​Mummy of Eci, a prehistoric man frozen in the Alps, may be just one of many ● Reports of greenhouse gas emissions were false ● Mexican archaeologists forced to bury extraordinary find

The mummy of Etzi, a prehistoric man frozen in the Alps, may be just one of many others

Since 1991, the year of the discovery of the frozen mummy of a man 5,300 years ago, dozens of hypotheses have been accepted about not only how he died, but above all how his body was perfectly preserved over many millennia.

A common hypothesis was that the man was naturally frozen shortly after death, and his body was trapped in a veritable ice capsule, where it remained relatively immobile for over five millennia, given the topography of the mountain. The discovery became possible only because of the rise in temperature and the melting of the ice in which Etzi found himself.

However, a new study conducted by researchers from Norway, Sweden and Austria refutes all these assumptions. In fact, according to a study published in the journal The Holocene, the only true part of what has been said so far is how the person died. According to new data, Etzi was killed in the spring, and not in the fall, as was originally believed.

And this makes its quick freezing unlikely. In addition, there is some evidence to show not only that the body of prehistoric man was frozen and thawed countless times over a long period of time, but also that it was repeatedly covered with water. Also, during the thaw, he would have been carried by the waters far from the place where he was killed, contrary to the ideas proposed so far.

Thus, the probability that other people have suffered the same fate increases exponentially. In conclusion, with rising global temperatures and melting glaciers, it is quite possible that we are in for more such surprises.

Reports of greenhouse gas emissions were false

A new strategy for monitoring greenhouse gas emissions was presented at the COP27 international conference on the environment in Cairo. The project, coordinated by several research institutions, uses artificial intelligence to analyze data provided by more than 300 satellites and thousands of land and sea sensors. Thus, it keeps under observation more than 70,000 points that are considered critical from the point of view of gas emissions.

Greenhouse gas emissions from oil and natural gas production are three times higher than official reports, according to the first data provided by researchers. Thus, 14 of the world’s biggest polluters belong to this industry. Heading this unpleasant list is the Texas Permian Basin, home to some of the world’s largest oil fields.

Officials of the International Energy Agency, for their part, said that the level of methane emissions from the oil industry alone was similar to the total amount of gas used in Europe. All this information was available to the general public for free on the Climatetrace.org website, said former US Vice President Al Gore, one of the initiators of the mentioned project.

Mexican archaeologists had to bury an exceptional find in this place

While building their famous capital, Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs built a series of dams and waterways to prevent flooding, an engineering feat that the city’s new inhabitants, the Spanish conquistadors, did not understand at the time. Thus, they destroyed most of the Aztec structures in the first years of the occupation.

When they began to be affected by floods, the Spanish realized that such a drainage system was absolutely necessary. Thus, they began the construction of such a grandiose project called Albarradón de Ecatepec, which was more than four kilometers long. What’s even more interesting is that the entire tunnel system was created with the help of thousands of indigenous people.

And what archaeologists discovered is exactly a fragment of this drainage system. In particular, a tunnel clearly inspired by the Spanish language, but in which glyphs with Aztec motifs, left by workers from nearby cities, were discovered.

In addition to the uniqueness of this discovery, archaeologists announced that they will have to cover it with earth for an indefinite period. Reason? Lack of funds for maintenance, preservation and presentation, and all this against the backdrop of the economic crisis caused by the COVID pandemic, which has hit the country hard.

Photo source: profimediaimages.ro