Dark Ages Research Articles

The nature of an ultra-faint galaxy in the cosmic dark ages seen with JWST.

In the first billion years after the Big Bang, sources of ultraviolet (UV) photons are believed to have ionized intergalactic hydrogen, rendering the Universe transparent to UV radiation. Galaxies brighter than the characteristic luminosity L*(refs.1,2) do not provide enough ionizing photons to drive this cosmic reionization. Fainter galaxies are thought to dominate the photon budget; however, they are surrounded by neutral gas that prevents the escape of the Lyman-α photons, which has been the dominant way to identify them so far. JD1 was previously identified as a triply-imaged galaxy with a magnification factor of 13 provided by the foreground cluster Abell 2744 (ref. 3), and a photometric redshift of z ≈ 10. Here we report the spectroscopic confirmation of this very low luminosity (≈0.05 L*) galaxy at z = 9.79, observed 480 Myr after the Big Bang, by means of the identification of the Lyman break and redward continuum, as well as multiple ≳4σ emission lines, with the Near-InfraRed Spectrograph (NIRSpec) and Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) instruments. The combination of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and gravitational lensing shows that this ultra-faint galaxy (MUV = -17.35)-with a luminosity typical of the sources responsible for cosmic reionization-has a compact (≈150 pc) and complex morphology, low stellar mass (107.19 M⊙) and subsolar (≈0.6 Z⊙) gas-phase metallicity.

Yoruba Folksong Philosophical Approach to Health Education: Curbing the Spread of COVID-19

Throughout the world's history, there are cases of epidemics in nearly every country, state, and community at various times. During the dark ages in Africa, a number of diseases led to the premature deaths of young ones, adults, and even the elderly within clans and communities. Back then, people believed that outbreaks were caused by the wrathful gods of their communities, whereas it was the unsanitary living conditions and lack of hygiene that served as catalysts for these epidemics. Consequently, the people constantly remained at risk of incessant outbreaks. However, the Yorubas in Southwest Nigeria, among others, have a rich traditional culture that permeates their daily lives and surroundings. Music, as an integral part of their culture, accompanies all aspects of individual and communal existence. Education is deemed crucial for a good life and health. The Yoruba people have employed diverse methods to instil education in their growing citizens, dating back to the neo-colonial era. These methods include teaching folk songs, folk tales, poems, proverbs, and imitating societal values and norms.
 The emergence of COVID-19 with its deadly implications has instilled fear worldwide. Everyone pondered preventive measures through education before considering treatment and cure. Preventing the virus spread became the responsibility of individuals and organizations all levels. This discussion examines the impact of an educational Yoruba folksong that promotes self-restraint to mitigate contact with this deadly disease and recommends their adoption at the local level of human habitation to enhance understanding and adaptation to disease prevention and control measures.

Holocene palaeoenvironment of the central Baltic Sea based on sediment records from the Gotland Basin

Sediment archives are the key source of information about long-term environmental dynamics under changing climate conditions, which is crucial for reliable forecasts. The presented work aims at reconstructing the Baltic Sea palaeoenvironment during the Littorina stage with a particular interest in variations in the saline water inflows. Complex analysis (including geochemical and micropalaeontological studies) of sediment sequences, obtained in the Eastern Gotland Basin, was performed. According to the radiocarbon dating results, the combined sediment record covers the last c. 7 cal ka BP. During this time, increased inflow activity was recorded in the Holocene Thermal Maximum, the Roman Warm Period, and Dark Ages. The predominantly positive phase of NAO during these periods resulted in the prevalence of westerly winds over the Baltic region, which in turn led to more frequent inflows of North Sea waters. The decrease in the frequency of inflows during the Little Ice Age and the Modern Warm Period coincides with the negative phase of NAO and weaker westerlies. The periods of the warmer climate, characterised by an increase in surface water productivity, correspond to the Holocene Thermal Maximum, the Roman Warm Period, the Medieval Climate Anomaly, and the Modern Warm Period. Due to the relatively shallow position, the coring site was not affected by hypoxia during the latter warm periods.

