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Scientists Discover Dead Sea Tar in Ancient Egyptian Mummies

Medical radiology technicians prepare a CT scan to do a radiological examination of an Egyptian mummy in order to investigate its history at the Policlinico hospital in Milan, Italy, June 21, 2021. (Reuters)
Medical radiology technicians prepare a CT scan to do a radiological examination of an Egyptian mummy in order to investigate its history at the Policlinico hospital in Milan, Italy, June 21, 2021. (Reuters)
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Scientists Discover Dead Sea Tar in Ancient Egyptian Mummies

Medical radiology technicians prepare a CT scan to do a radiological examination of an Egyptian mummy in order to investigate its history at the Policlinico hospital in Milan, Italy, June 21, 2021. (Reuters)
Medical radiology technicians prepare a CT scan to do a radiological examination of an Egyptian mummy in order to investigate its history at the Policlinico hospital in Milan, Italy, June 21, 2021. (Reuters)

Former research on ancient Egyptian mummies studied the composition of the black coating used in embalming and defined the "vanadyl porphyrins" as a basic compound of it.

A recent French study conducted by Paris Sciences et Lettres University, Lille University, and the Louvre Museum managed to determine two types of this compound found in the Dead Sea tar, and also spotted in the black coating used in mummies.

During a recent study published in the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (JMRI), the researchers used Electron Nuclear Double Resonance (ENDOR) and Hyperfine Sublevel CORrelation spectroscopy (HYSCORE) to examine the black coating detected in Louvre-based human and animal mummies dating to different eras between the Late Period to the Greco-Roman period.

The researchers found that the black coating consists in a complex and heterogeneous mixtures of conifer resins, wax, fat and oil with variable amounts of bitumen. Natural bitumen always contains traces of vanadyl porphyrin complexes.

Four types of vanadyl porphyrin complexes were identified from the analysis. Three types (referred to as VO-P1, VO-P2 and VO-P3) are present in natural bitumen from the Dead Sea, among which VO-P1 and VO-P2 are also present in black coatings of mummies, they explained.

According to the researchers, the absence of VO-P3 in mummies, which is replaced by another complex VO-P4, may be due to its transformation during preparation of the black matter for embalming. Analysis shows that bitumen and other natural substances are intimately mixed in these black coatings, with aggregate sizes of bitumen increasing with the bitumen content, but not exceeding a few nanometers.

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Belgium’s Francis Halzen Wins Nobel Prize in Physics

Eva Olsson, Ellen Moons, and Mark Pearce sit in front of a screen displaying Francis Halzen as the recipient of the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics during a press conference at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 6, 2026. (Photo by Christine OLSSON / TT NEWS AGENCY / AFP)
Eva Olsson, Ellen Moons, and Mark Pearce sit in front of a screen displaying Francis Halzen as the recipient of the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics during a press conference at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 6, 2026. (Photo by Christine OLSSON / TT NEWS AGENCY / AFP)
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Belgium’s Francis Halzen Wins Nobel Prize in Physics

Eva Olsson, Ellen Moons, and Mark Pearce sit in front of a screen displaying Francis Halzen as the recipient of the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics during a press conference at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 6, 2026. (Photo by Christine OLSSON / TT NEWS AGENCY / AFP)
Eva Olsson, Ellen Moons, and Mark Pearce sit in front of a screen displaying Francis Halzen as the recipient of the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics during a press conference at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 6, 2026. (Photo by Christine OLSSON / TT NEWS AGENCY / AFP)

Belgian Francis Halzen won the Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for his contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and his discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the award in Stockholm.

The prize money this year is 12 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million), whether for an individual, a small group of laureates or an organization.

Last year, three scientists won the Nobel Prize in physics for research on the strange behavior of subatomic particles called quantum tunneling that enabled the ultra-sensitive

measurements achieved by MRI machines and laid the groundwork for better cellphones and faster computers.

The announcements of this year's prizes began Monday with the Nobel Prize in medicine being awarded to three scientists whose work led to a tool that uses light to help unravel how the brain works.

This week's awards continue Wednesday with the chemistry prize and literature on Thursday. After Friday’s peace prize is awarded, the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences will be announced on Monday.

The prize money this year is 12 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million), whether for an individual, a small group of laureates or an organization.

