How diamond fails under extreme electrical fields

A research team from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences has revealed the failure mechanism of diamond under extreme electrical fields through in situ experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. The study, published in Cell Reports Physical Science, provides critical insights for the design of robust diamond devices.

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3D particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate first true steady state in turbulent plasma

Plasma is a state of matter that emerges when a gas is heated to sufficiently high temperatures, prompting some electrons to become free from atoms. This state of matter has been the focus of many astrophysical studies, as predictions suggest that it would be found in the proximity of various cosmological objects, including pulsars and black holes.

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Preserving particle physics data ensures future discoveries from collider experiments

A lot of the science from our accelerators is published long after collisions end, so storing experimental data for future physicists is crucial.

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Wife of Weezer band member who fired shots at LAPD officers avoids jail time, enters mental health program

Jillian Lauren was charged with assault and negligent discharge after the incident; if she follows the terms of her diversion program for two years, all charges will be dropped

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Ex-S.C. sheriff pleads guilty to stealing from police fund

Former Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright pocketed $28,000 from the fund reserved for deputies facing financial difficulties and took painkillers from a drug take-back program

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Nearly half of Miss. police force, including chief, leaves department over officer safety concerns

“I’ve been shot at in the city. I still have a bullet hole in my car. We respond alone to calls that no officer should respond to alone,” one of the departing Moss Point officers said

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People claim this 1860 ‘time travel’ painting seems to show a woman holding a ‘smartphone’

In fact, it’s not a smartphone, its just evidence how we interpret art differently in today’s modern society.

When you look at the painting it immediately strikes you: A woman staring at a smartphone while walking, a scene not too unfamiliar with today’s way of life. However, despite the fact that many people would find that this scene shows what seems to be a smartphone, the truth is that this is ONLY evidence of how technology changes our interpretation of art.

And no, it is not time travel, and she’s not holding a smartphone, I mean, after all, reception in 1860 would have been a pain in the ass, right? 

How many of us have walked along the street, firmly grasping our precious piece of technology while sending texts or watching YouTube videos?

The scene depicted in this 19th-century Waldmuller painting seems to show the exact same thing, but… smartphones didn’t exist in 1980, did they?

The truth is no, they did not, but as noted by retired Glasgow local government officer Peter Russell who spotted the scene at the Neue Pinakothek museum in Munich:

“What strikes me most is how much a change in technology has changed the interpretation of the painting, and in a way, has leveraged its entire context. The big change is that in 1850 or 1860, every single viewer would have identified the item that the girl is absorbed in as a hymnal or prayer book. Today, no one could fail to see the resemblance to the scene of a teenage girl absorbed in social media on their smartphone.”

Die Erwartete 1860
A painting called ‘Die Erwartete’ or the Expected, by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The painting is believed to have been created sometime between 1850—1890 by Austrian artist Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller.

It’s called ‘The Expected One’ and shows a woman walking down a rocky path towards a kneeling man, with a flower in his hand, ‘expecting’ the young woman.

The young lady is illustrated firmly grasping a small rectangular object—strikingly similar to a modern-day smartphone.

Close up of the paiting Die Erwartete
A close-up of the painting.

However, despite the fact that some may find a similarity between the object held by the young woman and a modern-day smartphone, the truth is that it isn’t a technological gadget but rather a hymnbook.

The painting is evidence that today’s society, which is engulfed by technological gadgets sees art in a different way than people 20, 30 or 50 years ago.

Had you shown this scene to someone 50 years ago, you would have never obtained an answer saying: “oh look that must be some sort of futuristic artifact…”, but rather; “…she’s holding a hymnbook or a bible…”
Technology changes people, and apparently, it also changes our interpretation of art.

This isn’t the first time we’ve gotten confused when looking at ancient paintings. Not long ago, we wrote about a painting depicting a scene from the 17th century, where a Native American man is portrayed holding in his hand a device that according to many is eerily similar to a modern-day Smartphone.

Speaking about the alleged smartphone in the painting in an interview with Motherboard, Dr. Margaret Bruchac from the University of Pennsylvania told said: “It does bear a rather uncanny resemblance, both in the way, it’s being held and the way it focuses his attention, to a smartphone.”

However, Dr. Bruchac explained how instead of being an actual smartphone, the object is more likely to have been an iron blade, saying that the painting was a ‘romanticized artistic genre’ which made it hard to tell.


