Wednesday, 11 February 2026

Smoking Cannabis Linked To Larger Brain Volume And Better Cognitive Function Later In Life

Benjamin Taub

IFL Science

Tuesday 10 Feb 2026

Moderate use appears to protect the hippocampus from shrinking.

People who have used cannabis at any stage during their lives display larger volumes in brain regions linked to memory, learning, and executive function by the time they reach middle age, new research shows. As with all studies linking pot use with cognitive outcomes, however, these findings come with several caveats, as there are numerous variables that complicate the long-term health effects of cannabis use.

Nonetheless, the results of this latest study are noteworthy, particularly given the strength of the positive signal detected by the researchers. Using data from over 25,000 people between the ages of 40 and 77, they found that moderate lifetime cannabis use correlates with size increases in the hippocampus, amygdala, caudate, and putamen.

Given that these brain regions are linked to key attributes like emotion, motor control, and memory, the researchers decided to investigate how cannabis use impacts cognition from mid-life onwards. Examining data from 16,728 individuals, they found that, once again, moderate use was linked to better performance in tasks that engage learning, processing speed, and short-term memory.

“I was a little surprised that every cognitive measure that demonstrated a significant effect showed better performance among cannabis users,” said study author Anika Guha in a statement. “It goes against your default assumptions, because I think a lot of research out there has shown cannabis is associated with worse cognitive function, at least acutely.”

The researchers therefore suggest that while using pot may pose risks to adolescents, these harms do not appear to persist later in life. Instead, cannabis may actually protect the brain against age-related atrophy and neurodegeneration, both of which are strongly linked to cognitive decline and dementia.

At this stage, it’s unclear how the drug exerts these positive effects, although it’s noteworthy that all of the brain regions examined in this study contain high concentrations of CB1 receptors, which represent the primary binding site for cannabinoids like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The authors therefore speculate that the activation of this receptor may somehow fend off brain shrinkage by modulating inflammation, immune function, or neurodegeneration.

Moreover, many of these regions are particularly prone to atrophy later in life, with loss of volume in the hippocampus thought to play a major role in dementia. As such, the researchers tentatively suggest that cannabis might help to prevent certain types of cognitive decline.

Overall, the correlation between cannabis use and both enhanced brain volume and improved cognition was strongest in people who had consumed the drug moderately during their lives. Amazingly, positive effects were even seen in those who hadn’t used pot for several decades prior to assessment.

Despite these findings, the study authors point out that there are still a lot of unknowns. For instance, cannabinoid use appears to affect male and female brains differently, and the reasons for this are not entirely clear.

Additionally, the data fails to capture details of the type or strength of cannabis that people used. The researchers are therefore unable to provide any insight into how different cannabinoids – such as THC, cannabidiol (CBD), or cannabigerol (CBG) – might be involved in mediating the harms and benefits of using pot.

Overall, then, the picture is far from straightforward, and the study authors conclude that “cannabis may influence brain health differently across the lifespan, potentially offering protective effects in older age while posing risks earlier in development.”

The study is published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

https://www.iflscience.com/smoking-cannabis-linked-to-larger-brain-volume-and-better-cognitive-function-later-in-life-82516

Scientists Unearth the World’s Oldest Depictions of the Milky Way in Ancient Egypt

February 10 2026: Iowa Park Leader

Scientists Unearth the World’s Oldest Depictions of the Milky Way in Ancient Egypt

https://www.iowaparkleader.com/scientists-unearth-the-worlds-oldest-depictions-of-the-milky-way-in-ancient-egypt/

A celestial goddess seen with fresh eyes

Across ancient Egypt, the sky goddess Nut arches over the world like a protective, star-studded vault. New research by astrophysicist Or Graur argues that artists sometimes painted on her body a visible trace of the Milky Way. Drawing on Egyptology and astronomy, he identifies what may be the earliest visual allusions to our galaxy’s dark, rifted spine.