Editors' Note

Editorial| May 01 2023 Editors' Note Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East (2023) 43 (1): 1. https://doi.org/10.1215/1089201X-10375291 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Editors' Note. Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East 1 May 2023; 43 (1): 1. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/1089201X-10375291 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search Books & JournalsAll JournalsComparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East Search Advanced Search Among the many narratives gifted by the colonial excavations of subcontinental pasts, one is the flight of Buddhism from “India” eastward. For the colonial imagination, Islam's violent incursion into the subcontinent in the early eighth century marked the end of Buddhist dominion (and brought about the “Dark Ages” of Hinduism). While scholars have done much to combat such ahistoricist renderings, it remains an ongoing exercise to reimagine (and re-enliven) the relationship between people, faith, and space. This issue opens with a special section, “Buddhist Homelands: Transregional Pathways,” that productively restages the encounter between Hinduism and Buddhism, on the one hand, and modernity and the nation-state on the other. In interrogating the concepts of homeland and diaspora, the section allows us to pay particular attention to embodied movements and the spaces of ritual (temples, say) around which much of contemporary politics is organized.The agitated categories of movement and belonging are... You do not currently have access to this content.

Sejarah Revolusi Industri

The purpose of writing this book review article: (1) to explain the Condition of British Society Before the Industrial Revolution. (2) describes the Industrial Revolution. (3) explaining the impact of the industrial revolution. The results of this study found that (1) the condition of English society before experiencing the industrial revolution first experienced the dark ages where the church controlled many aspects of life. (2) the industrial revolution is a change in the replacement of human power by machine power. (3) the impact of the industrial revolution affected the social, economic, and political fields.

Gender Bias and Constitution of India

Gender Bias is behaviour that shows favouritism towards one gender over another .Most often gender bias is the act of favouring men or boys over women and girls or girls. 17th century in India is known as Dark Age in India. Practice of child marriages, dowry system, sati system, female foeticides and infanticides had made life of women and girls miserable. Widow Remarriages were not permissible. Women and girls were not allowed to go to school. They were not allowed to do jobs. If at all they worked there was no equal remuneration. Their role was confined to household work and looking after children. Ray of hope in the 18th century when some social reformers tried to improve condition of women in India by banning these practices. After independence of India Constitution of India made some provisions in the constitutional Law of India in the form of protective legislation and tried to put an end to gender bias.

A 2600-yr multiproxy record for climate and vegetation reconstruction along the Mahanadi River delta, east coast of India

Understanding the impact of climate change on the vegetation cover in the past is crucial for predicting the future warming scenario and its consequences. The present study integrates biotic (palynological analysis) and abiotic proxy (sediment chemistry, clay mineral assemblages and grain size end member (EM) analysis) records in a chronologically constrained sedimentary sequence from the southeastern part of the Mahanadi River delta to reconstruct the hydroclimate since 2600 years. The Mahanadi delta sediments are primarily derived from felsic rock source possibly composed of granites or granulites. The dominance of herbaceous taxa, high aridity index and deposition of fine grain (EM1) sediment possibly suggest a relatively cold and dry climate in the study region during ~2600–2100 cal yr BP corresponding to the Iron Age Cold Period (IACP). Presence of diverse mangrove and tree taxa, deposition of coarser sediment (EM3) and relatively high abundance of secondary clay minerals possibly indicate high precipitation associated with the Roman Warm Period (RWP, ~2100–1800 cal yr BP). A decline in mangroves, dominance of herbaceous taxa and high deposition of fine grain (EM2) sediment from ~1800 to 1300 cal yr BP may indicate a relatively drier climate coinciding with the Dark Age Cold Period (DACP). High moisture index and an increased value of Rb/Sr during ~1300 cal yr BP may suggest a wet phase with the onset of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA) and later shifted to an arid climate during ~1100–800 cal yr BP. After ~800 cal yr BP, a sharp decline in all weathering indices and vegetation cover, dominance of illite indicates a relatively dry climate which could mark the Little Ice Age (LIA, ~800–300 cal yr BP). A small increase in the terrestrial flux, as well as the weathering indices after ~300 cal yr BP, may suggest the onset of recent warming.

