Mega-Ruins Exposed In Utah?
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Today Michael Wyetzner of Michielli + Wyetzner Architects joins AD in New York as he returns to Central Park to explore the thousands of years of history found there. Although Central Park itself would not have existed 200 years ago, you can track the use of the land back 13,000 years. From ancient Native American trails to billion-year-old rocks, take an in-depth look at the thousands of years of history housed inside this iconic park.
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‘Highly likely’ a long-lost species will be brought back from dead before 2028
Story by Nilima Marshall
• 1h • 3 min read
There is a strong chance a long-lost species could brought back from the dead before 2028, the founder of the world’s first “de-extinction” firm has said.
Scientists at Colossal Biosciences, a biotech start-up in Texas, are already well on their way to reviving the woolly mammoth, the dodo and the Tasmanian tiger (also known as thylacine), using gene-editing technology.
But Ben Lamm, the company’s chief executive, said it is “highly likely” the latter two could potentially pip the ancient shaggy giant – which went extinct around 4,000 years ago – to the post within the next three years.
Mr Lamm said: “We are pursuing them all at the same rate.
“Mammoths have a 22-month gestation (the process of developing inside the womb).
“We have set a date of late 2028 for our first mammoth and we are on track for that currently, which is great.
“But given the other species have much shorter gestation, it is highly likely that we will see another species before the mammoth.”
The Tasmanian tiger – which was declared extinct in 1982 in Australia – has the shortest pregnancy with a gestation period of “just weeks”, according to Colossal Biosciences.
And the typical gestation period for the dodo – a large flightless bird that once lived on the island of of Mauritius but died off sometime in the 17th Century – is about a month long.
But Mr Lamm is reluctant to divulge which of the two has a greater chance of earlier resurrection, saying: “We are not yet commenting on which species will be the first but I do believe that it is highly likely we will have a species before 2028, and it will be one of the three that you’re looking at.”
Colossal Biosciences was formed in 2021 by tech entrepreneur Mr Lamm along with Harvard University geneticist George Church.
In simple terms, the science behind the mission involves working out the “core” genes that make an extinct animal what it is, and then replicate those genes using the DNA of a close existing relative.
The woolly mammoth’s closest relative is the Asian elephant with whom it shares 99.5% of genes, according to Mr Lamm.
He said: “Mammoths are genetically closer to Asian elephants than Asian elephants are to African elephants – that always kind of blows people’s mind.”
The dodo’s closest living relative is the Nicobar pigeon, a grey bird with colourful features found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India.
Meanwhile the Tasmanian tiger is closely related to the fat-tailed dunnart, a tiny creature that looks like a mouse but is 100 times smaller, with suggestions that an artificial womb may need to be invented for the extinct creature to develop.
The company has raised 235 million US dollars (£177m) to date, with celebrity backers including Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, American socialite Paris Hilton and motivational guru Tony Robbins.
Valued at around 1.7 billion US dollars (£1.3bn), the firm has secured an additional 50 million US dollars (£38m) to launch the Colossal Foundation.
The non-profit organisation aims to aid conservation effort, focusing on at-risk animals such as the the vaquita, a porpoise which is also one of the most endangered marine species on the planet, the northern white rhino, which is on the brink of extinction, and the pink pigeon, a rare species found in Mauritius.
Mr Lamm said: “People love to talk about the de-extinction work that we do around the mammoth, the thylacine and the dodo, but we also do a lot of conservation and species preservation work.
“All the technologies that we develop on the path to de-extinction, we make available to conservation groups.
“But now, we have raised 50 million dollars of new capital just for our foundation to help empower the scientists to go leverage those technologies in the field and develop new ones right for conservation, because there is not enough money going into conservation, and there’s definitely not enough R&D (research and development) going into conservation.”
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‘Highly likely’ a long-lost species will be brought back from dead before 2028 (msn.com)
Deep within the remote of Sulawesi Island in Indonesia lies a mystery that challenges everything we thought we knew about ancient human civilization. Could these hidden chambers hold the key to understanding the origins of art itself? In this video, we explore Leang-Leang Cave, home to the oldest cave paintings in the world, dating back over 45,000 - 51,000 years. What stories do these prehistoric symbols tell? Is there more beneath the surface, waiting to be revealed?
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Comalcalco: Ancient Site is the Oddball of the Maya World
By Carlos Rosado van der GrachJune 29, 2024Several details make Comalcalco a real oddball in the context of Maya cities.
For one, the ancient site in Mexico’s Tabasco state was likely the westernmost major Maya settlement. The name Comalcalco is not Mayan but Nahuatl and means house of the comales — a smooth, flat griddle typically used in Mexico. However, the site’s original name was Joy Chan, meaning “round sky.”
But what makes Comalcalco stand apart is the materials from which the city was constructed. Unlike virtually every other Maya city or settlement, Comalcalco was built using bricks rather than limestone masonry. The city is near the coast in an area full of swamps and mangroves, where workable stone is in short supply and difficult to quarry. The bricks are irregular in size and were made by cutting large sections of clay instead of using molds. Visitors notice that many contemporary structures in the surrounding area still use this technique.
The city’s foundation date is not known, but it is believed that Comalcalco reached its greatest splendor sometime in the 5th century CE and was completed along with other major cities such as Palenque and Yaxchilán.
The clay bricks used in constructing the city’s many structures give Comalcalco a unique look. However, an architectural style similar to Palenque’s was apparently superimposed onto its temples. These modifications were likely made during a time of a close alliance or perhaps occupation by Palenque. Evidence suggests that following the conquest of Palenque by Tonina, the city’s elite fled to Comalcalco to continue their rule in exile. Later in its history, Comalcalco came to be dominated by Nahua groups migrating from central Mexico — as evidenced by the Nahuatl name the city is known by today.
