Two large 26th Dynasty tombs have been found in Saqqara by an Egyptian excavation mission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), Culture Minister Farouk Hosni announced today.
Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the SCA and the head of the mission, said that the two newly discovered tombs were found at the Ras El Mudir area at Saqqara, near the entrance point of the archaeological site. He explained that both tombs are cut into the limestone rock of the hill and the first one is the largest yet found at Saqqara. It is composed of a large rock-hewn hall followed by a number of small rooms and corridors. Outside the tomb on its eastern side are two large walls, the first is made of limestone while the other is of mud brick.
Dr. Hawass said that during excavation the team found two rooms full of dust that lead to another hall where a number of coffins, skeletons and pots were found. This hall has a corridor that leads to a smaller room with a seven-meter deep burial shaft. At the tomb’s northern end the team found a room full of clay pots and fragments along with ancient coffins and mummies of eagles.
Early investigations, said Dr. Hawass, reveal that the tomb can be dated to the 26th Dynasty and it was reused several times during its history and was likely robbed at the end of the Roman period.
As for the second tomb, continued Dr. Hawass, the team found a number of Saite Period clay pots and coffins scattered inside a sealed limestone room.
Blog
-
In the field: Saqqara tombs press release from SCA
-
Slovakian Law Enforcement Secretly Planted Explosives On Travelers
While we’re on the subject of airport security, here’s a bizarre story. Apparently, law enforcement officials in Slovakia chose to plant explosives on eight travelers without their knowledge, to see how good airport security was in catching them. Turns out security only scored 87.5%, as it caught seven of the eight travelers, but the last one made it through, and then traveled back to Ireland unwittingly with the explosives. On Tuesday Slovakian officials told Irish officials who sent a group of bomb removal experts to the guy’s place, where he was arrested, questioned and released. We’ve seen “security through obscurity,” but I’m not quite sure what to call this. Security through stupidity?
Permalink | Comments | Email This Story
-
Antidepressants Only for Severe Depression
If you are experiencing mild or moderate depression, chances are antidepressant medications won’t be any help to you, say researchers. These medications are only useful to those who are living with severe depression.
Millions of prescriptions for antidepressants are being written now that they’ve become so available and more accepted as treatment in today’s society. However, there have been many criticisms about how often the medications are being prescribed and for whom. It is often suggested that, although there are people who can truly benefit from antidepressant medications, there are those who would be able to manage by discussing their depression with their doctor or a counselor and making lifestyle changes.
Jay C. Fournier, M.A., of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and colleagues reviewed six large-scale studies, involving 718 patients altogether, that looked at the effectiveness of antidepressants in treating depression. The review findings were published yesterday in JAMA.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the researchers found that the effectiveness of the antidepressants depending strongly on how severe the patients’ depression was to begin with.
The authors found that the efficacy of ADM treatment for depression varied considerably, depending on symptom severity. “True drug effects (an advantage of ADM over placebo) were nonexistent to negligible among depressed patients with mild, moderate, and even severe baseline symptoms, whereas they were large for patients with very severe symptoms.There is bound to be controversy over this finding because there always seems to be when studies like this come out. Some people would like to have an instant cure for depression, but that’s just not possible. Recovering from depression and managing to live with it takes a lot of work, whether it is through medication or other therapies.
~~~
Post from: Blisstree
-
Chengdu Metro 成都地铁
Chengdu Metro
Chengdu will be the next Chinese city to get a metro. First line construction begin in 2005 and is expected to be opened by October 2010, according to this
15km and 15 stations
Long term plan 250km+ 8 lines

Official website: http://www.cdmetro.cn/
-
Somali Pirates Capture Hyundai and Kia Transport
Being a pirate was probably every boy’s dream at some point, especially as Johnny Deep presents a rather cheerful and adventurous perspective of the outlaw life in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. But the times of legendary pirates like Blackbeard are gone.Nowadays terror has a different form, that of Somali pirates capturing ships in the Gulf of Aden. The last ship captured by the pirates on January 1 carried on board 2,388 cars from Hyundai and Kia, says bloomberg. Despite … (read more)
-
Subaru Breaks Sales Record in the US in 2009
While most manufacturers felt the full blow of the economic downturn, at least one of them has gained rather than lost in the year that passed. The Japanese from Subaru announced today the company managed to break all records in 2009, as they sold 216,652 units, an increase of 15 percent over 2008 and some 16,000 units above the previous 200,703 units record set in 2006. "We really owe this tremendous success to both our retailers and employees, who executed the business pla… (read more)
-
Ambrx, Saying Thanks to its Rivals, Rides Wave of Interest in “Empowered” Antibodies
There’s no denying that Ambrx CEO Steve Kaldor is a competitor. Still, when I visited him in his San Diego office a few weeks ago, Kaldor was happy to tip his cap to a couple of trail-blazing competitors who have done a lot over the past year to make his life easier.