Source: Motherboard

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Experts find ‘secret passageway to an underground cave’ beneath Mexican Pyramid

Archaeologists have made an incredible discovery after revealing a ‘secret’ passageway located beneath the ancient pyramid of Kukulkan in the ancient city of Chichen Itza in Mexico.

The Mayan pyramid located in Chichen Itza is one of the most visited sites in modern-day Mexico.

Erected more than a thousand years ago, the stunning structure built by the long-lost civilization has been the subject of debate among experts, who have revealed a number of secrets hiding in the Pyramids interior.

Now, experts have found what appears to be a secret passageway leading to an underground chamber, or cave, filled with water beneath the ‘El Castillo’ Pyramid at Chichen Itza.

The cave, according to experts, is a cenote (a kind of flooded hole) that leads to the temple and could reveal the “sacred geography” of the place.

The theory is that there is a system of underground sumps interconnected around the pyramid at its cardinal points.

Chichen Itza the Pyramid of El Castillo
The Pyramid of El Castillo holds many secrets. Image Credit: Shutterstock

The discovery was made by a team led by underwater archaeologist Guillermo de Anda, who used advanced imaging techniques, like ground penetrating lidar—a form of radar, to send electromagnetic signals through the walls and other architectural elements of the pyramid and its surroundings—and make a 3D model of the structures that make up the subsoil around the pyramid.

However, although there is certainty of the existence of the passage, the first explorations have not been made.

De Anda said in a statement to Milenio, that if the cenote was verified, it would “totally change” the vision we have of “the patterns of the Mayan settlement.”

kukulcan tunnel
This image shows the tunnel that leads to the interior of the Kukulcán pyramid at Chichen Itza. Image Credit: INAH

The discovery was made through a smaller burial chamber referred to as the Ossuary.

In an interview with El universal, Dr. De Anda said: “Through the Ossuary, we can enter the cave beneath the structure and there we found a blocked passageway, probably closed off by the ancient Mayans themselves. We will enter again and this time we will try to open it to see if the passageway leads us to the entrance of the cenote beneath the pyramid.”

Unlike the European cosmogony that places the deities in heaven, Mayan spirituality believed that the Gods came from the underworld. The most sacred and alive was the earth, that is why formations such as caves and cenotes were so sacred because they were an access road to the inside of the earth, that is, leading to the presence of the gods,” said Dr. James Brady from the California State University, Los Angeles.

Structure inside the Pyramid
ERT-3D scans have revealed a smaller substructure within the walls of the Temple of Kukulkan. Image credit: UNAM

Dr. Brady is a worldwide pioneer in the study of the relations established by the Mayans between architecture and caves.

Experts believe the ancient Maya built one of their most sacred pyramids around 1,000 years ago on top of a cavern, due to their religious beliefs.

Furthermore, archaeologists note that the cenotes that are located around the Pyramid may represent the four cardinal points.

Researchers also note that the river located at the center may represent the center of the Maya universe, which they envisioned as a tree with roots reaching below ground.


Source: INAH

Featured image: Shutterstock

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FBI: Man who opened fire on ICE facility hoped attack would give agents ‘real terror’

Law enforcement sources identified the shooter to the Associated Press as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, who shot and killed himself after shooting “indiscriminately at the ICE building”

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‘Google my name’: Fired Fla. officer arrested for impersonating cops says he showed badge ‘by mistake’

Bodycam footage released by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office shows the suspect displaying a photo of his law enforcement credentials

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‘A Florida classic’: Drone video shows deputies wrangle 6-foot alligator with lassos

The gator led Lake County Sheriff’s deputies on a brief foot pursuit before it was taken into custody, in spite of its “death roll” maneuver

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‘I thank God’: Man’s planned ambush against Texas depuites thwarted when automatic rifle jams

The man had stored up ammunition and set up a lawn chair to shoot Harris County deputies as theyarrived, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said; as he began to open fire, the gun jammed

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Gunman identified in killing of detainee at Texas ICE facility

Law enforcement sources identified the shooter to the Associated Press as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, who shot and killed himself after shooting “indiscriminately at the ICE building”

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The Onega Petroglyphs: Depictions of sky beings from 6,000 BC?

