Wildfires blaze in London during record heatwave

Wildfires blaze in London during record heatwave | 7 famous mummies and secrets they've revealed about the ancient world | Lost city, a real-life 'Helm's Deep,' possibly discovered in Iraq Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( July 20, 2022 CONNECT WITH LIVESCIENCE  [Facebook]( [Twitter](  [LIVESCIENCE]( Amazing science every day [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [WEBSITE](  [] Top Science News [] [Wildfires blaze in London during record heatwave]( [Wildfires blaze in London during record heatwave]( (Photo by Leon Neal via Getty Images) As England bakes under record-breaking heat, a surge in wildfires has led the London Fire Brigade to declare the blazes a "major incident" in the nation's capital, where temperatures recently exceeded 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) for the very first time. Burnt ash and smoke filled London's air as 350 firefighters battled numerous fires across the city; some residents were forced to flee as their homes were consumed by the flames. London Mayor Sadiq Khan warned that the "huge surge" in the number of blazes was putting the fire service under "immense pressure." Full Story: [Live Science]( (7/19) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Just the Facts, Ma'am "I stopped watching TV news a year ago, so sick of the bias everywhere. But in doing so, I was out of the loop. I decided to give 1440 a try & I've not been disappointed. Finally, Walter Cronkite style reporting! Just the facts. I also love that I can click a link to see more on many stories. Keep up the good work!" [Join for free now](. ADVERTISEMENT: [] History & Archaeology [] [7 famous mummies and secrets they've revealed about the ancient world]( [7 famous mummies and secrets they've revealed about the ancient world]( (Andrea Solero/AFP via Getty Images) Humans have long envisioned the continuation of life past death. Ancient Egyptians, for example, are famous for their elaborate funerary rituals and beliefs about the afterlife. But the practice of deliberately preserving bodies extends possibly 3,500 years earlier than the mummies of ancient Egypt. And mummies buried with riches and personal objects are found all over the world. In some cases, these mummies provide detailed glimpses into the beliefs and practices of ancient cultures. Mummies, and the objects entombed with them, reveal what people found important, their spiritual symbols, and what they believed happened after death. Autopsies conducted by modern-day scientists can reveal what these ancient people ate, what diseases they suffered from, and ultimately what killed them. From King Tut to Lady Dai, these seven famous mummies carried their secrets to the tomb — and back out again. Full Story: [Live Science]( (7/20) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Lost city, a real-life 'Helm's Deep,' possibly discovered in Iraq]( [Lost city, a real-life 'Helm's Deep,' possibly discovered in Iraq]( (© Rabana-Merquly Archaeological Project; Antiquity Journal Ltd.) Nestled in a valley shadowed by mountains in Iraqi Kurdistan sits an ancient fortress that archeologists think may be the lost, royal city of Natounia, based on the discovery of intricately carved rock reliefs depicting an ancient leader, a new study finds. The stronghold, known as Rabana-Merquly, was once part of the Parthian Empire (also known as the Arsacid Empire), which reigned between 247 B.C. and A.D. 224. The Parthians were bitter enemies of the Roman Empire, and fought various battles against them for over 250 years. Now, new research at this 2,000-year-old fortress suggests that it served as one of the empire's regional centers. Full Story: [Live Science]( (7/19) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Your Health [] [Why heat waves kill so quickly]( [Why heat waves kill so quickly]( (FG Trade via Getty Images) It's been a sweltering week for many in the northern hemisphere. Temperatures in parts of England rose past 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) on Tuesday (July 19), a record never before seen in the country, while more than 100 million Americans were under excessive heat warnings as of Tuesday evening. The heat is not just uncomfortable. It can be deadly. In Spain and Portugal, the broiling temperatures of the last two weeks have contributed to 1,169 deaths, according to ABC News. The fatalities harken back to the devastating 2003 European heat wave, in which 14,802 people died of hyperthermia in France alone. Most were elderly people living alone in apartment buildings without air conditioning, according to Richard Keller, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of medical history and bioethics and author of "Fatal Isolation: The Devastating Paris Heat Wave of 2003" (University of Chicago Press, 2015). Full Story: [Live Science]( (7/20) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Curious Creatures [] [Ancient homesick 'fishapod' abandoned the land and returned to the sea, fossils show]( [Ancient homesick 'fishapod' abandoned the land and returned to the sea, fossils show]( (Alex Boersma) Long before the dinosaurs appeared, when the first forests stretched toward the sky and enormous insects ruled Earth, a humble, shovel-faced fish with particularly strong fins decided to try its luck on dry land. Around the same time, another early land-exploring fish decided terrestrial life was overrated and fled back into the ocean, scientists recently discovered. The fish that chose to stay on land was Tiktaalik roseae — more commonly known as simply Tiktaalik, after an Inuktitut word meaning "large freshwater fish" — and it is considered to be one of the oldest common ancestors of all land-dwelling vertebrates, from dinosaurs to mammals. Full Story: [Live Science]( (7/20) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email](   [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Cookies Policy]( | [Terms and Conditions]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:livescience@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE]( Future US LLC © 1100 13th St. NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005