I keep getting emails about luncheon meat every day. I mark them as spam.
Monday, 23 February 2026
Egypt discovers 4,300-year-old body wrapped in pure gold inside limestone coffin
Egypt discovers 4,300-year-old body wrapped in pure gold inside limestone coffin
Business Insider Africa,
- Archaeologists discovered a 4,300-year-old gold-wrapped mummy in a sealed limestone coffin at Saqqara, Egypt.
- The mummy belonged to Heka-shepes and dates back to the Old Kingdom’s Fifth and Sixth Dynasties.
- Gold symbolized divinity and eternal life in ancient Egypt, and its use in burial rites indicated elite status.
- The find coincides with the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, enhancing Egypt’s appeal to tourists.
Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass, working with the Supreme Council of Antiquities, identified the deceased as Heka-shepes based on inscriptions within the burial chamber.
The tomb dates back to Egypt’s Fifth and Sixth Dynasties during the Old Kingdom period.
Gold as a symbol of divinity and status
Earth.com reported that the body was wrapped in sheets of gold leaf that had remained undisturbed since burial. In ancient Egypt, gold symbolised the flesh of the gods and eternal life.
Artisans hammered the metal into thin sheets and pressed it onto the wrappings using resin, a process reserved for a small elite.
The use of gold in burial rites signalled both immense wealth and spiritual aspiration. Most Old Kingdom tombs were looted over time, making intact discoveries of this scale rare.
For modern Egypt, gold remains economically strategic. The country is among Africa’s notable gold producers, with mining exports contributing to foreign exchange earnings.
The ancient association with gold continues to shape Egypt’s
global brand as a cradle of wealth, craftsmanship and civilisation.
The mummy belonged to Heka-shepes and dates back to the Old Kingdom’s Fifth and Sixth Dynasties.
Cultural capital and tourism
The discovery comes as Egypt expands its tourism offering with the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, a landmark project near the Giza Pyramids that is now welcoming visitors.
The museum, one of the largest archaeological museums in the world, houses more than 100,000 artefacts and is expected to significantly boost visitor numbers.
ourism remains a key foreign currency earner for Africa’s second-largest economy, and high-profile discoveries often fuel renewed global interest in Egypt’s heritage.
Saqqara, located near the Step Pyramid of Djoser, has produced a series of major finds in recent years. Each announcement reinforces Egypt’s soft power and its status as a global centre of ancient civilisation.
Officials say conservation teams are now working to stabilise the mummy and associated artefacts. Preserving fragile materials such as wood, textiles and pigment requires controlled conditions and detailed scanning before items are moved or displayed.
For Egypt, the gold-wrapped mummy is more than an archaeological milestone.
It is a reminder that gold has long been intertwined with the country’s wealth, belief systems and global standing, from the pharaohs of the Old Kingdom to modern export markets across Africa and beyond.
Saturday, 21 February 2026
My Weed and I, Stoned Again! by Al Zeeman
My Weed and I, Stoned Again! by Al Zeeman aka Alun Buffry
Al Zeeman first consumed cannabis in 1970 whilst at University, firstly in the form of “Coffee Bhangs” and hash cakes, then smoking mixed with tobacco or pure in pipes. After graduating, he travelled across Europe to India and back, stopping off in several places such as Kabul to sample the hasheesh.
Upon returning from
India, he started following the teaching and practices of Prem Rawat,
then known as “Guru Maharaji”, a fifteen year old from India.
A
few years later, Al started smoking cannabis again and continued to so
for almost 50 years, including his time in several UK prisons. He
continued to follow Prem Rawat which he still does today.
But
during the time since 1970, Al Zeeman travelled widely throughout
Europe, also visiting Morocco, India, Nepal, Kashmir and Egypt, meeting
many people and smoking hos weed (and theirs) and was so often "stoned
again”.
