INTERESTING: What’s the Roman dodecahedron but none found in Italy?

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

https://www.sciencealert.com/rare-roman-dodecahedron-found-in-england-baffles-archaeologists

Rare Roman Dodecahedron Found in England Baffles Archaeologists
06 May 2024
By Samantha Tipper, The Conversation

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There have been numerous suggestions by archaeologists and the public as to what dodecahedra could have been. Some theorise that they were religious objects, knitting tools, measuring instruments or stress toys. Due to the high level of skill involved, some have suggested that they were a way for a master craftsman to demonstrate their expert abilities.

There is no uniformity in the size or shape of the dodecahedra found so far, nor in their metal composition or even in the level of craftsmanship. If they were important objects, we would expect to also discover contextual evidence in the archaeological record, such as depictions in paintings or mosaics.

It does feel that this object will remain a mystery for some time – which might be why so many people are fascinated by it.

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I found this fascinating.  And never found in Italy, but seems to be Roman.

Your guess is better than mine.

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HEALTH: If children can spoof the Covid test, then how valuable can it be?

Thursday, December 8, 2022

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210705-how-children-are-spoofing-covid-19-tests-with-soft-drinks

How children are spoofing Covid-19 tests with soft drinks
By Mark Lorch
5th July 2021
From The Conversation

  • Some children have found a devious method to get out of school – using cola to create false positive Covid tests. How does it work?

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Is there then a way to spot a fake positive test? The antibodies (like most proteins) are capable of refolding and regaining their function when they are returned to more favourable conditions. So I tried washing a test that had been dripped with cola with buffer solution, and sure enough the immobilised antibodies at the T-line regained normal function and released the gold particles, revealing the true negative result on the test.

Children, I applaud your ingenuity, but now that I’ve found a way to uncover your trickery I suggest you use your cunning to devise a set of experiments and test my hypothesis. Then we can publish your results in a peer-reviewed journal.

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I find that a test so easy fooled MUST be considered unreliable.

Argh!

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