Graur surveyed 125 portrayals of Nut across a corpus of about 555 coffins, charting patterns in celestial motifs and unusual graphic accents. His analysis, published in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, suggests a nuanced, nonliteral link between Nut and the galaxy that arcs over Egypt’s desert nights.

The wavy curve and the Great Rift

One depiction stands out on the coffin of Nesitaudjatakhet, a singer of Amun-Re who lived about three millennia ago. A sinuous, black, undulating band runs from the soles of Nut’s feet to the tips of her fingers, with stars painted in roughly equal numbers above and below. For Graur, the form echoes the Milky Way’s dark lane, the so‑called Great Rift.

“The wavy band plausibly traces the Great Rift—the dust-filled seam that parts the Milky Way’s diffuse glow,” he argues, noting the striking resemblance when compared with modern night-sky photography. The motif’s clarity supports a deliberate reference to a familiar, seasonal band of luminous light.

Reading the sky in royal tombs

Similar undulating bands appear in several royal tombs, strengthening the case that artists encoded a real celestial feature. In the burial chamber of Ramses VI, twin arched figures of Nut are separated by thick, wavy, golden curves running from head to lower back. The bands divide day and night books in a cosmological ceiling of striking conceptual clarity.

In the tomb of Seti I, black wavy lines also structure the astronomical ceiling, set between rows of yellow semicircles that partition the sky registers. While not ubiquitous, these curves form a small, coherent cluster—rare enough to be meaningful, yet consistent with an observationally grounded symbolism.

The astronomical ceiling in Seti I’s KV17 tomb shows black wavy dividers. Credit: Theban Mapping Project, Francis Dzikowski, May 2000.

Texts, seasons, and evolving interpretations

Earlier work by Graur drew on Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, and the Book of Nut, alongside simulations of the ancient Egyptian night sky. He proposed a seasonal reading: in winter the Milky Way emphasized Nut’s outstretched arms, while in summer it traced her vertebral axis. The new visual evidence reframes that model without discarding its observational core.

Crucially, the study argues that Nut and the Milky Way are not simply identical. Instead, the galaxy is one of several celestial adornments—like stars and solar disks—that can appear on Nut’s body to signal her role as the living sky. As Graur notes, “Images add a dimension that the texts alone only hinted at.”

Method, cautions, and what to watch next

The project balances art-historical scrutiny with sky-aware comparisons, minimizing anachronism while respecting Egyptian religious context. Rare motifs are treated cautiously: scarcity can signal either innovation or specific ritual functions. Corroboration across media—coffin lids, tomb ceilings, and cosmographic schemes—strengthens the interpretive case.

Future work will broaden the cross-cultural catalogue of Milky Way myths, mapping convergences and differences in how societies read the night sky. Museum collections, improved dating, and high-resolution imaging may reveal additional wavy bands—or clarify when artists chose other cosmic signs.

5,300-Year-Old Egyptian Tool Is Way More Advanced Than Expected

This 5,300-Year-Old Egyptian Tool Is Way More Advanced Than Expected!

https://indiandefencereview.com/this-5300-year-egyptian-tool-more-advanced/

Published on February 10, 2026 By Rania Hadid

A long-lost 5,300-year-old artifact from ancient Egypt has just been rediscovered, and it’s far more advanced than anything historians expected.

The secrets of ancient Egyptian craftsmanship continue to astonish the world. A recent groundbreaking study published in Egypt and the Levant has revealed a hidden treasure in the annals of early Egyptian technology, a 5,300-year-old bow drill, forged from a remarkably advanced metal alloy. This discovery challenges long-held assumptions about the capabilities of ancient Egypt, pushing back the timeline for sophisticated drilling technology by more than two millennia.

