Architecture

More than 2,000 years ago, a young Armenian woman found herself at the forefront of a battle. Now, her newly unearthed remains are allowing archaeologists a window into how ancient societies lived and died on the battlefield. Researchers excavated the poorly preserved remains in 2017 and found the woman buried on her side with flexed arms and legs and her head oriented to the northwest. Her skeleton was “fragmented and incomplete,” with cracks and fractures occurring on her bones in the thousands of years since her burial. An analysis of her dental wear, cranial sutures, and other indicators of trauma allowed for an understanding of the type of injuries she suffered just before her death. A metal arrowhead was found …

For centuries, the Habsburg family ruled across much of central Europe and were bound by more than just a last name – many members also share a large, protruding lower mandible known commonly as the “Habsburg jaw”. New research suggests that this prominent feature was likely the result of generational inbreeding. For more than 200 years, the Austrian and Spanish families intermarried, securing their name and power across much of the continent. Ironically, this intermarriage ultimately led to the family’s downfall when the final monarch was unable to produce an heir. Now, the researchers say that the tell-tale family jaw was more than just a hereditary trait. “The Habsburg dynasty was one of the most influential in Europe, but became …

It’s one small step for mannequins, one giant leap for mannequin kind. In 2020, as NASA launches the Orion spacecraft as part of Artemis I – the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will hopefully lead to the first woman and the next man landing on the Moon (and eventually Mars) – two “phantom” women will be on board. The mannequins, named Helga and Zohar, will travel further than any human has before on a spacecraft that will cover more distance than any spacecraft designed for humans has ever flown. The two dummies will be sitting in the passenger seats with the important task of being blasted with radiation during their trip, in order to measure the effectiveness of new suits designed …

Former American Idol contestant Antonella Barba was sentenced on Thursday to 45 months in prison for drug trafficking. The 32-year-old made it to the top 16 on the sixth season of American Idol as a teenager, way back in 2007, but after she was eliminated from the show her life spiraled out of control. Now, she’ll face nearly four years in federal prison as part of the plea deal she copped in U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia. Barba first ran afoul of the law in this case when she was arrested at a home in Virginia back in October 2018. She was caught red-handed  In addition, the heartbroken mother continues, arguing her daughter’s abrupt move to Los Angeles after her time on Idol was “a recipe …