Skeletal remains dating back 4,000 years huddled together. Public Domain
Skeletal remains locked in eternal embrace are some of the poignant exhibits of a museum at a prehistoric archaeological site in central China dubbed “China’s Pompeii”.
In 2015, the Lajia Ruins Museum in Qinghai Province unveiled preserved artifacts that include remains of the ancient civilization that perished in sudden death.
Among the display were skeletal remains dating back 4,000 years huddled together, apparently protecting each other at the time of the disaster.
One scene frozen in time that touches the heart of many museum visitors shows a mother apparently wrapping her arms around her son in a protective embrace. Another pair of skeletons were also found covering each other while lying down on the floor.
The excavation process unearthed a total of 20 skeletons, each bearing the physical marks of distress caused by external forces. Public Domain
What else was discovered at China’s Pompeii
The ruined buildings strewn with debris served as a backdrop, allowing archaeologists to piece together a tragic tale. It became evident that the villagers residing along the Yellow River were defenseless against the immense power of Mother Nature.
In addition to the skeletal remains, tools and homeware, archaeologists also unearthed thin yellow strands in an upturned pot, believed to be the world’s oldest known noodles.
While the noodles were initially believed to be made from a combination of foxtail and broomcorn millet, further experiments revealed that the Lajia noodles might have incorporated other starches, possibly barley or wheat. The inhabitants of Lajia used stone knives to process, peel and cut these grains.
The Lajia site, discovered in 1981, covers an area of 680,000 square meters in China’s upper Yellow River region.
The site is associated with the Qijia culture, which was known for its agricultural economy during the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age periods.
Two main theories emerged from the scientific analysis of the site.
The first theory suggested that the village was struck by a devastating earthquake. The seismic activity also triggered the formation of a natural dam upstream on the Yellow River, resulting in an accumulation of water.
Several months later, the dam collapsed, unleashing a catastrophic flood that engulfed the village. The presence of sediment and the concurrent damage from the earthquake indicated that these events likely occurred in the same year.
The second theory pointed to flash floods and mudslides as the culprits behind the villagers’ demise, as these natural phenomena have been recurrent in the region throughout history.
The village of Lajiazhen offered valuable insights into the lives of ancient Chinese peasants, revealing their agricultural practices and their keeping of animals for sustenance and religious purposes. Moreover, this is the site of the above-mentioned extraordinary find in 2005—an overturned pot containing the world’s oldest noodles.
Due to its significance, the site has gained widespread renown and is often referred to as “China’s Pompeii.”
Aristotle Halikias is proud of his Greek roots and is involved in many philanthropic initiatives helping the Greek community in the US. Credit: Greek Reporter
Republic Bank of Chicago Chairman Aristotle Halikias, a prominent Greek American of Chicago whose financial institution has been serving Illinois for decades, talks about his Greek heritage, banking, and involvement with the National Hellenic Museum; one of the most important Greek landmarks in the USA.
Halikias is also President of Inter Continental Real Estate & Development Corporation (ICD), an international full-service real estate development company with holdings in Chicago, Toronto, and Athens. In addition to his other responsibilities, he is the Executive Director of the Halikias Family Foundation.
As a second-generation Greek American, Halikias is proud of his roots and is involved in many philanthropic initiatives helping the Greek community in the US. “My father immigrated to the US via Canada. In Canada, he worked in the railways and eventually, he emigrated to the US where he got into the banking and real estate business.”
US Banking crisis
“The banking crisis in the early 2000s was a wake-up call and the industry has since concentrated on not letting these issues happen again, Halikias tells Greek Reporter.
The global financial crisis was a period of extreme stress in global financial markets and banking systems between mid-2007 and early 2009. During the crisis, a downturn in the US housing market was a catalyst for a financial crisis that spread from the US to the rest of the world through linkages in the global financial system.
Many banks around the world incurred large losses and relied on government support to avoid bankruptcy. Millions of people lost their jobs as the major advanced economies experienced their deepest recessions since the Great Depression in the 1930s.
“I see now that banks are paying more attention to that and have a greater focus on the fundamentals of the sector they had in the past,” the Greek American banker and philanthropist says.
