Latest news with #Arabian
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Earliest Evidence of Psychoactive Substance Use Found in Tomb
Archaeologists working in the Tabuk province of Arabia have found the earliest documented evidence of the ritual application of a psychoactive substance, according to a new study published in Communications investigating a tomb comprising several rooms at the oasis settlement of Qurayyah, scientists came across organic residue inside stone burners and fumigation equipment found throughout the crypt. During an analysis, they were able to identify three extremely potent beta-carboline alkaloids—harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine—by using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Those alkaloids were chemical signatures of Peganum harmala, which contains psychoactive and anti-inflammatory properties and is still used throughout the Middle East and Central Asia as a medical remedy. The researchers believe that, in addition to being buried with the deceased, Peganum harmala was smoked as part of visionary or purification rituals, which took place after burials."This is the first direct chemical proof of Syrian rue being used in a funerary context anywhere in the world," said lead author Barbara Huber. "Our results demonstrate that individuals in Iron Age Arabia were already experimenting with sophisticated plant-based pharmacologies, not just for healing, but for ritual and sensory transformation." Marta Luciani, the dig's co-director, agreed. "This totally reworks our perception of early Arabian cultures," she explained. 'It represents a cognitive and cultural level of sophistication, where religious and therapeutic spheres interacted in significant, ritualized contexts."The discovery recontextualizes what many researchers thought about Arabian societies, revealing that they were engaged in similar ritualistic practices to cultures in Central Asia, South America, and the Indus Valley. "We are not preserving artifacts, said Ahmed M. Abualhassan, of the Saudi Heritage Commission. 'We are restoring wisdom that continues to reside in oral traditions, domestic habit, and ancestral rituals.'Earliest Evidence of Psychoactive Substance Use Found in Tomb first appeared on Men's Journal on May 29, 2025
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Record rainfall in the south, drought in the north: what's causing Europe's unusual spring weather?
2025's rainy spring has brought a swift end to the droughts plaguing several Spanish regions, restoring ecosystems to parched fields, reviving withered trees and shrubs, and bringing back a lush, green landscape not seen for a long time. It has also placed the country's reservoir levels much higher the averages of the last decade. At the same time, drought has spread across central and northern European countries that are not used to water shortages. But why have the continent's rainfall patterns have been reversed? In general, northern Europe has more rain and, importantly, more rainy days than southern Europe. If we focus on the Atlantic coast, for example, Ireland is rainier than western Andalusia or the Algarve. This is only true in broad terms though, as even southern Spain has very rainy enclaves, such as the Sierra de Grazalema in Cádiz. The explanation for Mediterranean Europe's modest rainfall and long periods of drought – in contrast to the damp, green landscapes of northern Europe – lies in general atmospheric currents. In the mid and high latitudes of Europe, atmospheric circulation is characterised by prevailing westerly Atlantic, and therefore humid, winds. This is often associated with low pressure areas, which bring warm and cold fronts. These weather systems usually move from southwest to northeast, and their fronts bring frequent, moderate rainfall. South of these prevailing westerly winds, we enter the Mediterranean latitudes, where the atmosphere is more usually marked by higher pressure. At higher altitudes of 5,500m and above, these latitudes form the northern boundary of the Subtropical High, a large belt of subtropical-tropical anticyclones that encircles the globe. The anticyclonic belt has its axis near 30° latitude in both hemispheres. It influences the climate of the world's largest tropical deserts, such as the Sahara and Arabian desert in the northern hemisphere, and the Great Australian Desert in the south. The Azores High – a seemingly permanent fixture on weather maps of its namesake archipelago – is one of the links in the aforementioned belt. It acts as a barrier to Atlantic storms, meaning they do not usually reach much of the Iberian Peninsula as frequently as they do in more northerly countries. Indeed, it is typical to see a ridge or prolongation of the Azores anticyclone encompassing the Iberian Peninsula. This causes very clear, stable weather with no rain (except for perhaps a light drizzle on the northern