Convened by Dr.G., a Renegade Illuminati, convening Thee Temple, for knowledge, whimsy, and inspiration! Everything is true, nothing is forbidden!
Broadcast Thursdays at 89.5 FM KZCT in Vallejo, California, to a worldwide audience.
Introductory track: Covenant - Ritual Noise [youtube.com/watch?v=dnlGEQ1NUsk]
Meandering track: Spacemind - Memory Hole [youtube.com/watch?v=uL0mvPZuklM]
Science & Futurism
[futurism.com] [kurzweilai.net] [eurekalert.org]
* "This Star Trek-inspired ionic plane can SILENTLY glide through the sky" (2018-11-21, rt.com/usa/444583-star-trek-ionic-plane-test/) [archive.fo/fqPmd]
* "Silent plane with no moving parts makes 'historic' flight" (2018-11-22, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674e79677a4e30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.fo/vfqyF]
- image caption: A plane powered by supercharged air particles.
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* "Lamb twins from 20-yr-old frozen embryos debut in China" (2018-11-25, xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/25/c_137630321.htm) [archive.is/E67Db], (2018-11-25, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674e3551444f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/YbMDQ]
- image caption: People visit lambs born from embryos frozen 20 years ago, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, November 23, 2018.
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* "Human gene editing: Fire of Prometheus, or Box of Pandora?" (2018-11-28, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414d7749544f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/mtgQR]
* "Timeline: World's first gene-edited babies" (2018-11-28, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674e3149544f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/knWPt]
* "Designer baby steps: World’s first ‘gene-edited’ children born in China" (2018-11-26, rt.com/news/444872-gene-edited-babies-china/) [archive.is/9HYPq]
* "China scientist claims world’s first gene-edited babies; A scientist in China claims to have created the world's first genetically-edited babies, in a potentially ground-breaking and controversial medical first" (2018-11-26, presstv.com/Detail/2018/11/26/581191/China-scientist-research-DNA-geneticallyedited-MIT) [archive.is/Vh7xi]
* "Have gene-edited babies been born in China? Ethics debate goes on as lead scientist refuses to comment" (2018-11-26, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d514f7759444f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/WS3im]
* "Chinese scientists voice their opposition of gene-editing baby case" (2018-11-29, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674e314d544f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/GiCnd]
* "Chinese scientists: shame on you He Jiankui" (2018-11-29, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d774e354d544f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/bLuhV]
* "First gene-edited babies a step too far" (2018-11-29, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d514f3449544f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/Di68L]
* "Why the outcry over gene-editing baby claims?" (2018-11-28, by Zhang Hongbing, professor of Physiology at Peking Union Medical College and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, via news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414f7945544f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/q5ZYf]
* "Gene-editing baby controversy: Chinese researcher explains details of medical trial" (2018-11-28, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d774e3145544f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/c7Xql]
* "Chinese officials, scientists denounce the 'gene-edited babies' claims" (2018-11-27, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674e356b444f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/LFooe]
* "Public reacts to 'genetically edited anti-AIDS babies' " (2018-11-27, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d514d7a6b444f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/o920X]
* "Chinese scientist behind ‘gene-edited-babies’ claim pauses trial after public outcry" (2018-11-28, rt.com/news/445034-china-gene-babies-pause/) [archive.is/U3lut]
* "Research on gene-edited babies has been paused: Sci-tech ministry" (2018-11-29, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414e3251544f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/fCCXa]
* "Chinese Health Authorities Condemn World's First Gene-Edited Babies" (2018-11-29, plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id=36398&SEO=chinese-health-authorities-condemn-worlds-first-gene-edited-babies) [archive.is/0DYfT]
* "Genetic Modification: Ministry of Science & Technology: Gene-editing is forbidden" (2018-11-28, news.cgtn.com/news/796b544d7a494464776c6d636a4e6e62684a4856/share_p.html) [archive.is/hfXNo]
* "Chinese ministry to investigate gene-edited babies claim" (2018-11-28, xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/28/c_137637343.htm) [archive.is/LmFjS]
* "Chinese Scientist Who Created 'Gene-Edited Twins' Under Probe; Editing the genes of embryos is banned in many countries because DNA changes passed to future generations could have unanticipated effects on the entire gene pool" (2018-11-27, sputniknews.com/science/201811271070163640-china-scientist-twins/) [archive.is/wR0xp]
* "Gene-Editing Case: Chinese scientist: 'He doesn't represent us' " (2018-11-28, news.cgtn.com/news/33416a4d7a494464776c6d636a4e6e62684a4856/share_p.html) [archive.is/6wCB6]
* "China to Prosecute Doctor for Genetically Editing Twins; Genetic scientist He Jiankui challenged international ethics laws by genetically editing two embryos to prevent contraction of HIV; Little is known about the long-term effects of genetic engineering, which has been largely condemned around the world" (2018-11-29, telesurenglish.net/news/China-to-Prosecute-Doctor-for-Genetically-Editing-Twins-20181129-0040.html) [archive.is/8ZF2V]
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* "Japan has made child robot faces more realistic and it’s weird AF" (2018-11-16, rt.com/news/444163-android-robot-child-head-japan/) [archive.is/AYxpQ]
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* "Surprise, surprise: Lab-grown mini-kidneys unexpectedly develop brain & muscle cells" (2018-11-17, rt.com/news/444241-lab-kidneys-grow-brain-cells/) [archive.is/F6x31]
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* "Reaching for the stars: China creates nuke-powered fake sun that burns hotter than the real deal" (2018-11-14, rt.com/news/443995-china-fake-sun-nuclear/) [archive.is/lpwjd]
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Space News
[astrobio.net]
* "Mars's Jezero Crater is Prime Spot to Search for Life: NASA; During a press conference, NASA announced its decision to land the Mars 2020 rover in the Jezero Crater" (2018-11-19, telesurenglish.net/news/Marss-Jezero-Crater-is-Prime-Spot-to-Search-for-Life-NASA-20181119-0025.html) [archive.is/7mbJS]
* " ‘Catastrophic’ megafloods created Mars’ giant canyons – study" (2018-11-17, rt.com/news/444263-massive-mars-lake-floods/) [archive.is/carl7]
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* "Astronomers find a frozen Super-Earth orbiting closest single star to our own" (2018-11-14, xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/15/c_129994409.htm) [archive.is/o2ZIP]
* "Scientists discover our sun’s long-lost identical twin, which could lead us to Earth 2.0" (2018-11-20, rt.com/news/444436-suns-long-lost-sibling/) [archive.is/T7tf4]
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* "Alien megastructure 2.0? Astronomers hunt for source of old star’s strange behavior" (2018-11-22, rt.com/news/444645-star-dimming-strange-behavior/) [archive.fo/trpGo]
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* "Alien bacteria & a drowning Italian: 5 craziest things from first 20 years on the ISS" (2018-11-21, rt.com/news/444512-iss-20-years-craziest/) [archive.fo/GYKhg] [begin excerpt]:
Extraterrestrial life forms are found on the outer surface – or are they?
“These bacteria were not on the module when it left Earth,” revealed Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov in November 2017, after samples collected from the hull of the ISS were analyzed back on Earth.
“That is, they have come from outer space and settled along the external surface. They are being studied so far and it seems that they pose no danger," continued the cosmonaut to a million bemused “Uh huhs.”
Not everyone was convinced. Skeptics claim that the microorganisms may have been the result of contamination, forced up into orbit – over 200 miles above the surface – by atmospheric phenomena.
But Shkalperov’s suggestions are not nonsense to whet the appetite of UFO hunters – recent research suggests that space dust carrying microorganisms may have started life on Earth itself billions of years ago.