Ambrx ended the year with about the same number of employees (80), the same amount of cash in the bank as it did a year ago (about $60 million), a new partner in Pfizer, and enough money to operate for multiple years. And while some of that is certainly Ambrx’s own doing, Kaldor sent out a big thank you to Roche and Waltham, MA-based ImmunoGen (NASDAQ: IMGN).
Why? Those companies have built up a body of evidence that suggests they may have the first “empowered” antibody for cancer that has a chance to become a commercial hit. The drug, called T-DM1, combines the ability of an antibody to seek out diseased cells, with a potent toxin that gives the treatment extra tumor-killing kick. This is supposed to be one of the new frontiers in the world of antibody drugs, which have been around more than a decade and have created a market worth an estimated $30 billion a year. While scientists have dreamed for three decades about making more potent versions of plain antibodies, most efforts have fizzled, usually because the toxin broke off and floated in the bloodstream before it could get to the target, causing side effects.
Ambrx has been around since 2003 and has raised more than $106 million in venture capital to engineer protein drugs with new properties that can make them last longer in the blood, or enable them to carry those potent little toxins. But this was the year Ambrx amped up its effort to make so-called “empowered antibodies” that are sometimes called antibody drug conjugates. About one-third of Ambrx’s staff are now working on empowered antibodies, and half of the company’s resources are going toward antibodies, Kaldor says. One of the reasons is that pharma companies have seen the T-DM1 data and want to find a partner who can help them get in the game, too.
“It’s been amazing to see. T-DM1 is floating a lot of other boats,” Kaldor says.
He adds: “It’s been a long haul, but across the industry, people are coming to the realization that if they want to be in the second-generation antibody space, they have to do antibody-drug conjugates.”
One other company, Bothell, WA-based Seattle Genetics, has offered some more evidence to support the “empowered antibody” approach. That company (NASDAQ: SGEN) has produced some compelling data that its drug can cause complete remissions in Hodgkin’s disease patients. The data was strong enough that Seattle Genetics was able to retain 100 percent of the U.S. commercial rights to the drug, while enticing Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company to pay $60 million in upfront cash for co-promotion rights in all countries except the U.S. and Canada.
“Seattle Genetics clearly had a lot of leverage,” Kaldor says. “People are really craving to get into the space.”
Ambrx doesn’t say much specifically about how this is really affecting its business. The latest …Next Page »
-
NASCAR Announces New Crew, Engine Rules for 2010 Nationwide Series
The 2010 season of the Nationwide Series will bring some new changes in the championship’s rule book, as confirmed by NASCAR via a press release on Tuesday. Following the addition of one more verification tire test for the new car – set for May 18-19, at Daytona International Speedway – NASCAR also tweaked some rules a little bit.Consequently, beginning with the 2010 season-opening race at Daytona on Feb. 13, the NASCAR Nationwide Series will institute crew member limits similar … (read more)
-
Wuhan Metro 武汉轨道交通

First line opened the 28th of September 2004
For the moment only 10 kilometres long

But line 2, line 4, and line 1’s extension is under construction. Aparently they plan to open the new lines by 2010 🙂

Long term plan, 12 lines and 530km

http://ctdsb.cnhubei.com/html/ctdsb/…dsb270844.htmlOfficial website:http://www.whrt.gov.cn/
-
Museum: Cairo musem offers blind tours
For the average visitor to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, a stroll through the museums halls, crowded with ancient statues, papyrus, mummies, and gilded relics, offers an unparalleled journey into the visual splendour of Ancient Egypt.It is a journey that has been, until recently, off limits to the sight-impaired or blind.
But a recent program offering guided tours for the blind or sight impaired by tour guides who are similarly handicapped is now, for the first time, giving them proper access to the greatest treasures from the times of the Pharaohs.
