{"id":15404,"date":"2024-02-12T00:46:26","date_gmt":"2024-02-12T00:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/12\/a-philosophers-words-emerge-from-charred-ancient-scrolls\/"},"modified":"2024-02-12T00:46:26","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T00:46:26","slug":"a-philosophers-words-emerge-from-charred-ancient-scrolls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/12\/a-philosophers-words-emerge-from-charred-ancient-scrolls\/","title":{"rendered":"A philosopher\u2019s words emerge from charred, ancient scrolls"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

When Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago, volcanic debris buried Pompeii and created a city forever frozen in time. <\/p>\n

Researchers consider the doomed metropolis to be one of the world\u2019s most poignant archaeological sites. <\/p>\n

Pompeii\u2019s well-preserved expanse holds a multitude of finds that continue to surprise archaeologists as they unearth more of the lost city. <\/p>\n

Intact items such as chariots, frescoes and even graffiti have\u00a0shed light on what ancient Roman life was like\u00a0in the prosperous resort before the cataclysmic event \u2014 and provided evidence of when the eruption occurred. <\/p>\n

And now, researchers investigating artifacts from the neighboring city of Herculaneum are using new technology to peek beneath Vesuvius\u2019 blanket of ash and mud to uncover more of history\u2019s best kept secrets. <\/p>\n

The wonder<\/h3>\n

Artificial intelligence has revealed the first nearly complete passages to be decoded from the charred, brittle Herculaneum scrolls. <\/p>\n

The hundreds of burnt papyrus scrolls, which managed to survive Vesuvius\u2019 eruption inside what experts believe was likely the house of Julius Caesar\u2019s father-in-law, appear as though they could crumble at any moment. <\/p>\n

But technological advances are making it possible to\u00a0virtually unwrap the scrolls for the first time\u00a0since AD 79, allowing papyrologists to translate the words of the philosopher Philodemus. <\/p>\n

\u201c(In these passages) he\u2019s persuading the people who are listening to him to sort of relax, find good friendships, spend your time living in the moment and enjoying pleasures,\u201d said Roger Macfarlane, a professor of classical studies at Brigham Young University. <\/p>\n

Ocean secrets<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s known as the most dangerous and terrifying part of the ocean. <\/p>\n

The Drake Passage, spanning 600 miles (965 kilometers) wide, is squeezed between South America and Antarctica. <\/p>\n

Landmasses help to slow storms that gather strength across oceans. But there is nothing to stop\u00a0screaming winds, towering waves and the world\u2019s strongest storms\u00a0that whip up in the deep waters of the Drake. <\/p>\n

The marine region\u2019s underwater mountains intrigue scientists, and it\u2019s a crossing that ship captains ferrying tourists must make \u2014 and they do it with a healthy dose of fear. <\/p>\n

Fantastic creatures<\/h3>\n

A serene image of a polar bear napping on an iceberg off Norway\u2019s Svalbard archipelago has received the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People\u2019s Choice Award. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhilst climate change is the biggest challenge we face, I hope that this photograph also inspires hope; there is still time to fix the mess we have caused,\u201d said British amateur photographer Nima Sarikhani, who took the image. <\/p>\n

The winning photo will be on display until June 30 at London\u2019s Natural History Museum, along with finalist images showcasing a sweet moment of lion parenting and\u00a0glowing moon jellyfish beneath the northern lights. <\/p>\n

Curiosities<\/h3>\n

Australian scientists have discovered an unlikely ally in their quest to track endangered species: spiders. <\/p>\n

Not only do the fine webs spun by the eight-legged critters trap prey such as flies, the silken structures also are capturing environmental DNA. <\/p>\n

When researchers collected spiderwebs from Western Australia\u2019s Perth Zoo and the Karakamia woodland sanctuary, they were able to identify genetic material from 93 animals. <\/p>\n

\u201cWith only trace amounts of DNA needed to identify animals, this cheap and non-invasive method could be a game-changer in how we explore and protect our terrestrial biodiversity,\u201d said Joshua Newton, a doctoral student at Curtin University\u2019s School of Molecular and Life Sciences. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a new finding could explain why insects cluster beneath bright artificial lights at night \u2014 and it\u2019s\u00a0not because they\u2019re drawn to the glow\u00a0like \u201cmoths to a flame.\u201d <\/p>\n

Other worlds<\/h3>\n

Mimas, one of Saturn\u2019s tiniest moons, is known for a giant crater that gives the satellite an uncanny resemblance to the Death Star from the \u201cStar Wars\u201d films. <\/p>\n

Now, astronomers think the cratered chunk of ice orbiting Saturn has a deep secret:\u00a0a hidden ocean. <\/p>\n

An international team of researchers analyzed data collected from NASA\u2019s Cassini mission and noticed that Mimas\u2019 spin and orbital motion have changed over time likely due to the presence of a global ocean beneath its icy crust. <\/p>\n

The study team was surprised to discover that the ocean is relatively young, astronomically speaking, at only 5 million to 15 million years old. Mimas could change the way scientists understand ocean worlds across our solar system, which may harbor life beyond Earth. <\/p>\n

Explorations<\/h3>\n

Share these fascinating reads with your friends: <\/p>\n

\u2014 Archaeologists unearthed an ancient burial site, including\u00a0a rare wooden bed used in a Roman funeral, during excavations in the heart of London. <\/p>\n

\u2014 The PACE mission launched this week to study the\u00a0\u201cinvisible universe\u201d of Earth\u2019s microscopic marine life\u00a0and atmospheric particles from space. <\/p>\n

\u2014 A \u201csuper-Earth\u201d\u2014 plus evidence of a second Earth-size planet \u2014 has been spotted orbiting in the habitable zone of a star 137 light-years away. <\/p>\n

\u2014 Researchers found a fresh clue that sheds light on how microscopic tardigrades, also called water bears, are able to\u00a0survive in some of Earth\u2019s most challenging environments. <\/p>\n

\u2014 Curious about what April\u2019s total solar eclipse will look like in your city?\u00a0Check out our interactive map\u00a0to see how much of the sun\u2019s face will be blocked, based on your location. <\/p>\n\n

This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago, volcanic debris buried Pompeii and created a city forever frozen in time. Researchers consider the doomed metropolis to be one of the world\u2019s most poignant archaeological sites. Pompeii\u2019s well-preserved expanse holds a multitude of finds that continue to surprise archaeologists as they unearth more of the lost <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":15405,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-15404","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}