Watch a Swarm of Drone 'Lightning Bugs' Swirl Overhead

Researcher Rafaello D'Andrea demonstrates a tiny, twinkling drone that can fly in an intelligent swarm at a recent TED2016 conference. Credit: screenshot from TED 2016 video View full size image

A swarm of dazzling drones lit up the sky and swirled around in a twinkling, orchestrated dance at a TED2016 conference in February.

The drones, which weigh no more than a slice of bread, were just part of a menagerie of futuristic flyers whose "aim is to push the boundary of what can be achieved with autonomous flight," Raffaello D'Andrea, a professor of dynamic systems and controls at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, said in his talk.

The new cadre of autonomous flyers are poised to take flight for inspection, environmental monitoring, journalism, photography and film, not to mention commercial package delivery, he said. Advances in flying

Miniature flyers have come a long way since remote-controlled toy helicopters of yesteryear. Tiny flyers now have the ability to run autonomously, sense their location and even respond to external disturbances. For instance, several years ago, a fleet of autonomous flyers built a 20-foot-tall (6 meters) wall using 1,500 bricks at the FRAC Center in France, D'Andrea said.  Other drones tethered by ropes were able to spontaneously build tensile structures, he said.

But behind all these functions is the ability to localize the objects in space. Historically, researchers have relied on external cameras (or, in the older days, remote control) to help position the drones in space. Now, however, D'Andrea and his colleagues at Verity Studios have built an internal localization technology that does away with this equirement.

"There are no external cameras, each flying machine uses onboard sensors to determine its location in space and onboard computation to determine what its actions should be," D'Andrea said. "The only external commands are high-level ones such as 'takeoff' and 'land.'"

Futuristic flyers

The team has developed a fleet of strange flyers that completely redefine what a traditional plane should look like. For instance, their flattened tail sitter drones can fly forward and hover efficiently. Historically, one big gust of wind could completely disrupt traditional tail sitters. Using their new localization and stabilization technology, the team has developed tail sitters that can be thrown any which way and somehow recover their original position.

Another prototype, called the monospinner, aims to reduce the glitchiness associated with having many moving parts.

"Helicopters are affectionately known as machines with 1,000 moving parts, all conspiring to do you harm," D'Andrea said.

By contrast, the monospinner has just one moveable part, a propeller, yet can still fly almost anywhere in space.

Another flyer, called the omnicopter, is an exercise in redundancy. Each half wants to spin in opposite directions. That means that when assembled, omnicopter moves equally well in any direction.

The omnicopter is a move toward more reliable drones of the future, he said. If any part fails, whether it's a motor or a battery pack, or whether half of the drone is completely disabled, the handicapped omnicopter can still fly where it needs to go.

As the final exhibit, D'Andrea demonstrated a swarm of commercially available quadcopters outfitted with twinkling lights and the research team's localization technology. The swarm of about 20 drones took to the skies and circled around each other, twinkling on and off in a choreographed dance.

"Because each unit knows where it is in space and is self-controlled there is really no limit to their number," D'Andrea said.

Though the drones do have practical applications, that's not really the main draw for D'Andrea's work.

"It's a continual reminder of how magical and wonderful the universe is, that it allows creative, clever creatures to sculpt it in such spectacular ways. "The fact that this technology has such huge commercial and economic potential is just icing on the cake."
Author  Tia Ghose Follow Tia Ghose on Twitter andGoogle+

Sneezing Monkeys & 'Walking' Fish: Fascinating New Species Discovered

The recently discovered 'walking' snakehead fish can breathe air and survive for up to four days on land. Credit: © Henning Strack Hansen/Courtesy of WWF View full size image

A monkey that sneezes whenever it rains, a fish that can survive out of water for four days and a venomous pit viper that is as lovely to look at as a piece of jewelry: These are just a few of the hundreds of new species discovered over the past few years in the diverse but highly threatened region of the east Himalayas.

