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....snip.... That’s no longer the case. Today, a team of researchers from the University of Copenhagen, the University College London, and the University of Cambridge released a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences detailing their discovery of 14,400-year-old crumbs from a flatbread. The archaeological site, known as Shubayqa 1, is located in the Black Desert of northeastern Jordan and was home to Natufian hunter-gatherers. The flatbread remains are not only the oldest instance of bread found to date, but also preeminent examples of how bread-making existed even before agriculture developed some 4,000 years later. “Nobody had...

A federal judge has approved a request to tightly control how evidence is shared with a Russian company accused of funding an Internet trolling operation to mislead American voters in the 2016 election. The dispute over how to protect sensitive materials from disclosure had threatened to stall prosecution of the sole defendant to appear in court to face charges in the indictment of Russian entities under special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich of the District of Columbia said Friday that federal prosecutors gave “ample good cause” that identifying sources in the probe could tip...

FBI special counsel Robert Mueller is seeking to delay the first court hearing in a criminal case alleging Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. Mueller has brought charges against three Russian companies and 13 Russians for the alleged interference. The delay comes after two attorneys representing one of the Russian entities began challenging Mueller’s evidence in the case. What are the details? According to Politico, the 13 Russians and three companies — the Internet Research Agency, Concord Management and Consulting and Concord Catering — were expected to ignore the indictments since they are outside U.S. jurisdiction. However, that’s not...

MANBIJ, Syria – For more than two years, ISIS forces who occupied this northern Syrian city paid little attention to the tip of an old gate on an empty mound of land where they dumped trash. They were clueless the gate ran several feet into the ground down to something they might well have destroyed had they known: The ruins of an ancient Christian refuge, or early church, possibly dating back to the first centuries of Christendom’s existence, under the Roman Empire. “I was so excited, I can’t describe it. I was holding everything in my hands,” Abdulwahab Sheko, head...

The discovery of vast reserves of rare-earth elements on a tiny Japanese island, that can be used in everything from iPhones to missile systems to electric vehicles, has been described as a "game changer." "This REY-rich mud has great potential as a rare-earth metal resource because of the enormous amount available and its advantageous mineralogical features," the study reads. The study shows that more than 16 million tons of rare-earth elements could be "exploited in the near future." Including ytrrium (Y), which is used in products like camera lenses and mobile phone screens, the rare-earth elements found are: Europium (EU),...

In a pathetic attempt to keep pushing the vast Russian conspiracy narrative; and trying to get out in front of growing evidence that former Obama administration, government officials, DNC and weaponized government conspired to assist Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 presidential bid; the DNC has filed a lawsuit against the Trump campaign accusing their opposition of what they are transparently guilty of. New York – The Democratic National Committee on Friday filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Russia, the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks that alleges a massive conspiracy to swing the 2016 election in favor of the president. The complaint, filed in...

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was set to officially retire on March 18, but according to a source familiar with the matter, he could be fired just days before and lose his pension after a more than two-decade career at the bureau. The embattled official abruptly stepped down at the end of January and has been on leave since that time. CNN has learned the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility has recommended McCabe be fired and now the decision is up to Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

The wreck of a US aircraft carrier that was sunk during World War Two has been found off the coast of Australia. The USS Lexington was found 3km (2 miles) underwater in the Coral Sea, about 800km off Australia's east coast. The ship was lost in the Battle of the Coral Sea, fought with Japan from 4-8 May 1942. More than 200 crew members died in the fighting. The US Navy confirmed the ship had been discovered by a search team led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

Chevron Corporation announced Wednesday that a ‘major’ oil discovery has been made at the Ballymore prospect, located deep offshore in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The Ballymore well reached a total measured depth of 29,194 feet and encountered more than 670 feet of net oil pay with ‘excellent’ reservoir and fluid characteristics, Chevron said in a statement on its website. A sidetrack well is currently being drilled to further assess the discovery, which is already deemed commercially viable. “The Gulf of Mexico deepwater is an integral part of our company’s long-term strategy,” Jeff Shellebarger, president of Chevron North America Exploration...

