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January 1, 2024
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This month’s Quick Hits includes deciphering the charred scrolls of ancient Herculaneum, the unlikely flavors of climate-changed wine, and an undiscovered ore discovered in China.
Antarctica
Ice-penetrating radar has revealed a landscape of valleys and ridges hidden beneath about two miles of ice in East Antarctica. Before the continent froze around 34 million years ago, the region may have been home to tropical-like forests and wildlife.
China
Geologists have discovered a new ore called niobobaotite near Baotou City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This ore contains the rare earth metal niobium, which is used to make steel and becomes a superconductor when cooled to low temperatures.
ethiopia
A child’s jawbone discovered decades ago in the Ethiopian highlands has been identified as being 2 million years old. homo erectus fossil. The discovery, found at more than 6,500 feet above sea level, suggests the presence of a larger body. H. erectus They may have been better adapted to high altitudes than other early humans.
France
Critics gave high praise to Bordeaux wines made in years with high extremes and high average temperatures. But the region’s climate can be too hot and dry for grapes to grow at all, and vineyards are increasingly affected by floods, wildfires and other severe events.
Indonesia
Indonesians who survived the region’s devastating 2004 tsunami have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol than those who did not directly experience the disaster. This “hormonal burnout syndrome” shows how traumatic events can affect people for decades afterward.
Italy
For the first time, an artificial intelligence program has deciphered words from a badly charred scroll from Herculaneum, one of the cities buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago. This technique discovered the word “” by distinguishing the ink from the blackened papyrus background.Porphyrus” – means “purple” in ancient Greek.
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