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Hitting the Books: Renee Descartes had his best revelations while baked in an oven
In the hilarious and enthralling new book, "Edison's Ghosts," Dr. Katie Spalding explores the illogical, unnerving, and downright wacky behaviors of history's greatest geniuses.
Humanity's historical fascination with wearable wheels
Turns out one of our best ideas for people-powered locomotion was also one of our first.
Hitting the Books: How 20th century science unmade Newton's universe
Animaxander isn't often mentioned alongside other greats of Greek philosophy but his influence on the scientific method cannot be denied, argues NYT bestselling author, Carlo Rovelli, in "Animaxander and the Birth of Science," out now from Riverhead Books.
Hitting the Books: That time San Francisco's suburbs sued the airport for being too loud
Dr. Eric Porter, Professor of History at UC Santa Cruz, examines how San Francisco International came to be and the challenges it will face in a climate changing 21st century in his latest work, A People's History of SFO: The Making of the Bay Area and an Airport.
Hitting the Books: The fall 2022 reading list
Hitting the Books Quarterly is back with a brewer's six-pack of great titles to get you clear through to cuffing season!
Researchers sequenced the genome of one of Pompeii’s ancient inhabitants
Thanks to the latest advances in DNA sequencing technology, we now know more about one of Pompeii's residents.
Researchers used CT scans to virtually unwrap a pristine mummy
The scans helped researchers learn new details about Egypt's 18th Dynasty.
Hitting the Books: The genetic fluke that enabled us to drink milk
In her latest book, Life as We Made It, author Beth Shapiro takes readers on a journey of scientific discovery, explaining how symbiotic relationships between humans and the environment around us have changed — but not always for the better.
Chrome is testing a feature that groups pages you visit by topic
Using a side panel, you'll also be able to compare the site you're on with other search results.
Preservation effort unearths over 750 PlayStation 2 game prototypes
A preservation group has obtained over 750 PlayStation 2 game prototypes and demos, including 'God of War.'
The first commercial video call took place 50 years ago today
The AT&T Picturephone Mod II helped pave the way for our Zoom and FaceTime-dominated reality.
You can finally play Maxis' long-lost 'SimRefinery' oil simulator
Thanks to an article published by Ars Technica reporter Sam Machkovech, a piece of video game history has been recovered for all to play.
Long-lost 'Days of Thunder' NES game recreated from 30-year-old floppies
Archivists have recreated a long-lost 'Days of Thunder' NES game using 30-year-old floppies with the source code.
Virtual PC game box collection helps relive the heyday of floppies and CDs
A virtual game box collection recalls the days when giant physical packaging (and tons of floppies) ruled the gaming landscape.
British Museum makes over half of its collection viewable online
The British Museum is helping history buffs during the pandemic by making over half its collection, and 1.9 million images, available online.
Roku is giving away 30 days of premium video
Add Roku to the list of companies offering free premium TV trials to keep people entertained while they stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. It's launching a Home Together initiative that provides extended 30-day trials of familiar networks and services. Epix, Showtime, Hallmark and A&E Crime Cental are among the more conventional services on tap. FitFusion, Gaiam and Grokker can help you stay in shape while the gym is closed, while specialty stations like Acorn TV and Smithsonian are also available.
Recommended Reading: Dead Sea Scroll fragments in DC are fakes
Exclusive: 'Dead Sea Scrolls' at the Museum of the Bible are all forgeries Michael Greshko National Geographic When the Museum of the Bible opened in Washington, DC in 2017, it funded a research project that examined pieces of what was thought to be Dead Sea Scroll fragments. In 2018, the museum announced that all five sections under review were most likely forged. After a more thorough physical and chemical investigation that began in 2019, researchers have filed a 200-page report with the findings: "These fragments were manipulated with the intent to deceive."
Google's latest VR app lets you gaze at prehistoric paintings
Over the years, Google has digitized countless museums, galleries and landmarks for Arts & Culture, an encyclopaedic platform that anyone can access through a browser or mobile app. Today, the company is launching a new collection based on the Chauvet Cave in Ardèche, France, which contains some breathtaking prehistoric art. While the exact age of the paintings is unknown, radioactive dating has pinned the earliest to a period 36,000 years ago. The site was discovered in 1994 and, to prevent damage, closed off to the public that same year. Beyond a full-size replica, Google's new exhibit is the closest you'll ever get to standing inside the cave.
Google's 3D scans recreate historical sites threatened by climate change
Google is no stranger to reproducing historical sites online, but it's now pushing technical boundaries to recreate those sites at risk of vanishing due to the ravages of climate change. It's launching a "Heritage on the Edge" collection in Arts & Culture that will include over 50 exhibitions illustrating the effect of an evolving climate on historical landmarks, including five locations recreated in detailed 3D (with 25 models total) using a mix of scans, photogrammetry and drone footage. You can see vivid depictions of the statues at Easter Island's Rapa Nui, the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, the trading port of Kilwa Kisiwani in Tanzania, Bangladesh's Mosque City of Bagerhat and Peru's ancient city of Chan Chan.
UK honors 'Tomb Raider', 'Worms' and other classics with retro postage stamps
The UK's video game legacy is being honored with a new set of commemorative stamps from the Royal Mail. The collection, which will set you back £14.25 (nearly $19), features iconic designs from the likes of Wipeout, Lemmings, Micro Machines, Worms and, of course, Tomb Raider.