* "Astronaut Shkaplerov: They flew in from space and settled on the ISS" (2017-11-27, tass.ru/opinions/interviews/4757149) [archive.fo/uFrFh]
* "Alien life? Bacteria ‘that had not been there’ found on ISS hull, Russian cosmonaut says" (2017-11-27, rt.com/news/411039-living-bacteria-iss-surface/) [archive.fo/NMXcp]
* "Earth must strengthen its defenses against mutant space bacteria – Russian scientists" (2018-07-06, rt.com/news/432068-mutant-space-bacteria-iss/) [archive.fo/htqlO]
* "Mutant superbugs menace future space station expeditions – NASA" (2018-11-25, rt.com/usa/444808-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-space/) [archive.fo/zQxXU]
===*===*===
Ancient News
Music for your perusal (via beatport.com) [is.gd/2MzlEd]
* "Ancient Carved Eye-Witness Accounts Show Martian Invaders Attacking the Moroccan Landscape" (2018-11-23, ancient-origins.net/news-science-space/meteor-morocco-0011039) [archive.is/SOuD2]
* " ‘Cosmic airburst’: Tunguska-like blast destroyed part of Middle East 3,700 years ago" (2018-11-29, rt.com/news/445162-cosmic-airburst-middle-east/) [archive.is/1Hjis]
* "The Great Salt Lake Enigma: Science Shows Anomalies – Evidence of a Global Flood?" (2016-11-25, ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-americas/great-salt-lake-enigma-science-shows-anomalies-evidence-global-flood-007082) [archive.is/5iqIH]
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* "A mammoth, woolly rhino and a medieval village: the unexpected treasures beneath the A14; Digging alongside the bulldozers of the £1.5bn road diversion, archaeologists have discovered tonnes of ancient bones. Is there a find so important that it could stop the whole project?" (2018-11-26, theguardian.com/science/2018/nov/26/prehistoric-remains-mammoth-tusks-woolly-rhino) [archive.is/Br3bp]
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* "Hidden secrets of 3,000yo Egyptian tomb unlocked by archaeologists" (2018-11-25, rt.com/news/444818-ancient-egyptian-tomb-mummy/) [archive.is/Kruy2]
* "Egypt unveils ancient tomb and sarcophagi in Luxor" (2018-11-25, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414e314d444f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.fo/dlcAD]
- image caption: Egyptian officials inspect an intact sarcophagus during its opening at Al-Assasif necropolis on the west bank of the Nile north of the southern Egyptian city of Luxor, November 24, 2018.
* "Ancient tomb unveiled in Egypt; A previously unopened sarcophagus was opened for the first time on Saturday (November 24) as two Egyptian discoveries were unveiled in Luxor's west bank" video page (2018-11-25, presstv.com/Detail/2018/11/25/581049/Egypt-Opening-closed-coffin-for-the-first-time-with-mummy-inside) [archive.is/myixU]
- image caption: Archaeologists taking cover off Pharaonic coffin for the first time in Egypt.
* "Egypt uncovers pharaonic tomb in heritage-rich Luxor" (2018-11-24, xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/25/c_137629002.htm) [archive.fo/dX4EA], photoset [archive.fo/C2rdR] [archive.fo/D46ey] [archive.fo/3IqDU] [archive.fo/tlK3g]
- image caption: An archeologist points at a mural inside a tomb unearthed by an Egyptian archeological mission working at al-Asassif area on the West Bank of Luxor, Egypt, on Nov. 24, 2018. Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced on Saturday the discovery of an ancient tomb in Luxor province in Upper Egypt.
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* "Experts Try to Solve Mystery of Thousands of Ancient Clay Body Parts Strewn Across Italy" (2018-11-22, ancient-origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/experts-try-solve-mystery-thousands-ancient-clay-body-parts-strewn-across-021078) [archive.is/6nII8]
* "Remains from Hellenistic and Roman times shed light on ancient city" (2018-11-13, xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/14/c_129993317.htm) [archive.is/mYbGe]
* "Culture Ministry: Remains of Ancient Lost Greek City Found; Among the artifacts unearthed are walls, clay, marble or stone floors of buildings, household pottery, a gaming die made from bone and over 200 coins" (2018-11-14, telesurenglish.net/news/Culture-Ministry-Remains-of-Ancient-Lost-GreekCity-Found-20181114-0009.html) [archive.is/YG5OJ]
* "Philip’s Fountain: The Oldest Still-In-Use Hydraulic Work in the World" (2016-10-15, ancient-origins.net/artifacts-ancient-technology/philip-s-fountain-oldest-still-use-hydraulic-work-world-006822) [archive.is/T0w0X]
* "Stunning ‘erotic’ fresco unearthed in Pompeii bedroom" (2018-11-20, rt.com/news/444479-pompeii-erotic-painting-fresco/) [archive.is/YqA6t]
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* "Treasure Hunter Finds the First Celtic Chariot Burial in Wales, Rewrites Ancient History" (2018-11-23, ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/celtic-chariot-0011046) [archive.is/jut35]
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* "Inscription confirms ancient ring belonged to Pontius Pilate, man who ordered Jesus’ crucifixion" (2018-11-29, rt.com/news/445144-pontius-pilate-ring-discovered/) [archive.is/B3YS6]
* "Set of 70 Metal Tablets May Have the Earliest Written Account and Depiction of Jesus" (2016-12-02, ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/set-70-metal-tablets-may-have-earliest-written-account-and-depiction-jesus-021091) [archive.fo/C8BPM]
- image caption: The metal tablet which may be a portrait of Jesus.
The Book of Revelation includes John's vision of the Son of Man: "The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace..." (Revelations 1:14–15)
* "Christ’s face revealed at Shivta: an Early Byzantine wall painting in the desert of the Holy Land" (2018-08-29, cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/christs-face-revealed-at-shivta-an-early-byzantine-wall-painting-in-the-desert-of-the-holy-land/1D3584D4866168E6764035D5DE740781) [archive.is/3tdJ2]
* " 'Suddenly I Saw Eyes': Jesus’ Face Discovered in Ancient Israeli Desert Church; Very little early Christian art has survived the centuries in the Holy Land – but then an Israeli art historian looked at the apse of a ruined Byzantine church in Shivta, and saw Jesus’ face and short curly hair" (2018-11-12, haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium.MAGAZINE-jesus-face-discovered-in-ancient-negev-church-1.6640744) [archive.is/KNKtR] [begin excerpt]: A first painting found by others in Shivta last year turned out to show Jesus’ transfiguration: the present team was the one to realize what the painting showed, but the drawing of his face did not survive the centuries. The second one shows his baptism and his face. Maayan-Fanar and the team – Dr. Ravit Linn, Dr. Yotam Tepper and Prof. Guy Bar-Oz of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa – described the find in the world archaeological journal Antiquity: "Christ's face revealed at Shivta".
The gospels never describe Jesus’ appearance. All depictions of him are later artist impressions, and while surviving depictions of Jesus abound in old monasteries and churches elsewhere, they are all but nonexistent in Israel.
In contrast to the Western image of Jesus as someone with flowing long hair and, sometimes, a beard, the Shivta painting shows him in the Eastern style with short curly hair, a long face and an elongated nose, says Maayan-Fanar.
Shivta is in the heart of the Negev, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Be’er Sheva. The village was founded in the 2nd century C.E. and survived for about 650 years, before being abandoned in the early Islamic period.
This was no shriveled desert backwater. Shivta sustained a large population and during its heyday in the fifth to seventh centuries, had no less than three churches. It apparently never had a Jewish presence, though it did have a mosque in the early Islamic period, says Tepper. [end excerpt]
* "Curly headed & clean shaven: Long lost depiction of Jesus offers totally different portrayal" (2018-11-14, rt.com/news/443948-jesus-face-reveal-israel/) [archive.is/VMbTR] [begin excerpt]: So faded you could almost miss it, the lines etched on the ruins of a Byzantine church in the Negev desert show a young Jesus with a clean-shaven face, a head of curls and a large nose.
Although it was first discovered in the 1920s, the badly damaged drawing sat unnoticed for decades, covered in dirt high up inside the baptismal apse of the ruined house of worship. [...]