The Forgotten Artefact: A Gateway to Ancient Egyptian Ingenuity

The artifact in question, cataloged as 1924.948 A, is a tiny yet significant tool measuring just 63 millimeters in length and weighing a mere 1.5 grams. It was first discovered nearly a century ago at the Badari site in Upper Egypt, an important archaeological location known for its Predynastic remains. The object lay in obscurity for years, dismissed as a simple copper awl wrapped in leather. However, the recent re-analysis using modern technology has shed new light on its true purpose and advanced design. Researchers now believe this tool was part of a rotary drilling system, a far more sophisticated mechanism than originally imagined. Dr. Martin Odler, the lead author of the study, explains,

“The ancient Egyptians are famous for stone temples, painted tombs, and dazzling jewelry, but behind those achievements lay practical, everyday technologies that rarely survive in the archaeological record.”

This discovery, published in Egypt and the Levant, reshapes the historical understanding of early Egyptian technology, providing critical evidence of advanced mechanical tools well before the rise of the great dynasties. The use of a bow drill mechanism, evidenced by fine wear patterns on the object, suggests that Egyptian craftsmen mastered controlled, high-speed rotary drilling techniques as early as the late 4th millennium BCE. This finding pushes back the timeline of Egypt’s technological prowess, offering a glimpse into a civilization that had already begun to harness complex tools for their daily work and artistic production.

Evidence of Rotary Drilling: A Leap Forward in Craftsmanship

One of the most striking revelations from the study is the discovery of wear patterns on the drill that indicate its use in rotary motion. Through microscopic examination, the researchers identified fine striations and rounded edges on the working tip, signs that could only have been produced by a spinning motion rather than a simple puncturing or scraping action. The presence of six coils of leather wrapped around the shaft further supports this conclusion, as it points directly to the bow drill mechanism, a tool that would have been spun back and forth by a bow to generate rapid, controlled rotation.

Dr. Martin Odler elaborates on the significance of this discovery:

“This re-analysis has provided strong evidence that this object was used as a bow drill—which would have produced a faster, more controlled drilling action than simply pushing or twisting an awl-like tool by hand. This suggests that Egyptian craftspeople mastered reliable rotary drilling more than two millennia before some of the best-preserved drill sets.”

The ability to use rotary motion for tasks like bead making, woodworking, and stoneworking revolutionized craftsmanship, allowing ancient Egyptians to produce fine jewelry, tools, and even monumental architecture.

Unveiling Advanced Metalworking: A Copper-Arsenic-Nickel Alloy

Another fascinating aspect of the discovery is the composition of the tool itself. The drill is made from a unique alloy of copper, arsenic, nickel, lead, and silver. The presence of these metals suggests a level of metallurgical knowledge that was far ahead of its time. The alloy is harder and visually distinctive compared to ordinary copper, and the inclusion of silver and lead points to either deliberate alloying practices or the influence of distant trade networks.

Co-author Jiří Kmošek adds,

“The drill contains arsenic and nickel, with notable amounts of lead and silver. Such a recipe would have produced a harder, and visually distinctive, metal compared with standard copper. The presence of silver and lead may hint at deliberate alloying choices and, potentially, wider networks of materials or know-how linking Egypt to the broader ancient Eastern Mediterranean in the fourth millennium BCE.”

This finding raises important questions about early resource procurement, trade routes, and the potential exchange of metallurgical knowledge between ancient Egypt and other civilizations in the region.

Redefining the Early Technological Timeline

This discovery has far-reaching implications for the understanding of ancient technology. Until now, the earliest known examples of rotary drilling in Egypt were dated to the New Kingdom period, around 1550–1070 BCE. The newly identified bow drill from the Badari site, however, dates back to the Predynastic period, more than 2,000 years earlier. This revelation forces scholars to reconsider the technological timeline of ancient Egypt, suggesting that the civilization’s mechanical expertise may have been far more advanced and widespread than previously believed.

Dr. Martin Odler notes, “This suggests that Egyptian craftspeople had mastered complex tools long before the rise of the pharaohs.” The continuity of this technology across centuries indicates that the bow drill was not merely an experimental innovation but a highly effective tool that persisted throughout Egypt’s long history, supporting a wide range of crafts and industries.

