In 1972, the U.S. signed the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention, which banned the “development, production and stockpiling of microbes or their poisonous products except in amounts necessary for protective and peaceful research.” By 1996, 137 countries had signed the treaty. But was this this the first attempt at establishing…
- Part 97
Daily Flickr Finds: rinogas’ St. Simeon Church
Having a bit of a soft spot for HDRphotography, this gorgeous photograph by rinogas of the Church of St. Simeon Stylites near Aleppo, Syria immediately caught my eye. The subtle and soft glow on the remains of the structure, combined with the wispy white clouds and contrasting greys of the…
Bling Bling: Shell Jewellery Discovered In Morocco Desert Suggests Ancient Trade
It was hardly bling worthy of an East Coast rapper, but stashes of symbolic jewellery found recently in the desert of Morocco dating back 82,000 years are being hailed as vital discoveries in the scientific quest to establish the earliest juncture between human culture and cognition. Unearthed at four different…
Scottish School Pupils to Exhibit Art in a Virtual Gallery
Long gone are the days of school children creating minor masterpieces in art class only to take them home for mum to pin on the fridge. Pioneered as part of a wider initiative to discover innovative ways of bringing new technologies and computer games-based learning into the classroom in Scotland,…
Edinburgh School Gets Virtual Museum – and Real Zoo!
A school in Edinburgh, Scotland, has developed an innovative alternative to the rigmarole of loading kids onto a bus for a visit to the museum bringing the museum to the kids. Developed with 10,000 from the Big Lottery Fund, the Living Links Museum at South Queensferrys Echline Primary School will…
From Biological Weapon to Organic Viagra: the Craze for ‘Mad Honey’
Mad Honey, more scientifically known as grayanotoxin, is a toxic substance humans have been dealing with for thousands of years. The way how it is created is quite simple. A bee takes nectar from a toxic rhododendron plant (available in Turkey, the United States, British Columbia and the UK). The…
Is Plastic Surgery Fan the Reincarnation of Nefertiti… or King Tut?
It seems that Michael Jackson wasnt the only person to put himself through extensive cosmetic surgery in order to make himself look like a bust of an ancient Egyptian. Nileen Namita, a 49-year-old artist from Brighton, has undergone no less than 51 cosmetic operations, spending over 200,000 pounds in the…
The Vale of York Hoard – Viking Treasure purchased by the British Museum
An important Viking hoard of jewels and coins unearthed in England by a father-and-son team of treasure hunters in 2007 has been acquired by the British Museum and the Yorkshire Museum in York. It will go on display next month. The Vale of York hoard – previously known as the…
Google Map: Key Sites in France’s Roman Triangle
A recent article here on Heritage Key by Bija Knowles looked at Roman sites across the South East of France. There are many sites across the area which remain today as relics to the Roman past, the empire having controlled the area as early as 125BC. The map shows the…
Excavating the Tombs of the Etruscan King and Queen at Tarquinia
A new series of excavations is due to begin at the Etruscan necropolis at Tarquinia, 60km north of Rome. The site is home to Etruscan tombs dating from as early as 700 BC many of them painted with lurid frescoes depicting exotic wild animals and scenes of Etruscans dancing, fighting…