Post-punk, Industrial Culture Zines, and the Information Dark Age

Several scholars have noted parallels between the online communicative tactics of the American alt-right and those of industrial musicians in the 1970s and 1980s. This article explores these connections further by analysing the informational media that industrial musicians developed. Between the mid-1980s and 1990s, these zines, handbooks, and websites made a strenuous break with the values of democracy, egalitarianism, and grassroots authenticity that were the default ideological ‘mode’ of DIY. Where the Californian ideology would centre the summer of love and the politics of the New Left, the zines ambiguously celebrated the nihilistic, authoritarian, and occult vectors of psychedelia – tendencies that have been associated with the late 1960s fate of the counterculture rather than its earlier heyday. The article tracks these themes from Vague magazine and Rapid Eye, to the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit in the 1990s, to neoreaction and the Dark Enlightenment, asking whether communicational utopianism should be considered a blip rather than the internet’s default state.

Late-Holocene paleoceanographic and climatic changes and their impact on Indian socio-economic conditions: Benthic foraminiferal evidence from the Bay of Bengal

The present work is pursued on the benthic foraminiferal groups obtained from NGHP core samples of the western Bay of Bengal to understand the variations of paleoceanography and Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM), as well as socio-economic changes in ancient India. Benthic foraminiferal AMS 14C dating reveals that the studied interval spans between 335 BC and 1355 AD, covering the history of the last 1690 years. We compared foraminifera group counts with published isotopes, sunspot number, summer monsoon index, hematite-stained grain, Al/Ca, 14C data sets. Angular Asymmetrical Benthic Foraminifera, infaunal, and dysoxic groups exhibit declining trends with warm, humid intervals with intensified ISM signature from 335 BC to 406 AD (Roman Warm Period) and from 787 to 1202 AD (Medieval Warm Period). The Increasing trend of the above foraminiferal groups captures the signature of weak ISM from 406 to 787 AD (Dark Age Cold Period) and from 1202 to 1355 AD (Medieval Warm Period and Little Ice Age Transition). Whereas rounded symmetrical benthic foraminifera, epifaunal, and oxic groups show a reverse relation with the abovementioned groups. Spectral analysis of foraminiferal groups shows significant periodicities of 563/561, 450, 321, 281/250, 22/27, and 17/16/15 years, corresponding to various solar cycles. This research uncovers the relationship between solar activity and monsoonal changes, which influenced India’s economic growth and played a crucial role in the establishment and demise of successive dynasties throughout the Indian subcontinent during the late-Holocene.

Helping to shine light on the Dark Ages: Applying the bioarchaeology of care approach to remains from the early Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Worthy Park

ObjectiveTo test the hypothesis that a bioarchaeological focus on health-related care provision can contribute to the currently limited understanding of social practice in Early Anglo-Saxon England (mid5th-early7th centuries AD). MaterialsPublished descriptions of pathology in 69 adult remains from the Early Anglo-Saxon cemetery of Worthy Park, southern England. MethodsThree case studies (one examining likely need for care at an individual level and two at a population level) were undertaken using the bioarchaeology of care approach. ResultsAnalyses indicate likely care provision (‘direct support’ and/or ‘accommodation of difference’) to Worthy Park individuals experiencing temporary or permanent disability. Interpretation suggests community interdependence, cooperation, flexibility and tolerance of difference, as well as cultural and socioeconomic mechanisms for managing physical and social challenges of ageing. ConclusionsThis study provides proof of concept that bioarchaeology of care analysis can offer new insights into social practice in this period. SignificanceThis study demonstrates that a bioarchaeological focus on caregiving behaviours in an Early Anglo-Saxon community extends modern thinking about social relations in post-Roman Britain, offering a model for future investigations into social practice in this, and potentially other, periods. More generally, it illustrates the richness of results achievable when combining bioarchaeological and historical research. LimitationsReliance on secondary sources limited detail (and potentially accuracy) of interpretation possible. Suggestions for further researchThis study’s approach should be further tested and refined, either through application to different Anglo-Saxon (or other historic) populations or in a more thorough analysis of the Worthy Park sample itself.