Between 2009 and 2014, scientists discovered a total of 211 new species in the region, which stretches from central Nepal in the west to Myanmar in the east and includes the kingdom of Bhutan, as well as parts of northeast India and southern Tibet. An average of 34 new plant and animal species have been discovered annually in the region for the past six years, according to a newly released report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

"I am excited that the region — home to a staggering number of species including some of the most charismatic fauna — continues to surprise the world with the nature and pace of species discovery," Ravi Singh, CEO of WWF-India and chair of the WWF Living Himalayas Initiative, said in a statement. [101 Animal Shots You'll Go Wild Over]

Charismatic fauna'

Among the most impressive new species included in the WWF's report is the sneezing monkey, which scientists nicknamed "Snubby." The unusual critter lives in a remote region in northern Myanmar, an area of rugged mountains and dense forests. Snubby has an upturned nose (hence its nickname) that has a tendency to collect rainwater, causing the black-and-white–hued monkey to sneeze when it rains. To avoid sneezing fits, the animals spend rainy days with their heads tucked between their knees, according to the WWF.

Northern Myanmar is also home to a tiny but terrifying new species of fish, Danionella dracula, which is the size of a minnow buthas pointy fangs jutting out from its jaws. Another strange fish from the eastern Himalayas is Channa andrao, a snakehead fish with some truly strange qualities. The vibrant blue fish can "walk" on land by wriggling around on its belly. The fish's ability to breath air means it can live on land for a few days before returning to its freshwater habitat.

This bejeweled Himalayan pit viper is very beautiful and also very venemous to humans.
Credit: © Liang Zhang/Courtesy of WWF

View full size image

The only new reptile discovered in the eastern Himalayas since 2009, the bejeweled lance-headed pit viper (Protobothrops himalayansus), is also something special. Even if you don't like snakes, it's hard to deny this venomous serpent's beauty. The reptile's striking, diamondlike pattern and red-brown coloration give the snake a bejeweled quality.

'At a crossroads'

All of these newly discovered species may sound like great news to anyone who appreciates biodiversity, but the WWF report also highlights the many threats facing the east Himalayas. Perhaps the most pressing is climate change, with the threat of habitat loss caused by deforestation, development and overgrazing not far behind.

Only 25 percent of the original habitats in the region remain intact, according to the WWF report, which found that rapid development has affected the vast majority of the region's lands.

"The eastern Himalayas is at a crossroads. Governments can decide whether to follow the current path towards fragile economies that do not fully account for environmental impacts, or take an alternative path towards greener, more sustainable economic development," Sami Tornikoski, leader of the WWF Living Himalayas Initiative, said in a statement.

In total, the Himalayas are home to an estimated 10,000 plant species and 300 mammal species. Nearly 1,000 different species of birds call the region home, along with hundreds of species of reptiles, amphibians and freshwater fish. In the new WWF report alone, more than 130 new species of plants were discovered in the area.

The challenge that organizations like the WWF face is to both conserve the species that scientists have already identified and protect a region that likely shelters even more creatures and plants waiting to be discovered.

Author》Elizabeth Palermo

Snakes Bite 1.5 Million People in Sub-Saharan Africa Yearly by

Snakebites are a significant burden in Sub-Saharan Africa. The ocellated carpet viper, shown above, is a common snake in the African savannah. A bite from this snake can cause hemorrhaging and death.

CREDIT: IRD / JF Trape

Snakebites are a significant public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa, yet the problem is neglected, researchers say.

As many as 1.5 million people in that region are bitten by snakes each year, according to a new study that analyzed three decades worth of surveys and medical reports. Previous studies were based on less reliable methods and may have underestimated the problem, the researchers said.

The majority of snakebites and deaths from these bites occur in rural areas, where access to health care services is limited, the researchers said.

The new findings are important because, without knowing the true size of the problem, and which areas are most affected, authorities cannot properly address the issue, said study researcher Jean-Philippe Chippaux, of the Institute of Research for Development (IRD) in Paris.

Currently there is only enough anti-venom(also called antivenin) available in the region to treat about 10 percent of snakebite cases. Pharmaceutical companies have been reluctant to manufacture anti-venom because they do not know how much to make or where to distribute it, Chippaux said.

The new findings may signal to these companies that there is a need for more anti-venom. Doctors in the region should also be trained to treat snake bites and administer anti-venom, Chippaux said.

