Articles tagged with Medieval Science
A study suggests that volcanic activity around 1345 CE led to crop failures and famine in southern Europe, prompting Italian city states to import grain shipments from the Black Sea region contaminated with Yersinia pestis. This grain trade may have exacerbated the spread of the plague across Europe.
Researchers found a link between mid-14th-century volcanic activity and the start of the Black Death, which killed millions across Europe. The study suggests that climate-driven trade changes carried the deadly bacterium Yersinia pestis, leading to widespread devastation.
A new study reveals that knowledge of brick building in Denmark spread through the Cistercian monastic network, likely originating from northern Germany. The research analyzed 305 brick samples and found no evidence of Italian craftsmanship.
A newly discovered medieval document suggests the Shroud of Turin was not authentic, with a Norman theologian claiming it was a 'clear' and 'patent' fake. The document, published in the Journal of Medieval History, provides historical evidence that even in the Middle Ages, people questioned the Shroud's genuineness.
Medieval medicine was more sophisticated than previously thought, with many remedies resembling modern wellness trends. Researchers have discovered hundreds of medieval manuscripts containing health practices based on the best knowledge available at the time.
Researchers analyzed a skeleton with a severe knee injury to uncover the complexities of social attitudes towards individuals with disabilities in medieval Europe. The study found that despite negative cultural views, some individuals with disabilities received long-term care and prominent burials.
A new study combines science and history to uncover new insights into Greco-Roman medical practices. Researchers recreated Galen's 2nd-century CE dissections, clarifying discrepancies in the text and shedding light on the enduring influence of ancient medicine on modern thought.
Astronomers have studied the last unexplained historical supernova from 1181 AD, known as SN 1181, in detail. The team discovered a 'zombie star' at its center and dandelion-shaped filaments emanating from it.
Researchers found stable antibodies in 800-year-old medieval human teeth that can still recognize viral proteins, allowing them to study the history of infectious human diseases. This discovery expands the field of palaeoproteomics and may enable experts to analyze how human antibody responses developed over time.
Researchers at Flinders University discovered a previously unknown whale behavior, which may have been described in ancient Norse manuscripts. The
Researchers analyzed over 600 genome sequences to chart the complex history of Y. pestis, the bacterium that causes plague. They found an unstable molecular clock and identified five populations throughout history, including ancient pandemic lineages.
Researchers from Trinity College Dublin analyzed ancient DNA from two men with multiple osteochondromas, a rare genetic disease, and identified new mutations in the EXT1 gene. This study is the first to discover a new disease mutation in ancient genomic data.
A study of medieval Cambridge's Augustinian friary and local cemetery found that friars were almost twice as likely to be infected by intestinal parasites. The researchers suggest that the high infection rates among friars may have been due to their practice of manuring vegetable gardens with human faeces.
A new study, led by UMass Amherst, found that drought, not colder temperatures, contributed to the demise of the Norse settlement in southern Greenland. The researchers analyzed sediment samples from a lake near a former farm and found a prolonged drying trend coincident with the settlement's collapse.
The study of medieval gunpowder recipes reveals that the evolution of the perfect powder was a slow trial-and-error process. Researchers analyzed energies released during combustion and found that certain additives made gunpowder stronger, while others had no energetic advantages but might have served other purposes.
A bioarcheologist excavated a medieval Uzbek cemetery, discovering evidence of degenerative joint disease and healed fractures that suggest a heavy workload and level of care within the community. The dig site provides insight into how people adapted to harsh desert environments and interacted with other communities along trade routes.
A new study published in PNAS reveals that the northern tropical dry trend may be a result of natural climate variability rather than human activities. The research team analyzed stalagmite records from southern Thailand and found millennial-scale decreases in regional rainfall, similar to other records from the northern tropics.
A study published in Science Advances suggests that climate change is increasing the risk of future megadroughts in the American Southwest. The researchers found that ocean temperature conditions, high radiative forcing, and severe La Niña events contributed to the medieval megadroughts.
A 45-60 year old medieval woman found to have lapis lazuli pigment in her dental calculus, suggesting she was an accomplished painter of illuminated manuscripts. The analysis challenges long-held beliefs about women's role in manuscript production and uncovers a remarkable life history.