The author also participated in “Legalise
Cannabis Campaigns” for over thirty years, even standing for Parliament
under the banner of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance (LCA) on the single
issue, in 2001.
This is his account of his experiences, the places he saw and some of the friends he made.
This
book, along with many amusing anecdotes, recalls his encounters and
near misses with the forces of law in the UK. Also the book contains a
wealth of information on the uses of cannabis / hemp, the types and
sources, smoking utensils, some political opinions and a chronology of
cannabis.
Zeeman pays tribute to the cannabis campaigners and
enthusiasts that he met along the way, many of whom have now passed on,
including Howard Marks, Chris Baldwin, Don Barnard, Winston Matthews,
Mark and Lezley Gibson, Clara O’Donnell, Jack and Tina Girling, Lee
Harris, Steve Pank, Jooep Oomen and “Granny” Pat Tabram.
At the end of the book, Zeeman gives his birth name, Alun Buffry, stating that he has never made any attempt to hide his identity.
Table of Contents:
NICOLAS CULPEPER, CANNABIS LAWS – PROHIBITION, COFFEE-BHANGS AND HASH CAKES, THE DEALER’S HAT, FIRST CHILLUM, A BRUSH OR TWO WITH THE LAW, FRANKFURT, MUNICH, BELGRADE, ISTANBUL, AFYON /AFYONKARAISHAR, THE FISHERMAN ON THE BEACH, HEADING EAST, AFGHANISTAN, KABUL, HELMUT, KHYBER PASS AND ONWARDS TO INDIA, INDIA: HARIDWAR AND THE GANGES, NORFOLK, THE WRECKING CREW, BUSTED, WICKLEWOOD, MR NICE, JACK AND LILY, STANLEY ATKINS, JOE HARDY-SHARP,POLISH CHRIS – CHRIS LAUSCH, MONTY, LESLEY JAMES, THE “BIG MONEY GANG”,CAMPAIGN TO LEGALISE CANNABIS INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION 1992, BANGED UP, HOWARD MARKS, MR NICE 1997,THE LEGALISE CANNABIS ALLIANCE (LCA) 1999, TRAVELLING HIGH, NOL VAN SHAIK’S SPANISH COMPLEX, CAMPAIGN GROUPS DURING AND AFTER THE LCA, METHODS OF CONSUMPTION, TYPES AND SOURCES OF CANNABIS, RECREATIONAL OR MEDICAL, CANNABIS ABROAD, HOLLAND AND THE NETHERLANDS, SPAIN, PORTUGAL, IRELAND, GERMANY, FRANCE, SWITZERLAND, GREECE, ITALY: SICILY, MOROCCO, INDIA, OTHER COUNTRIES, THE BAD STUFF, GROW YOUR OWN, CANNABIS PROTESTS, HEADSHOPS, SMOKEY BEARS PICNICS, RALLIES AND MARCHES, COFFEESHOPS, BYE BYE, A CHRONOLOGY OF CANNABIS.