Deadly snake bites

Some people are bitten by nonvenomous snakes and others by venomous snakes that don't inject venom. All told, about half of snake bites actually result in venom being injected into the victim. However, complications from these bites can severe or fatal. For instance, the ocellated carpet viper is common in the African savannahs, and has very potent venom that can cause hemorrhaging. Without treatment, up to 20 percent of victims will die and 5 percent will require amputations, Chippaux said.

Bites from cobras and mambas can also be deadly, because their venoms can cause paralysis of the muscles needed to breathe, leading to death from lack of oxygen within six hours.

Chippaux and colleagues reviewed about 100 articles and clinical reports published between 1970 and 2010. They found about 314,000 cases of poisonous snake bites are reported to health care systems each year.

However, many cases go unreported because people do not have easy access to health care centers, and may go to a traditional healer instead, so the researchers also looked at household surveys. They found the actual number of snakebites may be three to five times higher, or between 900,000 and 1.5 million.

About 95 percent of bites occurred in rural areas, such as on plantations. Agricultural workers are therefore particularly at risk for bites, the study said.

Reports from health care systems show that bites kill about 7,300 people and cause between 6,000 and 14,600 amputations each year, but based on the household surveys, the researchers said the actual numbers may be closer to 20,000 to 25,000 deaths and 30,000 amputations.

More antivenom doses

The number of doses of anti-venom available in Africa has dropped dramatically since the 1980s, from about 200,000 to less than 20,000.

The new analysis indicated about 500,000 doses are needed each year.

Chippaux said he hopes the new findings will convince political, economical and health authorities to pay attention to the problem, and understand that it is not impossible to fix.

"Now we know the problem — we have solutions," Chippaux said.

The researchers announced their findings on Friday (Sept. 9); the study was published in the March issue of the journal Toxicon.

Pass it on: Snakebites cause significant morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, yet only 10 percent of victims are treated.

Published by Rachael Rettner

This story was provided byMyHealthNewsDaily

Facts about vipers

The ruby-eyed green pit viper (Trimeresurus rubeus) was discovered in Vietnam in 2011.
Credit: © Peter Paul van Dijk / Darwin Initiative


Vipers are a large family of snakes; the scientific name is Viperidae. They are found all over the world, with the exceptions of Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar, north of the Arctic Circle and island clusters such as Hawaii.
The family Viperidae includes adders, pit vipers (like rattlesnakes, cottonmouths andcopperheads), the Gaboon viper, green vipers and horned vipers.

All vipers are venomous and have long, hinged fangs. "Generally more venomous vipers are in tropical areas, particularly South America and Africa," said Alan Savitzky, a professor of biological sciences at Utah State University specializing in the biology of snakes. Vipers found in colder, northern climates, such as the black or European adder have more moderate venom

Physical characteristics

Vipers range widely in size, though are generally stocky with short tails. One of the world’s smallest vipers is the Mao-Lan pit viper (Protobothrops maolanensis), which was discovered in China in 2011. They are less than 2 feet (61 centimeters) long, according to National Geographic. The longest viper — and the longest venomous snake in the Americas — is the South American Bushmaster (Lachesis muta), which grows to more than 11 feet (335 cm), according to the University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web (ADW).
Almost all vipers have a distinctive triangular head, according to Discover magazine. This head shape is due to the placement of their large venom glands in the mouth. Some nonvenomous species have evolved a similarly shaped head in order to potentially trick predators into thinking they are vipers. Additionally, most vipers have keeled scales, vertically elliptical pupils and coloring and patterns that serve as camouflage.
Fangs
Vipers are known for their extreme fangs, which are long, hollow, hinged and rotatable, according to an article in the journal Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. These fangs connect to venom glands located behind the eyes at the back upper part of the jaw. Venom travels down through the follow teeth to be injected into prey as the viper bites.
Vipers can rotate their fangs together or independently, which allows them to wait until the last second to erect their fangs. Their mouths can open nearly 180 degrees so the ability to rotate their fangs within that space is an advantage. When not in use, vipers’ hinged fangs fold up and lie against the roof of the snake’s mouth. This allows their fangs to grow relatively long, according to Andrew Solway, author of "Deadly Snakes" (Heinemann-Raintree, 2005).
Vipers can extend their fangs and bite without injecting venom. This is known as a dry bite and is common in human snakebites. Dry bites enable vipers to conserve their previous venom, which can run out and takes a while to replenish, according to an article in the journal Tropical and Geographical Medicine.