Despite studying the site for close to a century, archaeologists are still unable to accurately date the church’s construction. They do know that the town of Shivta was established some 1,800 years ago, meaning the drawing of Jesus was created at least two centuries after his death. So, while it’s not a sketch made from a live model, it was created far closer to Jesus’ time than the images we are used to seeing today. [end excerpt]
- image caption: Jesus' face seen on the wall of the baptistery
- image caption: Jesus' face discovered in Shivta
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* "Cataclysmic eruption may have kicked off ‘worst year' in history for humans - study" (2018-11-17, rt.com/news/444173-worst-year-volcano-eruption/) [archive.is/m2h4R]
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* "Hiding in plain sight: Scientists discover massive, Paris-sized crater under Greenland ice" (2018-11-15, rt.com/news/444039-massive-meteorite-crater-greenland/) [archive.is/rDRBo]
* "13,000-Year-Old Crater the Size of Paris Unearthed in Greenland; The crater was left by a meteor that slammed into the earth at an incredible 20 km per second roughly 13,000 years ago" (2018-11-14, telesurenglish.net/news/13000-Year-Old-Crater-the-Size-of-Paris-Unearthed-in-Greenland-20181114-0033.html) [archive.is/Mqpid]
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* "UTAH HOME TO EARLIEST USE OF WILD POTATO IN NORTH AMERICA" (2017-07-03, unews.utah.edu/utah-home-to-earliest-use-of-wild-potato-in-north-america/) [archive.is/4coq2]
* "Did potato cultivation begin in Utah's Escalante Valley 11,000 years ago? U. researchers say potato cultivation could have begun in Escalante Valley about 11,000 years ago" (2017-07-10, archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=5454302&itype=CMSID) [archive.is/2gX8w]
* "America’s Earliest Traces of Potato Use Found at 10,900-Year-Old Utah Shelter" (2017-08-15, westerndigs.org/americas-earliest-use-of-potatoes-found-at-10900-year-old-shelter-in-utah/) [archive.is/lbHGu]
* "Ancient 'Four Corners Potato' Makes Culinary Debut" (2018-10-08, sltrib.com, via potatogrower.com/2018/10/ancient-four-corners-potato-makes) [archive.is/uSnQ5]
- image caption: Lisbeth Louderback, curator of archaeology at the Natural History Museum of Utah; Bruce Pavlik, director of conservation at Red Butte Garden; and Cynthia Wilson, traditional foods program director for Utah Diné Bikéyah, from left, bag different types of the Four Corners potato that will be served at the Indigenous Peoples' Day dinner on Monday, Oct. 8. The dinner marks the first time that the general public will be able to taste the potato, which dates back thousands of years. It was rediscovered last year in the Bear Ears region. U. researchers collected the tubers and have been propagating them. Soon American Indian tribes may be growing them to eat and sell for profit.
* "The Four Corners Potato: Conserving an Ancient Food from Escalan" event page (2017-08-02, facebook.com/events/157367621501157/) [archive.is/M2um0]
* (retrieved 2018-11-17, cultivariable.com/instructions/potatoes/how-to-grow-wild-potatoes/solanum-jamesii/) [archive.is/tPIQo]
Solanum jamesii
Common Name(s) Four Corners potato, Colorado wild potato, Arizona wild potato, Sego
Description -
Solanum jamesii (jamesii, honoring Edwin James, a US Army surgeon who first collected the species), sometimes known as the “Four Corners potato,” is a wild potato of the United States and northern Mexico, with a couple of disjunct populations in central Mexico. It is the only wild species with a distribution primarily in the United States, where it is found mostly in New Mexico and Arizona, but also reaches slightly into Colorado, Utah, and Texas at elevations above 5000 feet. Plants are small, reaching about 6 to 15 inches in the wild, but taller under cultivation.
S. jamesii was used for food by native Americans, likely cultivated to some degree, and possibly even improved. Louderback (2017) studied starch grains on ancient pottery and determined that this species was used as food in Utah as early as 8950 BC. If it were used consistently over such a long period, it would be surprising if it had not been improved through selection, even inadvertently. The primary pieces of evidence for its cultivation are (1) that populations are frequently found in close association with sites of previous human habitation; (2) that high levels of genetic diversity in some locations may indicate that plants were collected from other areas (Kinder 2017); and (3) that the tuber size and starch granule size of collections made near known archaeological sites are larger than those of collections not associated with such sites (Herzog 2018). Bamberg (2016) reported that that majority of the genetic diversity present in the USDA collection of this species could be found in one site at Mesa Verde, suggesting the possibility that many different genotypes were brought together there by man. According to Ortman (2018), although it later branched out to include other tuberous plants, the Tewa word sego refers specifically to Solanum jamesii, which must indicate that this was a plant of some importance prior to the introduction of other edible tubers that later were included under the same name.
S. jamesii tubers are small, reaching about an inch in diameter, but perhaps twice that under cultivation. The tubers are usually white to tan, occasionally turning purple, apparently as a response to environmental conditions, as happens with many North American species. Tubers can remain dormant for very long periods. Bamberg (2010) found that tubers of many collections would store successfully at 41 degrees F (5 C) for eight years and recounted a story from a landowner who observed plants growing on resumption of irrigation after 39 years. While 39 years seems unlikely, the upper limit for dormancy in S. jamesii remains unknown.
Kinder (2017) reported that wild collected tubers of S. jamesii had twice the protein content of S. tuberosum, along with substantial increases in potassium, calcium, magnesium, and other minerals. These nutrient levels can probably be attributed primarily to the small size of the tubers. Smaller tubers have a greater proportion of nutrient-rich skin and cortex to flesh.
Jarvis (2008) predicts that this species will lose 91% of its present range by 2055 due to climate change, most likely entailing a critical loss of genetic diversity.
Resistances
This species can survive frosts down to 26 degrees F (-3.5 C) (Li 1977). Vega (1995) found that this species is less frost tolerant than domesticated potato. Johnson (1937) found that some tubers of this species were able to survive freezing for multiple days.
Pelletier (1999) found that Colorado potato beetles have increased adult and larval mortality and low egg production on this species. [...]
Some people seem to have some rather romantic notions about this species, based upon the number of inquiries that we receive from people who want to find some to grow as food. Unfortunately, at least some clones of S. jamesii have pretty high levels of glycoalkaloids relative to the domesticated potato. It would be easy to get sick from eating it. Apparently, it was traditionally eaten with clay or processed in some fashion and used dried (White 1944, Moerman 1998) in order to eliminate some of the glycoalkaloids. Many people report eating this species without ill effect and I have done so myself, although I got a few plants with tubers that were noticeably better in 2018. I recommend against consuming large quantities until we know more about its glycoalkaloid content. [end excerpt]
- image caption: Solanum jamesii tubers from a Mesa Verde accession
- map caption: Solanum jamesii distribution map
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* "First human remains found in El Salvador's 'Mayan Pompeii' " (2018-11-24, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674e3445444f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.fo/sxUS3]
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* "In Guatemala, a Rhode Island-Size Jade Lode" (2002-05-22, nytimes.com/2002/05/22/world/in-guatemala-a-rhode-island-size-jade-lode.html) [archive.is/dv7vn] [begin excerpt]: For half a century, scholars have searched in vain for the source of the jade that the early civilizations of the Americas prized above all else and fashioned into precious objects of worship, trade and adornment.
The searchers found some clues to where the Olmecs and Mayas might have obtained their jadeite, as the precious rock is known. But no lost mines came to light.
Now, scientists exploring the wilds of Guatemala say they have found the mother lode -- a mountainous region roughly the size of Rhode Island strewn with huge jade boulders, other rocky treasures and signs of ancient mining. It was discovered after a hurricane tore through the landscape and exposed the veins of jade, some of which turned up in stores, arousing the curiosity of scientists.
The find includes large outcroppings of blue jade, the gemstone of the Olmecs, the mysterious people who created the first complex culture in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, the region that encompasses much of Mexico and Central America. It also includes an ancient mile-high road of stone that runs for miles through the densely forested region. [...]
Early peoples of the Americas considered jade more valuable than gold and silver. The Olmecs, the great sculptors of the pre-Columbian era, carved jades into delicate human forms and scary masks. Mayan kings and other royalty often went to their graves with jade suits, rings and necklaces. The living had their teeth inlaid with the colored gems.