The Onega petroglyphs are rock engravings located on the east coast of Lake Onega in the northwest of Russia. According to reports, the thousands of petroglyphs date back to around 5,000—6,000 BC.

Experts have identified around 1,200 petroglyphs scattered in an area of 20 km, including several capes, such as Besov Nos, which features the mysterious ‘Demon petroglyph’.

The engravings are 1-2 mm deep and represent animals, people, boats and geometric shapes, such as circular and half-moon symbols, but also what some authors even suggest may be representations of constellations.

The Onega Petroglyphs—located in the Karelian Republic—are considered as the most complex and expressive rock art examples in northern Europe.

The enigmatic figures etched in rock on the shores of Lake Onega feature countless ancient symbols that depict religious, and ritual scenes, as well as warfare and everyday life.

The first rock engravings in the Karelian Republic were discovered in 1848 by the curator of the Museum of Mineralogy of St. Petersburg Konstantin Grevingk near the village of Besov We on the shore of Lake Onega.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Onega petroglyphs were studied by Swedish researcher Gustaf Hallström.

Onega Petroglyphs
The petroglyphs near Lake Onega. Image Credit: Shutterstock

There are a number of extraordinary symbols reproduced in the rocks of Lake Onega.

In addition to circular and half-moon shaped signs with rays, among the Onega Symbols we can identify anthropomorphic figures, sometimes creatures that resemble moose wolfs, and images of so-called shaman canes, etc.

Almost half of all prints on Lake Onega are swans, ducks, and geese.

There are few scenes of human occupation.

The content of different accumulations of petroglyphs varies greatly, which is probably due to the age difference between the petroglyph groups, and changes in human occupation through the Neolithic period.

Lake Onega Petroglyph
Another incredible view of the petroglyphs at Lake Onega. Image Credit: Shutterstock

Curiously, at the end of August, from the end of Cape Besov we can sometimes see how a large reddish sunbeam gradually sets in, and on the opposite side, the bright, large and completely full moon rises.

Perhaps, similar phenomena that ancient man saw from the shores of Lake Onega served as an incentive to depict the circular and half-moon shapes that many scientists consider symbolic images of the sun and the moon.

When the sun sets on the horizon, the petroglyphs “disappear” right away.

We see an absolutely clean and lifeless stone surface.

This phenomenon, called by scientists “the effect of the prehistoric cinematograph,” even impresses anyone who witnesses it today.

The ‘Demon petroglyph’ of Besov Nos

Onega Petroglyph 1
The so-called ‘Demon’ petroglyph at Cape Besov. Image Credit: Shutterstock

The petroglyphs at Cape Besov feature a strange, two-meter-long “Demon petroglyph” as well as depictions of “Catfish,” and “Lizards”.

The curious depiction of the so-called “Demon” covers two stones which appear to e broken in half. Local legends suggest that it was there were ancient people performed a set of rituals and sacrifices more than 8,000 years ago and that supernatural beings were fed with blood that sipped into the crack between the stones, separating the image in half.

Onega Petroglyph 2
The Onega Petroglyphs. Image Credit: Shutterstock

The ‘Demon’ petroglyph caused outrage among monks in the 15th century. The monks decided one day to carve a massive cross next to the ancient petroglyph, as a sign of fighting evil ‘spirits’.


Find out more about the date of the Petroglyphs here.

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A message to the gods? Massive Geoglyphs around the world that can only be seen from above

Geoglyphs are figures and/or symbols built on hillsides or plains, using different techniques like adding stones with dark tones of volcanic origin as a mosaic, to contrast on a lighter background characteristic of deserts, or removing the surface layer of the ground, usually darker due to oxidation, to make the lighter background visible.

This type of representation is found all over the world, but some of the most famous geoglyphs are located in South America.

We have the geoglyphs of Nazca (Peru), the Amazonian geoglyphs in Acre, Rondonia (Brazil) and the geoglyphs of Chug-Chug in the Atacama Desert (Chile), an area that contains some of the most significant quantities of geoglyphs in the world, as well as some of the oldest, ever found.

But these mysterious structures/etchings are not limited only to the countries mentioned above.

Recently experts have found mysterious symbols created thousands of years ago In Saudi Arabia and even Jordan.

Some of these figures were identified using satellite images from space.

