis refutes Father Antoine Poidebard's claim that the forts were located along a north-south axis.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
Published

In Prehispanic Cancun, immigrants were treated just like Maya locals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Ancient people immigrated to Cancun Island and were treated just like locals, according to a new study.