ikenbot: Oldest Mayan Astronomical Calendar Discovered The oldest-known version of the ancient Maya calendar has been discovered adorning a lavishly painted wall in the ruins of a city deep in the Guatemalan rainforest. The hieroglyphs, painted in black and red, along with a colorful mural of a king and his mysterious attendants, seem to have been a sort of handy reference chart for court scribes in A.D. 800 — the astronomers and mathematicians of their day. Contrary to popular myth, this calendar isn’t a countdown to the end of the world in December 2012, the study researchers said. “The Mayan calendar is going to keep going for billions, trillions, octillions of years into the future,” said archaeologist David Stuart of the University of Texas, who worked to decipher the glyphs. “Numbers we can’t even wrap our heads around.” Continue..

ikenbot:

Oldest Mayan Astronomical Calendar Discovered

The oldest-known version of the ancient Maya calendar has been discovered adorning a lavishly painted wall in the ruins of a city deep in the Guatemalan rainforest.

The hieroglyphs, painted in black and red, along with a colorful mural of a king and his mysterious attendants, seem to have been a sort of handy reference chart for court scribes in A.D. 800 — the astronomers and mathematicians of their day. Contrary to popular myth, this calendar isn’t a countdown to the end of the world in December 2012, the study researchers said.

“The Mayan calendar is going to keep going for billions, trillions, octillions of years into the future,” said archaeologist David Stuart of the University of Texas, who worked to decipher the glyphs. “Numbers we can’t even wrap our heads around.”

Continue..

This is what the inside of an elephant looks like.

scinerds:

We’re posting this solely as a link because of graphic photos in the article. If you like that kind of stuff (haven’t we all dissected something once in our life?), then click the link. It’s pretty awesome.

expose-the-light:

Inventions and Discoveries by Selman HOŞGÖR

bitchville: How Sharks Look Like Without Skin via [Natural History Museum and Body Worlds of Animals]

bitchville:

How Sharks Look Like Without Skin via [Natural History Museum and Body Worlds of Animals]

poete: AbioCor artificial heart

poete:

AbioCor artificial heart

14-billion-years-later: Replacement Jaw Made Using 3D PrintingOne of the benefits of 3D printing is that it enables to essentially download spare parts for cars or electronics. Well, now you may be able to download spare parts for yourself (surgeons not included). An 83 year old woman from the Netherlands has now become part cyborg after a chronic bone infection meant her lower jaw had to be removed. No worries though, a new jaw was simply made by fusing together titanium dust using a laser, one layer at a time, in a manner very similar to more conventional 3D printing. It takes 33 layers to make up 1 mm of height and was then covered in ceramic. The surgery itself only took 4 hours, a fifth of the time usually required for reconstructive surgery of this type. The woman was also able to return after only 4 days and was apparently capable of uttering a few words directly after surgery.

14-billion-years-later:

Replacement Jaw Made Using 3D Printing

One of the benefits of 3D printing is that it enables to essentially download spare parts for cars or electronics. Well, now you may be able to download spare parts for yourself (surgeons not included). An 83 year old woman from the Netherlands has now become part cyborg after a chronic bone infection meant her lower jaw had to be removed. No worries though, a new jaw was simply made by fusing together titanium dust using a laser, one layer at a time, in a manner very similar to more conventional 3D printing. It takes 33 layers to make up 1 mm of height and was then covered in ceramic. The surgery itself only took 4 hours, a fifth of the time usually required for reconstructive surgery of this type. The woman was also able to return after only 4 days and was apparently capable of uttering a few words directly after surgery.

expose-the-light: The world’s largest museum collection of brains is on display in Peru There’s only one place in the world where you can view row after row of brains afflicted by mad cow disease, Alzheimer’s, and alcoholism. It’s Lima’s Museo de Cerebros, home to the largest collection of gray matter that can be viewed by the public. More than 3,000 samples of diseased brains and fetuses have been assembled by neuropathologist Diana Rivas for the Brain Museum. The museum is part of Peru’s Institute of Neurological Science, and while academics come from around the world to examine Rivas’ collection, she’s much more interested in educating the public about brain disease. She hopes that, if folks can see her damaged brains firsthand, they’ll think more about the health of their own noggins. The Brain Museum isn’t quite the largest collection of brains in the world. Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center at McLean Hospital has around 7,000 specimens, but it’s brains aren’t open to the public. So just how has Rivas amassed such an impressive collection? It helps that she supervises 100 autopsies a year, giving her the first look at potential new candidates. Brain Museum [Atlas Obscura] Diseased brains on display at Peru museum [Reuters]

expose-the-light:

The world’s largest museum collection of brains is on display in Peru

There’s only one place in the world where you can view row after row of brains afflicted by mad cow disease, Alzheimer’s, and alcoholism. It’s Lima’s Museo de Cerebros, home to the largest collection of gray matter that can be viewed by the public. More than 3,000 samples of diseased brains and fetuses have been assembled by neuropathologist Diana Rivas for the Brain Museum. The museum is part of Peru’s Institute of Neurological Science, and while academics come from around the world to examine Rivas’ collection, she’s much more interested in educating the public about brain disease. She hopes that, if folks can see her damaged brains firsthand, they’ll think more about the health of their own noggins. The Brain Museum isn’t quite the largest collection of brains in the world. Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center at McLean Hospital has around 7,000 specimens, but it’s brains aren’t open to the public. So just how has Rivas amassed such an impressive collection? It helps that she supervises 100 autopsies a year, giving her the first look at potential new candidates. Brain Museum [Atlas Obscura] Diseased brains on display at Peru museum [Reuters]
A very rare humpback whale that’s entirely white has been spotted near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The whale’s thought to be a few weeks old and was spotted by a local man. He said: “I couldn’t believe my eyes, and I just grabbed my camera. Then the white calf approached my boat, seeming to want to check us out.” White whales are rare - the reef’s rep says there are only 10-15 among the 10,000-15,000 humpback whales living along Australia’s east coast. And it’s even rarer for them to be completely white like this one.

A very rare humpback whale that’s entirely white has been spotted near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

The whale’s thought to be a few weeks old and was spotted by a local man.

He said: “I couldn’t believe my eyes, and I just grabbed my camera. Then the white calf approached my boat, seeming to want to check us out.”

White whales are rare - the reef’s rep says there are only 10-15 among the 10,000-15,000 humpback whales living along Australia’s east coast.

And it’s even rarer for them to be completely white like this one.

(Source: crownedrose)