Halikias does not believe that the banking industry will experience the same crisis again. “I believe however that there may be some issues with banks that have not focused on those fundamentals, but nothing like we saw in the early 2000’s.”
Republic Bank serving Chicago
Founded in 1964 Republic Bank of Chicago focuses on community and commercial lending. Credit: Republic Bank of Chicago (supplied)
Halikias is the Chairman of the Board of the Republic Bank of Chicago which focuses on community and commercial lending, and real estate financing.
Founded in 1964, Republic Bank of Chicago opened its inaugural branch (the iconic rotunda building on the south side of Chicago, which Midway pilots use as a visual to line up with the runways) over 50 years ago and continues to strive.
Building on its commitment to customer service, the bank with 19 locations throughout Chicagoland and 55,000+ surcharge-free ATMs nationwide, is dedicated to helping its clients and supporting their communities’ economic growth – living up to its reputation as “Chicago’s hardworking bank.”
The Republic Bank of Chicago combines a local bank’s charm with a fintech company’s powerful tools to give clients a full range of products and services. Its checking accounts include some unusual perks, while its savings accounts and CDs offer good APYs for those who want simplicity.
Aristotle Halikias and the National Hellenic Museum
Aristotle Halikias is the vice-chairman of the Board of Trustees at Chicago’s National Hellenic Museum (NHM) whose mission is to share Greek history, art, culture and the Greek American story.
Halikias served as Chairman of the National Hellenic Museum Board of Trustees from 2005-2011, overseeing the successful completion of the new Museum building construction.
“My father encouraged me to get involved with the NHM, he gave me the motivation. When we started and where we are now are vastly different. The mission and the direction of the Museum have evolved.
The key components are heritage, the Hellenic ideals, and how we can impact the Western World with our culture and ideals.”
NHM preserves the Hellenic legacy and makes this rich heritage relevant today through its extensive collection of more than 10,000 physical artifacts, hundreds of oral histories, exhibitions, educational programs and special events.
Originally founded in 1983 and located in Chicago’s historic Greektown neighborhood since 2011, the museum provides lifelong learning for the community and sparks inquiry and discussion about the broader issues in our lives and society.
The NHM Gala scheduled for Saturday, September 28, 2024, promises an evening of fine dining, music, dancing, and a spectacular auction to benefit the Museum. It raised over $925,000 at its 2023 Gala, in support of its mission to share Greek history, art, culture, and the Greek-American story.
On a warm, South American day on November 19, 1988, Christina Onassis, the golden heiress of the Onassis shipping fortune, died in a friend’s house in Argentina at the age of thirty-eight.
The only daughter and sole surviving heiress of Aristotle Onassis, Christina was supposed to live a sheltered and carefree life. Yet, all testimony from friends and staff around her point to a star-crossed and unhappy woman, haunted by family death and her unfortunate choices in love.
She married and divorced four times in her life, and her struggles with her weight and drug use were widely known.
The many tragedies in the life of Christina Onassis
Her parents divorced in 1959 when she was nine years of age, and the resulting scandal from the news that her father had had an affair with opera singer Maria Callas was a lifelong embarrassment for her.
She was further distressed when her father married the widowed Jackie Kennedy in 1968, a match that raised eyebrows across the world. Christina Onassis believed that Jackie was after her father’s money, referring to her as “my father’s unfortunate obsession.”
When Christina was in her twenties, the personal blows came quickly and mercilessly. Her only sibling, Alexander, died in a plane crash in 1973. A year later, her mother, Athina Onassis Niarchos, died in a suspected drug overdose, which many speculated was actually suicide.
When her father died in 1975, it prompted Christina to lament “I am all alone in the world now.”
A native New Yorker, Onassis gave up her American citizenship following the death of her father and became a dual citizen of Greece and Argentina for the remainder of her life.
She had learned about business and finance in the New York offices of her father, beginning as a twenty-year-old secretary.
After his death, she gradually strengthened her hold over the Onassis Group although some questions remained in the late 1970s as to just how much control she exerted and how much she left to day-to-day managers.