-
Google introduced the HTC Nexus One Android Smartphone
Found under: Google, Android, Nexus One, Launch,
Google has just announced the Nexus One today It is Googles own Android smartphone running on Android 2.1 and manufactured by HTC. Shipping from today the Google Nexus One is now available online – from Google – but for certain markets only. Initially its only available in the U.S. for US 529 unsubsidized or US 179 subsidized with a new T-Mobile U.S. plan. However Google is also shipping to Hong Kong Singapore and and the UK but not to continental Europe where the partner will be Vo
Read more in mobile format
-
DECE & Keychain both laying claim to friendly DRM of the future title
The quest for a DRM solution that works for consumers instead of against them continues, with the forces behind the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (48 companies now) and Keychain (so far, just Disney) trading announcements. While the DECE has added 21 new members to its fold, agreed on a common file format, selected a vendor for the authentication service that ideally will keep you viewing legitimately purchased content at your liesure and approval of several DRM systems, without full specs available or any hardware or content specifically mentioned, it’s still just so much vapor. Meanwhile Disney promises additional content partnerships are “coming soon” and that it’s negotiating with content distributors, cable and telco companies, but we suspect until the promise of a “DVD collection in the cloud” is reality and not just a spec, most users will stay close to their torrents and disc ripping programs to get play-anywhere ease right now.DECE & Keychain both laying claim to friendly DRM of the future title originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
Disney, DECE | Email this | Comments Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]
-
Rollei rolls out Flexline 100 inTouch digital camera
Well, isn’t this the cutest thing you’ve seen since Macaulay Culkin slapped his cheeks in Home Alone? Rollei’s just outed its latest digital camera offering, the slim little (15.6-mm) Flexline inTouch. This wonder-inducing little guy boasts a 10 megapixel CCD sensor, 3x optical zoom, face detection, plus integrated image-processing feature for on-the-go retouching. It’s also got a great-looking 3-inch LCD touchscreen display and can take up to 30 shots per second. It’ll be available in blue, silver, and glittery metallic pink (hooray!), and you can get one this month for about €199 — or about $286. There’s one more captivating shot after the break.Continue reading Rollei rolls out Flexline 100 inTouch digital camera
Rollei rolls out Flexline 100 inTouch digital camera originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
LetsGoDigital | Email this | Comments Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]
-
University of South Australia’s Trev to race around the world on solar energy

Eco Factor: Zero-emission electric vehicle powered by solar energy.
A team from the University of South Australia is preparing a solar-powered car to participate in the first zero-emission car race around the world. The race will commence in June where the competing teams will make use of renewable energy to cross 20 countries on three continents in about 80 days.
-
Feature: Minoan artists in Egypt?
Heritage Link (Owen Jarus)
One of the most perplexing mysteries that Egyptologists and Aegean experts are tackling is that of the frescoes of Tell el-Dab’a, also known as Avaris.This site was used as the capital of the Hyksos, at a time when they ruled much of Egypt, from 1640 – 1530 BC. It is on the Nile Delta and would have provided access to the Sinai, Levant and southern Egypt.
The site appears to have been abandoned for a time after the Hyksos were driven out. However, by the end of the 18th dynasty (when the Egyptians were back in control of their land), the site was in use and sported with three – yes three – large palaces. They were ringed by an enclosure wall. The whole complex was about 5.5 hectares in size.
Two of those palaces were decorated, for a very short period of time, with Minoan frescoes. These include drawings of bull-leaping scenes – which are well known from the Palace of Knossos in Crete.
Site excavator Manfred Bietak published a book in 2007 that discussed these frescoes and compared them with the more famous scenes at the Palace of Knossos.
There is no question that the frescoes at Tell el-Dab’a are Aegean influenced, and it seems likely that the artists are from Crete. Dating them is tricky but from the stratigraphy and pottery they seem to date to around the time of Thutmosis III.
-
Ford Becomes the Number 1 Brand in Canada
Ford is the only large US-based manufacturer that hasn’t applied for financial support from the American government and it looks like the company is performing pretty impressive in Canada as well. And we’re not the ones saying it, but the latest figures rolled out by Ford of Canada.To get straight into details, Ford is the best-selling brand in Canada, after overall sales increased 25.5 percent with total car sales up 9.5 percent and total truck sales growing 30.1 percent compare… (read more)
-
Sling Touch Control 100 RC has Wi-Fi, Touchscreen and Beauty [Ces2010]
Alongside these little beauties, Sling has also unveiled the Sling Touch Control 100 which, although it sounds like some kind of pervo pantyhose, it ain’t. Shucks. And it’s only available via your cable or satellite provider. Double shucks. -
Research: Prosopographia Ptolemaica
Thanks to a post on AWOL for the link to the above project website.
The Prosopographia Ptolemaica is one of the long-standing research projects of the department of Ancient History at the University of Leuven.The Prosopographia Ptolemaica started as a list of all inhabitants of Egypt between 300 and 30 B.C., from Greek, Egyptian and Latin sources, both authors and documents. It is now being extended to the Roman and Byzantine periods.
The automatisation of the Prosopographia Ptolemaica has been greatly advanced through a grant of the Kiessling Stiftung in 2008.The Prosopographia Ptolemaic has been integrated in the papyrological framework of Trismegistos, http://www.tismegistos.org/. It is also set up in close collaboration with the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis and the Duke Database of Documentary Papyri.






