Category: World News

A 22-year-old Danish student, Gustav Bruunsgaard, recently uncovered Viking-era treasure near Aarhus while using a metal detector. In a site known for Viking artifacts, he found a silver bracelet and later discovered six more, weighing over a pound in total. He reported the find to the Moesgaard Museum in Højbjerg, where experts dated the bracelets to the early 9th century.

These bracelets reflect Viking connections across Europe, from Russia and Ukraine to the British Isles. The find emphasizes Aarhus as a key Viking hub. The bracelets likely served as hacksilver—a form of currency during the Viking Age, with pieces broken off for trade. These objects were often jewelry, ingots, or religious items repurposed for transactions.

The second-largest diamond ever discovered was found in Botswana last week.

Lucara Diamond, a Canadian company, unearthed the 2,492-carat stone in the Karowe mine using X-ray technology. This diamond is the largest found since the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905, parts of which are now in the British Crown Jewels.

Weighing about a pound, the diamond, still unnamed, will be displayed in Botswana this week. Its discovery will fund education and healthcare programs in the country. Lucara reported that the find was detected and recovered by their Mega Diamond Recovery X-ray Transmission technology, installed in 2017 to identify large, high-value diamonds. This latest discovery adds to other significant finds from the mine, including diamonds of 1,758 carats and 1,109 carats.

“We are thrilled about the recovery of this 2,492-carat diamond,” said William Lamb, President of Lucara. “It highlights the wealth in Botswana’s soil and the nation’s progress in developing its diamond industry for the benefit of its citizens.”

Botswana is the world’s largest diamond producer, with diamonds accounting for 80% of its exports and a third of its revenue. Financial Times quoted unnamed sources close to Lucara estimating that it could fetch upwards of $40 million.

The discovery of Göbekli Tepe in southern Turkey challenges everything we previously knew about early human civilizations. This massive, monolithic site, with over 90% still unexcavated, dates back over 10,000 years.

Göbekli Tepe is a significant archaeological mystery, comparable to the pyramids. Recent studies of the symbols on its pillars suggest that the site might record an astronomical event that marked a major shift in human civilization. Researchers believe the symbols could represent an early solar calendar, used to track time and seasonal changes. The V-shaped symbols might denote individual days, with a pillar showing a calendar of 365 days, 12 lunar months, and 11 extra days. Notably, the summer solstice is marked by a V on a bird-like figure, possibly depicting a constellation from that era. Nearby statues with similar markings could represent deities.

The carvings might represent the world’s earliest lunisolar calendar, predating other known calendars by millennia. Göbekli Tepe also presents evidence that ancient people recorded a comet strike around 13,000 years ago (11,600 BCE), which could have triggered the end of the Ice Age, sea level rises, and shifts in agriculture leading to early civilization.

The discovery also supports the theory that Earth faces increased comet strike risks when crossing the paths of comet fragments, which we see as meteor streams. Dr. Martin Sweatman from the University of Edinburgh, who led the research, noted that Göbekli Tepe’s inhabitants were keen sky observers, likely due to the impact of the comet strike on their world.

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.