Latest news with #Mesopotamia
The Independent
6 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Bedbugs have been bothering humans since caveman times, study finds
A new study suggests bedbugs may have been bothering humans for about 60,000 years, with their populations booming as people formed the first cities. The research, published in Biology Letters, examined bedbug genetics and found two lineages: one that stayed on bats and one that targeted humans. As humans built early cities like Mesopotamia around 12,000 years ago, bedbug populations thrived, making them one of the first human pests. Professor Warren Booth notes that humans likely carried bedbugs from caves when they moved out around 60,000 years ago, resulting in less genetic diversity in the human-associated lineage. Bedbug infestations saw a dramatic 35 per cent increase between 2022 and 2024, highlighting their resurgence after near-eradication due to the chemical DDT.
The Independent
29-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Scientists identify key shift that led to huge rise in bedbugs
Bedbugs may have been interrupting human sleep for more than 50,000 years, but it was only when humans left caves and formed the first cities that their populations really boomed, according to a new study. The research, published in science journal Biology Letters, looked at the genetics of bedbugs and found that they split into two lineages thousands of years ago – one that stayed on bats, and one that targeted humans. By the Ice Age both populations were in general decline, with the bat-associated lineage never bouncing back, but the urban bedbugs recovered and began to thrive as human settlements expanded into cities. As humans built early cities, such as Mesopotamia, around 12,000 years ago and their populations started to boom, so too did the populations of the tiny parasitic insects feasting on human skin – making the species one of the first human pests. 'That makes sense because modern humans moved out of caves about 60,000 years ago,' said Warren Booth, the Joseph R. and Mary W. Wilson Urban Entomology associate professor. "There were bedbugs living in the caves with these humans, and when they moved out they took a subset of the population with them so there's less genetic diversity in that human-associated lineage." "What will be interesting is to look at what's happening in the last 100 to 120 years," Prof Booth told science website "Bed bugs were pretty common in the old world, but once DDT [dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane] was introduced for pest control, populations crashed. They were thought to have been essentially eradicated, but within five years they started reappearing and were resisting the pesticide." Bedbug infestations saw a dramatic 35 per cent jump between 2022 and 2024, while cockroach removal visits rose by 13 per cent over the same period.
Times
29-05-2025
- Business
- Times
What does it take to become a top nose?
Since the dawn of time — or at least 5,000 years ago — people have been spritzing perfume. Whether to seduce with scent (like Cleopatra, who, legend has it, infused the sails of her ship with sweet fragrance) or to ward off malign spirits with incense. But what about the people who conceived the scents, aka the 'noses'? Etchings on an ancient clay tablet show that the first recorded nose dates back more than 3,000 years. A female chemist named Tapputi is credited with discovering the first distillation techniques, creating fragrances that included ingredients such as myrrh and balsam for the royal family in Babylonian Mesopotamia. We don't know much about Tapputi's background, but modern noses — of which there are thought to be fewer than 500 in the world — must undergo years of training. It all starts with an innate curiosity about scent. 'It happened when I went to Paris when I was eight years old … I really enjoyed being in the Metro to smell people,' says Sophie Labbé, known for her work on Versace Dylan Turquoise and Estée Lauder Pure White Linen. • Read more luxury reviews, advice and insights from our experts Likewise, Roja Dove of Roja Parfums knew his calling from the time he was a young boy and his glamorously dressed — and spritzed — mother would come in to kiss him goodnight. He admits to occasionally stealing perfumes from her drawer. 'Then as I got a little older, I used to spend all my pocket money on perfume,' he says. Carlos Benaïm (the in-house nose for Sana Jardin and creator of Ralph Lauren Polo) spent summers with his botanist father, who would extract and distil natural ingredients as a hobby. 'He was a sort of amateur perfumer,' he says. Benaïm would travel with his father by Jeep from field to field, learning to love plants and the natural ingredients used for perfumes. The creative genius behind Bibbi Parfum, Jérôme Epinette, spent much of his boyhood in the boutique where his mother sold perfumes. While the selling side bored him, he found himself engrossed in the stories she shared with customers about the creative process behind perfumes. Olivier Cresp (the famous nose whose creations include Dolce and Gabbana's Devotion and Light Blue collections) was born and bred in the city of perfume — Grasse, so called because of the native abundance of wild grasses, herbs and flowers. Crest grew up surrounded by scents. 