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Runes, the earliest form of writing in Scandinavia, emerged from the meeting of two communities. Early Scandinavians began trading with the Roman army in the first few centuries AD, possibly inspired by the Roman alphabet to create their own writing system. While evidence of runic writing exists from the Roman Iron Age and the Viking era, the exact origin of runes has puzzled researchers for years.
These intricate markings have been found on memorial stones across Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, recounting tales of a powerful Viking queen and even foretelling a past climate crisis. Now, researchers have traced back to the world’s oldest recorded rune stone, unveiling its hidden secrets.
Many moons ago
Several stones bearing markings were discovered at an ancient burial site in Norway, believed to form the oldest documented rune stone. Archaeologists uncovered a large, intricately carved stone in a cremation pit at the Svingerud excavation site in eastern Norway in 2021, and additional fragments were found nearby. As the team pieced together the fragments, some inscriptions interlocked, revealing some of the earliest examples of runic writing dating back around 2,000 years.
Although the stone likely once marked a single grave, it was fragmented over time, with pieces repurposed in subsequent burials. Despite the difficulty in deciphering many of the markings, one appears to be a woman’s name, hinting at the earliest known female rune inscriber who left her mark on the stone.
Defying Gravity
Recently, flaming debris from a SpaceX launch vehicle streaked across the skies over Germany, while a possible fuel tank landed in Poland. The Falcon 9 rocket aided in launching a routine batch of Starlink satellites into space; however, a part of the rocket unexpectedly reentered Earth’s atmosphere over Europe in a fiery display.
Meanwhile, a section of the Blue Origin New Glenn rocket’s nose cone, adorned with signatures of the company’s employees, washed ashore on a Bahamian island near a tourist hotspot. These incidents underscore the reality that space debris from the increasing number of launches eventually returns to Earth, sometimes over populated areas.
In other space-related news, NASA revealed it might have avoided significant layoffs that were anticipated, while lawmakers raised questions about the space agency’s undisclosed interactions with the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Enchanting Creatures
Some species of birds-of-paradise, renowned for their vibrant and intricate feathers, are believed to utilize biofluorescence for enhancing visual cues during courtship displays and territorial disputes, according to a recent study. These stunning birds exhibit plumage in emerald, lemon, cobalt, and ruby tones while potentially transmitting hidden color signals imperceptible to the human eye.
Researchers found that the birds’ plumage
In the realm of possibility, the birds could potentially utilize this luminous showcase as a means of visual communication, serving as guiding lights that their counterparts can detect and identify, all while humans remain oblivious.
Check this out! The near-complete skull of a prehistoric, leopard-sized apex predator has led an international team of paleontologists to a previously undiscovered species of ferocious carnivore known as a hyaenodont. “I picture them as akin to robust wolverines or essentially like pitbulls. They possess significantly large heads that were completely enveloped in muscle,” remarked Dr. Matthew Borths, the curator of fossils at the Duke Lemur Center Museum of Natural History at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The exceptionally rare, well-preserved skull allowed researchers to envision what Bastetodon syrtos looked like in reality, showcasing some of its more peculiar characteristics. The enigma remains as to why these creatures, who endured worldwide environmental alterations, met their demise around 25 million years ago.
Beyond the stars, astronomers have employed the James Webb Space Telescope to observe bursts of light emanating near the supermassive black hole situated at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy. The whirling disk of gas and dust that channels matter into the black hole, named Sagittarius A*, is accountable for the brilliant display of fireworks. The Near-Infrared Camera of the telescope captured footage of potent, luminous flares as well as brief flashes, occurring regularly around the black hole. These observations are shedding light on the voracious feeding habits of black holes and how their unending hunger can influence entire galaxies.
In the realm of discoveries, intrigued? Plunge into the depths with these tales— The discovery of a solitary passageway led researchers to an ancient Egyptian royal tomb that had been lost for centuries, buried beneath two waterfalls in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, believed to belong to Pharaoh Thutmose II. — Asteroid 2024 YR4 has secured the label of the most perilous space rock ever identified and could potentially collide with Earth in 2032. Discover the reasons why the probability of impact is continually shifting. — Scientists have unraveled the secrets of a novel method that guarantees the creation of the “perfect” boiled egg — a technique you can experiment with in your own kitchen. — Witness a breathtaking gray seal encounter and a heartwarming moment between a mother humpback whale and her newborn calf, showcased as two of the victorious images from the 2025 Underwater Photographer of the Year competition.
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