Paleoclimatic reconstruction of northwest Himalaya since CE 475 using lake sediments from Tadag Taal, Kumaun, India

The Kumaun region of India in the northwestern Himalaya experiences complex rainfall patterns, receiving precipitation both during the summer monsoon (June to September) as well as during winter months dominated by westerlies (October to March). In this paper, we present a multi-proxy palaeoclimate record spanning the last ∼1500 years from Tadag Taal, an intermontane lake in Kumaun, India. Our dataset (stable isotope ratios, grain size, trace element ratios) suggests the occurrence of four long-term precipitation cycles of high and low rainfall coinciding with the Dark Ages Cold Period (DACP, ∼475–850 CE), Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA ∼900–1300 CE), Little Ice Age (LIA, ∼1450–1800 CE) and Current Warm Period (CWP, ∼1850 CE to Present). We infer multi-decadal to centennial-scale shifts in the Indian summer monsoon co-varying with changes in El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) activity superimposed by changes in solar insolation. To correlate our time-series from the northwestern Himalaya with the Core Monsoon Zone and understand coherency in precipitation between the two regions, we applied the Wavelength Coherency Test. Our data suggest wet conditions during the early phase of the LIA (∼1450–1640 CE) and dry conditions in the later phase of the LIA from ∼1640–1800 CE. The wet conditions in the early LIA were perhaps driven by increased winter precipitation. This is in contrast to Central India that witnessed dry conditions during the entire duration of the LIA. This study thus suggests that monsoon strength was different during earlier and later phase of the LIA. Further, the LIA did not witness uniform climate variability through its duration as has been reported in some European and Chinese proxy records.

Cosmic radio background from primordial black holes at cosmic dawn

The presence of an extra radio background besides the cosmic microwave background has important implications for the observation of the 21-cm signal during the cosmic Dark Ages, Cosmic Dawn, and epoch of Reionization. The strong absorption trough found in the 21-cm global spectrum measured by the EDGES experiment, which has a much greater depth than the standard model prediction, has drawn great interest to this scenario, but more generally it is still of great interest to consider such a cosmic radio background (CRB) in the early Universe. To be effective in affecting the 21-cm signal at early time, such a radio background must be produced by sources which can emit strong radio signals but modest amount of X-rays, so that the gas is not heated up too early. We investigate the scenario that such a radio background is produced by the primordial black holes (PBHs). For PBH with a single mass, we find that if the PBHs' abundance $\log(f_{\rm PBH})$ (ratio of total PBH mass density to total matter density) and mass satisfy the relation $\log(f_{\rm PBH}) \sim -1.8\log(M_\bullet/{\rm M}_{\odot})-3.5$ for $1\,{\rm M}_\odot \lesssim M_\bullet \lesssim 300 {\rm M}_\odot$, and have jet emission, they can generate a CRB required for reproducing the 21-cm absorption signal seen by the EDGES. The accretion rate can be boosted if the PBHs are surrounded by dark matter halos, which permits lower $f_{\rm PBH}$ value to satisfy the EDGES observation. In the latter scenario, since the accretion rate can evolve rapidly during the Cosmic Dawn, the frequency (redshift) and depth of the absorption trough can determine the mass and abundance of the PBHs simultaneously. For absorption trough redshift $\sim$ 17 and depth $\sim -500$ mK, it corresponds to $M_\bullet \sim 1.05\,{\rm M}_{\odot}$ and $f_{\rm PBH}\sim 1.5\times10^{-4}$.

Abstract 3342: The dark age of single organ screening is over: CD24 is a novel universal pan-cancer blood test for early detection of cancer