Thursday, 19 February 2026
Forget Me Not - In Loving Memory
Featuring: (some are extra photos of the same person several years apart)
John Sullivan, Cedric Skinner, Paul Jolin (Australian Paul), Richard Scott (Scotty), Keith Marshall, Phyllis Franklin, Judith Dawson, Greg Hurn, Klarika, Vera and Stanley Buffry, Aaron Whitehead, Keith Huckle, Mick Smith, Graham Whitehead (Monty), Roger Martin, Tim Sillence, Billy, Lou Whitehead, Mark Angus, Levi McCarthy, Larna Simmons, Levi McCarthy (2), Bob Wilton, Ingrid Waters, Joe Thompson, Nigel Ellis (Nudge) Susan Bewsick, Vera Buffry, Joe Hardy-Sharpe, Sid Grubb, Vera Buffry (2), Smiley Wilde, Stanley Atkins, Damien Donnelly, Harold the Baker, Lesley James, Chris Lausch (Polish Chris), German Jonny, Lesley James (2), Liza Frost, Claudi Stiller, Spider Gill, Larna Simmons (2), Beryl Jackson, Norbert Stiller, Patrick Rowlings, Pete Hunter, Dave Barker (Woofer), John Davies, Anne Clarke, Jackie Barnard, Colin Paisley, Jaime Carran, Larna Simmons, Mick Pryce, Susan Beswick, Alistair Stevenson, Edie Ellison, Howard Marks (Mr Nice), Derrick Large, George Bacon, Chrissie, Miroslav, Don Barnard (2), Lesley James (3), Paul Fowler, Chris Baldwin, Marcus Davis, Jack Girling, Mick Pryce, Don Barnard, Tom Hamson, Pat Tabram (Grannie Pat), Lynn Zimmer, Winston Matthews, Joep Oomen, Ivor Garfield, Clare Gardner, Sheriff Lyness, Liza Frost, Peter Donnelly (Paddy), Andre Furst, Davy English, Jaime Carren (2), John Cripps, Maggie Bevan, Mandy Medlar, Paul Flynn MP, Phil Stovell, Julian McAlistair, Christine Humphreys, Don Good, Smiler, Miroslav, Frank Kirk, Colin Campbell-Clarke, Jane Stevenson Liz Gotto (Warden), Sue Duggan, Robo Linders, Keith Huckle, Anne Clarke, Alistair Stevenson (2), John Banham, Mike Beavis, Lee Harris, Lesley James (4), Sid Carter (Siddy), Nick Herne, Jack Girling (2), Fernada de la Figuera, Charlie Briston, Marcus Davis, Winston Matthews, Alysia Solomon, Ali Baktoo, Lesley James (5), Simon Edye (Ronaldos Icecream), Miroslav, Miroslav (2), Jackie OToole, Frank Kirk, Nol van Shaik, Winston Matthews, Lesley James (6) Allan Ivans, Ian Harris, Roger Warren_Evans, Allan Ivans (2), Alysia Solomon (2).
Wednesday, 18 February 2026
ABeFree Publishing Happy Readers
Readers from UK, US, Australia, Canada, India, Spain, Italy, Nigeria and more coutries.
Egyptian researchers discover collection of ancient rock art spanning 10,000 years in Sinai desert
Jerusalem Post February 17 2026
Egyptian researchers discover collection of ancient rock art spanning 10,000 years in Sinai desert
The engravings and drawings are divided into several groups, researchers learned in their initial study of the space, the oldest of which are done in red and dated to between 10,000 and 5,500 BCE.
A shelter containing rock art spanning nearly 10,000 years was discovered by a team of archaeologists in the southern Sinai, the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry announced last week.
The Egyptian Book of the Dead
The Book of the Dead is the name given to an ancient Egyptian funerary text generally written on papyrus and used from the beginning of the New Kingdom (around 1550 BC) to around 50 BC.Book" is the closest term to describe the loose collection of texts consisting of a number of magic spells intended to assist a dead person's journey through the Duat, or underworld, and into the afterlife and written by many priests over a period of about 1,000 years. In 1842, the Egyptologist Karl Richard Lepsius introduced for these texts the German name Todtenbuch (modern spelling Totenbuch), translated to English as 'Book of the Dead'. The original Egyptian name for the text, transliterated rw nw prt m hrw, is translated as Spells of Coming Forth by Day.
The Book of the Dead, which was placed in the coffin or burial chamber of the deceased, was part of a tradition of funerary texts which includes the earlier Pyramid Texts and Coffin Texts, which were painted onto objects, not written on papyrus. Some of the spells included in the book were drawn from these older works and date to the 3rd millennium BC. Other spells were composed later in Egyptian history, dating to the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt (11th to 7th centuries BC). A number of the spells which make up the Book continued to be separately inscribed on tomb walls and sarcophagi, as the spells from which they originated always had been.