The heiress lived was unlucky in love
Christina spent her life as a rich girl, living a life of almost-unheard of wealth and luxury. She spent thirty thousand dollars just to send a private jet to the U.S. to keep her stocked with Diet Coke. She even once ordered a helicopter to fly from Austria to Switzerland to retrieve a David Bowie cassette she’d left there.
When friends said they were too busy to spend time with her, Onassis would give them cash—as much as thirty thousand dollars a month—to clear their schedules. She once told Peter Evans, who wrote a biography of her father, that she liked to wear diamonds to breakfast.
However, Christina was notably unlucky in love. Her first marriage to divorced father of four Joseph Bolker, who was twenty-seven years her senior, ended within a few months in 1971.
Her marriage to her second husband, Alexander Andreadis, a Greek shipping and banking heir, lasted fourteen months. A third marriage in 1978 to Russian shipping agent Sergei Kauzov also sputtered out quickly.
Onassis’s fourth union to French pharmaceutical heir Thierry Roussel in 1984 lasted less than three years but produced Christina’s only child, Athina.
Roussel was unfaithful to his wife; his mistress gave birth to two children during his marriage to Christina.
Diagnosed with clinical depression at the age of thirty, Christina had been living for some time on an array of prescribed drugs, but she also reportedly self-medicated with other drugs and used food as a way to deal with her demons. Her fourth marriage eventually also broke up.
Christina Onassis escaped to Argentina
According to some reports, Onassis was considering starting a new life for herself and her daughter in Argentina, as she visited friends who lived near Buenos Aires in November 1988.
She had been staying with them at an exclusive country club outside the Argentine capital.
On November 19th, Christina was found dead in her friend’s home there. Upon her death, her only heir, Athina, was due to inherit an estate worth a reported $250 million.
Though Christina’s death was attributed to a heart attack brought on by years of drug abuse, her last moments have continued to be shrouded in mystery, another sad moment in the Greek tragedy of the Onassis family.
She is buried alongside her beloved father, Aristotle, and her brother, Alexander, in the family cemetery on the island of Skorpios.
Perseus takes flight with the sandals of Hermes. Credit: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Greek mythology is full of artifacts endowed with supernatural powers, in addition to a myriad of unforgettable gods, demigods, creatures, and characters.
These items are immensely varied. Some, like the coat of the Nemean Lion, offered its wearer invulnerability, whereas others, like Pandora’s box, spelled misery and doom for mankind.
In many stories, these mythical items were the object of a hero’s quest or proved essential to the completion of their goal. In others, the artifact came to be a symbol of its user and the attributes they embodied.
Artifacts in Greek Mythology
The Armor of Achilles
Towards the end of Homer’s Iliad, Patroclus, the cousin of Achilles, donned his armor and led the Myrmidons into battle. In the ensuing fight between Achaeans and Trojans, Patroclus was killed, largely due to the intervention of the god Apollo.
Hector landed the killing blow and stripped Patroclus of Achilles’ armor. Furious at the death of his companion, Achilles burned with the desire for revenge but could not go into battle without his armor.
Luckily for Achilles, his mother Thetis was respected by the Olympian gods and she persuaded the forge god Hephaestus to make Achilles a new set of armor. Homer describes the armor as being “brighter than blazing fire” and dedicates several pages to describing it.
Ultimately, the armor protected Achilles long enough for him to exact his vengeance against Hector and the Trojans. It did not however render him immune to fate itself, and he was struck dead when an arrow hit his vulnerable heel.
The “Vatican Amphora,” which depicts ancient Greek warriors Ajax and Achilles playing a board game. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Public domain
Poseidon’s trident
The trident of Poseidon, the god of the sea, is one of the most iconic artifacts in Greek mythology. Even in modern times, it functions as a potent symbol of all things maritime.
According to mythology, the trident was forged by the cyclopes and given to Poseidon as a gift. The trident, which resembled a fisherman’s fork, was used many times by Poseidon to channel his powers over the earth and sea.