Habitat

Vipers' habitats vary across their nearly worldwide range. They live in mountains, rainforests, fields and deserts.

Behavioral, hunting and feeding habits

Generally, vipers are nocturnal. They often appear sluggish compared to other snakes, according to Nicolae Sfetcu, author of "Reptiles: Crocodiles, Alligators, Lizards, Snakes, Turtles" (Lulu Press, 2011). This is because many vipers rely on their camouflage for protection rather than their ability to move quickly. They are more inclined to blend in with the surrounding brush, rocks or ground cover when being approached by a predator than to slither away.
Nevertheless, vipers have a speedy strike. For example, Africa's puff adder can strike at a speed of a quarter of a second, according to Perry's Bridge Reptile Park in South Africa.
Their perceived sluggishness impacts their hunting tactics. "Most vipers are ambush predators," said Savitzky. "They detect where prey is most likely to be chemically and just wait. Because they're not expending a lot of energy, low resting metabolic rate, and eat large things, they can afford to do that."
Vipers eat a variety of food depending on the size of the snake. Prey includes small mammals, birds, lizards and eggs, according to Savitzky. When their prey is dead, they swallow it whole.
Vipers engage in a hunting activity called prey relocation, according to an article inBMC Biology journal. This means that once they have identified their prey, they strike it and inject venom. They then immediately release the prey so that it cannot bite back. The bitten prey wanders off, dies and the viper uses its sense of smell to find it.

Bite

The severity of a viper bite depends on the species and if it was a wet or dry bite, which contains no venom. Savitzky pointed out that European vipers (adders) have relatively moderate venom that is not highly lethal, while Gaboon vipers, which are found in sub-Saharan Africa, have highly potent venom.
"Vipers in general tend to have enzymetic venom that affects general tissues," Savitzky said. It causes intense swelling, pain and necrosis, which is cell death and decay. It also functions as an anticoagulant. Death usually occurs from a dramatic collapse in blood pressure. All viper bites should be treated seriously and medical attention should be paid.
In addition to killing prey and injuring predators, viper venom helps vipers digest their food, according to Sfetcu. Since they swallow their prey whole, digesting it is a big job not helped by vipers' generally inefficient digestive systems. The venom breaks down lipids, acids and proteins in the prey during the digestive process.

Reproduction

Most vipers are ovoviviparous, Savitzky said. That means the eggs are fertilized and incubate inside the mother and she gives birth to live young. "But," he added, "That is not true of some basal Asian pit vipers. And all New World pit vipers but one have live birth. That one is the Bushmaster viper and it has re-evolved egg laying."
Vipers' mating season, activities and egg incubation time depends on the species.

Taxonomy/classification

According to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), there are more than 200 species of viper. The taxonomy of vipers is:
Kingdom: Animalia
Subkingdom: Bilateria
Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclass: Tetrapoda
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Infraorder: Alethinophidia
Family: Viperidae
Subfamilies:

• Azemiopinae (1 genus — Azemiops)
• Causinae (1 genus — Causus)
• Crotalinae (pit vipers; 18 genera)
• Viperinae (12 genera)