There was no single or canonical Book of the Dead. The surviving papyri contain a varying selection of religious and magical texts and vary considerably in their illustration. Some people seem to have commissioned their own copies of the Book of the Dead, perhaps choosing the spells they thought most vital in their own progression to the afterlife. The Book of the Dead was most commonly written in hieroglyphic or hieratic script on a papyrus scroll, and often illustrated with vignettes depicting the deceased and their journey into the afterlife.
The finest extant example of the Egyptian in antiquity is the Papyrus of Ani. Ani was an Egyptian scribe. It was discovered in Luxor in 1888 by Egyptians trading in illegal antiquities. It was acquired by E. A. Wallis Budge, as described in his autobiography By Nile and Tigris in 1888 and was taken to the British Museum, where it remains.
https://www.getty.edu/news/what-is-the-egyptian-book-of-the-dead/
“Book of the Dead” is a modern term to describe a series of ancient Egyptian ritual spells (instructions and incantations).
These helped the deceased find their way to the afterlife and become united with the sun god Re and the netherworld god Osiris in a continual cycle of renewal and rebirth.
There are nearly 200 known spells, but they weren’t collected into books in our current sense of the word. Rather, assemblages of spells were inscribed on objects from mummy wrappings to coffins to figurines to papyrus scrolls, all meant to accompany the dead in the tomb. They provided instructions for the various challenges the deceased would face on their journey. Spell 125, for example, lists a number of misdeeds they must deny having committed in life when they appear before Osiris.
Spells from the Book of the Dead
What are these spells like?
We use the word ‘spell’ to indicate the individual sections of a Book of the Dead. They are also often referred to as ‘chapters’ or ‘utterances’.
The spells were written down to help the person named in the papyrus to pass safely through any difficult or dangerous situations in the afterlife. One of the most important spells is Chapter or Spell 125 which usually contains a scene showing the heart of the dead person being weighed against maat (divine order and cosmic balance). The same spell also contains a long text referred to as the Negative Confession, in which the dead person recites a number of things he or she has not done.
Ordering and selection of spells
The numbering system used today to identify the different spells was first assigned by the German scholar Richard Lepsius in 1842. He published a Ptolemaic Book of the Dead and numbered the individual spells in the order they appeared in that particular papyrus. It is clear that this order was not particularly standardised and the selection of spells varies too from papyrus to papyrus, probably according to the arrangement determined by the scribe responsible.
We do not know whether the person buying a papyrus would necessarily be involved in selecting and ordering the spells. In some cases it is clear that the person whose name appears on the papyrus had purchased one that was already pre-written, with spaces left for the buyer’s name to be inserted. This is not the case with Ramose’s Book of the Dead.
— Book of the Dead, spell 30B
The section imploring the heart reads:
O my heart of my mother! O my heart of my mother! O my heart of my different forms! Do not stand up as a witness against me, do not be opposed to me in the tribunal, do not be hostile to me in the presence of the Keeper of the Balance, for you are my ka which was in my body, the protector who made my members hale. Go forth to the happy place whereto we speed, do not make my name stink to the Entourage who make men. Do not tell lies about me in the presence of the god. It is indeed well that you should hear!
Spell 9: Identifies the owner with the god
Words spoken by Ani: 'O you Soul [ba], greatly majestic, behold, I have come that I may see you; I open the Netherworld that I may see my father Osiris and drive away darkness, for I am beloved of him. I have come that I may see my father Osiris and that I may cut out the heart of Seth who has harmed my father Osiris. I have opened up every path which is in the sky and on earth, for I am the well-beloved son of my father Osiris. I am noble, I am a spirit [akh], I am equipped; O all you gods and all you spirits [akhu], prepare a path for me.
Spell 42. contains a list of all the essential parts of the body and their divine parallels.