The first structure to be seen when entering the site is the large pyramid known simply as Temple I. This structure has a central stairway that rises 20 meters and passes through 10 tiers in the Talud-tablero style of Teotihuacan influence. Like many other notable structures at the site, most of the stucco on this temple has been lost. The good news is that this allows us to appreciate its unique brick construction.
At the top of the temple, we can observe several large pillars and walls that once supported a large sanctuary chamber.
Other notable constructions include Temples VI and VII, which sit on a 35-meter-tall artificial platform known as the Great Acropolis.
The Acropolis and its structures are well known for their elaborate altars and stucco work.
The Great Acropolis is also notable for its extensive funerary vaults and the discovery of the largest burial ground found in the region to date. Archaeologists discovered three chambers that contained the skeletal remains of 116 high-ranking individuals, most of whom exhibited cosmetic features associated with Mayan elites, such as cranial deformation and teeth filling and incrustations. The burials are thought to date to either the late classic period (8th century CE) and also included 50 ceramic funerary urns.
Adjacent to the archaeological site is a great museum that houses artifacts from the site. The quality and state of preservation of these artifacts are stunning. Visitors can examine sculptures of marine animals and birds, funerary urns, and masks. Additional sculptures depict the city’s elite.
The archaeological site is located well inside the modern city of the same name and is walkable from the local bus station terminal. However, taking an organized tour is likely a better option. Hotels in nearby Villahermosa will likely have information on tour companies organizing day trips. Since the site does not receive many visitors — especially international ones — you may have to hire a private driver. Renting a car is not advisable.
If you go
As with all archaeological sites in Mexico, bringing food or drink other than water is prohibited. The entrance fee is 65 pesos Monday through Saturday. On Sunday, admittance is free for Mexican nationals and foreign residents with official ID.
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Comalcalco: Ancient Site is the Oddball of the Maya World - Yucatán Magazine (yucatanmagazine.com)
Ancient Maya site Ichkabal opening to public for first time in September
August 28, 20240The ancient Maya city of Ichkabal — an archaeological site that is larger and has three more pyramids than Chichén Itzá’s Temple of Kukulcán — is poised to become a major Mexican tourist attraction after its scheduled opening to the public next month.
Although Ichkabal was discovered nearly 30 years ago, this will be the first time visitors will be allowed into one of the oldest Maya archeological sites in Mexico.
Located in the southeastern state of Quintana Roo, in the middle of the jungle 43 kilometers (27 miles) from Bacalar, Ichkabal isn’t as easily accessible from cities such as Cancún, Tulum and Mérida as its more famous counterpart as Chichén Itzá is.
But with towering structures that have led it to be dubbed “the Mesoamerican Egypt,” Ichkabal will offer an unparalleled glimpse into a city that played a crucial role in the early development of Maya civilization. And government officials are promising easier access once the under-construction Maya Train finishes work on stations in Bacalar and Chetumal.
Covering 30 square kilometers — a footprint three times larger than Chichén Itzá — Ichkabal is one of the largest of Mexico’s archaeological sites still standing and one of the oldest vestiges of Maya culture.
The site is tentatively scheduled to open to the public on Sept. 14.
Work is being carried out to finalize transportation options from the yet-to-be-completed Maya Train station in Bacalar. The drive from the Bacalar station, however — over small jungle roads — will take approximately one hour and 45 minutes.
The site is also 81 kilometers (50 miles) from the Quintana Roo capital of Chetumal, but driving from the still-under-construction Chetumal station will take about two hours and 30 minutes.
Moreover, work on the southern part of the Maya Train’s section 5 — which will connect Quintana Roo’s northern resort cities with Bacalar and Chetumal to the south — was only about 65-70% complete as of earlier this week.
Some images of the soon-to-open Ichkabal, one of Mexico’s oldest Maya archaeological sites, discovered in 1995 but only now becoming accessible to the general public. (Mexico’s Ambassador to Canada Carlos Joaquin/Twitter)
Still, Alan Maciel Vallejo, a researcher with the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), predicts that Ichkabal will attract a significant number of visitors, including cruise ship passengers from Mahahual (a nearly three-hour drive away).
Chichén Itzá, wrote the newspaper El País, “has new competition.”
The No. 1 visited archaeological site in Mexico, Chichén Itzá had 2.3 million visitors in 2023 and 1.18 million in the first half of 2024.
Ichkabal remained hidden beneath the jungle canopy until its discovery in 1995.
Since then, archaeologists have been working to uncover and preserve its monumental structures, built between 350 B.C. and 50 B.C.
The site’s intricate buildings and advanced hydraulic systems — such as a recently discovered cistern used to store water and corn — reveals the city’s importance as a political and cultural hub.
The site’s restoration has been part of the Program for the Improvement of Archaeological Zones (Promeza), a government initiative aimed at preserving and promoting Mexico’s rich cultural heritage. With the support of the Defense Ministry (Sedena), archaeologists are working feverishly to ensure that the site is ready to open soon.
However, it perhaps bears noting that the word “soon” was used in a Mexico News Daily headline nearly two years ago, when projections were that Ichkabal would open to the public by mid-2023.
But archaeology buffs have options while they wait: Earlier this year, the Chichén Itzá Maya Museum opened, as did a new museum at the archaeological site of Edzná in the state of Campeche. And last year, a newly unearthed complex at the Uxmal archaeological zone in Yucatán opened to the public.
Also, earlier this year, the Yaxchilan site in Chiapas — in the Lacandon Jungle near the Guatemala border — reopened after being closed for five months due to cartel violence in the region.
With reports from El País and Novedades Quintana Roo
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Mexico opening ancient Maya site Ichkabal to public for first time (mexiconewsdaily.com)