Art Historian Finds Hidden Henry VIII Portrait in Social Media Post

Daily Upsider on August 9, 2024

Social media can lead to surprising discoveries, like a recent one in the UK where an art consultant and historian noticed a lost work of art in the background of a photo posted on X.

The discovery happened in the judge’s room of the Shire Court in Warwickshire, England, during a soiree hosted by the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire.

Dr. Adam Busiakiewicz, an art historian and consultant for Sotheby’s, came across the post on X by Warwickshire Lieutenancy by chance. He noticed a portrait with a distinctive arched top depicting Henry VIII. The painting, showing the king holding a sword and wearing golden chains, reminded Dr. Busiakiewicz of a set of portraits from centuries ago that depicted European royals like Henry, Richard III, and Catherine de Medici.

The painting was created by an anonymous artist known as the Sheldon Master. Ralph Sheldon, either an associate, relative, or descendant, incorporated the works into an architectural frieze at his Warwickshire estate, Weston House, where they were displayed until at least the 18th century.

Today, only a few of these paintings survive in public and private collections, with most disappearing after a 1781 auction. Busiakiewicz visited Warwickshire to inspect the work and noted that it matched the size and style of other known paintings in the set, suggesting it was the work of a skilled artist.

The Restaurant at the End of the World

Daily Upsider on August 8, 2024

The Svalbard archipelago, where Longyearbyen is the main settlement, sits at the edge of the polar ice. Originally a coal mining town, Longyearbyen is now transitioning to offer unique experiences as its last mine closes next year.

One such experience is dining at Huset, where the tasting menu features dishes served on reindeer antlers and ivory bones. For example, cured reindeer heart is presented as a slice of ruby ribbon, while preserved neck meat is served with a smoky, leathery texture. The heart reportedly has a subtle campfire flavor with a delicate jelly-like texture.

In this polar region with four months of darkness, wildlife thrives despite the harsh conditions. Seals, walruses, reindeer, polar bears, and white ptarmigan are common. All are protected, though hunting permits are available for certain species during specific times of the year.

Local hunters provide Huset’s head chef, Alberto Lozano, with ingredients. For a dish featuring waffle, seal meat, béarnaise sauce, and pickled blueberry, the seal meat comes from seals hunted by a dog-sledding company. Huset’s Instagram shows Lozano and his team foraging for local mushrooms and mountain sorrel, which appear briefly in late summer. These foraged items are used in dishes like pickled mushrooms and sorrel marshmallows.

While many ingredients are sourced from Norway or beyond, such as plankton powder from the Netherlands, Huset’s emphasis on local ingredients is notable. In a place where most food traditionally arrives by boat from warmer regions, incorporating local elements reflects significant effort and planning.

Lightning: The Origin of Life?

Daily Upsider on August 8, 2024

Scientists have long investigated the origins of life on Earth, with many theories pointing to asteroids or comets as sources of life’s building blocks. However, a team of chemists at Harvard University has uncovered evidence suggesting that cloud-to-ground lightning strikes might have played a role in generating these essential components.

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Harvard team detailed an experiment designed to replicate early Earth conditions and observe the chemical reactions resulting from simulated lightning strikes. While previous theories focused on comets, asteroids, and cloud-to-cloud lightning as sources of these building blocks, the team found these explanations less convincing. For instance, space collisions became less frequent after Earth’s formation, and cloud-to-cloud lightning is less effective in producing useful materials.

The Harvard researchers propose a more plausible scenario involving cloud-to-ground lightning strikes. They recreated early Earth conditions in a lab and simulated lightning strikes across models of air, water, and land. They analyzed the products of these simulations, particularly focusing on substances that ended up in the water.

The results showed that carbon and nitrogen transformed into molecules potentially crucial for early life, such as carbon monoxide, formic acid, nitrite, nitrate, and ammonium. Adding minerals similar to those on early Earth, they repeated the simulations and found the formation of sulfide minerals, like those near volcanic eruptions, and increased ammonia production, which is essential for life.

Their findings suggest that cloud-to-ground lightning strikes might be a more likely source of life’s building blocks than comets, asteroids, or cloud-to-cloud lightning.

Floating “Wall of Wind Turbines’ Gets Approval

Daily Upsider on August 7, 2024

A Norwegian company is developing an innovative wind energy concept called the “Windcatcher,” an offshore floating facility. Instead of using a few giant turbines, the Windcatcher will comprise hundreds of small turbines packed together. This visionary project is spearheaded by Wind Catching Systems (WCS).

The Windcatcher has reached a significant milestone by receiving certification from DNV, a leading global classification agency. This certification confirms the technical feasibility of the design, allowing the project to advance to the next stage.

The Windcatcher concept involves a floating offshore wind farm that uses multiple small 1MW turbines instead of traditional large turbines. These innovative turbines can capture 2.5 times more energy per square meter of wind flow compared to standard three-blade turbine designs. The unique design, resembling a “floating wall of wind,” aims to double energy output.

The company plans for the Windcatcher to generate 40MW of power in the future. In the long term, WCS aims to add units with a capacity of up to 126 MW.

The Windcatcher is designed to withstand the harsh conditions of the open sea. It is a modular system that can be scaled up or down based on energy needs. Each unit connects to a central substation, which transmits the electricity to the grid.

This is a very interesting concept. One of the issues surrounding wind turbines is there tendency to kill large amounts of birds. Hopefully these are big enough for flocks of birds to recognize that they need to go around it.

New Drug Reduces Severe Shaking in Parkinson’s Patient

Daily Upsider on August 7, 2024

A 52-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease has experienced a significant transformation after starting a new drug treatment. Damian Gath was diagnosed ten years ago with a condition that causes involuntary shaking.

Gath, who was the head of operations at a communications firm, noticed symptoms when he began losing the use of his fingers and dropping objects. After seeing a neurologist, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, a disease he had little knowledge of.

Gath tried every available oral medication to manage the disease’s effects, but each one brought severe side effects, including hallucinations, paranoia, depression, and anxiety.

In June, following the drug’s approval by England’s National Health System (NHS), Gath became one of the first patients in the country to receive Produodopa. This treatment, delivered through a small pump under the skin, provides a more gradual release of medication, offering better symptom management. Gath described the treatment as revolutionary.

A video shared by SWNS shows the remarkable change in Gath’s condition after just one week. He could make a cup of coffee with ease, a task that was previously challenging due to spastic upper body movements. Gath reported that he now experiences less pain and can sleep well at night, unlike before when his symptoms would return after his medication wore off.

Dr. Nishantha Silva from Sherwood Forest Hospital, where Gath was treated, stated that the successful use of Produodopa marks a new era in managing advanced Parkinson’s disease. The NHS plans to extend the therapy to other patients soon.