In one such instance, the sea god struck a rock on the hill of the Athenian Acropolis to produce a well of seawater, in what became a contest between himself and Athena for dominion over Attica. When the Athenians chose Athena, Poseidon struck his trident a second time, causing the surrounding lands to dry up, thus depriving the Athenians of water.
In another myth, Poseidon created the first horses, which the ancient Greeks believed were sacred to him, by again striking his trident against the ground.
Poseidon depicted holding his trident, a power Greek mythological item, c. 550-525 BC. Credit: Jastrow / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Pandora’s box
Pandora’s box was arguably among the most important Greek mythological artifacts, given the consequences it would hold for all mankind. Pandora was the first human woman in Greek mythology, created by Hephaestus from clay.
According to Hesiod, the purpose of Pandora’s creation was to punish mankind for the deeds of Prometheus, who had stolen the secret of fire from the gods and given it to humans.
Zeus, wishing to punish humans, deceived Epimetheus – the brother of Prometheus – by gifting him the hand of Pandora in marriage. Pandora brought with her the infamous box, although it would be more accurately described as a jar due to a mistranslation of ancient Greek.
In any case, Pandora was instructed not to open the jar, but curiosity had been woven into her very nature by the gods and she could not withstand this temptation. She opened the jar, letting out death, sickness, and all the evils which plague the world. Only hope remained in the jar. This was Hesoid’s explanation for all the hardships faced by mankind.
Pandora’s box. Credit: Dante Gabriel Rossetti / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Pelt of the Nemean Lion
The first labor of the legendary ancient Greek hero Heracles was to bring King Eurystheus the skin of the Nemean Lion, a legendary mythical artifact that rendered its wearer invulnerable to harm. There was just one problem, the skin was still very much attached to the giant cat terrorizing the hills around Nemea.
When Heracles went up against the mighty Nemean Lion, he found that his arrows were useless against the impenetrable golden fur of the beast. To make matters worse, the lion’s claws could easily cleave a man in half.
Heracles improvised and managed to block the lion inside a cave. Although its golden fur could not be penetrated by any human weapon, the lion was not impervious to blunt force trauma and Heracles stunned it with his club. He then wrestled the lion and strangled it to death.
When Heracles attempted to skin the beast, he found that his knife was useless. It was only when the goddess Athena instructed him to use the lion’s claws that he was able to take the prized golden coat.
Far from pleased, King Eurystheus was terrified that Heracles had managed to kill the beast and instructed him to display all further proofs of his labors outside of the city gates. Heracles wore the coat of the Nemean Lion throughout his other labors, enjoying its superior protection.
Heracles, wearing the coat of the Nemean Lion, approaches Prometheus. Credit: Christian Griepenkerl / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
The winged sandals of Hermes
The winged sandals of Hermes, known to the Romans as the Talaria of Mercury, are among the most unique artifacts in ancient Greek mythology.
The Greek god of blacksmithing and craftsmen was again responsible for this incredible creation. Hephaestus was said to have made the sandals out of imperishable gold. They conferred on the wearer the ability to fly.
Doubtless, the ability to fly was essential for the messenger god Hermes who spent his time flitting between gods, demigods, and mortals, passing on the most urgent of messages.
The hero Perseus briefly possessed the sandals and wore them during his quest to behead Medusa.
Hermes depicted in the black figure pottery style wearing the winged sandals. Credit: Katolophyromai / Wikimedia Commons CC BY 4.0
Artifacts in Greek mythology: The Golden Fleece
The Golden Fleece is one of the most famous and iconic artifacts from ancient Greek mythology. According to legend, the fleece was the skin of a golden ram, which was given to the king of Colchis, a land located on the eastern shores of the Black Sea, by the god Hermes. The fleece was said to possess magical powers, and it became the focus of a number of heroic quests.
The most famous of these quests was undertaken by Jason and the Argonauts. According to the story, Jason was tasked with retrieving the Golden Fleece as a condition for him to claim the throne of Iolcus. He assembled a team of skilled warriors and set out on a perilous journey across the sea, encountering a variety of challenges and obstacles along the way.