Jade was highly prized in Mesoamerica from at least 1400 B.C. until the Spanish conquest of 1519-21, experts say. But the Spanish were more interested in gold. Soon the skills and lore of jade mining and carving disappeared.
The modern hunt began in the early 1950's. Scientists examining the Burmese deposits found that jade always occurred in association with serpentine, a mottled greenish rock.
In seeking a Mesoamerican source, they focused on Guatemala because much serpentine rock occurred there in the Sierra de las Minas and the adjacent Motagua River valley. A few outcrops of low-quality jade were located near the river. By the mid-1970's scholarly interest was high enough to prompt organized Guatemalan hunts and meetings. The Peabody Museum and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts were among the sponsors, as was Landon T. Clay, a Boston investment banker who collected jade.
But little turned up, and attention shifted to places like Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras, where archaeologists had found thousands of jade artifacts. [...]
In 2001, Mr. Seitz returned to Guatemala with Dr. Sisson of Rice University and Karl E. Taube, an anthropologist at the University of California at Riverside, who specializes in Olmec and Mayan artifacts.
Among other things, the team found an ancient dry-stone pathway that wound through the mountains from an old mining area to a habitation and tomb site littered with old clay shards. Miles south of the Motagua, the team found even higher-quality jade: huge boulders of blue. ''It's impressive,'' Dr. Sisson said. ''We had worked for a month in Burma and didn't see anything as good as this.''
The scientists say the most important implication of their find is the idea that the Olmecs exerted wide influence over the region.
''It suggests that the trade routes were more extensive than we realized,'' said Dr. Taube of the University of California. ''Now the big question is, how did Costa Rica get so much of this jade?'' [end excerpt]
---
* "Homegrown stone tool in China may rewrite history of ancestors" (2018-11-20, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414d34497a4e30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/As9jC]
---
* "Bamboo slips unearthed in ancient tomb in Shanxi" (2018-11-20, xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/20/c_137619707.htm) [archive.is/uQoRg]
* "China: 2,100-Year-Old Mini-Terracotta Warriors Army Found; Around 300 sculptures were found, very similar to the famous 8,000 terracotta warriors army" (2018-11-14, telesurenglish.net/news/China-2100-Year-Old-Mini-Terracotta-Warriors-Army-Found-20181114-0048.html) [archive.is/pa9Iq]
* "Remains of "money tree" discovered in Sichuan tomb" (2018-11-17, xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/17/c_137613579.htm) [archive.is/Bem94]
* "The Great Bronze Age of China: An Exhibition from the People's Republic of China at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York" (2009, afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_4000bce_bronze.htm) [archive.is/JjUt]
---
* "Bolivia: Archaeologists Find 500-Year-Old Inca Cemetery; Archaeologists have found human remains and ritual vessels in an over 500-year-old Inca cemetery in Bolivia" (2018-11-17, telesurenglish.net/news/Bolivia-Archaeologists-Find-500-Year-Old-Inca-Cemetery-20181117-0027.html) [archive.is/wMbnC]
* "Archaeologists discover 15th-century indigenous tombs in Bolivia" (2018-11-15, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414f79496a4e30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/k82WV]
- image caption: An archaeologist holds a skull as part of an archaeological finding, dating approximately 500 years ago, in Mazo Cruz, near Viacha, Bolivia, November 12, 2018.
---
* "Pre-Columbian Murals and Norse Sagas Suggest Vikings Met the Aztecs, and the Outcome Was Not Pretty" (2016-11-27, by Clyde Winters, via ancient-origins.net/history/pre-columbian-murals-and-norse-sagas-suggest-vikings-met-aztecs-and-outcome-was-not-pretty-021084?nopaging=1) [archive.is/13tx7]
- A part of a mural showing a blond-haired man being sacrificed by two black men.
- image caption: Codex Azcatitlan page depicting the Spanish army, with Hernán Cortés and Malinche in front.
* Mexico City (1519, Vienna, Holy Roman Empire)
---
* "Controversy Surrounds Artifacts on Azores Islands: Evidence of Advanced Ancient Seafarers?" (2016-10-17, via ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/controversy-surrounds-artifacts-azores-islands-evidence-advanced-ancient-021028) [archive.is/Fsabn]
* "Early New World Maps" (by Dr. Gunnar Thompson, ancientamerica.com/early-new-world-maps-by-dr-gunnar-thompson/) [archive.is/FMpIr]
---
* "Elfdalian, the Ancient Viking Forest Language of Sweden, Set to be Revived" (2015-05-20, ancient-origins.net/news-general/elfdalian-ancient-viking-forest-language-sweden-set-be-revived-003093) [archive.is/oBqSg]
---
* "Bolivia Repatriates Over 45 Artifacts from England, US, Chile; Thanks to national legislation, five countries return 47 artifacts belonging to Bolivia's cultural patrimony that date back as far as 2,000 years" (2018-11-13, telesurenglish.net/news/Bolivia-Repatriates-Over-45-Artifacts-from-England-US-Chile-20181113-0021.html) [archive.is/ISsSs]
---
* "3D print replicates ancient Yungang Grottoes in Beijing" (2018-11-15, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d774d35456a4e30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/EXB96]
- image caption: The replica of a Buddhist statue from the Yungang Grottoes stands on the campus of Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture.
---
* "Art decolonization: France to return 26 looted masterpieces claimed by Benin" (2018-11-23, rt.com/news/444753-france-return-benin-art/) [archive.fo/Vu6nc]
- image caption: Royal statues of the Kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin) are displayed at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris.
* "France: Art Director Refuses Return of African Art Collection; Some 5,000 artifacts stolen from the West African nation of Benin by French troops in the late 19 century, a study said" (2018-11-28, telesurenglish.net/news/France-Art-Director-Refuses-Return-of-African-Art-Collection-20181128-0039.html) [archive.is/6F150]
- image caption: The Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac museum in Paris is home to nearly 60,000 pieces of colonial-era African artwork.
---
* "Mysterious castle – Fujian Tulou in SE China" (2018-11-25, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674d344d444f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/CnJxb]
---
* "Built to deter Ottoman raiders, Saudi 'hanging villages' hold wonders for tourists" (2018-11-26, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414f3555444f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/wquxn]
- image caption: Abandoned houses in the "hanging village" of Rahwat Al Sumayd in Saudi Arabia's southwestern Asir Province.
---
* "Ensisheim! The King of Meteorites" (2010-11-01, meteorite-times.com/ensisheim-the-king-of-meteorites/) [archive.is/2ViVn]
* "This Famous 1492 Meteorite Impact Was Interpreted as an Omen from God; A great stone fell out of the sky, triangular in shape, charred, the color of metallic ore, and accompanied by crashing thunder and lightning" (2016-11-07, motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/jpgk47/this-famous-1492-meteorite-impact-was-interpreted-as-an-omen-from-god) [archive.is/8rk3c]
===*===*===
Meandering track: Spacemind - Memory Hole [youtube.com/watch?v=uL0mvPZuklM]
Science & Futurism
[futurism.com] [kurzweilai.net] [eurekalert.org]
* "This Star Trek-inspired ionic plane can SILENTLY glide through the sky" (2018-11-21, rt.com/usa/444583-star-trek-ionic-plane-test/) [archive.fo/fqPmd]
* "Silent plane with no moving parts makes 'historic' flight" (2018-11-22, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674e79677a4e30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.fo/vfqyF]
- image caption: A plane powered by supercharged air particles.
---
* "Lamb twins from 20-yr-old frozen embryos debut in China" (2018-11-25, xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/25/c_137630321.htm) [archive.is/E67Db], (2018-11-25, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674e3551444f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/YbMDQ]
- image caption: People visit lambs born from embryos frozen 20 years ago, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, November 23, 2018.