Abstract Background: Early detection offers the best chance of cure. Screening separately for different cancer types is time-consuming, less economically efficient and has poor compliance rates. Pan-cancer screening liquid biopsy that can detect most common cancer types may shift the paradigm in the treatment of cancer through early detection and prevention. CD24, a cell surface, heavily glycosylated GPI-anchored mucin-like protein is express in all/most cancers but very rarely on normal cells. Aim: To evaluate the feasibility of a universal pan-cancer screening blood test (cancerD24), and to design a model (PANDEX) that discriminate between healthy and cancer subjects with a high level of accuracy. Methods: Blood samples and informed consent were obtained from 464 consecutive cancer patients and 1,138 matched (gender, age, medical history) healthy volunteers attending the Tel Aviv Medical Center. 1x106 leukocytes were stained using anti-CD11b-PerCp-Cy5 and anti-CD24-FITC and analyzed by flow cytometry. Percentage of positive cells was determined by subtracting the percentage of CD24 and CD11b-positive cells (dual stain) from CD24-positive cells (single stain). The healthy subjects underwent a thorough evaluation including examination, imaging and blood tests by specialists in internal medicine, surgery, plastic surgery, oncology, oral surgery, gastroenterology and other specialties. Women underwent a vaginal ultrasound and HPV, mammography and US/MRI when indicated. Men underwent PSA and free PSA testing and testicular and rectal examination by urologist. Moderate and heavy smokers were screened with low-dose CT. All cancers were verified histologically. A logistic regression was fitted univariately on CD24, both as continuous and categorical variables. A sensitivity analysis of model discrimination ability was performed using a bootstrap cross-validation method. Results: Cancer types were categorized into 21 major groups. 52% and 50% were healthy/cancer females. CD24/CD11b expression in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) of healthy participants (21±1) was found to be statistically significantly lower than of cancer patients (33±2) and polyps (32±2) with high sensitivity (87%) and specificity (87%) (P<0.01). An AUC metric for generalized linear models was developed using gender, age and with an predictive ability of 0.95. In several types of cancer (CRC, LY, oral cancer), the level dropped back to near normal level following surgery/chemotherapy. Increase in CD24/CD11b expression is an early event in the multi-step process of carcinogenesis as there was no difference in the expression levels regardless cancer stage (TNM 0-4). Conclusions: CancerenD24 may serves as a universal blood test as an aid to clinicians in the early detection of many cancers. The first ever blood test to detect pre-malignant lesions. The test is GLP-compliant, reliable and relatively simple. Citation Format: Fatin Madah, Dina Kazanov, Mays Motlaq, Lihi Argaman, Meital Shaked, Gil Shenberg, Yael Hofman, Miri Sror, Michael Peer, Dan Greissaro, Michael Tepper, Marina Ben-Shimon, Lior Galazan, Ido Wolf, Shiran Shapira, Nadir Arber. The dark age of single organ screening is over: CD24 is a novel universal pan-cancer blood test for early detection of cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 3342.

Raising the observed metallicity floor with a 3D non-LTE analysis of SDSS J102915.14+172927.9

Context. The first stars marked the end of the cosmic dark ages, produced the first heavy elements, and set the stage for the formation of the first galaxies. Accurate chemical abundances of ultra metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] < −4) can be used to infer the properties of the first stars and thus the formation mechanism for low-mass second-generation stars in the early Universe. Spectroscopic studies have shown that most second-generation stars are carbon enhanced. A notable exception is SDSS J102915.14+172927.9, which is the most metal-poor star known to date, largely by virtue of the low upper limits of the carbon abundance reported in earlier studies. Aims. We re-analysed the composition of SDSS J102915.14+172927.9 with the aim of providing improved observational constraints on the lowest metallicity possible for low-mass star formation and constraining the properties of its Population III progenitor star. Methods. We developed a tailored three-dimensional model atmosphere for SDSS J102915.14+172927.9 with the Stagger code, making use of an improved surface gravity estimate based on the Gaia DR3 parallax. Snapshots from the model were used as input in the radiative transfer code Balder to compute 3D non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) synthetic spectra. These spectra were then used to infer abundances for Mg, Si, Ca, Fe, and Ni as well as upper limits on Li, Na, and Al. Synthetic 3D LTE spectra were computed with Scate to infer the abundance of Ti and upper limits on C and N. Results. In contrast to earlier works based on 1D non-LTE corrections applied to 3D LTE results, we are able to achieve ionisation balance for Ca I and Ca II when employing our consistent 3D non-LTE treatment. The elemental abundances are systematically higher than those found in earlier works. In particular, [Fe/H] is increased by 0.57 dex, and the upper limits of C and N are larger by 0.90 dex and 1.82 dex, respectively. Conclusions. We find that Population III progenitors with masses 10–20 M⊙ exploding with energy E ⪅ 3 × 1051 erg can reproduce our 3D non-LTE abundance pattern. Our 3D non-LTE abundances are able to better constrain the progenitor mass and explosion energy as compared to our 1D LTE abundances. Contrary to previous work, we obtain higher upper limits on the carbon abundance that are ‘marginally consistent’ with star formation through atomic line cooling, and consequently, these results prevent us from drawing strong conclusions about the formation mechanism of this low-mass star.