Cantabrian coast). The normal pattern is sometimes reversed. This often means a low pressure area in south-western Europe, towards the Gulf of Cádiz, and an anticyclone in the north or centre of the continent, in the British Isles, Scandinavia and Central Europe. This anticyclone in latitudes further north than Spain and Portugal is called a blocking anticyclone, because it prevents the circulation of the typical westerly winds. This means heavy or even torrential rainfall in south-western Europe, and dry spells in more northerly regions. This situation occurred in the spring of 2025, with very heavy rainfall in many regions of Spain and drought in northern Europe. One question many will doubtless be asking is whether this inversion is a consequence of climate change The answer is, at least in principle, no. In fact there are many examples of similar springs in the past such as those of 2013 and 2018. Indeed, the Spanish even have proverbs about spring's unpredictable and rainy weather – 'marzo ventoso y abril lluvioso, dejan a mayo florido y hermoso' (almost) literally translates into 'March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers'. It is true that the spring of 2025 has been exceptionally rainy in much of Spain, especially in the month of March, which saw two and a half times the normal amount of rainfall. A quarter of the observatories in the AEMET, the Spanish State Meteorological Agency, recorded the wettest March since 1961. The Retiro measuring station, in central Madrid, recorded 235.4mm in March – more than twice its annual average. It is also no coincidence that, precisely because of their northern location on the Iberian Peninsula, some regions between Galicia and the Basque Country have been the exception, and received below-average rainfall. Este artículo fue publicado originalmente en The Conversation, un sitio de noticias sin fines de lucro dedicado a compartir ideas de expertos académicos. Lee mas: What climate vulnerability actually looks like Valencia floods: Our warming climate is making once-rare weather more common, and more destructive A 'doom loop' of climate change and geopolitical instability is beginning Javier Martín Vide no recibe salario, ni ejerce labores de consultoría, ni posee acciones, ni recibe financiación de ninguna compañía u organización que pueda obtener beneficio de este artículo, y ha declarado carecer de vínculos relevantes más allá del cargo académico citado.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Coast Guard confirms oil spill after container vessel sinks off Kerala coast, swings into action
KOCHI: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Monday confirmed oil spill in the Arabian sea, around the area off Kerala's coast where MSC Elsa 3, a Liberia-flagged container vessel carrying hazardous cargo and calcium carbide, sunk the day before. It has deployed three vessels and an aircraft for counter-pollution operations. The Coast Guard's Offshore Patrol Vessels ICGS Saksham, ICGS Vikram and ICGS Samarth utilised infrared cameras to detect the oil spill area and sprayed OSD (Oil Spill Dispersant) to contain the spread. A Dornier aircraft is conducting aerial assessment and OSD dispersal in the 2x1 nautical miles area where the spill has been detected. The vessels are churning the waters using hoses and propeller to mix the dispersant. Meanwhile, ICG Ship Samudra Prahari, a specialised pollution response vessel carrying significant quantities of OSD, has set sail from Mumbai and is expected to reach Kochi on Tuesday. The Coast Guard said in a release: 'At approximately 0750 hrs on May 25, MSC Elsa 3 sank around 15 nautical miles off the coast of Kerala, southwest of Alappuzha. The maritime incident has raised environmental concerns, including the potential for oil spill impact and drifting of debris and cargo ashore along Kerala's coastline. Within 2-3 hours of the vessel's submergence, the ICG surveillance aircraft detected the presence of an oil slick at the site at 11 am, the oil slick was observed drifting in east-southeast direction at an estimated speed of 1.5-2 knots (around 3.7 kmph). By 2pm, the spill was assessed to have spread over an area of approximately 2x1 nautical miles' The ship had 84.44 tonnes of diesel and 367.1 tonnes of furnace oil when it sank, and this caused the oil spill. Statement of ship's crew to be recorded today Confirming that the oil slick has not reached the shores, ICG has advised the state administration to prepare for shoreline cleanup operations. The Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) , Kochi, has issued a warning to the vessel's owners regarding pollution liability and launched an investigation into the incident. MMD principal officer and Joint Director J Senthil Kumar met the 24 crew members of the sunken vessel on Monday. As the crew were yet to recover from the trauma, the MMD decided to record their statements on Tuesday.