New research reveals a dangerous midlife switch from daily activity to sedentary behavior, with black men and women at highest risk. The study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, calls for revised national physical activity guidelines to address this trend.
A team of researchers has found that cathedral glass transitions to a liquid much faster than previously thought, contradicting the long-held myth that it is thicker at the bottom due to viscosity. The discovery could have significant implications for our understanding of glassy materials and their properties.
Researchers from University of South Florida use bat guano to study climate change in east-central Europe since the Medieval Warm Period. Isotopes found in bat guano provide a near annual record of winter precipitation for the region.
Researchers discovered medieval artisans used an ancient method to coat silver threads with gold, revealing a technique that endured for centuries. The study employed lab techniques to characterize the chemistry of the threads and strips, showing the gold coating was applied using heat and hammering.
Researchers studied skeletons from London's St. Mary Spital cemetery, finding that stress markers like LEH were correlated with famine deaths. However, periosteal lesions on shin bones were found to be associated with normal, non-famine related deaths, contradicting previous assumptions about their significance.
Researchers found evidence of cold climate when Vikings arrived in Greenland, contradicting popular notion that warm weather drew settlers. The study adds to evidence that the Medieval Warm Period was not a global phenomenon.
Scientists at The University of Manchester have created a new star-shaped molecule consisting of two molecular triangles entwined about each other three times into a hexagram. This complex structure is the most advanced of its kind ever produced and has potential applications in creating light, flexible, and strong materials.
Researchers studied classical plays to reconstruct Europe's climate, finding rare 'halcyon days' of clear weather during midwinter. The study suggests these sunny winter days were a notable phenomenon in ancient Greece.
A new study has reconstructed regional temperature patterns covering all seven continents and found that Earth's current warmth is not seen in the last 1,400 years. The research, published in Nature Geoscience, reveals a natural cooling trend reversed by industrial greenhouse gas emissions.
A new study reveals that summers on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard are warmer than any other time in the last 1,800 years, with temperatures exceeding even the warmest periods during the Medieval Warm Period. This finding casts doubt on skeptics who argue that current warming is also natural.
Researchers have imaged S-layer of Geobacillus stearothermophilus bacterium down to atomic scale, revealing chainmail-like structure that provides tough yet flexible protection and allows nutrients to diffuse in and out. This discovery holds promise for developing new vaccines by exploiting the ability of S-layers to self-assemble.
Scientists used ikaite, a rare mineral formed in cold waters, to correlate past climate events between Europe and Antarctica. The study found direct correlations between oxygen isotope ratios in the mineral and documented warming and cooling periods in Northern Europe.
Researchers at the University of Nottingham have developed a method to create random molecular patterns by adjusting experimental conditions. This breakthrough could lead to better understanding of disorder and order in molecules, enabling the creation of functional nanoscale devices.
Researchers discover ancient urban civilization in the Amazon, with clusters of 150-acre towns and smaller villages organized in spread out 'galactic' patterns. The settlements were heavily influenced by historic human activity, contradicting long-held stereotypes about early Western versus New World settlements.
A team of scientists discovered that Vpx protein enables the AIDS virus to reproduce by facilitating reverse transcription in the simian virus life-cycle. The findings are significant as they suggest potential new strategies to prevent replication.
A new study reveals that medieval Islamic artisans used a set of decorated polygonal tiles, or girih tiles, to create intricate patterns. This method allowed for an important breakthrough in Islamic mathematics and design, producing quasicrystalline designs that were not understood in the West for another 500 years.
Recent Himalayan earthquakes may be followed by larger events in the same region, while medieval earthquakes were much larger and less frequent. The study aims to understand what governs the recurrence interval and size of these rare events.
A new study published in Analytical Chemistry challenges the idea that the Vinland Map is a medieval forgery, instead suggesting that its ink composition supports its authenticity. The research finds that the map's ink contains elements consistent with medieval production methods, raising doubts about the possibility of forgery.
Researchers used carbon-dating technology to confirm the authenticity of the Vinland Map, dating it to approximately 1434 A.D. The map, if authentic, is believed to be the first known cartographic representation of North America. Its date would establish the history of European knowledge of the lands bordering the western Atlantic Ocean.