Rebel Maccabees stormed and defeated a stronghold of the Seleucid Empire. Archaeologists have discovered the burned remains of an ancient Hellenistic fortress in Israel that fell to Jewish rebels more than 2,000 years ago. A guerrilla army called the Hasmoneans, also known as the Maccabees, defeated and set fire toContinue Reading
The gaseous structure bridges two of the galaxy’s spiral arms A long, thin filament of cold, dense gas extends jauntily from the galactic center, connecting two of the galaxy’s spiral arms, astronomers report November 11 in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. This is the first time that such a structure, whichContinue Reading
A recent deathbed confession has the FBI investigating a former toxic waste dump in New Jersey… again. The FBI is surveying a former New Jersey landfill — once condemned as an environmental disaster site — as part of the agency’s long-running investigation into the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, the infamousContinue Reading
Minuscule arrangements in cellulose reflect light in specific ways to give rise to vibrant hues All that glitters is not green. Glitter and shimmery pigments are often made using toxic compounds or pollutive microplastics (SN: 4/15/19). That makes the sparkly stuff, notoriously difficult to clean up in the house, aContinue Reading
The mass grave held the remains of about 25 people, mostly women who were likely “dedicated to textiles.” In the 15th century, a group of elite women in the ancient city of Chan Chan spent their days making textiles while living … and in death. Archaeologists recently uncovered a massContinue Reading
Who left them behind is a mystery. More than 5,500 silver coins buried by a river about 1,800 years ago are now in the hands of archaeologists, following the hoard’s discovery in Augsburg, Germany. At the time of the coins’ burial, the Roman Empire was in full swing, with itsContinue Reading
Debris on white dwarf stars offers a possible peek inside the worlds that once orbited them If a real Captain Kirk ever blasts off for other stars in search of rocky planets like ours, he may find lots of strange new worlds whose innards actually bear no resemblance to Earth’s.Continue Reading
In the other states, only a select group of adults are currently eligible. Adults in California and Colorado can receive a COVID-19 booster shot if it has been at least six months since their second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, according to the states’ public health departments. ThisContinue Reading
He had a less than 1% chance of survival. A baby born at 21 weeks gestation in Alabama last year is the most premature baby in the world to survive, according to Guinness World Records. Curtis Means and his twin sister, C’Asya Means, were born on July 5, 2020, atContinue Reading
Unless you’re prepping for a colonoscopy, probably not. Cleaning out the colon is sometimes necessary — for example, before a medical procedure, such as a colonoscopy. But some people do it in the belief that the process will rid their colon of excess toxins that accumulate over time from theContinue Reading