Archaeologists find Bronze Age ruins in China
Beijing: A team of archaeologists said on Sunday that they have unearthed Bronze Age ruins including the remains of ancient houses and ash pits along with animal bones, bronze ware and stone tools in China’s Jilin province. The finds were discovered on a sand dune near Dajinshan village in Shuangliao city, according to the School of Archaeology of Jilin University. Fang Qi, the archaeologist who headed the excavation, said researchers speculate that the ruins might serve as evidence of a living and fishing place for ancient people near the Eastern Liaohe river based on large quantities of unearthed life utensils, animal bones, fishbones, mussels and shellfish, reports Xinhua news agency. The ruins are around 150 metres long and 100 metres wide. Jointly launched by researchers from countries including China, France and the US, the ongoing excavation started in July and is covering around 1,000 square metres. After the excavation is completed, the archaeologists will send 20 carbon samples to the University of Oxford for more precise age testing. “The new discovery will shed some light on the living and working conditions of ancient people along the Eastern Liaohe river basin, and enrich people’s understanding of ancient life in the region,” Fang said. (IANS)
2 winning tickets sold for USD 750 million Powerball jackpot
Des Moines (US): Lottery officials say two tickets have won the estimated USD 750 million Powerball jackpot. Powerball officials say tickets purchased in Iowa and New York match all six numbers in Saturday night’s drawing. The jackpot is the fourth-largest in US history. The winning numbers were 8, 12, 13, 19 and 27, and Powerball 4. Lottery officials say one ticket was sold in central Iowa, and the other was sold in New York at West Harlem Deli at 2040 5th Ave. It comes four days after someone won a USD 1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot, the second-largest lottery prize. The ticket was sold in South Carolina. Powerball is played in 44 states, plus Washington, DC, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are one in 292.2 million. (AP)
‘Gay’ penguins successfully hatch baby chick
SYDNEY: Two male penguins entrusted with the care of a fostered egg have welcomed a tiny sub-Antarctic Gentoo chick into the world, Sydney’s Sea Life Aquarium said on Friday. The pair, Magic and Sphen, made headlines around the world this month when aquarium staff gave them the egg, following a successful trial with a dummy egg. The yet-to-be-named chick, weighing 91 gm (3.21 oz), was born on the evening of October 19 and is the first sub-Antarctic penguin born at the aquarium. The couple, who formed a bond before the 2018 breeding season, doted on the adopted chick, said Tish Hannan, an aquarium official. There is little difference between opposite-sex and same-sex rearing among Gentoo penguins, which share parenting and feeding responsibilities equally, Hannan said. (Reuters)