---
* "Human gene editing: Fire of Prometheus, or Box of Pandora?" (2018-11-28, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414d7749544f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/mtgQR]
* "Timeline: World's first gene-edited babies" (2018-11-28, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674e3149544f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/knWPt]
* "Designer baby steps: World’s first ‘gene-edited’ children born in China" (2018-11-26, rt.com/news/444872-gene-edited-babies-china/) [archive.is/9HYPq]
* "China scientist claims world’s first gene-edited babies; A scientist in China claims to have created the world's first genetically-edited babies, in a potentially ground-breaking and controversial medical first" (2018-11-26, presstv.com/Detail/2018/11/26/581191/China-scientist-research-DNA-geneticallyedited-MIT) [archive.is/Vh7xi]
* "Have gene-edited babies been born in China? Ethics debate goes on as lead scientist refuses to comment" (2018-11-26, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d514f7759444f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/WS3im]
* "Chinese scientists voice their opposition of gene-editing baby case" (2018-11-29, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674e314d544f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/GiCnd]
* "Chinese scientists: shame on you He Jiankui" (2018-11-29, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d774e354d544f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/bLuhV]
* "First gene-edited babies a step too far" (2018-11-29, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d514f3449544f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/Di68L]
* "Why the outcry over gene-editing baby claims?" (2018-11-28, by Zhang Hongbing, professor of Physiology at Peking Union Medical College and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, via news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414f7945544f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/q5ZYf]
* "Gene-editing baby controversy: Chinese researcher explains details of medical trial" (2018-11-28, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d774e3145544f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/c7Xql]
* "Chinese officials, scientists denounce the 'gene-edited babies' claims" (2018-11-27, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674e356b444f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/LFooe]
* "Public reacts to 'genetically edited anti-AIDS babies' " (2018-11-27, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d514d7a6b444f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/o920X]
* "Chinese scientist behind ‘gene-edited-babies’ claim pauses trial after public outcry" (2018-11-28, rt.com/news/445034-china-gene-babies-pause/) [archive.is/U3lut]
* "Research on gene-edited babies has been paused: Sci-tech ministry" (2018-11-29, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414e3251544f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/fCCXa]
* "Chinese Health Authorities Condemn World's First Gene-Edited Babies" (2018-11-29, plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id=36398&SEO=chinese-health-authorities-condemn-worlds-first-gene-edited-babies) [archive.is/0DYfT]
* "Genetic Modification: Ministry of Science & Technology: Gene-editing is forbidden" (2018-11-28, news.cgtn.com/news/796b544d7a494464776c6d636a4e6e62684a4856/share_p.html) [archive.is/hfXNo]
* "Chinese ministry to investigate gene-edited babies claim" (2018-11-28, xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/28/c_137637343.htm) [archive.is/LmFjS]
* "Chinese Scientist Who Created 'Gene-Edited Twins' Under Probe; Editing the genes of embryos is banned in many countries because DNA changes passed to future generations could have unanticipated effects on the entire gene pool" (2018-11-27, sputniknews.com/science/201811271070163640-china-scientist-twins/) [archive.is/wR0xp]
* "Gene-Editing Case: Chinese scientist: 'He doesn't represent us' " (2018-11-28, news.cgtn.com/news/33416a4d7a494464776c6d636a4e6e62684a4856/share_p.html) [archive.is/6wCB6]
* "China to Prosecute Doctor for Genetically Editing Twins; Genetic scientist He Jiankui challenged international ethics laws by genetically editing two embryos to prevent contraction of HIV; Little is known about the long-term effects of genetic engineering, which has been largely condemned around the world" (2018-11-29, telesurenglish.net/news/China-to-Prosecute-Doctor-for-Genetically-Editing-Twins-20181129-0040.html) [archive.is/8ZF2V]
---
---
* "Surprise, surprise: Lab-grown mini-kidneys unexpectedly develop brain & muscle cells" (2018-11-17, rt.com/news/444241-lab-kidneys-grow-brain-cells/) [archive.is/F6x31]
---
* "Reaching for the stars: China creates nuke-powered fake sun that burns hotter than the real deal" (2018-11-14, rt.com/news/443995-china-fake-sun-nuclear/) [archive.is/lpwjd]
===*===*===
Space News
[astrobio.net]
* "Mars's Jezero Crater is Prime Spot to Search for Life: NASA; During a press conference, NASA announced its decision to land the Mars 2020 rover in the Jezero Crater" (2018-11-19, telesurenglish.net/news/Marss-Jezero-Crater-is-Prime-Spot-to-Search-for-Life-NASA-20181119-0025.html) [archive.is/7mbJS]
* " ‘Catastrophic’ megafloods created Mars’ giant canyons – study" (2018-11-17, rt.com/news/444263-massive-mars-lake-floods/) [archive.is/carl7]
---
* "Astronomers find a frozen Super-Earth orbiting closest single star to our own" (2018-11-14, xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/15/c_129994409.htm) [archive.is/o2ZIP]
* "Scientists discover our sun’s long-lost identical twin, which could lead us to Earth 2.0" (2018-11-20, rt.com/news/444436-suns-long-lost-sibling/) [archive.is/T7tf4]
---
* "Alien megastructure 2.0? Astronomers hunt for source of old star’s strange behavior" (2018-11-22, rt.com/news/444645-star-dimming-strange-behavior/) [archive.fo/trpGo]
---
* "Alien bacteria & a drowning Italian: 5 craziest things from first 20 years on the ISS" (2018-11-21, rt.com/news/444512-iss-20-years-craziest/) [archive.fo/GYKhg] [begin excerpt]:
Extraterrestrial life forms are found on the outer surface – or are they?
“These bacteria were not on the module when it left Earth,” revealed Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov in November 2017, after samples collected from the hull of the ISS were analyzed back on Earth.
“That is, they have come from outer space and settled along the external surface. They are being studied so far and it seems that they pose no danger," continued the cosmonaut to a million bemused “Uh huhs.”
Not everyone was convinced. Skeptics claim that the microorganisms may have been the result of contamination, forced up into orbit – over 200 miles above the surface – by atmospheric phenomena.
But Shkalperov’s suggestions are not nonsense to whet the appetite of UFO hunters – recent research suggests that space dust carrying microorganisms may have started life on Earth itself billions of years ago.
* "Astronaut Shkaplerov: They flew in from space and settled on the ISS" (2017-11-27, tass.ru/opinions/interviews/4757149) [archive.fo/uFrFh]
* "Alien life? Bacteria ‘that had not been there’ found on ISS hull, Russian cosmonaut says" (2017-11-27, rt.com/news/411039-living-bacteria-iss-surface/) [archive.fo/NMXcp]
* "Earth must strengthen its defenses against mutant space bacteria – Russian scientists" (2018-07-06, rt.com/news/432068-mutant-space-bacteria-iss/) [archive.fo/htqlO]
* "Mutant superbugs menace future space station expeditions – NASA" (2018-11-25, rt.com/usa/444808-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-space/) [archive.fo/zQxXU]
===*===*===
Ancient News
Music for your perusal (via beatport.com) [is.gd/2MzlEd]
* "Ancient Carved Eye-Witness Accounts Show Martian Invaders Attacking the Moroccan Landscape" (2018-11-23, ancient-origins.net/news-science-space/meteor-morocco-0011039) [archive.is/SOuD2]
* " ‘Cosmic airburst’: Tunguska-like blast destroyed part of Middle East 3,700 years ago" (2018-11-29, rt.com/news/445162-cosmic-airburst-middle-east/) [archive.is/1Hjis]
* "The Great Salt Lake Enigma: Science Shows Anomalies – Evidence of a Global Flood?" (2016-11-25, ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-americas/great-salt-lake-enigma-science-shows-anomalies-evidence-global-flood-007082) [archive.is/5iqIH]
---
* "A mammoth, woolly rhino and a medieval village: the unexpected treasures beneath the A14; Digging alongside the bulldozers of the £1.5bn road diversion, archaeologists have discovered tonnes of ancient bones. Is there a find so important that it could stop the whole project?" (2018-11-26, theguardian.com/science/2018/nov/26/prehistoric-remains-mammoth-tusks-woolly-rhino) [archive.is/Br3bp]
---
* "Hidden secrets of 3,000yo Egyptian tomb unlocked by archaeologists" (2018-11-25, rt.com/news/444818-ancient-egyptian-tomb-mummy/) [archive.is/Kruy2]
* "Egypt unveils ancient tomb and sarcophagi in Luxor" (2018-11-25, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414e314d444f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.fo/dlcAD]
- image caption: Egyptian officials inspect an intact sarcophagus during its opening at Al-Assasif necropolis on the west bank of the Nile north of the southern Egyptian city of Luxor, November 24, 2018.
