'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
The ingredients in a 2,300-year-old ancient Chinese chemistry formula have finally been identified, revealing new secrets about metallurgy in ancient China.
The formula came from the Kaogong ji, a Chinese text dating back to 300 BC that's been called the "oldest known technical encyclopedia." The translated text of the formula reads, "The jin is divided into six, tin occupies one. This is the receipt for bells and tripod-vessels. The jin is divided into five, tin occupies one. This is the receipt for axes and hatchets."
For the past century, researchers have been unable to identify two of the key ingredients known as "Jin" and "Xi."
But now, researchers from the British Museum and the University of Oxford say the two mystery elements were most likely pre-mixed alloys. A paper outlining their findings is set to come out in October in the journal Antiquity.
“These recipes were used in the largest bronze industry in Eurasia during this period,” said Ruiliang Liu from the British Museum in a news release. “Attempts to reconstruct these processes have been made for more than a hundred years, but have failed.”
Previous studies have suggested that the two ingredients may have been copper and tin, but researchers say using copper and tin produced a metal that didn't match Chinese artifacts from the time.
Analyzing ancient Chinese coins, researchers concluded that this ancient metalworking process must have involved alloys rather than pure metals. The most likely combination was a copper-tin-lead alloy mixed with another copper-lead alloy.
“It indicates an additional step – the production of pre-prepared alloys - in the manufacturing process of copper-alloy objects in early China,” said Liu.
Liu says this discovery adds an "additional but previously unknown layer in the web of metal production and supply in China."
The researchers say their discovery allows a better understanding of ancient metalworking practices in China and offers an example of how science can help solve historical and linguistic mysteries.
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.