Types of vipers

The following are descriptions of some particularly fascinating vipers.
Gaboon viper
(Bitis gabonica)
Gaboon vipers are the largest vipers in the world, reaching lengths of up to 7 feet (213 cm) and more than 22 lbs. (10 kilograms), according to the ADW. Females are significantly longer than males. Though the South American Bushmaster is longer, the Gaboon viper is heavier. Savitzky noted that Gaboon vipers are of the adder lineage, so referring to them as Gaboon adders is also correct. They live throughout sub-Saharan Africa in rainforests and other tropical areas. They spend most of their time lying in wait among leaf litter.
Gaboon vipers' real claims to fame are their extraordinary long fangs — the longest of any snake, said Savitzky. Gaboon vipers' fangs can be up to 2 inches (5 cm) long. They also have potent venom. They mostly eat small mammals, birds and amphibians, but have been recorded eating small antelopes and giant rats, according to the ADW.
Pit vipers
Pit vipers are a subfamily (Crotalinae) of vipers. There are about 190 species, according to ITIS. Pit vipers are found throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. All vipers in the Americas are pit vipers, according to The University of Pittsburgh. "Pit vipers apparently have their basal species in Asia and then a lot of radiation in the New World," said Savitzky.
"They are all distinguished by the presence of the pit organ on either side of the face," he continued. "These are infrared receptors. They detect heat energy. Pit vipers see the world in a combination of heat and light. The receptors detect warm blooded prey but also can detect cold blooded prey, though they're more responsive to warm."
Some species of pit vipers include rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, copperheads, lanceheads and bushmasters.
Green vipers
Several types of snakes are referred to as green vipers due to their coloring. They include the Chinese green viper (Trimeresurus stejnegeri), the green night adder (Causus resimus), the Great Lakes bush viper (Atheris nitschei) and the newly discovered ruby-eyed green pit viper(Cryptelytrops rubeus). These are all Old World snakes, found in Africa and Asia.
Probably the most famous of the green vipers is Trimeresurus albolabris, also called green pit viper or white-lipped viper. They are found in Southeast Asia, India and southern China, according to The University of Adelaide's Clinical Toxinology Resources. These vibrant vipers are a bright Kelly green and have vivid yellow eyes. Their jaws are white or yellow, presumably giving rise to their white-lipped name. Males have a narrow white stripe running down the sides of their bodies

Like other pit vipers, copperhead snakes

 give birth to live young.

Credit: Matt JeppsonHorned vipers

 Horned Vipers 

several types of snakes are referred to as horned vipers due to the presence of horn-shaped scales on their faces. They include the Saharan horned viper or desert horned viper (Cerastes cerastes), the Arabian horned viper or Middle Eastern horned viper (Cerastes gasperettii), the horned puff adder (Bitis caudalis) and the nose-horned viper (Vipera ammodytes), which has a horn at the top of its nose. The other species have a horn over each eye. 

All horned vipers live in Africa and the Middle East but the nose-horned viper, which are found in Europe and Asia. A new species, named Matilda's horned viper(Atheris matildae) was discovered in Tanzania in 2012. [Photos: Vivid Images of New Snake Species]

The horns are made of single or multiple scales, depending on the species, according to the ADW. Not all horned vipers have horns; sometimes the same clutch of eggs will yield animals with and without horns. The horns can bend back to be flat against the head, which is useful when the snake is going down a burrow. 

The purpose of horns is uncertain. Some scientists speculate that horns break up the outline of the animal, making it more difficult for predators to see. Others speculate that the horns may help protect the snake's eyes from sand in some way. This would explain why snakes with horns over their eyes are found in deserts.

Eyelash pit viper
(Bothriechis schlegelii)

Called both the eyelash pit viper and eyelash palm pit viper, these small snakes are found in Central America and northern South America. They are named for the bristly scales above their eyes, which resemble eyelashes or hoods. They are also distinguishable by their bright coloration and appear in vibrant yellows or greens (the most common coloration), pinks, purples, silver, dark gray or brown, according to the ADW. Their coloring is camouflage and allows them to blend in with banana bunches or flowers. 

They average around 2 feet (61 cm) in length and are one of the smallest poisonous snakes in their range. They are largely arboreal. 

The purpose of the eyelashes is unknown, according to the ADW. Some scientists have suggested they protect the vipers' eyes as they move through thick vegetation. 

Endangerment status

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 57 species of viper are considered near threatened, conservation-dependent, vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered, extinct or extinct in the wild. Some of the rarest vipers are the golden lancehead (Bothrops insularis), which is found only on a small island off the coast of Brazil, and the Santa Catalina rattlesnake, which is found only on Santa Catalina Island in the Gulf of California in Mexico. According to IUCN, this snake has declined principally due to overcollecting.
AuthorJessie Szalay

Mummified Sailor Found on Ghost Vessel

A mummified sailor seated at a desk.
Credit: Barobo Police Station

A mummified sailor has been found floating aboard a ghost yacht which could have drifted for years in the Pacific Ocean, according to a Philippine police report.