Массовая коммуникация как онтологический фон современной культуры

The article analyzes the history of the development of forms, methods and means of communication as one of the main factors in the civilizational development of mankind. The author agrees with M. McLuhan's periodization, supplementing it with specific characteristics of the current stage in the development of communication, which can be designated as mass communication. Among its constitutive features stand out: derealization, glocalization, individualization, publicity, the disappearance of intimacy and semantic involution. Communication is defined as a mode of existence of modern man and, more broadly, modern society. Identity, basic modes of activity, formats of existence – all this is somehow connected with mass communication, which has become the ontological framework of culture. New media allow a significant increase in the participation of their users, who are no longer passive recipients of information, but actively produce content and information. There is a negative trend of devaluation of traditional forms of communication, within which significant values were articulated and cultivated, contributing to the consolidation and solidarity of society. The question is raised about the possible threats of uncontrolled development of modern forms of culture based on a high speed of message transmission, which, in the author's opinion, leads to the disappearance of the option of deep reflection, the possibility of understanding at the level of the whole. Digitalization threatens the barbarization of society, its return to the state of the dark Middle Ages, when the value of personal and autonomous intentions is leveled, and thoughtless collectivity comes in their place.

Probing cosmology beyond $$\Lambda $$CDM using SKA

The cosmological principle states that the Universe is statistically homogeneous and isotropic at large distance scales. Currently, there exist many observations which indicate a departure from this principle. It has been shown that many of these observations can be explained by invoking superhorizon cosmological perturbations and may be consistent with the Big Bang paradigm. Remarkably, these modes simultaneously explain the observed Hubble tension, i.e., the discrepancy between the direct and indirect measurements of the Hubble parameter. We propose several tests of the cosmological principle using SKA. In particular, we can reliably extract the signal of dipole anisotropy in the distribution of radio galaxies. The superhorizon perturbations also predict a significant redshift dependence of the dipole signal, which can be well tested by the study of signals of reionization and the dark ages using SKA. We also propose to study the alignment of radio galaxy axes as well as their integrated polarization vectors over distance scales ranging from a few Mpc to Gpc. We discuss data analysis techniques that can reliably extract these signals from data.

Authigenic beryllium isotopes reveal fluctuations in the East Asian monsoon over the past two millennia

Reconstructing climate variability beyond human records allows reconstruction of past and prediction of future climate change. However, a lack of high-resolution paleoclimate archives and effective climate proxies has hitherto limited reconstruction of the spatiotemporal evolution of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). In this study, the ratio of the meteoric cosmogenic 10Be (10Bemet) to silicate-weathered 9Be in annually laminated sediments from Maar Lake Xiaolongwan (NE China) was utilized to reconstruct EASM precipitation over the past two millennia. We find two apparent humid periods during the transitions of the Dark Age Cold Period–Medieval Climate Anomaly (DACP–MCA, ∼700 CE) and MCA–Little Ice Age (MCA–LIA, ∼1250 CE). The interval of these two humid periods is consistent with previous proposition of ∼500-yr oscillations of EASM in Northeast Asia. Although there are some phase variabilities, the pattern of temporal variation from 400 to 1600 CE are synchronous with other regional climate records from the EASM region. However, the spatial pattern shows an anti-phase synchronization between the EASM and the transition zone between the EASM and the Indian summer monsoon (ISM), revealing a “dry northeastern and wet southwestern” mode during the MCA. The climate change fluctuations derived here from 10Bemet/9Be in maar lake sediments are more straightforward than Chinese cave δ18O records and global temperature anomalies, providing a unique climate proxy for detecting variations of paleo-precipitation flux in specific regions. The overall slight weakening of EASM is consistent with a long-term cooling trend, which is likely regulated by solar irradiance. The apparent decrease of EASM during the transition from MCA to LIA is interpreted as the main control of explosive volcanic eruptions. The internal fluctuations and the spatiotemporal variability of precipitation are likely associated with the integrated effect of ISM and El Niño-Southern Oscillation.