'My entire family was immersed in this universe: it wasn't uncommon for my parents to invite perfumers over for dinner,' he says. Once the spark of curiosity is ignited, the hard work begins. It takes about ten years of training to become a nose. 'I wish I could tell you that genetics play a major role, but I don't think so,' says Olivier Polge, Chanel's in-house perfumer. 'The excellence of a perfumer's nose is not determined by its innate physical attributes, but by its creativity, curiosity and state of mind.' Wannabe noses must start off with a science degree, ideally chemistry. With a foundation in molecular structures, chemical reactions and formulations, they can move on to their postgraduate training at a perfumery school. For top noses, this usually means the Grasse Institute of Perfumery (GIP), which accepts a maximum of 12 students at a time per course, or ISIPCA in Versailles. Aspiring perfumers not only do a multitude of tests to secure their place, from calculation and logic to olfactory recognition to creativity, they are also interviewed by perfumers. Courses like this last one to three years. Students learn the smells of raw materials — flowers, types of wood, spices — before learning to combine them. Epinette was one of those students, smelling every day 8am to 5pm: 'The first six months is just really smelling raw material ingredients … thousands of them.' Dora Baghriche (the nose behind Mon Paris by Yves Saint Laurent) recalls learning ten new scents a week and being tested on them the following week. She was taught to associate the smell with a memory, colour or emotion. Students finish the course with an internship for a big perfume company. By this point, they should be a dab hand at identifying each individual ingredient in the perfume of any passer-by. Fresh graduates will be on the hunt for jobs as junior perfumers, lab technicians or even sales representatives. They begin working their way up the ladder until they reach nose level (or master perfumer). It wasn't always so regimented. Some of the best noses in the world followed in the footsteps of their fathers. Olivier Polge, the man who created Chanel Chance Eau Tendre and Dior Homme, is his father's successor. Jacques Polge served as Chanel's in-house perfumer for 37 years. Polge Jr learnt much of what he knows through an internship with his father. 'It was only the direct contact with the profession that led to a greater understanding of the field,' he says. Training during this time (the 1980s and 90s) was, as Dove puts it, more 'on the hoof'. Perfumers learnt by watching their fathers or mothers or mentors. 'I had absolutely no formal training,' he adds. Dove went against the grain by being the first in his family to enter the industry. After pestering Guerlain for a job, in 1981 he got his wish: 'They created a sort of totally hybridised job around me — the job evolved but one of my fundamental things was to go and learn about the raw materials,' he recalls. Dove's first role was to create a training programme for perfumers (without having ever trained himself). So he was shipped off to France where he was taught the intricacies of perfume ingredients at the fragrance and flavour manufacturer Robertet, 'the Rolls-Royce of luxury naturals [natural ingredients used in perfume]'. Mentorships are important in this field. 'I think our industry is very kind. People are really very supportive and will always try to help,' he says. Large fragrance houses now have programmes set up mimicking this traditional watch-and-learn method. A handful of students each year get to spend time with the world's most esteemed noses. Roja Parfum has four forthcoming fragrances, created by very young perfumers at the start of their career. So what makes a successful nose? 'You have to listen a lot,' Labbé says. Not just to mentors but to the brands that brief them. Noses 'translate what [the brands] have in mind to become a perfume'. Inspirations for these projects can come from absolutely anything. Labbé says something she sees at the theatre or travelling or even gardening might blossom into an idea. Similarly, for Epinette, 'just by listening to [the brand], I have a scent popping in my head or my nose. I throw ideas on paper and then they compound it in the lab and I smell it.' What is clear is that noses love their jobs. 'It's like a parallel world that nobody sees but you feel,' Labbé says. It is their livelihood, yes. But it is also often their lives. Labbé sums it up in one sentence (which, naturally, sounds far nicer in French): 'Je suis née lorsque je suis devenue nez,' meaning her life began when she became a nose.