The naturally mummified body of German adventurer Manfred Fritz Bajorat, 59, was found by two fishermen who spotted a battered vessel in the Philippine Sea about 60 miles from Barabo.

"A white yacht floating with a destroyed sail prompted them to enter the boat to verify further," the Barobo Police Station said in a Facebook post.As they got into the yacht, the fishermen made a gruesome discovery. Still stitting at a desk, slumped over on his right arm, was the mummified body of a man. A transmitter handset was just inches away, as if he had tried to make a desperate emergency call.

The fishermen decided to tow the 40-foot yacht, called Sayo, to shore, where police officers began their investigation.

Photographs on board the yacht helped the police identify the corpse as that of Manfred Fritz Bajorat, an experienced mariner who had been sailing for the past 20 years.Certificates found on the vessel revealed Bajorat and his wife Claudia crossed the equator aboard another ship, the Hyundai Renaissance in 2008.

In that year, however, the couple split. Bajorat continued his round-the-world sail alone; Claudia died from cancer in 2010.

The mummy is estimated to be between one year and seven years old. It’s yet unknown how long the dead mariner had been sailing on his yacht: sightings of him have not been reported since 2009.

He was a very experienced sailor. I don’t believe he would have sailed into a storm. I believe the mast broke after Manfred was already dead," he told Bild.

Forensic examiners said natural mummification occurred because dry ocean winds, hot temperatures and salty air helped preserve the body. Post-mortem examination found no evidence of foul play, so it is believed Bajorat had died of natural causes.

The final position in which the body was mummified suggests Bajorat possibly succumbed to a heart attack.

German officials are trying to trace any relatives in the hope they can help reconstruct the circumstances and time of death.

A yachtsman told the German magazine Bild that he met Bajorat in Mallorca in 2009.

author  Rossella Lorenzi

Ancient Burial Ground with 100 Tombs Found Near Biblical Bethlehem

The opening to two of the tombs at the Khalet al-Jam'a necropolis near the town of Bethlehem.
Credit: ®ROSAPAJ - Sapienza University Rome,

An ancient necropolis that once held more than 100 tombs from as far back as 4,000 years ago has been discovered near the Palestinian town of Bethlehem in the West Bank.

The burial ground was discovered in spring 2013 during the construction of an industrial park. In 2014 a team from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Palestine excavated some of the tombs, and in 2015 a joint Italian-Palestinian team surveyed the necropolis and created a plan for future exploration. The archaeologists found that the necropolis covered 3 hectares (more than 7 acres) and originally contained more than 100 tombs in use between roughly 2200 B.C. and 650 B.C.

Located on the side of a hill, the archaeological site — now called Khalet al-Jam'a — was likely a burial ground for a nearby settlement whose location is unknown.The site's "long-lasting utilization, over a millennium and a half or more, and the large number of tombs, suggest that Khalet al-Jam'a was the necropolis of a major settlement in the area, possibly a town," Lorenzo Nigro, professor at Sapienza University of Rome, wrote in an article published recently in the journal Vicino Oriente.Nigro said that finds from the necropolis indicate that the settlement was a wealthy place, with access to trade routes. Ancient texts refer to a "Beth-Lehem" that flourished in the area.

"Typical pieces of the burial sets are finely executed carinated bowls, small shouldered jars/bowls with everted rim[s], one-spouted lamps, huge and well-refined Canaanite jars with two or four handles, as well as bronze daggers and spearheads," Nigro wrote.Ancient finds

Though the necropolis has been partly destroyed by looting and construction, the archaeologists were able to identify at least 30 tombs. "The necropolis of Khalet al-Jam'a is mainly characterized by shaft tombs with single or multiple rock-cut chambers," the team wrote in another paper published in Vicino Oriente, noting that the builders enlarged and renovated natural cavities on the hillside.In one tomb, the remains of a man, woman and child were found buried with two bronze daggers and a variety of ceramics, including twin vases attached together. Archaeologists found that the tomb dated to the Middle Bronze Age, more than 3,500 years ago.