After many adventures, the Argonauts finally arrived in Colchis, where the fleece was guarded by a dragon. With the help of the sorceress Medea, Jason was able to overcome the dragon and claim the fleece. He then returned to Iolcus, where he was able to claim the throne and establish himself as a hero of legend.
Several songs written by Greek composers were made hits by international stars like The Beatles. Public Domain
Few people today may realize that some classic songs which became international hits were actually written by Greek composers, many of them by the giants Mikis Theodorakis, Manos Hattzidakis, and Giannis Spanos.
From The Beatles to Edith Piaf and Nat King Cole to Shirley Bassey, many renowned singers, as well as countless others across the world, have given voice to some timeless Greek melodies.
Greek songs that became hits internationally
1. The Beatles: “The Honeymoon Song”
The Mikis Theodorakis song “If You Remember my Dream,” originally sung in Greek by Giovanna, was picked up by none other than the Beatles, who turned it into “The Honeymoon Song.”
2. Brenda Lee: “All Alone am I”
An English version of a timeless Manos Hatzidakis song is “Don’t Ask the Heavens.” This lovely ballad was originally sung by actress Tzeni Karezi in the film “Island of the Brave.”
3. Shirley Bassey: “Life Goes On”
Mikis Theodorakis wrote the music for this song, which was featured in the Brendan Behan play “The Hostage,” inspired by the struggle of the Irish for independence.
4. Brigitte Bardot: “Les Amis de la Musique”
A light-hearted composition by Giannis Spanos, this was sung by the French idol in her prime.
5. Harry Belafonte: “In the Small Boat”
This is a rare gem with popular singer Harry Belafonte singing (in Greek!) the song made famous by movie star Aliki Vougiouklaki. It was written by who else but Manos Hatzidakis for the film Madalena.
6. Nat King Cole: “In the Cool of the Day”
Nat King Cole sang the title song of this 1963 movie, which starred Peter Finch and Jane Fonda. The composer is, again, Manos Hatzidakis, the original title being “Turn Your Pain into Joy.”
7. Connie Francis: “Never on Sunday”
The Manos Hatzidakis Oscar-winning music from the charming film of the same title. In the film, “Never on Sunday” was sung in Greek by leading actress Melina Mercouri. This is a version by American singer Connie Francis.
8. Dalida: “Darla Dirladada”
A traditional fisherman’s song from the island of Kalymnos, this has been performed by several Greek singers, but French chanteuse Dalida made it an international hit.
9. Edith Piaf: “Les Amants de Teruel”
Legendary French singer Edith Piaf gave voice to “Les Amants de Teruel,” the French interpretation of the Mikis Theodorakis song “Beautiful City.”
10. Milva: “Sogno di Liberta”
Another Mikis Theodorakis composition, this song, originally called “Denial,” features Italian lyrics sung by Milva. This Italian version is titled “Dream of Liberty.”
In China, a rocket, the likes of SpaceX, crashed during a test run. Credit: Yumacool. CC BY 4.0/Wikimedia Commons/Yumacool
In central China, a rocket, the likes of SpaceX, crash landed during a ground test on Sunday. This was due to structural failure, the rocket’s manufacturer, Space Pioneer, said in a statement.
The crash took place when the first stage of the Tianlong-3 rocket separated from its launch pad during a test, owing to a structural failure. It reportedly crashed in a hilly area of the city of Gongy in central China.
“Due to the structural failure of the connection between the rocket body and the test platform, the first-stage rocket was separated from the launch pad,” Space Pioneer, also known as Beijing Tianbing Technology, told CNN.
“After liftoff, the onboard computer was automatically shut down,” according to the company, “and the rocket fell into the deep mountains 1.5 kilometers [0.9 miles] southwest of the test platform. The rocket body fell into the mountain and disintegrated.”
There were apparently no injuries resulting from the crash, the company told CNN, due to the fact that people were evacuated from the area in advance of the rocket test. Space Pioneer, a top company in the commercial rocket space, specializes in liquid-propellant rockets.
The firm successfully launched its Tianlong-2 rocket in April last year, making it China’s first commercial launch operator to send a liquid carrier rocket into space and successfully enter orbit, according to state media.