The Legacy of Ancient Egyptian Craftsmanship

The rediscovery of this tool underscores the ingenuity and practical knowledge embedded in ancient Egyptian society. As Dr. Odler highlights,

“Behind Egypt’s famous stone monuments and jewellery were practical, everyday technologies that rarely survive archaeologically.”

Tuesday, 10 February 2026

Scientists Uncover the Lost Island That Gave Birth to Karnak Temple

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-uncover-the-lost-island-that-gave-birth-to-karnak-temple/

Karnak Temple may have been built where myth and the Nile literally rose together.

Archaeologists have completed the most detailed geoarchaeological investigation ever undertaken at Egypt’s Karnak Temple near Luxor, one of the largest temple complexes of the ancient world and a UNESCO World Heritage site visited by millions each year. The research provides a clearer picture of when the site was first occupied and suggests a possible connection between its location and ancient Egyptian creation beliefs.

The findings, published in Antiquity, present fresh evidence about the age of the temple, explore potential links to Egyptian mythology, and explain how changes in the Nile’s landscape influenced people who lived at and expanded the site over roughly 3,000 years.

“This new research provides unprecedented detail on the evolution of Karnak Temple, from a small island to one of the defining institutions of Ancient Egypt,” says Dr. Ben Pennington, lead author of the study and a Visiting Fellow in Geoarchaeology at the University of Southampton.

Karnak Temple lies about 500 meters east of the modern River Nile, close to Luxor, in what was once the religious heart of Ancient Egypt at Thebes.

Reconstructing the Ancient Environment Around Karnak

The international team was led by Dr. Angus Graham of Uppsala University and included several researchers from the University of Southampton. Together, they examined 61 sediment cores taken from inside and around the temple complex. To refine the timeline of their discoveries, the team also analyzed tens of thousands of ceramic fragments recovered from the site.

By combining these lines of evidence, the researchers reconstructed how the surrounding landscape evolved through different historical periods. Their analysis showed that before about 2520 BCE, the area was regularly overwhelmed by fast flowing Nile floodwaters, making long term settlement impractical. As a result, the earliest sustained occupation at Karnak likely dates to the Old Kingdom (c.2591-2152 BC). Pottery evidence supports this conclusion, with the oldest fragments dating between approximately c.2305 and 1980 BC.

“The age of Karnak Temple has been hotly contested in archaeological circles, but our new evidence places a temporal constraint on its earliest occupation and construction,” said Dr. Kristian Strutt, a co-author from the University of Southampton.

Monday, 9 February 2026

Alun Buffry web presence - books, letters, Ebay, YouTube, contact, Family Tree, Kindle books, opinion and links

Books, Published Letters and Interviews
https://www.buffry.org.uk/ab_lte.php

ABeFree Publishing
https://www.buffry.org.uk/abefreepublishing.html

Books on Kindle
https://www.buffry.org.uk/kindlebooksbuffry.html

YouTube Channel AlunB3
https://www.youtube.com/user/AlunB3

YouTube Channel Alun Buffry
https://www.youtube.com/@AlunBuffry1/playlists

Poetry
http://www.buffry.org.uk/poetry.htm

Buffry Family Tree
https://www.buffry.org.uk/buffry.html

EBay
https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/lunab203

Happy Readers'Photo Album
https://myalbum.com/album/nNL3rN2Uo6v5Xm/?invite=3e875d36-8505-462e-9205-3b840c888a8f

Contact: alun(000)@(000)buffry(000).org.uk DELETE (000)

Sunday, 8 February 2026

Facebook deleted account

https://www.reddit.com/r/facebook/s/mzNoeKiYc0

Facebook has permanently deleted many accounts with no appeal and without good reason and there seems no way to contact an actual human being that works there.

As a result I have lost control and admin of numerous pages and several groups including memorial pages and one group with over 170,000 members, all contact with the other admins as well as about 2500 Facebook friends, my life events and thousands of photos ( although I have copies). I need to contact group members to explain my disappearance - 60s, 70s, 80s Trails to India - also ACHA. IF anyone here is in the group please leave a comment on the group saying that I was supposedly deleted permanently for advertising.