Here, we take a look at some of these incredible geoglyphs and ask, what was their purpose? And if they are meant to be seen only from above? Who were they made for?

Chiza Geoglyphs

Chiza Geoglyphs 01

The Chiza Geoglyphs are a series of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures created in the Cuesta de Chiza, Tarapacá Region, Chile. The geoglyphs are located in the middle of the Atacama Desert, on the edge of Route 5, 80 km south of Arica. As they are on the side of the mountain, they can be seen from the air but as well from the ground.

The Chiza Geoglyphs were created using black rocks placed on the sand, forming figures of humans, birds and other animals. It is presumed that they were created between the year 500 and 900 AD. In the 1980s, the archeologist Luis Briones restored them, a fact highly criticized by those who adhere to the natural degradation of things.

Steppe Geoglyphs

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The Steppe Geoglyphs are some of the more recent symbols discovered on Earth.

The so-called steppe geoglyphs constitute a monumental set of images only visible from the air located in the steppes of Kazakhstan; they were identified for the first time in 2007 by Dmitry Dey, a Kazakh economist who loves archeology.

Using Google Earth, Dmitriy Dey discovered no less than 260 figures among mounds, ditches, and embankments arranged in five basic forms in the Turgai region of northern Kazakhstan.

The largest figure, called Ushtogaysky Square because it is near the village of Ushtogaysky, was created near a Neolithic site and consists of a giant square formed by 101 mounds whose vertices are joined by a diagonal cross inscribed in the square; it has an extension greater than the Pyramid of Cheops.

Another interesting figure is the so-called Cross of Koga, a swastika with three arms each topped by a horizontal line with opposite zigzag ends.

Archaeologists believe these designs may be related to the Mahandzhar culture, which flourished there between 7,000 and 5,000 BC. Researchers suggest that the oldest figures could have been used as solar observatories with a function similar to that of Stonehenge.

The Nazca Lines

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Nazca lines, courtesy Simon E. Davies.

The Nazca Lines are perhaps the most famous of all geoglyphs found on Earth.

The Nazca lines are ancient geoglyphs found in the pampas of Jumana, in the Nazca desert, between the towns of Nazca and Palpa, in the department of Ica (Peru).

They are believed to have been created by the Nazca culture and are composed of several hundred figures ranging from simple designs such as lines to complex zoomorphic, fitomorphic and geometric figures that appear traced on the earth’s surface. The Nazca lines are best appreciated from the air.

Pintado Geoglyphs

Cerros Pintados Pampa del Tamarugal Chile 2016 02 11 DD 110
Cerros Pintados, Pampa del Tamarugal, Chile. Image Credit

The Pintado Geoglyphs are a series of geoglyphs located in the Pampa del Tamarugal, in the Tarapacá Region (Chile). They are located approximately 95 kilometers away from Iquique, in the commune of Pozo Almonte.

Representing different symbols and humanoid figures, these glyphs are also best appreciated when observed from the air.

The Structures of Saudi Arabia

Lava Dome and Gates
This picture of the lava dome that has gates on it was taken in the 1980s by Vic Camp. The taller lava dome behind it is called “Jabal Abyad” a name which means “white mountain” in Arabic. The lava domes are no longer active although in the past basalt lava poured from them.

The enigmatic symbols of Saudi Arabia have only been identified recently.

Around 400 mysterious stone structures, which according to experts, date back thousands of years, have been discovered in thanks to satellite images on Google Earth. Archaeologists believe that the ancient stone structures are around 7,000 years old. The smallest of these structures—gates—extends around 13 meters while the longest one stretches out for a staggering 518 meters in length.

The Chug-Chug Geoglyphs

Chug Chug

The Chug-Chug geoglyphs are a series of ancient symbols carved in the Atacama Desert in Chile.

The area near the geoglyphs is well-known archaeologically, as it features 23 archaeological sites, preserving nearly 500 geoglyphs distributed along old caravan routes between the oasis of Calama and Quillagua, the base of an extinct pre-Hispanic town.

Experts suggest that the odes Geoglyphs at Chug-Chug date back to 1000 BC, while most originated between 900 and 1550 AD. Just as the Nazca Lines, the geoglyphs of Chug-Chug include human figures, zoomorphic designs of animals such as birds and llamas and geometric figures like circles and rhombuses.


Featured image: Shutterstock

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