China’s “SpaceX” rocket
The rocket that came crashing down on Sunday. Tianlong-3 is a large liquid carrier rocket. It was manufactured in the hope of constructing China’s satellite internet network.
According to Space Pioneer, the rocket’s product performance is comparable to SpaceX’s Falcon 9. It will be capable of launching the rocket over 30 times per year after the rocket’s first successful flight.
The crash took place just days after China’s Chang’e-6 lunar module returned to Earth from space, where it collected the first ever samples from the far side of the moon.
The mission was a major milestone in China’s “eternal dream,” as phrased by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, to establish the country as a superior space power. This comes as several nations, including the US, are also upping their lunar exploration efforts.
In other space-related news, NASA has awarded SpaceX a $843 million contract to develop a spacecraft specifically designed to push the International Space Station (ISS) out of orbit when it reaches retirement around 2030.
“We have selected SpaceX to develop and deliver the US Deorbit Vehicle and prepare for a safe and responsible deorbit of the Space Station after the end of its operational life in 2030,” said NASA on X.
This “deorbit vehicle” will ensure a controlled descent of the massive station, avoiding any risk to populated areas on Earth, NASA announced.
Greece sees hottest June since 2010. Credit: Greek Reporter
This year’s June in Greece was the warmest the country has experienced since 2010. According to the network of 53 meteorological stations of meteo.gr of the National Observatory of Athens (EAA), which have been in continuous operation since 2010, extremely high temperatures were recorded in comparison to the average of the period 2010 to 2019.
This year’s June was reportedly characterized by several consecutive days with significant positive temperature deviations, and it was by far the warmest June since 2010 throughout the country by a very wide margin.
Central Greece and the Peloponnese saw the largest positive temperature deviations with average monthly figures of up to 4.8 degrees Celsius above normal levels for the season.
Very significant positive deviations were noted throughout the country in the first 15 days and primarily in central Greece, the Peloponnese, and Crete on June 10th to June 13th. There were temperatures of about 10 to 12 degrees Celsius above the typical levels for the season. Small negative deviations were also seen but only in the Aegean islands after the 20th of the month.
On top of the slew of consecutive days with positive deviations, important absolute maximum temperature records were broken at 11 of the National Observatory’s stations.
In Athens, the average monthly deviation value for the maximum temperature was +4 degrees Celsius with 29 of the 30 days of the month being hotter than normal levels for the season.
In Thessaloniki, 28 days of the month were hotter than the average figure of the period 2010 to 2019. There, the average maximum temperature of the month fluctuated +2.6 degrees Celsius above typical levels.
In 70 percent of the climate stations, at least 29 days out of the 30 of the month were hotter than usual.
Greece’s heatwave in June
Towards the end of last month, tourists and visitors were warned not to take unnecessary risks in the wake of the deaths of tourists, including Americans and Europeans, during the heatwave. Three tourists were found dead in just one week, and more went missing with a 68-year-old German man found unresponsive on the Greek island of Crete.
Greece was hit by its earliest ever heatwave this year. Temperatures soared to 40 degrees Celsius in June. The Greek Minister of Health Adonis Georgiadis put this down to the climate crisis, saying, “People need to understand that climate change is happening and that they need to be very careful.”
The government minister said, “We have had cases of foreign travelers who lost their lives in Greece. They lost their lives because they underestimated the phenomenon [of climate change],” as per Euronews.
He went on to say tourists need to be “very careful” while visiting the country as it grapples with soaring temperatures and to not take “unnecessary risks.”
A new study shows that anxiety doubles Parkinson’s risk in adults above 50. Credit: gerald murphy / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0
A new study from University College London (UCL) finds that people with anxiety are twice as likely to develop Parkinson’s disease compared to those without anxiety.
This connection is significant for those who develop anxiety after the age of 50. The discovery could help improve the diagnosis and early treatment of Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s disease affects more than 8.5 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. The disease worsens over time and includes symptoms like balance issues, uncontrollable movements, shaking, loss of smell, sleep problems, and trouble thinking clearly.