While there are some Star Trek fans who would love to see William Shatner strut onto the U.S.S. Discovery, Jason [Isaacs] is not one of them. The actor, who plays Captain Lorca on Star Trek: Discovery, flat out said he doesn't want appearances from the original cast on the series, and that he's not a fan of "stunt celebrity casting." [Isaacs] explained his reasoning and expressed that he felt doing something like that might hurt the fans' suspension of disbelief: "Someone asked which cast members from the existing series would you like to guest star -- I think people watch...

Has anyone seen the new Star Trek series ("Discovery")? How would you rate it?

Exclusive: ‘The Klingons are going to help us look at certain sides of ourselves and our country’ Star Trek: Discovery will continue the venerated sci-fi tradition of using a fantastic setting to tackle real-world issues — only in a bigger way than any Trek series has done before. The upcoming CBS All Access drama tells the serialized story of a war between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. The show is set a decade before 1966’s original series — which premiered 51 years ago today — during which the Federation and Klingons were in a Cold War...

'Star Trek: Discovery': Decoding the 1st Trailer of Trek's New Chapter The first full trailer for "Star Trek: Discovery" hints at a complicated past for one of its main characters, while bringing in famous alien species such as the Vulcans and the Klingons. "Discovery" is set about 10 years before the original "Star Trek" series that featured Capt. James T. Kirk, Science Officer Spock and other memorable characters. As such, the trailer focuses heavily on Spock's father, Sarek (played by James Frain). You can see more series here from our sister site Newsarama. But let's take a close look at...

More of the ancient Roman city of Verulamium’s secrets have been discovered by archaeologists. The burnt remains of a 1,800-year-old kiln - a type of oven used to create pottery - have been unearthed during excavations of the ancient city near the modern city of St. Albans in Hertfordshire, Great Britain.

Psalm 132 - in what is probably the least read verse: Lord Jehovah, remember David and all his affliction! For he swore to Lord Jehovah and vowed to the God of Jacob: “I shall not enter to the roof of my house; I shall not ascend to the mattress of my bed,” “I shall not give sleep to my eyes, neither slumber to my eyebrows” “Until I find a place for Lord Jehovah and a tent for the God of Jacob“. Behold, we heard it in Ephrata and we found it in the fields. We shall enter his tabernacle and...

Planetary Discovery around Ultracool Starby Paul Gilster on April 28, 2017 I have a special enthusiasm for microlensing as a means of exoplanet discovery. With microlensing, you never know what you’re going to come up with. Transits are easier to detect when the planet is close to its star, and hence transits more frequently. Radial velocity likewise sends its loudest signal when a planet is large and close. Microlensing, detecting the ‘bending’ of light from a background object as it is affected by a nearer star’s gravitational field, can turn up a planet whether near to its star or far,...

LONDON (AP) — British officials say they've been unable to trace the rightful heirs to a trove of gold coins found stashed inside a piano and worth a "life-changing" amount of money. The school that owns the piano and the tuner who found the gold are now in line for a windfall after a coroner investigating the find declared it treasure. But a couple who owned the piano for three decades before donating it to their local school will likely miss out. Coroner John Ellery said Thursday that, despite a thorough investigation and a public appeal for information, "we simply...

2016 has revealed an amazing array of archaeological discoveries, pushing the boundaries of scientific research and our understanding of the past. The following list represents 10 of the most exciting announcements across the year. 1 – Bronze Age stilt houses unearthed in East Anglian Fens Archaeologists have revealed exceptionally well-preserved Bronze Age dwellings during a series of excavations throughout the year at Must Farm quarry in the East Anglian fens that is providing an extraordinary insight into domestic life 3,000 years ago.

Archaeologists from the University of Gothenburg have begun exploring a previously unknown ancient city at a village called Vlochós, five hours north of Athens. The archaeological remains are scattered on and around the Strongilovoúni hill on the great Thessalian plains and can be dated to several historical periods

Archeologists with the University of Western Australia have discovered a mysterious set of stone structures not far from the Dampier Archipelago in northwestern Australia. If current theories about the structures are confirmed, they could potentially rewrite much of Western Australia’s early history, not to mention human history. ... The structures are a set of rooms cut into stone, some of which display evidence of early agricultural practices such as grinding seeds and storing shells. This find could change current thinking about civilizations of the time, which were previously believed to have been hunter-gatherer groups. ... The Dampier Archipelago formed around...