My hair is Nu; my face is Ra; my eyes are Hathor; my ears are Wepwawet; my nose is She who presides over her lotus leaf; my lips are Anubis; my molars are Selkis; my incisors are Isis the goddess; my arms are the Ram, the Lord of mendes; my breast is Neith, Lady of Sais; my back is Seth; my phallus is Osiris; my muscles are the Lords of Kheraha; my chest is he who is greatly majestic; my belly and my spine are Sekhmet; my buttocks are the Eye of Horus; my thighs and my calves are Nut; my feet are Ptah; my toes are living falcons; there is no member of mine devoid of a god, and Thoth is the protection of all my flesh.
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
Recommended reading and TV
I have just finished very much enjoyed "The Untold Story of Christine Bott" bt Catherine Hayes
ISBN 9781838338824 - it's not available on Amazon at the moment but maybe through a bookshop.
On IPlayer I enjoyed the two series "Waiting for the Out" and "Small Prophets"
Monday, 16 February 2026
Sunday, 15 February 2026
A UK Cannabis Activism Retrospective: A Simpa Life Broadcast interview with Winston Matthews and Alun Buffry
A slight problem with quality at start but stick with it.
RIP Winston Matthews
Kabul to Peshawar via the Khyber Pass - Meeting Hellmut, 1972
Taken from "All About My Hat, The Hippy Trail 1972"
Peshawar and the Khyber Pass
It was 180 miles from Kabul to Peshawar, across the Khyber Pass.
Keith read quietly from his guide book:
“Peshawar is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province, and the administrative centre and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan.
"Peshawar is situated in a large valley near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, close to the Pakistan-Afghan border. Known as "City on the Frontier", Peshawar's strategic location on the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia has made it one of the most culturally vibrant and lively cities in the greater region. Peshawar is irrigated by various canals of the Kabul River, Kunhar River and by its right tributary, the Bara River.
“Being among the most ancient cities of the region between Central, South and West Asia, Peshawar has for centuries been a centre of trade between Afghanistan, South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. As an ancient centre of learning, the second century BC. Bakhshali Manuscript used in the Bakhshali approximation was found nearby.
“In 1947, Peshawar became part of the newly created Pakistan after politicians from the Frontier approved the merger.
“Over 99% of Peshawar's population is Muslim, mostly Sunnis, with Twelver Shias the significant minority group. Despite the mainly Islamic nature of modern Peshawar, the city was previously home to a diverse range of communities, such as Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, Zoroastrians and members of the Bahá'í Faith. A significant number of Sikhs, in addition to smaller communities of Hindus and Christians, continue to exist in Peshawar”
“That is very interesting, I did not know that history”, said a voice with a German accent belonging to a man that sat opposite us.
“My name is Hellmut. You want smoke some joint?”
He had lit and was offering them a joint – on the bus!
Well, I could tell Al liked the smell so he quickly accepted it with a “Danke” (thank you in German, Al thought). He took three rapid puffs and passed it to Keith who took three puffs and passed what was left back to Hellmut.
Al was feeling quite self-conscious about smoking on a bus heading to Pakistan. He thought everyone was looking.
He turned round to look back down the bus.
Almost every seat had a man leaning out and looking back up the bus at him!
And, Al noticed, they were all grinning and smiling and nodding, as if to say “You are stoned now, as we are stoned too."
Al thought those men probably did not smoke cannabis but it must have been in their blood, handed down over the centuries.
He relaxed, chatted with Helmut a while. Helmut said he travelled that route every year for ten years. Then as the calming effect of the lovely hash took over, he sat and started to enjoy what was to be an incredible journey through the Khyber Pass.
The over-laden coach trundled on, struggling up hills and rounding bends with sheer drops, then down and up again. At the end of most down bits there was a small waterfall. At the end of each up bits there was a beautiful view, often including the same road below them, winding around the boulders in between the fields.
At some places there were what looked like caves in the sides of the hills.
We passed small groups of men that seemed to be just sitting and looking; we saw young boys driving herds of sheep or goats or camels and several times we had to stop to let them pass us.