* "Ancient tomb unveiled in Egypt; A previously unopened sarcophagus was opened for the first time on Saturday (November 24) as two Egyptian discoveries were unveiled in Luxor's west bank" video page (2018-11-25, presstv.com/Detail/2018/11/25/581049/Egypt-Opening-closed-coffin-for-the-first-time-with-mummy-inside) [archive.is/myixU]
- image caption: Archaeologists taking cover off Pharaonic coffin for the first time in Egypt.
* "Egypt uncovers pharaonic tomb in heritage-rich Luxor" (2018-11-24, xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/25/c_137629002.htm) [archive.fo/dX4EA], photoset [archive.fo/C2rdR] [archive.fo/D46ey] [archive.fo/3IqDU] [archive.fo/tlK3g]
- image caption: An archeologist points at a mural inside a tomb unearthed by an Egyptian archeological mission working at al-Asassif area on the West Bank of Luxor, Egypt, on Nov. 24, 2018. Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced on Saturday the discovery of an ancient tomb in Luxor province in Upper Egypt.
---
* "Experts Try to Solve Mystery of Thousands of Ancient Clay Body Parts Strewn Across Italy" (2018-11-22, ancient-origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/experts-try-solve-mystery-thousands-ancient-clay-body-parts-strewn-across-021078) [archive.is/6nII8]
* "Remains from Hellenistic and Roman times shed light on ancient city" (2018-11-13, xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/14/c_129993317.htm) [archive.is/mYbGe]
* "Culture Ministry: Remains of Ancient Lost Greek City Found; Among the artifacts unearthed are walls, clay, marble or stone floors of buildings, household pottery, a gaming die made from bone and over 200 coins" (2018-11-14, telesurenglish.net/news/Culture-Ministry-Remains-of-Ancient-Lost-GreekCity-Found-20181114-0009.html) [archive.is/YG5OJ]
* "Philip’s Fountain: The Oldest Still-In-Use Hydraulic Work in the World" (2016-10-15, ancient-origins.net/artifacts-ancient-technology/philip-s-fountain-oldest-still-use-hydraulic-work-world-006822) [archive.is/T0w0X]
* "Stunning ‘erotic’ fresco unearthed in Pompeii bedroom" (2018-11-20, rt.com/news/444479-pompeii-erotic-painting-fresco/) [archive.is/YqA6t]
---
* "Treasure Hunter Finds the First Celtic Chariot Burial in Wales, Rewrites Ancient History" (2018-11-23, ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/celtic-chariot-0011046) [archive.is/jut35]
---
* "Inscription confirms ancient ring belonged to Pontius Pilate, man who ordered Jesus’ crucifixion" (2018-11-29, rt.com/news/445144-pontius-pilate-ring-discovered/) [archive.is/B3YS6]
* "Set of 70 Metal Tablets May Have the Earliest Written Account and Depiction of Jesus" (2016-12-02, ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/set-70-metal-tablets-may-have-earliest-written-account-and-depiction-jesus-021091) [archive.fo/C8BPM]
- image caption: The metal tablet which may be a portrait of Jesus.
The Book of Revelation includes John's vision of the Son of Man: "The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace..." (Revelations 1:14–15)
* "Christ’s face revealed at Shivta: an Early Byzantine wall painting in the desert of the Holy Land" (2018-08-29, cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/christs-face-revealed-at-shivta-an-early-byzantine-wall-painting-in-the-desert-of-the-holy-land/1D3584D4866168E6764035D5DE740781) [archive.is/3tdJ2]
* " 'Suddenly I Saw Eyes': Jesus’ Face Discovered in Ancient Israeli Desert Church; Very little early Christian art has survived the centuries in the Holy Land – but then an Israeli art historian looked at the apse of a ruined Byzantine church in Shivta, and saw Jesus’ face and short curly hair" (2018-11-12, haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium.MAGAZINE-jesus-face-discovered-in-ancient-negev-church-1.6640744) [archive.is/KNKtR] [begin excerpt]: A first painting found by others in Shivta last year turned out to show Jesus’ transfiguration: the present team was the one to realize what the painting showed, but the drawing of his face did not survive the centuries. The second one shows his baptism and his face. Maayan-Fanar and the team – Dr. Ravit Linn, Dr. Yotam Tepper and Prof. Guy Bar-Oz of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa – described the find in the world archaeological journal Antiquity: "Christ's face revealed at Shivta".
The gospels never describe Jesus’ appearance. All depictions of him are later artist impressions, and while surviving depictions of Jesus abound in old monasteries and churches elsewhere, they are all but nonexistent in Israel.
In contrast to the Western image of Jesus as someone with flowing long hair and, sometimes, a beard, the Shivta painting shows him in the Eastern style with short curly hair, a long face and an elongated nose, says Maayan-Fanar.
Shivta is in the heart of the Negev, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Be’er Sheva. The village was founded in the 2nd century C.E. and survived for about 650 years, before being abandoned in the early Islamic period.
This was no shriveled desert backwater. Shivta sustained a large population and during its heyday in the fifth to seventh centuries, had no less than three churches. It apparently never had a Jewish presence, though it did have a mosque in the early Islamic period, says Tepper. [end excerpt]
* "Curly headed & clean shaven: Long lost depiction of Jesus offers totally different portrayal" (2018-11-14, rt.com/news/443948-jesus-face-reveal-israel/) [archive.is/VMbTR] [begin excerpt]: So faded you could almost miss it, the lines etched on the ruins of a Byzantine church in the Negev desert show a young Jesus with a clean-shaven face, a head of curls and a large nose.
Although it was first discovered in the 1920s, the badly damaged drawing sat unnoticed for decades, covered in dirt high up inside the baptismal apse of the ruined house of worship. [...]
Despite studying the site for close to a century, archaeologists are still unable to accurately date the church’s construction. They do know that the town of Shivta was established some 1,800 years ago, meaning the drawing of Jesus was created at least two centuries after his death. So, while it’s not a sketch made from a live model, it was created far closer to Jesus’ time than the images we are used to seeing today. [end excerpt]
- image caption: Jesus' face seen on the wall of the baptistery
- image caption: Jesus' face discovered in Shivta
---
* "Cataclysmic eruption may have kicked off ‘worst year' in history for humans - study" (2018-11-17, rt.com/news/444173-worst-year-volcano-eruption/) [archive.is/m2h4R]
---
* "Hiding in plain sight: Scientists discover massive, Paris-sized crater under Greenland ice" (2018-11-15, rt.com/news/444039-massive-meteorite-crater-greenland/) [archive.is/rDRBo]
* "13,000-Year-Old Crater the Size of Paris Unearthed in Greenland; The crater was left by a meteor that slammed into the earth at an incredible 20 km per second roughly 13,000 years ago" (2018-11-14, telesurenglish.net/news/13000-Year-Old-Crater-the-Size-of-Paris-Unearthed-in-Greenland-20181114-0033.html) [archive.is/Mqpid]
---
* "UTAH HOME TO EARLIEST USE OF WILD POTATO IN NORTH AMERICA" (2017-07-03, unews.utah.edu/utah-home-to-earliest-use-of-wild-potato-in-north-america/) [archive.is/4coq2]
* "Did potato cultivation begin in Utah's Escalante Valley 11,000 years ago? U. researchers say potato cultivation could have begun in Escalante Valley about 11,000 years ago" (2017-07-10, archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=5454302&itype=CMSID) [archive.is/2gX8w]
* "America’s Earliest Traces of Potato Use Found at 10,900-Year-Old Utah Shelter" (2017-08-15, westerndigs.org/americas-earliest-use-of-potatoes-found-at-10900-year-old-shelter-in-utah/) [archive.is/lbHGu]
* "Ancient 'Four Corners Potato' Makes Culinary Debut" (2018-10-08, sltrib.com, via potatogrower.com/2018/10/ancient-four-corners-potato-makes) [archive.is/uSnQ5]
- image caption: Lisbeth Louderback, curator of archaeology at the Natural History Museum of Utah; Bruce Pavlik, director of conservation at Red Butte Garden; and Cynthia Wilson, traditional foods program director for Utah Diné Bikéyah, from left, bag different types of the Four Corners potato that will be served at the Indigenous Peoples' Day dinner on Monday, Oct. 8. The dinner marks the first time that the general public will be able to taste the potato, which dates back thousands of years. It was rediscovered last year in the Bear Ears region. U. researchers collected the tubers and have been propagating them. Soon American Indian tribes may be growing them to eat and sell for profit.
