Demon drink

Grim story from Siberia, via the BBC:

Fourteen towns in the Irkutsk region of Siberia have declared a state of emergency, amid a dramatic upsurge in mass poisonings caused by fake vodka.

Almost 900 people in the region are in hospital with liver failure, apparently after drinking industrial solvent. . .

In several of the worst-affected regions, Russian officials have seized large quantities of hazardous liquids that authorities suspected were to be sold as alcoholic drinks.

They say the most common substances are de-icers, anti-rust treatments and window-cleaning solutions.

And what passes for "normal" also beggars the imagination:

It is an indication of the scale of Russia's drink problem that during an average month 3,500 people die after drinking such liquids.

Best portrait of Aristotle?

A short notice in the Times of London:

Archaeologists said that the 46cm (18in) marble bust, which dates from the 1st century AD, about 400 years after Aristotle lived, was “the best-preserved likeness ever found”. Alkestis Horemi, who supervises digs at the Acropolis, said: “This is the only bust portraying the philosopher with a hooked nose in line with ancient descriptions.”

Ancient Europeans

Archaeologists have identified fossils belonging to some of the earliest modern humans to settle in Europe.

The research team has dated six bones found in the Pestera Muierii cave, Romania, to 30,000 years ago.

The finds also raise questions about the possible place of Neanderthals in modern human ancestry. . .

Erik Trinkaus from Washington University in St Louis and colleagues obtained radiocarbon dates directly from the fossils and analysed their anatomical form.

The results showed that the fossils were 30,000 years old and had the diagnostic features of modern humans (Homo sapiens).

But Professor Trinkaus and his colleagues argue, controversially, that the bones also display features that were characteristic of our evolutionary cousins, the Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis).

From the BBC.

Outrage over deaccessioning of papyri

Plans by a Geneva museum to sell two ancient manuscripts for millions of dollars have drawn consternation from scholars around the world.

They fear the sale of the papyri, which date back to the 2nd century, could precipitate the break-up of a unique collection of around 50 texts held by the Bodmer Foundation.

The Bodmer, based in Cologny just outside the city, says it needs to raise money to guarantee the long-term future of its museum, which opened only three years ago.

But around 20 academics from Switzerland and abroad are calling for the sale of two manuscripts – gospels of St John and St Luke – to be halted. . .

"One of the jewels of the [Bodmer] collection is this set of ancient books from the second to fourth century AD that all belong together," Schubert told swissinfo. "It is the same as if the British Museum decided to sell one panel from the Parthenon frieze."

The professor, who is a specialist in ancient papyri, said colleagues both at home and abroad were also concerned about the "hushed" way in which the sale was being conducted.

The papyri have been published, and apparently all efforts have been made to place them with a "museum, university or major library" -- Yale being specifically mentioned. From Swissinfo, via Archivalia.