Occasionally we saw groups of women carrying baskets, bundles or clay pots on their heads, trailed by urchin-looking children – her children always waving at the coach.
The women here were dressed very differently and, Al thought, more practically than those in Burkas. These showed their faces beneath head-scarves decorated with beads and chains and quite colourful too. These must be tribal mountain women, Al thought.
The coach was moving quite slowly and Al had a chance to take a couple of photographs through the window, of the valley below. He wished he had more film, but thought he would not be able to afford it.
Hellmut was quite jolly company and did lot of talking. They smoked another couple of joints.
He explained that he travelled this same route for years and the border post guards knew him. He always gave them a little money and they left him alone. He also said that every year he visited Afghanistan and Pakistan, India and Nepal, and arranged for shipments of hash to be sent back to London where his partner lived. He travelled for six months, then went back to London and his partner did the same. They were paying off customs everywhere, including the UK, and they were making a lot of money. But, he said, he preferred to stay in cheap hotels, not the big ones, and then he met people.
So Hellmut too, was heading for the Hotel Rainbow.
“Very very cheap”, he said, “But it is OK for a few days, but do not eat their food – it is better to go out to eat in a secret local restaurant that I know, it is good and clean.”
Hellmut said that after Peshawar, he was heading to Lahore and then would fly to Amritsar where the “Golden Temple” was and where travellers could sleep and eat for free, courtesy of the Sikhs. The same plan as Al and Keith's, they used to call it the “Hippy Trail.”
“Hey listen to this about the Khyber Pass man,” said Keith, who read again from his travel guide:
“The Khyber Pass is a mountain pass connecting Afghanistan and Pakistan, and India cutting through the north-eastern part of the Spin Ghar mountains. An integral part of the ancient Silk Road, it is one of the oldest known passes in the world. Throughout history it has been an important trade route between Central Asia and South Asia and a strategic military location. The summit of the pass is about 3 miles inside Pakistan at Landi Kotal, about three thousand five hundred feet.
“The pass itself is entirely in Pakistan. The nearest major cities on the route that goes over the pass are Jalalabad in Afghanistan and Peshawar in Pakistan, with Torkham as border crossing point.
“For strategic reasons, after the First World War the British built a heavily engineered railway through the Pass. The Khyber Pass Railway from Jamrud, near Peshawar, to the Afghan border near Landi Kotal was opened in 1925.
“At the Pakistani frontier post, travellers are advised not to wander away from the road, as the location is a barely controlled Federally Administered Tribal Area.
“Crossing the Khyber has always been something of an adventure. Even in peacetime, this was a fairly wild region where banditry and tribal warfare were part of local history and almost every adult male went armed. “
It was quite a journey until they reached Peshawar, but once there, with Helmut leading the way, they soon found and booked into the Rainbow Hotel. Reception gladly changed Afghani money into Pakistani Rupees.
The room for Al and Keith was small with two beds, but the view out of the window into the street below was good.
It was May 5 1972.
View from Rainbow Hotel, Peshawar
Giggling Squid not funny
very disappointed with what the Norwich restaurant served up as I usually rate it highly, but this time ... the chillie mushrooms were mostly breadcrumbs with a sad pot of weak sauce. The spicey hake, one of my favourite dishes, was spoilt by hardly cooked green beans, sweetcorn and cabbage. what a shame.
Saturday, 14 February 2026
Thursday, 12 February 2026
After being off Facebook book six days I must say I am glad, it gives me more time for better things to do and feels like I have been set free. Apart from losing contact with many good friends all is well.
Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Smoking Cannabis Linked To Larger Brain Volume And Better Cognitive Function Later In Life
Smoking Cannabis Linked To Larger Brain Volume And Better Cognitive Function Later In Life
Benjamin Taub
IFL Science
Tuesday 10 Feb 2026
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/
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
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