* "The Four Corners Potato: Conserving an Ancient Food from Escalan" event page (2017-08-02, facebook.com/events/157367621501157/) [archive.is/M2um0]
* (retrieved 2018-11-17, cultivariable.com/instructions/potatoes/how-to-grow-wild-potatoes/solanum-jamesii/) [archive.is/tPIQo]
Solanum jamesii
Common Name(s) Four Corners potato, Colorado wild potato, Arizona wild potato, Sego
Description -
Solanum jamesii (jamesii, honoring Edwin James, a US Army surgeon who first collected the species), sometimes known as the “Four Corners potato,” is a wild potato of the United States and northern Mexico, with a couple of disjunct populations in central Mexico. It is the only wild species with a distribution primarily in the United States, where it is found mostly in New Mexico and Arizona, but also reaches slightly into Colorado, Utah, and Texas at elevations above 5000 feet. Plants are small, reaching about 6 to 15 inches in the wild, but taller under cultivation.
S. jamesii was used for food by native Americans, likely cultivated to some degree, and possibly even improved. Louderback (2017) studied starch grains on ancient pottery and determined that this species was used as food in Utah as early as 8950 BC. If it were used consistently over such a long period, it would be surprising if it had not been improved through selection, even inadvertently. The primary pieces of evidence for its cultivation are (1) that populations are frequently found in close association with sites of previous human habitation; (2) that high levels of genetic diversity in some locations may indicate that plants were collected from other areas (Kinder 2017); and (3) that the tuber size and starch granule size of collections made near known archaeological sites are larger than those of collections not associated with such sites (Herzog 2018). Bamberg (2016) reported that that majority of the genetic diversity present in the USDA collection of this species could be found in one site at Mesa Verde, suggesting the possibility that many different genotypes were brought together there by man. According to Ortman (2018), although it later branched out to include other tuberous plants, the Tewa word sego refers specifically to Solanum jamesii, which must indicate that this was a plant of some importance prior to the introduction of other edible tubers that later were included under the same name.
S. jamesii tubers are small, reaching about an inch in diameter, but perhaps twice that under cultivation. The tubers are usually white to tan, occasionally turning purple, apparently as a response to environmental conditions, as happens with many North American species. Tubers can remain dormant for very long periods. Bamberg (2010) found that tubers of many collections would store successfully at 41 degrees F (5 C) for eight years and recounted a story from a landowner who observed plants growing on resumption of irrigation after 39 years. While 39 years seems unlikely, the upper limit for dormancy in S. jamesii remains unknown.
Kinder (2017) reported that wild collected tubers of S. jamesii had twice the protein content of S. tuberosum, along with substantial increases in potassium, calcium, magnesium, and other minerals. These nutrient levels can probably be attributed primarily to the small size of the tubers. Smaller tubers have a greater proportion of nutrient-rich skin and cortex to flesh.
Jarvis (2008) predicts that this species will lose 91% of its present range by 2055 due to climate change, most likely entailing a critical loss of genetic diversity.
Resistances
This species can survive frosts down to 26 degrees F (-3.5 C) (Li 1977). Vega (1995) found that this species is less frost tolerant than domesticated potato. Johnson (1937) found that some tubers of this species were able to survive freezing for multiple days.
Pelletier (1999) found that Colorado potato beetles have increased adult and larval mortality and low egg production on this species. [...]
Some people seem to have some rather romantic notions about this species, based upon the number of inquiries that we receive from people who want to find some to grow as food. Unfortunately, at least some clones of S. jamesii have pretty high levels of glycoalkaloids relative to the domesticated potato. It would be easy to get sick from eating it. Apparently, it was traditionally eaten with clay or processed in some fashion and used dried (White 1944, Moerman 1998) in order to eliminate some of the glycoalkaloids. Many people report eating this species without ill effect and I have done so myself, although I got a few plants with tubers that were noticeably better in 2018. I recommend against consuming large quantities until we know more about its glycoalkaloid content. [end excerpt]
- image caption: Solanum jamesii tubers from a Mesa Verde accession
- map caption: Solanum jamesii distribution map
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* "First human remains found in El Salvador's 'Mayan Pompeii' " (2018-11-24, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674e3445444f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.fo/sxUS3]
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* "In Guatemala, a Rhode Island-Size Jade Lode" (2002-05-22, nytimes.com/2002/05/22/world/in-guatemala-a-rhode-island-size-jade-lode.html) [archive.is/dv7vn] [begin excerpt]: For half a century, scholars have searched in vain for the source of the jade that the early civilizations of the Americas prized above all else and fashioned into precious objects of worship, trade and adornment.
The searchers found some clues to where the Olmecs and Mayas might have obtained their jadeite, as the precious rock is known. But no lost mines came to light.
Now, scientists exploring the wilds of Guatemala say they have found the mother lode -- a mountainous region roughly the size of Rhode Island strewn with huge jade boulders, other rocky treasures and signs of ancient mining. It was discovered after a hurricane tore through the landscape and exposed the veins of jade, some of which turned up in stores, arousing the curiosity of scientists.
The find includes large outcroppings of blue jade, the gemstone of the Olmecs, the mysterious people who created the first complex culture in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, the region that encompasses much of Mexico and Central America. It also includes an ancient mile-high road of stone that runs for miles through the densely forested region. [...]
Early peoples of the Americas considered jade more valuable than gold and silver. The Olmecs, the great sculptors of the pre-Columbian era, carved jades into delicate human forms and scary masks. Mayan kings and other royalty often went to their graves with jade suits, rings and necklaces. The living had their teeth inlaid with the colored gems.
Jade was highly prized in Mesoamerica from at least 1400 B.C. until the Spanish conquest of 1519-21, experts say. But the Spanish were more interested in gold. Soon the skills and lore of jade mining and carving disappeared.
The modern hunt began in the early 1950's. Scientists examining the Burmese deposits found that jade always occurred in association with serpentine, a mottled greenish rock.
In seeking a Mesoamerican source, they focused on Guatemala because much serpentine rock occurred there in the Sierra de las Minas and the adjacent Motagua River valley. A few outcrops of low-quality jade were located near the river. By the mid-1970's scholarly interest was high enough to prompt organized Guatemalan hunts and meetings. The Peabody Museum and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts were among the sponsors, as was Landon T. Clay, a Boston investment banker who collected jade.
But little turned up, and attention shifted to places like Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras, where archaeologists had found thousands of jade artifacts. [...]
In 2001, Mr. Seitz returned to Guatemala with Dr. Sisson of Rice University and Karl E. Taube, an anthropologist at the University of California at Riverside, who specializes in Olmec and Mayan artifacts.
Among other things, the team found an ancient dry-stone pathway that wound through the mountains from an old mining area to a habitation and tomb site littered with old clay shards. Miles south of the Motagua, the team found even higher-quality jade: huge boulders of blue. ''It's impressive,'' Dr. Sisson said. ''We had worked for a month in Burma and didn't see anything as good as this.''
The scientists say the most important implication of their find is the idea that the Olmecs exerted wide influence over the region.
