Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · 19h

If you want to consolidate power, why not schmooze with other elites over a psychedelic-laced beer? The Wari in Peru might have done it! (Although not everyone agrees.) 🏺🧪🍻 #archaeology

Psychedelic beer may have helped pre-Inca empire in Peru schmooze elite outsiders and consolidate power

The Wari used beer mixed with psychedelics to help build an empire in Peru around 1,200 years ago, a new study suggests.

www.livescience.com

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · 1d

Hundreds of ancient gold and silver coins and cool doodads found in Czech Republic. Why? Perhaps it was a seasonal market around 2,500 years ago. 🏺🧪 💰 #archaeology

Hundreds of ancient gold and silver coins from possible Celtic market found in Czech Republic

Hundreds of gold and silver coins, along with jewelry and other artifacts, have been found in the Czech Republic at what might have been an ancient Celtic market.

www.livescience.com

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · 8d

How much do you know about King Tutankhamun? Take the @livescience.com quiz and find out! #archaeology #Egypt 🏺

Tutankhamun quiz: How much do you know about the famous boy king from ancient Egypt?

King Tut's tomb has captivated people worldwide since its discovery in 1922. But how much do you actually know about the boy king? Take our quiz to find out.

www.livescience.com

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · 9d

Can you believe this ancient Egyptian man's name was probably Messi?? ⚽ 🇪🇬 Archaeologists found his funerary statue at Saqqara and they think it dates back to the 5th dynasty.

Ancient Egyptian statue of 'Messi' found at Saqqara necropolis is 'only known example of its kind from the Old Kingdom'

A unique statue dating back to the fifth dynasty of ancient Egypt has been discovered at the necropolis of Saqqara.

www.livescience.com

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · 12d

Check out this stunning hoard of gold coins and earrings from the Byzantine era!
It was buried in the 7th century, when the Holy Land was constantly being invaded. Locals were hiding their wealth with the hopes of retrieving it later. Although archaeologists found this one 1,400 years later 🏺🧪

'Gold coins started appearing one after another': 1,400-year-old hoard with money and jewelry unearthed near Sea of Galilee

A metal detectorist discovered a Byzantine era hoard of gold coins and jewelry near the Sea of Galilee.

www.livescience.com

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · 13d

Wampum in Newfoundland! And it was found by an archaeology student who initially had no idea what it was 🏺🧪

Rare wampum beads discovered at 17th-century colony in Newfoundland

Archaeologists in Newfoundland have discovered seven tiny beads known as wampum that are made from seashells. They may be the first ever found in the province.

www.livescience.com

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · 14d

Archaeologists in Spain have discovered a 5,000-year-old stone monument known as a dolmen. Prehistoric dolmens were used for burials, rituals, living spaces and to mark solar events, like the solstices. This one was a burial spot — and a long one at that, measuring 43 feet (13 meters) in length.

5,000-year-old stone tomb discovered in Spain is 43 feet long — and it holds many prehistoric burials

A large, 5,000-year-old dolmen has been discovered by archaeologists in southern Spain.

www.livescience.com

Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · 15d

We've known for ages that adult Maya men and women used to wear "tooth gems." And now we know that in rare instances, kids did too! @livescience.com covered a new study that found dental inlays on three teeth from a child (or children) ages 7 to 10. 🏺🧪

7-year-old Maya child had green jade 'tooth gem,' new study finds

Archaeologists already knew that adult Maya had tooth inlays, but this is some of the first evidence that children also had tooth bling.

www.livescience.com

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · 16d

Cleopatra was the last pharaoh of Egypt and she was a lover of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. But we've never found her tomb. Do the discovery of ancient coins depicting Cleopatra and an ancient submerged seaport point the way to her burial? One archaeologist says yes, but others are skeptical. 🏺🧪

New documentary looks for Cleopatra's tomb — do newfound coins and a submerged port in Egypt point the way?

Hundreds of coins that depict Cleopatra VII have been discovered in an Egyptian temple. The archaeologist who led the team believes the female pharaoh's tomb is nearby.

www.livescience.com

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · 19d

Today is the discovery anniversary of Ötzi the Iceman mummy, who was found in the Alps on Sept. 19, 1991. How much do you know about the Copper Age guy? Take our quiz by the fantastic @killgrove.bsky.social 🏺🧪

Ötzi quiz: What do you know about the Iceman mummy who was murdered 5,300 years ago in the Alps?

Think you know a lot about Ötzi the Iceman? Don't get left in the cold — take our quiz!

www.livescience.com

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · 20d

Time to move to ...

