Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a series of tombs dating back to about 1,800 to 4,800 years ago, some of which contain colorful mummy masks and a statue of the god of silence, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
The colorful mummy masks worn by the dead likely date back to the Roman era (29 BC to 641 AD), according to Nozomu Kawai, director of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources at Kanazawa University in Japan, who led the excavations.
The archaeological mission indicated that the small statue found shows Herpocrates, the child-like Greek god of silence and secrets, riding a goose.
Kawai said in a statement to Live Science that the goose represents "an evil spirit that the divine child conquers."
Kawai added that the team also found a carved stone tablet with writing indicating that it belonged to a man named Heroides.
According to Kawai, his team found part of the burials north of Saqqara in 2019, including the tomb of a “mighty” woman named “Demetria” who was depicted in a sculpture with her pet, but the excavation was halted due to the “Covid-19” pandemic, and excavation work was not resumed until Year 2023.
When they returned to work, they discovered a number of additional tombs and artifacts. “The area we are excavating is the eastern shelf of the North Saqqara Plateau,” Kawai said. “As far as we have excavated there, the oldest tombs belong to the Second Dynasty,” or to about 4,800 years ago. They also found tombs dating back to the Eighteenth Dynasty (about 1550 to 1295 BC) and the late period (about 712 to 332 BC), in addition to more tombs and artifacts dating back to the Ptolemaic and Roman era.
Kawai pointed out that the team found, inside one of the oldest tombs at the site, “an Egyptian alabaster painting dating back to the Second Dynasty, accompanied by a burial crouching inside a wooden box coffin that had deteriorated due to termites.”
The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced in a statement that a tomb dating back to the Eighteenth Dynasty contained a mummy inside a coffin.
Saqqara contains vast cemeteries, so it is not surprising that archaeologists have found tombs dating back to different dynasties in ancient Egypt.
Excavation and analysis of the graves are still continuing
Scientists are developing a prototype of a new battery based on a component of human blood
In a pioneering achievement, researchers at the University of Cordoba, in partnership with the Polytechnic University of Cartagena, in Spain, have designed a prototype of biocompatible batteries.
This innovative battery uses hemoglobin, an important protein in human red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen, to catalyze electrochemical reactions.
Hemoglobin displays properties that aid the reduction and oxidation processes in zinc-air batteries, and is an environmentally friendly alternative to lithium-ion batteries.
Hemoglobin plays an essential role in our survival, as it picks up oxygen in the lungs and delivers it to the tissues to keep the body alive (and then transports carbon dioxide in the opposite direction).
The research team took advantage of the unique properties of this protein, and worked to harness it to facilitate electrochemical reactions in a prototype battery.
The battery requires only 0.165 mg of hemoglobin to operate efficiently for 20 to 30 days.
The battery operates at a pH of 7.4, which is similar to the pH of human blood, which highlights its ability to power devices designed to integrate into the human body, such as pacemakers.
However, it should be noted that the current version of this battery is basic and non-rechargeable. Their function also depends on the presence of oxygen, which limits the possibility of their use in oxygen-deprived conditions such as outer space.
The team is searching for another biological protein capable of converting water into oxygen, with the aim of making the battery rechargeable.
This achievement opens the door to new functional alternatives to batteries in a context where more portable devices are expected, and where there is a growing commitment to renewable energies.
The results were published in the journal Energy & Fuels.
Priceless discovery!
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