''It suggests that the trade routes were more extensive than we realized,'' said Dr. Taube of the University of California. ''Now the big question is, how did Costa Rica get so much of this jade?'' [end excerpt]
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* "Homegrown stone tool in China may rewrite history of ancestors" (2018-11-20, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414d34497a4e30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/As9jC]
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* "Bamboo slips unearthed in ancient tomb in Shanxi" (2018-11-20, xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/20/c_137619707.htm) [archive.is/uQoRg]
* "China: 2,100-Year-Old Mini-Terracotta Warriors Army Found; Around 300 sculptures were found, very similar to the famous 8,000 terracotta warriors army" (2018-11-14, telesurenglish.net/news/China-2100-Year-Old-Mini-Terracotta-Warriors-Army-Found-20181114-0048.html) [archive.is/pa9Iq]
* "Remains of "money tree" discovered in Sichuan tomb" (2018-11-17, xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/17/c_137613579.htm) [archive.is/Bem94]
* "The Great Bronze Age of China: An Exhibition from the People's Republic of China at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York" (2009, afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_4000bce_bronze.htm) [archive.is/JjUt]
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* "Bolivia: Archaeologists Find 500-Year-Old Inca Cemetery; Archaeologists have found human remains and ritual vessels in an over 500-year-old Inca cemetery in Bolivia" (2018-11-17, telesurenglish.net/news/Bolivia-Archaeologists-Find-500-Year-Old-Inca-Cemetery-20181117-0027.html) [archive.is/wMbnC]
* "Archaeologists discover 15th-century indigenous tombs in Bolivia" (2018-11-15, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414f79496a4e30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/k82WV]
- image caption: An archaeologist holds a skull as part of an archaeological finding, dating approximately 500 years ago, in Mazo Cruz, near Viacha, Bolivia, November 12, 2018.
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* "Pre-Columbian Murals and Norse Sagas Suggest Vikings Met the Aztecs, and the Outcome Was Not Pretty" (2016-11-27, by Clyde Winters, via ancient-origins.net/history/pre-columbian-murals-and-norse-sagas-suggest-vikings-met-aztecs-and-outcome-was-not-pretty-021084?nopaging=1) [archive.is/13tx7]
- A part of a mural showing a blond-haired man being sacrificed by two black men.
- image caption: Codex Azcatitlan page depicting the Spanish army, with Hernán Cortés and Malinche in front.
* Mexico City (1519, Vienna, Holy Roman Empire)
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* "Controversy Surrounds Artifacts on Azores Islands: Evidence of Advanced Ancient Seafarers?" (2016-10-17, via ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/controversy-surrounds-artifacts-azores-islands-evidence-advanced-ancient-021028) [archive.is/Fsabn]
* "Early New World Maps" (by Dr. Gunnar Thompson, ancientamerica.com/early-new-world-maps-by-dr-gunnar-thompson/) [archive.is/FMpIr]
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* "Elfdalian, the Ancient Viking Forest Language of Sweden, Set to be Revived" (2015-05-20, ancient-origins.net/news-general/elfdalian-ancient-viking-forest-language-sweden-set-be-revived-003093) [archive.is/oBqSg]
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* "Bolivia Repatriates Over 45 Artifacts from England, US, Chile; Thanks to national legislation, five countries return 47 artifacts belonging to Bolivia's cultural patrimony that date back as far as 2,000 years" (2018-11-13, telesurenglish.net/news/Bolivia-Repatriates-Over-45-Artifacts-from-England-US-Chile-20181113-0021.html) [archive.is/ISsSs]
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* "3D print replicates ancient Yungang Grottoes in Beijing" (2018-11-15, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d774d35456a4e30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/EXB96]
- image caption: The replica of a Buddhist statue from the Yungang Grottoes stands on the campus of Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture.
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* "Art decolonization: France to return 26 looted masterpieces claimed by Benin" (2018-11-23, rt.com/news/444753-france-return-benin-art/) [archive.fo/Vu6nc]
- image caption: Royal statues of the Kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin) are displayed at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris.
* "France: Art Director Refuses Return of African Art Collection; Some 5,000 artifacts stolen from the West African nation of Benin by French troops in the late 19 century, a study said" (2018-11-28, telesurenglish.net/news/France-Art-Director-Refuses-Return-of-African-Art-Collection-20181128-0039.html) [archive.is/6F150]
- image caption: The Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac museum in Paris is home to nearly 60,000 pieces of colonial-era African artwork.
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* "Mysterious castle – Fujian Tulou in SE China" (2018-11-25, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674d344d444f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/CnJxb]
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* "Built to deter Ottoman raiders, Saudi 'hanging villages' hold wonders for tourists" (2018-11-26, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414f3555444f30457a6333566d54/share_p.html) [archive.is/wquxn]
- image caption: Abandoned houses in the "hanging village" of Rahwat Al Sumayd in Saudi Arabia's southwestern Asir Province.
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* "Ensisheim! The King of Meteorites" (2010-11-01, meteorite-times.com/ensisheim-the-king-of-meteorites/) [archive.is/2ViVn]
* "This Famous 1492 Meteorite Impact Was Interpreted as an Omen from God; A great stone fell out of the sky, triangular in shape, charred, the color of metallic ore, and accompanied by crashing thunder and lightning" (2016-11-07, motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/jpgk47/this-famous-1492-meteorite-impact-was-interpreted-as-an-omen-from-god) [archive.is/8rk3c]
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* "Bright fireball lights up Texas night sky" (2018-11-17, rt.com/usa/444227-bright-fireball-texas-sky/) [archive.is/KAisP]
* "Fireball Caught on Camera over Texas; Over 95 fireball reports from 3 states" (2018-11-16, amsmeteors.org/2018/11/fireball-caught-on-camera-over-texas/) [archive.is/xLhIi] [begin excerpt]: The AMS has received over 95 reports so far about of a fireball event seen above Texas on November 15th, 2018 around 21:25am CDT (November 16th 3:25 Universal Time). The fireball was seen primarily from Texas but was also seen from Louisiana and Oklahoma. [end excerpt]
* "Events in 2018: 4922-2018" (retrieved 2018-11-17, amsmeteors.org/members/imo_view/event/2018/4922) [archive.is/ifQlw]: AMS received 150 reports about a fireball seen over LA, OK, Oklahoma, Texas and TX on Friday, November 16th 2018 around 03:24 UT.
* "AMS Fireball Event#2018-4922" (2018-11-17, AMS American Meteor Society, youtube.com/watch?v=ZVUPLwaVd2Y) [archive.is/8bue8]: Fireball caught on Dashcam by Christopher Cato. (screengrab):
* "AMS event #4922-2018" (2018-11-16, AMS American Meteor Society, youtube.com/watch?v=JJ_GjpxvvLc) [archive.is/KDtRa]: This video has been uploaded on the American Meteor Society Website. AMS Event: 4922-2018, Report 154896 (4922cj-2018) Credit:M. B
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* "The Dark Secret Behind the Hidden Room of Glamis Castle; If you could even guess the nature of this castle’s secret, said Claude Bowes-Lyon, 13th Earl of Strathmore, you would get down on your knees and thank God it was not yours" (2016-10-14, ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/dark-secret-behind-hidden-room-glamis-castle-006821) [archive.is/7RRek]
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* "Enigmatic Ancient Wheel: The 300-Million-Year-Old Wheel and Anomalous Ancient Tracks Across the World" (2018-11-15, ancient-origins.net/unexplained-phenomena/ancient-wheel-0010997) [archive.is/RgTgy]
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* "Turkey trauma: Rhode Island town held hostage by menacing bird" (2018-12-23, rt.com/usa/444748-turkey-takes-over-johnston-ri/) [archive.fo/TpMlO]
===*===*===* "Turkey trauma: Rhode Island town held hostage by menacing bird" (2018-12-23, rt.com/usa/444748-turkey-takes-over-johnston-ri/) [archive.fo/TpMlO]
Curiata
* "Brazil: 4,000-Year-Old Termite Civilization Baffles Scientists; The untouched ancient insect colony has constructed a sea of massive "pyramids" over thousands of years which can be seen from space" (2018-11-22, telesurenglish.net/news/Brazil-4000-Year-Old-Termite-Civilization-Baffles-Scientists-20181122-0013.html) [archive.fo/hFpup]
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