Another tomb at Khalet al-Jam'a contained a nearly complete male skeleton buried with a ceramic lamp that had four sides folded into spouts. Archaeologists said this particular tomb may date to an earlier point in the Bronze Age more than 4,000 years ago.

Another intriguing tomb contained two Egyptian-like amulets, known as scarabs, which were mounted on rings made of bronze or gold. It’s possible that, rather than being imported from Egypt, the scarabs were made locally.

The scarabs date to the 13th dynasty of Egypt (1802 B.C. to 1640 B.C.), Nigro said. One of the scarabs contains a series of circular decorations, while the other has swirling designs and what appears to be hieroglyphic writing. Two of the hieroglyphic symbols are written within an oval circle known as a cartouche. The Egyptians often wrote royal names in cartouches, and archaeologists are studying the scarabs for these types of details.

Egyptian scarabs have been found at many other sites in the eastern Mediterranean. Ancient records say the Egyptians were very active in the region, trading for goods and, at times, conquering territory.

Ancient crisis?

The necropolis stopped being used around 650 B.C., Nigro wrote, adding that the name Bethlehem stopped appearing in ancient documents for several centuries until reappearing around the time of Christ.

"It seems that the town suffered a crisis," Nigro wrote. What exactly happened in Bethlehem around 650 B.C. is unclear. However, Nigro noted that around this time, the Assyrian and Babylonian empires launched a series of military campaigns in which they captured land in the region. Stories of these campaigns were told in biblical literature.

author> Owen Jarus

Beware Herbal Meds: Understudied Drugs Pose Risks, Docs Say

Credit: foodonwhite | Shutterstoc

Herbal medications are often marketed as natural and safe compared to pharmaceutical drugs. But researchers warned today that herbal meds are typically under-researched and under-regulated.

And side effects from some herbal medications can be just as serious as the side effects from medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said Graziano Onder, a geriatrician at Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, Italy, who co-authored a new patient guide to alternative medicines, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"Differently from 'conventional' medications, these medications are not tested in clinical studies," Onder wrote in an email to Live Science. "For this reason, clear knowledge on their efficacy and risks is lacking." [10 Medical Myths That Won't Go Away]

Herbal unknowns

In the United States, herbal supplements are regulated for quality standards, though there are questions as to how effective those regulations are. In February 2015, the New York attorney general released the results of a DNA investigation, which found that 80 percent of supplements tested did not contain the ingredients on the label. Some researchers dispute the testing used, but there is widespread agreement that quality control in the supplement business is lacking.

Efficacy testing, however, is not required at all, because supplements are exempt from the need to get FDA approval. High-quality research is rare, Onder and his colleague Rosa Liperoti, also of Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, wrote in JAMA, and few studies have shown benefits from herbal medications.

"Limited data support the use of cranberry for the prevention of recurrent urinary tract infections in women, but this evidence is not definitive, and more research is needed to confirm this effect," Onder said. "The efficacy of other commonly used herbal medications has not been proven."

Some unproven treatments include St John's wort for depression, echinacea for colds, ginseng and ginkgo biloba for cognitive performance and garlic for improving cardiovascular health.

Weighing the risk

Meanwhile, the risks of some herbal medications can be severe. The kava kava root, meant to calm anxiety and promote sleep, has caused liver damage in some people, Onder said. Other side effects of herbal medications can include allergies, anaphylactic shock, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and even seizures.

Herbal medications can also interfere with conventional medications that patients may be taking. Ginkgo biloba, for example, can increase the risk of bleeding if taken with a blood thinner like warfarin, or even aspirin.

Consumers often believe that natural means "healthy and safe," Onder said, but this is not true.

Protecting yourself

Onder and Liperoti recommended talking to a doctor before taking herbal medications, and making sure your doctor knows of any supplements you are using. All side effects should be reported to your physician, the authors wrote. Consumers can also report possible herbal medication side effects through the U.S. Safety Reporting Portal atwww.safetyreporting.hhs.gov.

Pregnant and nursing women should not use herbal medications, because these supplements have not been tested in this population, the researchers said. Nor should children use herbal medications, the researchers wrote, because of a similar lack of testing. Age and health can influence the risk involved in taking herbal medications; older adults' bodies, for example, might be less able to eliminate supplements, which could lead to ingredients building up in the body, the researchers wrote.

