China to Build Deep Sea Case Run by Robots

Chinese structures are seen in the disputed Spratly Islands in
the South China Sea in April last year.   © Reuters
Chinese structures are seen in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in April last year. © Reuters
TT

China to Build Deep Sea Case Run by Robots

Chinese structures are seen in the disputed Spratly Islands in
the South China Sea in April last year.   © Reuters
Chinese structures are seen in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in April last year. © Reuters

Artificial Intelligence System (AI) will be used to run the first Chinese deep sea base that no human can reach, the South China Morning Star newspaper reported.

According to reports, researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences plan to build a robotic base in the South China Sea. This base could become the first AI settlement in the world.

The base is located at 19685 to 36,100 feet (6 to 11 kilometers) below sea level and will be equipped with power supplies via cables from ships or floating platforms.

It will be designed from interconnecting units like those composing the International Space Station. Robotic submarines that explore the depths of the sea and collect data on marine life will embark from its deep ridges.

The base will also work in collecting and analyzing samples of raw minerals.

Scientists have so far been able to explore only 1% of seas and oceans whose waters cover 70% of the Earth's surface.

The Chinese research will provide data to analyze changes in the Earth climate, explore elements for new drugs and pharmaceuticals, and identify endangered marine organisms. According to scientists' estimates, the cost of the base will reach $160 million.



Danish Archaeologists Unearth 50 Viking Skeletons

Massacred 10th century Vikings found in a mass grave at St John’s College, Oxford. Photograph: Thames Valley Archaeological Services/PA
Massacred 10th century Vikings found in a mass grave at St John’s College, Oxford. Photograph: Thames Valley Archaeological Services/PA
TT

Danish Archaeologists Unearth 50 Viking Skeletons

Massacred 10th century Vikings found in a mass grave at St John’s College, Oxford. Photograph: Thames Valley Archaeological Services/PA
Massacred 10th century Vikings found in a mass grave at St John’s College, Oxford. Photograph: Thames Valley Archaeological Services/PA

The excavation of a large Viking-era burial site in Denmark has unearthed 50 unusually well-preserved skeletons that archaeologists expect will help shed light on the lives of the Nordic people best known for their seafaring exploits in the Middle Ages.

The skeletons, discovered near Denmark's third-largest city Odense, were kept intact by high water levels and favorable soil conditions that prevented them from decomposing, according to Michael Borre Lundoe, the excavation leader from Museum Odense, Reuters reported.

"Normally when we excavate Viking graves, we'd be lucky if there were two teeth left in the grave besides the grave goods. But here we have the skeletons fully preserved," said Lundoe.

"The skeletons are so amazing. They are so well preserved. There are five fingers, five toes. And that opens up a whole new set of possibilities for discoveries," he said.

Rare artifacts such as knives, glass pearls and brooches dated between year 850 to 970 were also found at the excavation, which began six months ago.

Lundoe said the grave gifts indicate most of the people were part of a small community of farmers, although a woman of higher status was buried with a silver-ornamented knife and a piece of glass which was rare in the Viking Age.

Archaeologists took soil samples to search for pollen to determine which season the person was buried in and what textiles they wore.

An x-ray of a soil block from the site revealed an oval brooch, an iconic Viking Age jewelry piece associated with women's garments, covered with wood and human remains.

On the back of another brooch with period-specific ornaments, mineralized woven textile fragments provided evidence of the type of dress worn in the Viking Age, the archaeologists said.

Most of the skeletons have been removed from the graves and packed in cardboard boxes at the museum to dry out before the examination and final cleaning.