This week the world’s oldest weapon factory reveals some pretty nasty munitions‚ the secret of why gold explodes purple is solved‚ and we discovered what made a curious double crater on the Moon last year but the mystery doesn’t end there. Plus‚ did you know the universe has an average color‚ and it sounds delicious? Subscribe to the IFLScience newsletter for all the biggest science news delivered straight to your inbox every Wednesday and Saturday.400-Year-Old Alchemical Mystery Solved: Why Does Gold Explode Purple?Good news for the turning lead-into-gold crowd‚ after 400 years of advancements in chemistry and physics‚ we’ve finally solved the mystery of why fulminating gold – the world’s first known high explosive – creates purple smoke when it detonates. Read the full story here Two Parents May Not Be Enough‚ Study Into Hunter-Gatherer Communities SuggestsIn Western societies‚ we are used to the idea that a typical family unit consists of two parents and their children. This is the nuclear family model which has predominated family standards since the 1950s. However‚ new research shows that this pressure on two parents may be out of sync with our evolutionary history. Read the full story here Dozens Of Statues Were Buried In A Mud Bath For 2‚300 Years‚ Preserving Them PerfectlyLike a time capsule waiting to be opened‚ archaeologists working on an ancient thermal baths excavation in Italy finally started uncovering the treasures lying beneath the mud. Initially‚ it was just small things – a coin‚ or some minor part of a statue – but soon‚ they found themselves face to face with what experts hailed as one of the most significant finds in the history of the region. And when we say “face to face‚” we mean it literally. Read the full story hereChinese Rocket That Crashed Into The Moon Was Carrying A Mystery ObjectOn March 4‚ 2022‚ a mysterious object crashed into the lunar surface‚ leaving behind an unusually shaped double-crater. While it was initially suspected to be part of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket‚ later evidence suggested it was a Chinese booster rocket – curiously‚ with an unknown object attached to it. Read the full story here World’s Oldest War Weapons Factory Existed 7‚200 Years Ago In IsraelWhat appears to be the earliest known factory for the production of standardized war weaponry has been discovered in Israel dating to the early Copper Age. Based on hundreds of stone projectiles recovered from two archaeological sites‚ scientists concluded the items were mass-produced‚ indicating the highly organized arming of warriors in preparation for battle around 7‚200 years ago. Read the full story hereTWIS is published weekly on our Linkedin page‚ join us there for even more content.Feature of the week:The Average Color Of The Universe Is A Morning Wake-up CallWho knew the universe has an average color‚ and it sounds so delicious? Turns out‚ you can debate all you like whether tea or coffee is better‚ the universe has chosen sides. Read the full story hereMore content:Have you seen our free e-magazine‚ CURIOUS? Issue 16 November 2023 is OUT NOW. Check it out for exclusive interviews‚ book excerpts‚ long reads‚ and more.PLUS‚ check out season 3 of IFLScience's The Big Questions Podcast‚ in which we asked:• Is Jurassic Park Possible?• How Is Climate Change Affecting Polar Bear Populations?• Why Is Space Junk Such A Big Deal?• Can We Save A Species On The Very Brink Of Extinction?• How Does A Quantum Computer Work And How Will They Change The World?• What Is Space Weather And How Does It Affect Us?• What Can Ancient Ice Tell Us About The Future?• Are E-Fuels The Future Of Aviation?• How Are Glaciers Changing In A Warming World?• Are We Ready For The Next Massive Solar Flare?

