• Archaeologists racing against time to uncover 3,000-yr-old material before it falls into the sea

• Study: Rising Fossil Fuel Emissions Will Screw With Carbon Dating - One scientist says that our atmosphere is artificially “aging” so it’ll soon be hard to tell old from new.

• 'Oldest' Koran fragments found in Birmingham University

• Cracked Bones Reveal Cannibalism by Doomed Arctic Explorers

• New study finds Native Americans from the Amazon bear an unexpected genetic connection to Australasian people, suggesting a previously unknown wave of migration to the Americas 1000s of years ago. Results suggests the founding populations of the Americas were more diverse than previously thought.

• New study shows King Phillip II of Macedon—father of Alexander the Great, is buried in Tomb I - Most striking evidence comes from a leg bone—an upper thigh fused to a shin at the knee with a hole in it—it aligns with historical texts that describe Philip as suffering a wound from a lance.

• Spanish Armada cannon recovered from sea off Sligo

• NYC Site Yields Native American Artifacts - Over 100 artifacts (AD 200-1000) found near waterfront. Likely a meeting place where clams & other food were harvested. “I’ve never seen anything like it found in NYC.” The park may be redesigned around the site.

• WWII Tunnels Reopened in Dover—Built by order of Winston Churchill, it's under White Cliffs of Dover. Served as hospital, store, & housing. Wartime graffiti, wire twisted into hooks, ammunition, & needle & thread tucked into wall. They remain as they were.

• CT scan of charred scroll yields oldest Biblical remnant after Dead Sea Scrolls

• Weird Horse-Cows & 6-Legged Sheep Found in Iron Age Burials - One pit even holds the bones of a woman with a slit throat laid on top of animal bones

• Bulgarian Archaeologists Uncover Further Lower Layer of Early Christian Mosaics at Plovdiv’s Great Basilica

• Four pre-dynasty tombs have been uncovered at Tel Al-Farkha in the Nile Delta

• Earliest evidence of dental caries manipulation in the late Upper Paleolithic

• How To Get Rid of Cursed Treasure - From Roman treasures & Mayan artifacts to paintings confiscated from the Nazis—these spectacular stolen artworks were returned by remorseful looters.

• Children's shoes, figurines & drainage systems among 100s of finds near Tower of London - Pop-up museum to reveal artifacts found during major archaeological dig spanning centuries of London's past

• Red-Haired Chinese Mummies Come From All Over Eurasia, DNA Reveals

• Texas Dept of Transportation stumbles upon centuries old Caddo village

• Tulane archaeologists discover ancient Mayan monuments

• Nevada’s Cold War Peace Camp Surveyed—“This archaeological research is unique, because the its the only known intact Cold War protest camp in the world.” Features include markers for paths & places, rock patterns of spirals, flowers, crosses, & peace signs, a rock garden, & initials.

• Traces of Ancient Port Likely Served Old Goa—Ancient wall (1,000-3,500 yrs old) found. “It is imminent such a big wall parallel to the river indicates it is remnant of a port.” It'll be a big discovery for the coast of India.

• 4,000-year-old tablets found in Turkey include women’s rights

• 'Mummy of a child warrior from 'lost medieval civilisation' unearthed near Arctic'

• Remnants of one of India’s oldest port found in Goa: Researchers

• Neglected for decades, underground caves in a small village in France's Somme valley contain a treasure trove of hundreds of engravings by World War One Canadian and British soldiers as they sought refuge from German assaults

• Destroyed Iraqi Holy Sites Find New Life Online

• Classic ancient Maya “collapse” not caused by overpopulation and deforestation, say researchers

• Accused Vandal Could Be Assigned Research Paper—Man who confessed to taking joy ride over ancient earthwork at Serpent Mound could face prison time, over $3,000 in damages, community service, & a research paper. He jumped curb at monument & drove his pick-up truck over a 2,000-yr-old Adena mound.

• Oldest Dentistry Found in 14,000-Year-Old Tooth

• SA's archaeological wonder-sites reveal more of the origins of our unity and diversity

• House Natural Resource Chairman declares Native American artifacts and rock art "not an antiquity."

• Navy divers remove unexploded shells, cannonballs from CSS Georgia

• Amateur archaeologist finds Nazi gold hoard

Previous post can be found here.

Anyhoo, despite their quasi Hail Corporate-esque nature I just wanted to share again these two videos - one about Carrier, the other about OSRAM - about the latest conservation efforts (involving the installation of new AC/filtration system and LED lighting) that have been recently undertaken within the Sistine Chapel.

Same thing goes for:

• The colonnade surrounding St. Peter's square (marbles have been cleaned; cracks filled; statues cleaned and thoroughly restored down to the iron fittings; the vault's been repainted and the roof fixed as well).

• The two fountains in the piazza (both have been restored; new water filters and LED lighting are in place).

• The Basilica itself (the two wings connecting it to the colonnade are now painted white, as per Michelangelo's intentions, instead of the 19th-century ochra; both the cupola and the façade have brand-new LED lights).

• The Vatican Library had already gotten thoroughly restored, expanded and modernised in the meantime; literally renovated from the ground up. A rather exhaustive summary can be found here (in Italian with plenty o' pics).

As for Rome itself:

• The Basilica of St. Mary Major too sports new lighting.

• The so-called "fountain of lions" in piazza del Popolo is being worked on.

• The Basilica of Maxentius is being reinforced, as part of the works for the new Metro stop, by means of a new chaining system which is currently being positioned inside the walls themselves. Those horrible iron fittings that have been keeping the whole shebang together since 1998/9 should hopefully be gone... one day.

• The Porticus Aemilia has been restored and is now open to the public. The old structures that used to occupy the premises have now been demolished and the shops moved nearby, in a more decorous setting.

• The pyramid of Cestius shines once again in all its glory. The monument's surface has been cleaned, the cracks/gaps filled, weeds rooted out, protective coating added and its lightning rod restored as well.