Massive hoard of Roman-era silver coins unearthed in Germany

Metal detectorist finds 2,000-year-old dagger wielded by Roman soldier in battle with Rhaetians | Massive hoard of Roman-era silver coins unearthed in Germany | Earliest evidence of mercury poisoning in humans found in 5,000-year-old bones Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( November 17, 2021 CONNECT WITH LIVESCIENCE  [Facebook]( [Twitter](  [LIVESCIENCE]( [LIVESCIENCE]( Amazing science every day [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [WEBSITE](  [] Top Science News [] [Metal detectorist finds 2,000-year-old dagger wielded by Roman soldier in battle with Rhaetians]( [Metal detectorist finds 2,000-year-old dagger wielded by Roman soldier in battle with Rhaetians]( (Archaeological Service Graubünden) An amateur archaeologist in Switzerland has discovered an ornate dagger wielded by a Roman soldier 2,000 years ago. That discovery, found using a metal detector, led a team of archaeologists to the site, who then uncovered hundreds of artifacts from a "lost" battlefield where Roman legionaries fought Rhaetian warriors as Imperial Rome sought to consolidate power in the area. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/16) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] History & Archaeology [] [Massive hoard of Roman-era silver coins unearthed in Germany]( [Massive hoard of Roman-era silver coins unearthed in Germany]( (Kunstsammlungen und Museen Augsburg, Stadtarchäologie, Photo: Andreas Brücklmair) More than 5,500 silver coins buried by a river about 1,800 years ago are now in the hands of archaeologists, following the hoard's discovery in Augsburg, Germany. At the time of the coins' burial, the Roman Empire was in full swing, with its coinage reaching all corners of its territory and beyond. These coins "are denarii, the standard silver denomination during the 1st-early 3rd century [A.D.]," Stefan Krmnicek, a professor of ancient numismatics (the study of coins) at the University of Tübingen in Germany, told Live Science in an email. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/17) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Earliest evidence of mercury poisoning in humans found in 5,000-year-old bones]( [Earliest evidence of mercury poisoning in humans found in 5,000-year-old bones]( (Getty Images/ziprashantzi) The earliest evidence of mercury poisoning has been found in 5,000-year-old bones of humans buried in Spain and Portugal, according to a new study. Exposure to the naturally occurring heavy metal may have toxic effects on the body including on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, according to The World Health Organization (WHO). That's why the WHO considers mercury one of the top 10 chemicals of "major health concern." Today, people are most commonly exposed to some level of mercury when they eat certain fish or shellfish, though the levels are often low, according to the WHO. But how common was mercury exposure in the olden days? Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/17) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [15th-century Chan Chan mass grave discovered in Peru]( [15th-century Chan Chan mass grave discovered in Peru]( (Peruvian Ministry of Culture) In the 15th century, a group of elite women in the ancient city of Chan Chan spent their days making textiles while living ... and in death. Archaeologists recently uncovered a mass grave in the Trujillo province of modern-day Peru that held the remains of about 25 people, mostly women and a couple of children and teenagers, surrounded by textile tools, including needles, spindles and chalk, according to a statement from the Peruvian Ministry of Culture. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/17) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Space Exploration [] [Could space debris really wipe out the International Space Station?]( [Could space debris really wipe out the International Space Station?]( (Matthias Kulka/Getty Images) In the wee morning hours of Tuesday (Nov. 16), the seven-person crew of the International Space Station (ISS) awoke in alarm. A Russian missile test had just blasted a decommissioned Kosmos spy satellite into more than 1,500 pieces of space debris — some of which were close enough to the ISS to warrant emergency collision preparations. The four Americans, one German and two Russian cosmonauts aboard the station were told to shelter in the transport capsules that brought them to the ISS, while the station passed by the debris cloud several times over the following hours, according to NASA. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/17) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Curious Creatures [] [Deadly and massive 'Megaspider' found in Australia has fangs that can puncture a fingernail]( [Deadly and massive 'Megaspider' found in Australia has fangs that can puncture a fingernail]( (Australian Reptile Park) What has eight legs and fangs powerful enough to bite through a human fingernail? "Megaspider," an enormous funnel-web spider that was recently captured in Australia. The Australian Reptile Park (ARP) in New South Wales is a public zoo that also houses a collection of funnel-web spiders; keepers milk the spiders for their venom, which is then processed to create anti-venom. This particular spider was donated by an anonymous benefactor and arrived last week at the park in a plastic tub as part of a weekly collection from spider drop-off points near Sydney, the Central Coast and Newcastle, ARP representatives said on Nov. 11 in a statement. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/17) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Your Body [] [Scientists find the fastest acceleration in the human body]( [Scientists find the fastest acceleration in the human body]( (Nisara Tangtrakul / EyeEm / Getty Images) In Marvel's "Avengers: Infinity War," supervillain Thanos uses a simple gesture — a snap of a finger — to destroy half of all life in the universe. But the mass-murdering comic book character not only would have failed to wreak devastation; he wouldn't have even been able to snap his fingers, according to a new study. Using high-speed cameras and state-of-the-art force sensors, researchers found that a finger snap is the fastest acceleration of the human body ever measured — and that the physics involved would have made it impossible for Thanos to perform the apocalyptic gesture, at least while he was wearing his metal "Infinity Gauntlet." 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