Science - The Parnassian (Page 5)

Archaeology · Observations · Science · Nature

In an article on how the inhabitants of southern Norway could make wooden fish traps at least seven thousand years ago, I came upon a suggestion that at about the same time people carried commercially valuable salmonids, namely brown trout, into mountain

In an article on how the inhabitants of southern Norway could make wooden fish traps at least seven thousand years ago, I came upon a suggestion that at about the same time people carried commercially valuable salmonids, namely brown trout, into mountain lakes. The hunter-fisher-gatherers, according to the

Observations · Science · Ethnography · Humour

A Polish-Czech team of scholars investigates the complexities of cannibalism

They are, of course, careful to stipulate that they are merely modelling, not conducting fieldwork. The aim is to explain why cannibalism never took hold as a regular strategy, and why a taboo arose in different cultures. Why, indeed? What a worthy puzzlement for the inhabitants of the Christian states

Archaeology · Art · Science · Nature

That Magdalenian art is not a random jumble of animal figures but a specially ordered structure is, on the whole, not a new idea

That Magdalenian art is not a random jumble of animal figures but a specially ordered structure is, on the whole, not a new idea. André Leroi-Gourhan wrote about it in the 1960s. He arranged the Stone Age herd around the horse and the bison. The scheme was discussed from

Observations · Science · Society

A new scandal may be looming in the scientific world over the policies of academic journals; at least its outlines are already visible

A new scandal may be looming in the scientific world over the policies of academic journals; at least its outlines are already visible. Tushar Sen, an Indian software researcher, reports that a reviewer for a major journal extorted money from him in exchange for a favourable report. The paper, on

Archaeology · Science · People

At the Guatemalan site of Xultun, archaeologists have for the first time deciphered the name of an ancient Maya mathematician-astronomer: Sak Tan Wash, "White-Breasted Fox"

At the Guatemalan site of Xultun, archaeologists have for the first time deciphered the name of an ancient Maya mathematician-astronomer: Sak Tan Wash, "White-Breasted Fox". The inscription was found among more than fifty mathematical micro-texts on the wall of a small room that researchers regard

Archaeology · Observations · Science

The search for extraterrestrial life is currently built on two pillars: chemistry and radio signals

The search for extraterrestrial life is currently built on two pillars: chemistry and radio signals. Astrobiologists, astronomers and planetary scientists use spectroscopy to look in the atmospheres of distant planets for oxygen and methane, which may point to life in general, even if only bacteria. Radio astronomers listen for radio

Faith · Observations · Science · Society · Rome

A world assembly on artificial intelligence and nuclear war has been held in the Vatican

Presumably the padres are watching lifelike scenes of nuclear apocalypse and worldwide drought, caused by the data centres of the AI tech giants, through their VR goggles. The Papal Gardens of Castel Gandolfo welcomed 30 Nobel laureates, representatives of 30 countries, former heads of state, 20 leading AI specialists and

Geography · Science · Nature · Ethnography

In southern Brazil, on a high plateau in the coldest part of the country, an araucaria forest grows

In southern Brazil, on a high plateau in the coldest part of the country, an araucaria forest grows. The araucaria is a coniferous tree whose ancestors were alive in the days of the dinosaurs. The forest does not form a solid mass but is interspersed with grassy glades, onto which

Archaeology · Science · Nature

Remember slash-and-burn farming?

In short, it was not quite so simple. Although in this case it is the method that is interesting rather than the result. Polish archaeologists have established that the builders of megalithic tombs did not burn the forest down to the ground. This follows from an analysis of pollen and

Archaeology · Observations · Science · Palaeontology

Whoever has not yet tired of following my scholarly work may like to hear about two interesting recent articles on my subject

Whoever has not yet tired of following my scholarly work may like to hear about two interesting recent articles on my subject. One, by Ben Potter, maintains that the Palaeoindians were megafauna specialists who followed the mammoths from Alaska to Patagonia. Nothing especially sensational here. But the second article, by

Architecture · Museums · Science · New York · Society

A Cunning Bacterium Has Been Found in the Cooling Tower of the Guggenheim Museum, Infecting People Through Clouds of Vapour

A cunning bacterium has been found in the cooling tower of the Guggenheim Museum, infecting people through clouds of vapour. The bacterium is called Legionella, and its history belongs to the twentieth century. It was isolated after 1976, when participants in a convention of the American Legion fell ill at

Archaeology · Observations · Science

A discovery in a megalithic tomb 50 km north of Paris seeks to explain why such structures ceased to be built across Europe at roughly the same time

In brief, the cause was a major catastrophe in the Stone Age, around 3000 BC, after which the structure of the population changed entirely. The study, naturally enough, implies that the disappearance of the communities that built such burial complexes led to the disappearance of the monuments themselves. At the