The mission to resurrect the dodo from extinction has just been given a boost thanks to a new partnership between Colossal Biosciences‚ a genetic engineering and de-extinction company‚ and the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation‚ a nonprofit conservation organization that works closely with the Mauritian government.The de-extinction of the dodo is one of the central interests of Colossal’s Avian Genomics Group. With the help of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation’s expertise in avian rescue and field monitoring‚ the project will now attempt to restore the dodo’s native habitats on the island of Mauritius off the east coast of Africa. After all‚ there’s no point reviving the species if it doesn’t have a suitable home.“Colossal’s de-extinction projects are only successful if the animals are rewilded and brought back to their natural habitat. We look forward to working with Mauritius to ensure this happens with the dodo‚” Matt James‚ Colossal’s Chief Animal Officer‚ said in a statement sent to IFLScience.Dodos fell into extinction in the 17th century when Europeans arrived in Mauritius during the age of colonization. As chilled-out‚ flightless birds that nested on the ground‚ the species became easy targets for hunters‚ as well as the predatory animals they introduced to the island like dogs‚ cats‚ pigs‚ rats‚ and crab-eating macaques. Their population quickly plummeted. The last confirmed sighting of a live dodo was in 1662‚ although statistical analysis suggests they held on as far as 1690. Either way‚ it’s near-certain there were no dodos left by the 1700s.                 Leading the mission to bring back the dodo is Dr Beth Shapiro‚ a Colossal Scientific Advisory Board member who was the first scientist to fully sequence the dodo’s genome. The team is currently working with the primordial germ cells of the Nicobar Pigeon‚ the closest living relative of the dodo‚ to build a reference genome. In tandem‚ they’re also developing genetically modified chickens to act as surrogates for the dodos.Speaking to IFLScience earlier this year‚ founder and CEO at Colossal Biosciences Ben Lamm explained how these are all fundamental step towards the de-extinction of a species.“First you need to look at‚ what is the closest phylogenetic relative? What is the animal that is still existing on the planet that’s the closest on the family tree?‚” Lamm told IFLScience. “You need to find the closest phylogenetic relative because you’ve got to find and build a reference genome‚ and you need tissue samples to do that.”               “Then‚ you’ve got to get tissue samples containing the ancient DNA of those extinct species. Ancient DNA is different from existing living DNA‚ because it’s massively fragmented. It’s not all exogenous‚ meaning that there are other microbes and living things that have contaminated it over time. So you get snippets of ancient DNA and then you basically piece them together‚” Lamm added.Physical remains of dodo birds are surprisingly rare to find – if you've ever been to a museum with a stuffed taxidermy dodo‚ there's a good chance it's not real. Fortunately‚ some tissues do exist. For instance‚ DNA extracted from a skull in the collection of the Natural History Museum of Denmark was used to piece together the whole genome by Dr Shapiro and her team. Just 500 or so pink pigeons are left in Mauritius.Image credit: Colossal BiosciencesExtinct creatures aren’t the only concern for Colossal. Their Avian Genomics Group is also investigating the genetic rescue of the pink pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri)‚ a vulnerable pigeon also endemic to Mauritius.Just 500 or so pink pigeons are left on Mauritius and the population is suffering from a severe lack of genetic diversity. Using historical samples of the birds and gene-editing techniques‚ Colossal aims to reinject the dwindling population with lost genetic diversity. If it works‚ perhaps the pink pigeons will be able to avoid the same fate as their dodo cousins.

Astronomers believe that the Chinese rocket that collided with the moon in 2022 was carrying something mysterious with it. New research reveals the mystery of the double crater and possible strange cargo. In February 2022‚ astronomers were able to take a closer look at the debris of a rocket that crashed into the far side of the Moon. This event attracted the attention of researchers‚ as initial assumptions turned out to be erroneous. Instead of a Falcon 9 stage from SpaceX‚ experts discovered that it was apparently a Chinese Chang’e 5-T1 rocket. The rocket‚ launched in 2014‚ was performing a test run for a future mission to collect some of the lunar regolith. However‚ according to the latest data‚ its mysterious cargo has become the object of new scientific research. Space debris researcher Bill Gray and his team have proposed a unique explanation for the formation of a double crater on the Moon. Apparently‚ the rocket was carrying something that caused it to behave strangely upon impact with the lunar surface. An image of the double crater taken by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University Study first author Tanner Campbell noted that objects in space are exposed to the gravitational forces of the Earth and Moon‚ as well as sunlight. The rocket was expected to wobble‚ but surprisingly it tumbled steadily. According to Campbell‚ “It was just somersaulting from end to end‚ in a very stable way.” Researchers speculate that this unusual could be an additional support structure or equipment placed on the rocket. However‚ despite the intriguing nature of this discovery‚ the essence of the mysterious cargo remains a mystery. Campbell said: “Obviously we have no idea what it could have been – perhaps some additional support structure‚ or additional equipment‚ or something else. We’ll probably never know.” The post Chinese rocket that crashed into the moon was carrying a mysterious cargo appeared first on Anomalien.com.

Scientists have identified an extraordinary and exceptionally high-energy particle making its way to Earth‚ sparking bewilderment due to its origin from an apparently empty region of space. Dubbed “Amaterasu” after the sun goddess in Japanese folklore‚ this particle ranks among the most energetic cosmic rays ever observed. Traditionally‚ only colossal cosmic phenomena‚ surpassing the magnitude of a star’s explosion‚ were believed capable of generating such intense particles. Yet‚ Amaterasu’s emergence appears linked to the Local Void‚ a desolate stretch adjoining the Milky Way galaxy. “You trace its trajectory to its source and there’s nothing high energy enough to have produced it‚” said Prof John Matthews‚ of the University of Utah and a co-author of the paper in the journal Science that describes the discovery. “That’s the mystery of this – what the heck is going on?” The Amaterasu particle has an energy exceeding 240 exa-electron volts (EeV)‚ millions of times more than particles produced in the Large Hadron Collider‚ the most powerful accelerator ever built‚ and equivalent to the energy of a golf ball travelling at 95mph. It comes only second to the Oh-My-God particle‚ another ultra-high-energy cosmic ray that came in at 320 EeV‚ detected in 1991. “Things that people think of as energetic‚ like supernova‚ are nowhere near energetic enough for this‚” said Matthews. “You need huge amounts of energy‚ really high magnetic fields‚ to confine the particle while it gets accelerated.” Toshihiro Fujii‚ an associate professor at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan‚ said: “When I first discovered this ultra-high-energy cosmic ray‚ I thought there must have been a mistake‚ as it showed an energy level unprecedented in the last three decades.” “These events seem like they’re coming from completely different places in the sky. It’s not like there’s one mysterious source‚” said Prof John Belz of the University of Utah and a co-author of the paper. “It could be defects in the structure of spacetime‚ colliding cosmic strings. I mean‚ I’m just spitballing crazy ideas that people are coming up with because there’s not a conventional explanation.” Extremely high-energy cosmic rays come from outside the Milky Way‚ but their exact sources are unknown. Most scientists think they are accelerated in violent cosmic environments‚ such as the jets of radiation that blast out of the areas around certain supermassive black holes‚ or starburst galaxies that form stars at a frenetic pace. Whatever their origins‚ the particles must come from the relatively nearby cosmic neighborhood. The post Powerful cosmic ray reached the Earth and it has mysterious origins appeared first on Anomalien.com.