Juan Bazo Alvarez, the co-lead author of the study, stated that anxiety is often seen in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. However, before their research, the risk of developing Parkinson’s for those over 50 with new anxiety was not known.
Anxiety leading to Parkinson’s disease in adults above 50
The UCL team published their findings in the British Journal of General Practice. They used primary care data from the U.K. covering the years 2008 to 2018. The study involved 109,435 adults who developed anxiety after turning 50. Researchers compared them to 878,256 similar adults without anxiety.
The team accounted for differences in age, gender, economic background, lifestyle, mental health, head injuries, and dementia. They discovered that adults who developed anxiety after 50 were twice as likely to develop Parkinson’s disease compared to those without anxiety.
Anxiety Doubles Parkinson’s Risk
A new study found that people over 50 with anxiety have double the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
Researchers analyzed UK primary care data from 2008-2018, comparing over 109,000 patients with anxiety to 878,000 without.
— Neuroscience News (@NeuroscienceNew) June 25, 2024
People with anxiety often experience other symptoms like depression, low blood pressure, shaking, stiffness, balance problems, constipation, sleep issues, and fatigue. These symptoms are also linked to a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
Juan Bazo Alvarez explained that by understanding the link between anxiety and these symptoms with a higher risk of Parkinson’s after age 50, they hope to detect the disease earlier and help patients receive the necessary treatment.
Anxiety detection leads to earlier diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s
Professor Anette Schrag, co-lead author from UCL’s Queen Square Institute of Neurology, emphasized that understanding these connections could improve early diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
“Anxiety hasn’t been studied as extensively as other early signs of Parkinson’s disease,” she explained. Further research should investigate how early issues with anxiety relate to other symptoms and the progression of Parkinson’s in its initial stages. This exploration could potentially enhance the treatment of the disease during its earliest phases rather than later.
The researchers recommend that future studies look into why people over 50 who develop anxiety are at higher risk for Parkinson’s disease and whether the severity of anxiety influences their outcomes.
Scientists from UCL and University Medical Centre Goettingen, Germany, have collaborated on producing a new blood test. This test relies on artificial intelligence to forecast the onset of Parkinson’s disease up to seven years before symptom onset, as reported by Neuroscience News.
A new Plant species, Amalophyllon miraculum, defies deforestation in Ecuador. Credit: PhytoKeys / CC BY 4.0
Botanists discovered a new plant called Amalophyllon miraculum in a small part of a forest in northwestern Ecuador.
Clark, a botanist from Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Florida, and his team found the rare tree while driving near Santo Domingo on the western slopes of the Andes. They stopped to investigate, and the landowner, curious about their interest, gave them permission to explore the forest patch on his property.
The tiny plant, just 5 centimeters (2 inches) tall, was discovered growing on a boulder in a region that has lost 70 to 97 percent of its original forest due to farming and past government policies promoting deforestation.
Researchers believe this new species offers hope for preserving biodiversity. It shows that unique species can still survive in areas that have been significantly changed.
“We knew right away it was something unique,” Clark told Mongabay News.
Green leaves with minuscule white flowers
Amalophyllon miraculum stands out with its green leaves sporting purple undersides and tiny white flowers. This new species was recently detailed in the journal PhytoKeys.
Centinela, where the plant was discovered, was once part of a vast, dense tropical forest. Now, much of it has been cleared for farming.
Experts believe 70 to 97 percent of the original forests in western Ecuador have been lost since the mid-20th century. The remaining patches of Centinela forest are now isolated pockets of diverse wildlife surrounded by agricultural land.
“When I mention howler monkeys, most people think of the Amazon, but you used to know you were getting away from Quito [the capital city] and close to Guayaquil [west of the Andes] because you could hear the monkeys howling,” Clark said. “It’s incredible how much that landscape has changed. Now you have wholesale deforestation.”
There are currently only two known populations of Amalophyllon miraculum, both found in small protected areas. Due to its restricted range, it has been preliminarily classified as critically endangered. Clark said that the name “Amalophyllon miraculum” signifies the “miracle” of discovering the plant in these unexpected fragments of protected forests.