On the <i>New Dark Age</i> by James Bridle

This year AST published The New Dark Age the first ever translation into Russian of James Bridle, contemporary British writer, artist, and computer technology expert. Sprinkling a fascinating narrative with interesting and often frightening facts from various fields and references to philosophy, the author created a convincing and sobering picture of the world in which we live, not even suspecting its ever-growing complexity and inhumanity. Despite the modern trend on cultural literacy, Bridle focuses on our blindness and arrogance regarding pervasive technological systems. Bridle encourages his readers to engage in critical thinking, see the reality for what it is and embrace it in its overwhelming complexity and fragility. Questioning the linearity of progress, he posits that we might have already passed our peak knowledge. It means that ongoing calculations and the resulting additional data only make the world a less understandable place to live in. Instead of an elegant and working picture of the world, we are surrounded by darkness, pervasive chaos under the guise of calculated order. Bridle’s zeal to trace back the hard basis of cyber reality takes him on a journey from the electric cables in the depths of the ocean to the contrails-lined sky. Electricity, unpredictable weather and climate change, the first computers and secret inventions, the works of great mathematicians and stock market crashes, satellite maps, world aviation, Concordes and short-term turbulence, unsuccessful GPS journeys, computer games, social networks and entertainment videos on the Internet, scientific research errors caused by a variety of factors from measuring instrument deficiency to dubious publishing ethics in the modern scientific community, permafrost, history and time machine, biodiversity and plague... Technology is a black box and it clouds our vision. With more data available (and increasingly hard to digest) we are less apt to good decision-making and are likely to be taking a leap of faith in the dark of the black box of omnipresent technologies. Are we standing at the edge of an abyss? In this fascinating read, Bridle invites us to admit and possibly bridge the gap between our understanding of reality and the reality.

Hernando Colón’s New World of Books: Toward a Cartography of Knowledge

Hernando Colón’s New World of Books: Toward a Cartography of Knowledge

Current anthropogenic warming threatens shallow Lake ecosystems on the Tibetan plateau: A palaeolimnological study covering the past 1,600 years in Genggahai Lake

Abstract The Tibetan Plateau has ∼1,200 lakes larger than 1 km2 with a total area of ~46,000 km2. The annual mean air temperature of the Tibetan Plateau has increased 2.5°C over the past 60 years. Lakes in this region are extremely responsive to climate changes as a result of their low biodiversity and simple food webs. However, it is unclear whether the current anthropogenic warming will benefit or threaten the aquatic ecosystems in this region. We assessed patterns of change associated with climate change in a shallow, freshwater lake (Genggahai Lake) on the NE Tibetan Plateau over the past ~1,600 years based on diverse aquatic fossils (macrophytes, molluscs, cladocerans and diatoms), total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) of a sediment core. The abundances of macrophytes, molluscs and cladocerans, and the concentrations of TOC and TN in the sediments were high during the Mediaeval Warm Period (MWP, ~940–1,410 CE) but low during the Dark Ages Cold Period (DACP, ~390–940 CE) and the Little Ice Age (LIA, ~1,410–1970 CE), suggesting that modest natural warming was associated with the biomass of macrophytes and consumers in the food web. By contrast, low abundance of macrophytes and high abundance of planktonic diatoms were recorded in the sediments during the Current Warm Period (CWP, ~1970–2020 CE). Current anthropogenic warming has resulted in significantly higher temperatures than during the MWP, associated with the development of planktonic algae rather than macrophytes. Our findings show that the current anthropogenic warming, coupled with increased atmospheric nitrogen deposition and activated nutrients from thawed permafrost, is associated with phytoplankton dominance in lakes on the Tibetan Plateau, and may lead to significant reductions in ecosystem services provided by the lakes.