The great Haley Strack at National Review wrote Tuesday that Zainab Chaundry‚ a member of Maryland’s Commission on Hate Crime Response who was appointed by Attorney General Anthony Brown (D)‚ has claimed that it’s “fake” news to say Hamas murdered Jewish babies during their barbaric terror attacks on October 7. Not surprisingly‚ Strack also found that Chaundry’s place of employment is the ultra-radical Council on America-Islamic Relations (CAIR) where she’s the head of its Maryland chapter. Strack explained some of Chaudry’s takes and how the group she’s a member of has the comical aim of “develop[ing] strategies to prevent and respond to hate crime activist and evaluate state laws: Commission spokeswoman Jennifer Donelan said that the group will “develop policies and protocols governing its work and the way in which its members engage on the issues that define its mission.” “We understand that there are many viewpoints regarding current events in the Middle East. The Commission will do its best to explore the impact of those events on our community‚ and to determine how best to address escalations in hate and bias incidents across the state‚” Donelan said. (….) [Chaundry] also accused Israel of teaching Jewish children to “normalize and celebrate Israel’s psychopathic cruelty and barbaric crimes‚” claimed that the 40 babies Hamas reportedly slaughtered at the Kfar Aza kibbutz were “fake Israeli babies‚” and called the thousands of Americans who attended Washington‚ D.C.’s March for Israel “genocide sympathizers.” Along with comparing Israel to Nazi Germany since Germany’s Brandenburg Gate posted Israeli flags in response to the October 7 attack‚ she characterized that fateful day as an “uprising” by “people who are illegally occupied” by an “evil and violent” Israel. Go read Strack’s full story‚ click here.

Before the Steam Deck OLED launched for all of us to get our PC gaming handheld loving hands-on‚ the variety of start-up movies on the Steam Points Store was fairly limited. A new set of animations based upon some of the best games to play on the go has since been added. However‚ the variety and quantity of options for the Valve handheld is still incredibly limited‚ despite the full range of possibilities. Continue reading The Steam Deck needs more startup movies MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card‚ Best gaming PC‚ Best SSD for gaming

Black Friday is here! And with it comes a horde of amazing hardware deals. One of the best offers we've spotted today is a massive discount on the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X. At just $139.99‚ this excellent mid-range CPU is less than half price‚ and very close to an all-time low. Continue reading Get this great AMD Ryzen processor super cheap for Black Friday MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ryzen 7 7800X3D review‚ Best gaming CPU‚ Radeon RX 7800 XT review

The launch of Counter-Strike 2 marked a new generation for Valve’s defining online shooter. From CS 1.6‚ through Counter-Strike Condition Zero‚ CS Source‚ and CSGO‚ the eternal bomb-based battle between terrorists and counter-terrorists has seen highs‚ lows‚ and middling in-betweens‚ but Counter-Strike 2 felt like an exciting new chapter. Two months later‚ as we near the end of 2023‚ the Counter-Strike player count is at its lowest for 2023. On average‚ fewer people are logging into CS than at any time this year. Continue reading Counter-Strike’s player count is the lowest it’s been all year MORE FROM PCGAMESN: CS2 crosshair‚ CS2 ranks‚ CS2 skins

What are the new Toilet Tower Defense codes? A sweeping success when it comes to on-trend releases on the Roblox platform‚ one of the best ways to keep up (or get started) in this massively popular TD game is to keep on top of the various codes that come and go. Awarding valuable coins and other items‚ they’re a great way to pull and upgrade the best units without spending a buck. Known to bring in over 100k visitors even on the quietest of mid-week mornings‚ this Roblox game is only second to a few others. If you want to check out the competition‚ Blade Ball codes can help you cut through the rabble‚ Blox Fruits codes can get you the Beli you need for powerful fruits‚ and Tower Defense X codes can jumpstart your efforts in the newest trendy TD game. Continue reading Toilet Tower Defense codes November 2023 – free coins and more MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games‚ Roblox promo codes‚ Roblox music codes

If you've ever wanted to give streaming a go‚ but feel overwhelmed by what hardware is best up for the job‚ MSI is giving away a streaming starter kit to help get you started. This giveaway gives you the opportunity to get your hands on some hardware MSI hardware‚ including an Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics card‚ or an MSI MAG 4K UHD gaming monitor‚ but you have to be quick to be in for a chance to win. Continue reading MSI is giving away an unreal streaming starter kit‚ if you’re lucky MORE FROM PCGAMESN: MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC review‚ MSI GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X Trio review‚ Best gaming motherboard