Ecuador’s forest holds many things yet to be discovered
Andrea Fernandez, a co-author of the study from the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE), expressed to Mongabay, “Describing this species represents a relic of what still remains of the forest.”
“It really tells a story of hope where the forests hold many things yet to be discovered even when they are so small,” Fernandez further added.
Much of the deforestation in this region of Ecuador has been driven by agriculture, closely linked to historical government policies. In the 1960s, Ecuador’s government classified forested lands without human occupants as “unproductive,” making them vulnerable to occupation by land grabbers.
To retain ownership, landowners were required to clear at least half of their land to demonstrate active use.
Grave statue of Pythagoras, Greek philosopher. Credit: Brechtbug, Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Pythagoras is one of the most famous figures from the ancient Greek world. His life is the subject of interest to many historians, and even children from all around the world learn about him and his mathematical concepts. However, the ancestry of Pythagoras is something which many people have never heard of before despite its fascinating legendary connections.
The records of Pythagoras’ ancestry
The ancestry of Pythagoras was not something which seems to have particularly concerned ancient Greeks. There are not many ancient records about this. One of our best sources about the ancestry of this Greek scientist is Pausanias.
Pausanias lived in the second century CE some 700 years after Pythagoras himself. Therefore, it goes without saying that his writings cannot be taken as a definitive historical record. Nonetheless, it does reveal what people in the second century CE believed about him. In the absence of any superior information, this is the best evidence we have about what Pythagoras’ ancestry really was.
Historians agree that Pythagoras was born around 570 BCE. According to Pausanias, he was the son of a man named Mnesarchus. This fact is also mentioned by earlier historians, such as Herodotus and Isocrates.
How the ancestry of Pythagoras is connected to Greek legends
What those earlier historians did not mention (at least, not in any surviving sources) is the fascinating lineage that Pythagoras’ father Mnesarchus had. According to Pausanias, the grandfather of Mnesarchus (in other words, the great-grandfather of Pythagoras) was a man named Hippasus.
The reason that Hippasus is so fascinating is because, according to Pausanias, he fought against one of the descendants of Heracles. He was the mighty Greek hero who engaged in twelve incredible labors, fighting monsters such as the Hydra and a lion with impenetrable skin. This famous Greek hero had several sons in the stories of Greek mythology.
From one of these sons came the man named Temenus just a few generations later. He was an important figure in Greek legend. During an event called the Return of the Heracleidae, he led some of Heracles’ descendants in a conquest of certain important areas of Greece. This event also involved the invasion of a Greek people known as the Dorians.
Hippasus against Rhegnidas
Temenus conquered Argos and founded the dynasty which ruled that kingdom for generations. One of his sons, Perdiccas I, went on to found Macedon. Conflict between the descendants of Heracles and the other Greeks continued for many decades, according to legend.
The grandson of Temenus was a man named Rhegnidas. From Argos, he invaded a region of the Peloponnese called Phlius. Pausanias reveals the following:
“Some of the Phliasians were inclined to accept the offer of Rhegnidas, which was that they should remain on their own estates and receive Rhegnidas as their king, giving the Dorians with him a share in the land.”
In other words, Rhegnidas wanted the people of Phlius to accept him as their new king. Some of the people wanted to accept. However, Pausanias goes on to explain that Hippasus led a resistance against Rhegnidas. Yet despite his best efforts, the people in general refused to support Hippasus.
Pythagoras’ ancestry and Greek mythology
As a result, Hippasus and his followers fled to Samos and settled there. As Pausanias explains at this point, his great-grandson was Pythagoras, ‘the celebrated sage.’
Therefore, the ancestry of Pythagoras links him to someone who fought against one of the descendants of Heracles. In this way, Pythagoras’ family has a fascinating connection to Greek mythology. While this is surprising, it is not unusual. Many figures from Greek history claimed descent from legendary mythical characters.
Whether Heracles was a real person or not is unknown, but it is very likely that the legendary descendant Rhegnidas was historical, as was Hippasus, the great-grandfather of Pythagoras.