While the FDA regulates herbal medications at a lower standard than it uses for conventional drugs, the European version of the agency (the European Medicines Agency) is taking steps to give consumers more information, Onder said. The Committee for Herbal Medicinal Products, established in 2004, is working to draft a list of herbal supplements that are not harmful under normal use.

author  Stephanie Pappas

5D Black Holes Could Break Relativity

  

This artist's concept shows a black hole's surroundings, including its accretion disk, jet and magnetic field.

Credit: ESO/L. Calçada

Ring-shaped, five-dimensional black holes could break Einstein's theory of general relativity, new research suggests.

There's a catch, of course. These 5D "black rings" don't exist, as far as anyone can tell. Instead, the new theoretical model may point out one reason why we live in a four-dimensional universe: Any other option could be a hot mess.

"Here we may have a first glimpse that four space-time dimensions is a very, very good choice, because otherwise, something pretty bad happens in the universe," said Ulrich Sperhake, a theoretical physicist at the University of Cambridge in England.

Doomed from the start

From the beginning, Einstein's theory of general relativity, which describes how matter warps space-time, predicted its own demise. That demise came in the form of singularities, or infinitely curved portions of space-time in which the laws of physics break down, said study co-author Markus Kunesch, an applied mathematics and theoretical physics doctoral candidate at the University of Cambridge.

But in a kind of lucky save, Einstein's theory predicts these singularities exist only behind the event horizons of black holes, from which no matter can escape.

"Even though you have a singularity, it's pretty nicely contained in a high-security lunatic asylum, and it cannot affect anything on the outside," Sperhake, who was not involved in the current study, told Live Science. "This means that general relativity is still perfectly able to explain the entire evolution of the entire universe outside this tiny singularity."

The notion of safely contained singularities, dubbed the cosmic censorship theorem, has held up everywhere in the universe where people have looked.

Naked black holes

But Kunesch and fellow University of Cambridge researchers Pau Figueras and Saran Tunyasuvunakool wanted to probe the limits of the cosmic censorship theorem. They took a look at bizarre proposed black holes that researchers had dreamed up about 15 years ago.

In the past, researchers had proposed a mathematical description of these black rings. However, no one had been able to simulate how they would behave under general relativity. It turned out that, in five dimensions, "naked singularities" would be sitting outside black holes, the team reported in a study published Feb. 18 in the journal Physical Review Letters. That, in turn, would imply that Einstein's theory of relativity would completely break down throughout the universe, not just in black holes.

That doesn't mean Einstein's theory is wrong. Relativity has passed every single test it's faced.

"It is an incredibly amazing theory. It has predicted a lot of new things," Kunesch told Live Science. (Physicists recently discovered one of the last remaining predictions of relativity when they detected gravitational waves formed from the smashup of two black holes 1.3 billion years ago.)

For one, it's extremely unlikely that these relativity-breaking black holes exist. For that to be true, there would have to be extra dimensions. While some theories, such as string theory, do predict the existence of 11 or even 27 extra dimensions, these higher dimensions would be teensy, rolled-up specks — far different from the vanilla, ordinary-size dimensions that we live in, and that black rings were conceived in, Sperhake said. [5 Reasons We May Live in a Multiverse]

The Goldilocks of universes

The findings add to the notion that the universe occupies a sweet spot in terms of its physical properties, Sperhake said. If the gravity had been stronger, our universe would have collapsed soon after the Big Bang. If the gravity had been weaker, no stars could have formed. If the electromagnetism had been slightly different, the chemistry would have gone wonky, Sperhake said. Now, it seems as if the number of dimensions of space-time should be added to the list: If there were any more, the future behavior of the universe couldn't be predicted, at least not by Einstein's theory, he said.

The new results also shine a light in some of the dark, unexplored nooks and crannies of Einstein's groundbreaking theory, Kunesch said.

"It's quite remarkable that, more than 100 years after Einstein's theory was written down, we still don't fully understand what solutions to Einstein's equations look like," Kunesch said. "We still need to establish whether it is completely consistent theoretically. There are still lots of open questions, both on the theoretical level but also on the more experimental level."

AUTHOR> Tia Ghose