The Independent
28-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Bedbug numbers soared when humans left caves and moved to cities, scientists find
Bedbugs may have been interrupting human sleep for more than 50,000 years, but it was only when humans left caves and formed the first cities that their populations really boomed, according to a new study. The research, published in science journal Biology Letters, looked at the genetics of bedbugs and found that they split into two lineages thousands of years ago – one that stayed on bats, and one that targeted humans. By the Ice Age both populations were in general decline, with the bat-associated lineage never bouncing back, but the urban bedbugs recovered and began to thrive as human settlements expanded into cities. As humans built early cities, such as Mesopotamia, around 12,000 years ago and their populations started to boom, so too did the populations of the tiny parasitic insects feasting on human skin – making the species one of the first human pests. 'That makes sense because modern humans moved out of caves about 60,000 years ago,' said Warren Booth, the Joseph R. and Mary W. Wilson Urban Entomology associate professor. "There were bedbugs living in the caves with these humans, and when they moved out they took a subset of the population with them so there's less genetic diversity in that human-associated lineage." "What will be interesting is to look at what's happening in the last 100 to 120 years," Prof Booth told science website "Bed bugs were pretty common in the old world, but once DDT [dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane] was introduced for pest control, populations crashed. They were thought to have been essentially eradicated, but within five years they started reappearing and were resisting the pesticide." Bedbug infestations saw a dramatic 35 per cent jump between 2022 and 2024, while cockroach removal visits rose by 13 per cent over the same period.
South China Morning Post
27-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
The enduring allure of the signet ring: how a striking piece of jewellery travelled from Mesopotamia in 3,500BC to 21st century fashion runways, donned by Elvis Presley and Meghan Markle
One of the most quietly commanding accessories you can wear – small in size but rich in symbolism – the pinky ring, especially the signet variety, has always been a popular jewellery choice among a certain set. Enjoying a spike in popularity of late, signet rings are frequently being spotted on runways, red carpets and in collections from designers putting their own spin on this old-school staple. So what exactly is a signet ring – and is it the same as a pinky ring? Not quite. A pinky ring is simply any ring worn on the little finger. A signet ring, on the other hand, is defined by its flat surface, often engraved with a crest, initials or symbol. While signets are traditionally worn on the pinky – of the non-dominant hand – a pinky ring doesn't have to be a signet. Still, the two terms are often used interchangeably – and with good reason, as the signet has become the most iconic pinky style of all. A Zodiac 18k gold and diamond ring by Anita Ko worn on the pinky finger. Photo: Handout Advertisement The origins of the signet ring can be traced back to Mesopotamia around 3,500BC, when they were used – often by illiterate businessmen – to authenticate documents and mark property. The ancient Egyptians continued the tradition, carving sacred symbols in reverse to leave imprints in wax or clay – giving rise to the tradition of wearing the ring on the pinky, which made sealing easier without obstructing writing. The use of signet rings continued through the Roman Empire, when carved gemstones served as personal signatures – and status symbols – for emperors and merchants. In medieval Europe, they also became legal instruments, and were often destroyed upon the owner's death to prevent misuse. The pope's Fisherman's Ring, used to seal documents until 1842, symbolises papal authority to this day. By the Renaissance, signet rings were tied to aristocratic tradition, especially in Britain , where they were engraved with coats of arms and passed down through the generations. They also signified allegiance, being worn by Freemasons and other societies as discreet symbols of identity. A stack of Maison H Jewels' 18k yellow gold and diamond rings. Photo: Handout By the early 20th century, the signet's role had shifted once again. It still conveyed status, but increasingly it spoke to personal identity and intellectual legacy too. Winston Churchill famously wore a large square one, bearing the crests of both the Churchill and Spencer families (the latter marking a lineage that would later include Diana, Princess of Wales ). The 1960s and 70s saw another cultural change, with the rings now speaking much more of individuality than heritage. Rock and soul legends like Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and James Brown embraced the pinky ring, blending tradition with their own sense of style. King Charles III has been pictured wearing his gold signet ring since the mid-1970s – a royal tradition continued by Meghan Markle , who has started wearing a gold signet ring engraved with her and Prince Harry's royal cipher. Today, the pinky ring is being reinterpreted by a new generation of designers and wearers, with many modern iterations proudly genderless or designed with women in mind, moving away from the outdated notion of signet rings as men's jewellery . Still, the style continues to carry rich historical significance, making it a symbol that bridges tradition and modernity.