Are there any countries with no mosquitoes?

One country's unique climate keeps it a mosquito-free zone, but global warming may change that.

www.livescience.com

Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · 20d

A great cocktail party conversation starter ...

Why does the universe exist?

The universe exists because matter and antimatter are not good friends.

www.livescience.com

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · 20d

Some past mysteries in the newsletter:

Where is Queen Boudica buried?

The remains of Britain's national heroine — Queen Boudica of the Iceni tribe — are not under a train station in north London. So, where is her grave?

www.livescience.com

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · 20d

Every Friday, you can get a sneak peak at next week's Life's Little Mystery in your inbox! It's free and you can sign up here: www.livescience.com/newsletter

Sign up to the Live Science Newsletter | Live Science

Newsletter | Live Science

www.livescience.com

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · 26d

This 350-year-old mummified head from Bolivia had undergone trepanation ... but the skull wasn't actually punctured. It's unclear why, but "maybe the person said, 'I'm sorry, but I don't want any more.'" 🏺🔬

350-year-old mummified head from Bolivia isn't what it seems

A mummified skull from Bolivia was long thought to be of an Inca man, but a new study finds it had a different history.

www.livescience.com

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · Aug 31

What a cool plane! @alaskaairlines.bsky.social

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Reposted by Laura Geggel

Kristina Killgrove @killgrove.bsky.social · Aug 15

Archaeologists found this tomb in central Gdańsk under an ice cream shop in July. 🏺🧪

Medieval knight 'Lancelot' and his stunning stone tomb found under ice cream shop in Poland

Archaeologists found the body of a medieval knight underneath a tombstone that depicted him in full military regalia.

www.livescience.com

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · Aug 8

I see you star! From @schmidtocean.bsky.social off Argentina

white sea star with many arms on ocean floor

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · Aug 6

If you were a Copper Age mother in the Corded Ware culture, the trendiest accessory was a tooth-decorated baby carrier. ⚱️🧪

5,000-year-old burials in Germany hold 3 women with bedazzled baby carriers

Copper Age burials holding the remains of elite women and elaborate pouches decorated with hundreds of animal teeth have been discovered in Germany.

www.livescience.com

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · Aug 5

Another small earthquake hits New Jersey! This time a 2.7 magnitude quake.
earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/...

The Earthquake Event Page application supports most recent browsers, view supported browsers. Or, try our Real-time Notifications, Feeds, and Web Services.

earthquake.usgs.gov

Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · Aug 3

We just had a little earthquake in New Jersey earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/...

The Earthquake Event Page application supports most recent browsers, view supported browsers. Or, try our Real-time Notifications, Feeds, and Web Services.

earthquake.usgs.gov

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · Jul 31

Archaeologists have found the remains of a Roman watchtower along the Daube River in Croatia. It defended their frontier and had great defenses — ditches and natural ravines.
www.livescience.com/archaeology/...

Archaeologists discover 1,800-year-old Roman watchtower built to protect the empire during Marcus Aurelius' reign

Archaeologists are excavating a Roman-era watchtower in Croatia that was "built in a strategic location" on the banks of the Danube River.

www.livescience.com

Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · Jul 26

Left turns can be deadly for pedestrians. Left-turns in DC make up the largest proportion of fatal crashes killing pedestrians at 21%. In 4 years, left turns killed 100 pedestrians in NYC. And now, a 6-year-old in Jersey City.
hudsoncountyview.com/op-ed-dont-t...

Op-Ed: Don’t turn on me: Let’s get serious about the dangers of left-turns - Hudson County View

Op-Ed: SafeStreetsJC board members Dana Haymon and Jimmy Lee express the need to address the dangers of left turns throughout Jersey City.

hudsoncountyview.com

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Reposted by Laura Geggel

rogueclassicist ~ david meadows @rogueclassicist.bsky.social · Jul 22

'A rare find for Etruscan archaeology': Archaeologists discover sealed, untouched tomb in central Italy | Live Science
www.livescience.com/archaeology/...

Pristine Etruscan tomb discovered in Italy contains more than 100 untouched artifacts

Archaeologists in Italy have discovered a rare 2,600-year-old Etruscan tomb that somehow escaped looters over the centuries.

www.livescience.com

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Laura Geggel @laurageggel.bsky.social · Jul 22

Ants can help us find lanternflies
www.futurity.org/ants-spotted...

Ants could be a secret weapon in fight against invasive lanternflies

Researchers have discovered a clever new way to detect the invasive spotted lanternfly—by letting ants lead the way.

www.futurity.org