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Indonesia Says Will Halt Forest Destruction for Rice Paddies

A man attempts to extinguish flames with a bucket amid thick smoke and fires burning through peatland in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, on October 3, 2026. (Photo by REINA / AFP)
A man attempts to extinguish flames with a bucket amid thick smoke and fires burning through peatland in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, on October 3, 2026. (Photo by REINA / AFP)
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Indonesia Says Will Halt Forest Destruction for Rice Paddies

A man attempts to extinguish flames with a bucket amid thick smoke and fires burning through peatland in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, on October 3, 2026. (Photo by REINA / AFP)
A man attempts to extinguish flames with a bucket amid thick smoke and fires burning through peatland in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, on October 3, 2026. (Photo by REINA / AFP)

Indonesia said on Tuesday it will halt a project to raze several million hectares of forest to clear land for rice production, saying it had reached self-sufficiency levels of the staple grain.

The government launched a program in 2024 to stop relying on rice imports within five years by clearing three million hectares of land for paddies.

Indonesia is one of the world's most forested countries, and as such a major absorber of planet-warming carbon emissions from mankind's burning of fossil fuel.

It aims to become a net carbon sink by 2030, with forests and other land use absorbing more carbon than they emit.

However, observers have said continuing forest destruction for agriculture and logging, as well as rampant wildfires, could put Indonesia's plans at risk.

President Prabowo Subianto hailed an "important victory" this year after data showed countrywide rice demand had been met with domestic production in one of the world's top consumers of the commodity.

Climate envoy Hashim Djojohadikusumo said on Tuesday the government's strategic reserve rice stock had reached about 5.3 million tonnes.

"The government sees no further need for expanding rice cultivation areas in the so-called forest areas," said Hashim, who is Prabowo's brother.

He added that the government will focus instead on "intensification measures" using superior seeds, for example, to increase rice yields.

It was not known how much forest had already been replaced by rice paddies before the project was halted.

According to the National Food Agency, a government body that seeks to advance food security, Indonesia produced 34.71 million tons of rice in 2025 -- exceeding annual demand of 31.19 million tons.

Haze from wildfires consuming forests and peatlands in Indonesia has blanketed neighboring Malaysia and Singapore for weeks.

Hot, dry conditions associated with the El Nino weather phenomenon have fueled the fires, which are also linked to land clearing.

The Mighty Earth advocacy group welcomed Hashim's announcement, AFP reported.

"This decision renews Indonesia's leadership in showing how to expand agriculture while protecting nature," the NGO's founder, Glenn Hurowitz, said in a statement.

"This decision creates an opportunity for large-scale investments in achieving President Prabowo's goal of restoring 12 million hectares of forest, peat, and other ecosystems," he added.

Varieties

Vietnam Busts Cat-stealing Ring that Took 2,700 Pets for Food

Stray cats. AFP
Stray cats. AFP
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Vietnam Busts Cat-stealing Ring that Took 2,700 Pets for Food

Stray cats. AFP
Stray cats. AFP

Vietnamese police have arrested 12 men accused of stealing nearly 2,700 cats during night raids into residential neighborhoods, taking the pets to be slaughtered for food, police and state media said on Monday.

Fur removal machines, cat traps and measuring scales were among items confiscated during investigations into the alleged cat-stealing ring in Ho Chi Minh City.

Consumption of dogs and cats is legal in Vietnam, where many restaurants openly advertise the meat, but vendors are required to obtain certificates showing the origin of the animals.

Media reports have said that stolen cats can be sold at restaurants for at least 70,000 dong ($2.70) per kilogram.

The 12 men were arrested on allegations of property theft and admitted "to stealing and trafficking approximately 2,700 cats of various types", police said in a statement.

Criminal proceedings began on Sunday, but it was not clear when the men were detained.

The suspects pounced between 11:00 pm and 04:00 am, roaming residential areas on motorbikes in small groups to steal local cats, state media said.

The network was first discovered in July, with police seizing 50 live cats alongside 55 cat traps, two scales and two fur removal machines.

Each team was estimated to have stolen between four and 10 cats per night.

Police in Ho Chi Minh City arrested 18 people earlier this year accused of being part of two separate cat-stealing rings.