Arabian Post
4 days ago
- General
- Arabian Post
Navigating Mail Delivery in the UAE: A Guide for New Residents
Arabian Post Staff For expatriates settling into the United Arab Emirates, understanding the country's unique postal system is essential. Unlike many nations that utilize traditional postal codes, the UAE primarily relies on a Post Office Box system for mail distribution. This approach reflects the country's infrastructural evolution and its emphasis on centralized mail collection points. In the UAE, individuals and businesses typically rent P.O. Boxes from Emirates Post, the national postal service provider. These boxes serve as the primary address for receiving mail. When sending correspondence to someone in the UAE, the address format generally includes the recipient's name, P.O. Box number, city, and the country designation. For instance: ADVERTISEMENT Ahmed Al Mansoori P.O. Box 12345 Dubai United Arab Emirates This system ensures that mail is directed to a specific box at a designated post office, where recipients can collect their items at their convenience. It's important to note that standard mail services do not offer door-to-door delivery to physical street addresses. Consequently, residents without a P.O. Box may face challenges in receiving regular mail. When completing online forms or international shipping documents that mandate a postal code, UAE residents often use placeholder codes such as '00000' or '99999.' These codes are not tied to any geographic location within the country but are used to satisfy system requirements. The critical component for successful delivery remains the accurate P.O. Box number. For courier and express parcel services, deliveries to physical addresses are more common. In such cases, providing a detailed address—including building name, street name, apartment or villa number—is essential. Additionally, including a contact telephone number is crucial, as delivery personnel often rely on phone communication to confirm locations or arrange handovers. In Dubai, the Makani system assigns a unique 10-digit number to every building, facilitating precise location identification for deliveries. Emirates Post operates numerous Customer Happiness Centers across the UAE, catering to various postal and non-postal needs. Standard operating hours for these centers are from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. However, some centers, especially in major cities like Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah, extend their hours until 8:00 PM on weekdays. It's advisable to check the specific timings of your nearest center before planning a visit. Beyond mail services, Emirates Post offers a range of additional services beneficial to residents. One notable offering is the issuance of International Driving Permits . In collaboration with the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE, Emirates Post facilitates the application process for IDPs at all its branches. Applicants need to provide a completed IDP form, a valid UAE driving license, original passport, Emirates ID, and a passport-sized photograph. The service fee is AED 170, and the permit is typically issued within five minutes.
United News of India
4 days ago
- United News of India
Kerala: Liberian ship sinks off Kochi coast; Public advisory issued
Kochi, May 25 (UNI) Following the sinking of the Liberian container vessel in the Arabian sea, a public advisory has been issued directing people not to approach or interact with any floating or beached containers or debris, as they may contain dangerous substances. A total of 643 containers were on board, of which 73 were empty and 13 are carrying hazardous and dangerous goods, including Calcium Carbide; a chemical that reacts violently with water to release highly flammable acetylene gas. On May 24 at around 1:25 pm, container ship MSC ELSA 3 capsized and subsequently sank in the Arabian Sea en route from Vizhinjam to Kochi Port. All goods on board were non-duty paid at the time of the incident, and any unauthorized removal or pilferage of such goods is illegal, according to the advisory, issued by Office of the Chief Commisioner of Customs, Thiruvananthapuram Zone. Customs Marine and Preventive units have been deployed along the Kerala coast, and surveillance is ongoing in coordination with other agencies. Instead, anyone sighting such material is requested to immediately inform Customs Authorities at the below given numbers. Public cooperation is vital to ensuring safety and assisting ongoing recovery efforts, it added. Contact numbers: Custom House, Kochi Control Room: 0484-2666422, Customs (Preventive) Control Room, Kochi: 0484-4569400, and Customs Preventive Unit, Alleppey: 0477-2991132. UNI DS SS
