Author: Michele Debczak

For nearly four centuries, the University of Aberdeen has housed one of the best-preserved medieval illuminated manuscripts in existence. The “Aberdeen Bestiary” depicts birds, bats, and other colorful creatures painted against backgrounds of brilliant gold leaf. Having once belonged to King Henry VIII, it was long believed that the book was published exclusively for the wealthy elite. Details revealed by high-definition digitization suggest that the manuscript was instead created as a teaching tool, Live Science reports.

The bestiary was published in England around the year 1200, and was first documented in the royal library of King Henry VIII in 1542. Recent digital enhancement provides several clues as to the book’s original purpose: On one page, dirty fingerprints indicate a spot where the teacher turned the book around to show his students. Accent marks throughout the text are believed to signify emphasis when read out loud. The high-definition photography also uncovered notes and sketches left in the margins by the manuscript’s creators.

So if the Aberdeen Bestiary came from such humble beginnings, how did it end up in the hands of royalty? Researchers from the university now believe it was ransacked from a monastery during the Reformation. Illuminated manuscripts were originally used by priests and monks, with the earliest copies dating back to the 5th century. It wasn’t until the 12th century that they gained popularity with more secular crowds.

Now, after remaining largely inaccessible for centuries, the book is being used for teaching once more—this time online. Every detail of the newly digitized publication, from the imperfections to the brushstrokes, is available to view through the university’s website.

[h/t Live Science]

All images courtesy of the University of Aberdeen.

A video that sent the internet abuzz over the weekend tells a familiar story: A husband comes home to find his wife cheating with another man and a violent brawl to win her love ensues. But unlike in more common tales, all the players involved in this saga are penguins.

NatGeo Channel tweeted the clip, titled “Homewrecking Penguin,” on Friday, November 4 and it’s since racked up 300,000 likes. Dramatic music and narration set the mood as the male Magellanic penguin returns to his nest only to discover he’s been replaced. The scene plays out violently from there, with the males swinging their solid-boned wings “like baseball bats,” according to the narrator, and using their beaks to peck at each other’s eyes. The original mate eventually concedes to losing both his wife and children. Toward the end he makes a final plea for the female to reconsider, but as the narrator cruelly notes “she’s got no time for losers.”

Because the only thing the internet loves more than cute animals is juicy drama, the domestic dispute immediately took Twitter by storm. Numerous memes have been shared and @husbandpenguin and @wifepenguin Twitter handles have been created (based on follower count alone most people seem to be siding #teamwifepenguin).

The video is difficult to watch but viewers shouldn’t feel too bad for the scorned penguin—as NatGeo points out, a colony of 200,000 provides him with plenty of chances to meet someone new.

[h/t National Geographic]

Show a rotary phone to anyone under age 10 (and that’s a conservative cut-off) and prepare to be met with confused looks. The sounds and sensations of spinning a wheel to dial one number at a time may be alien to the smartphone generation, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been completely forgotten.

One person who refuses to let go of his nostalgia is inventor and YouTube user Mr. Volt. His latest creation—spotted by Gizmodo—applies that classic rotary phone aesthetic to a custom-built cell phone. The device has a few modern features—radio, text messaging, and a USB port for charging—but anyone used to using a touch screen their whole life would likely have trouble figuring it out. You can watch the video below and decide for yourself if cell phones are better off without this retro quirk.

[h/t Gizmodo]

The Forest Green Rovers are about to get even greener. As Dezeen reports, the British National League soccer team is getting a new 5000-seat stadium constructed entirely from wood.

The unique idea was chosen from over 50 entries in an international competition. The firm behind the winning design is the London-based Zaha Hadid Architects. ZHA has been approached to build ambitious stadiums in the past, including the Aquatics Center for the London 2012 Olympics and the arena for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. This new project will be among their most impressive: Powered by sustainable energy and built from natural timber, the stadium will be the greenest of its kind.

Forest Green Rovers chairman Dale Vince told Dezeen, “The importance of using wood is not only that it’s a naturally occurring material, it has very low carbon content—about as low as it gets for a building material. Our new stadium will have the lowest carbon content of any stadium in the world.”

The plan is part of a larger Eco Park development project which will also include a public transit station, a nature reserve, and the restoration of Stroudwater canal. According to Express, construction is expected to take anywhere from two to three years.

[h/t Dezeen]

All images courtesy of Zaha Hahid Architects.

Nutella fanatics know there are numerous ways to consume the chocolatey, hazelnut treat. But the FDA applies a strict definition to the product: According to the U.S. government, Nutella is officially a dessert topping, and that categorization is reflected in the nutrition facts on its label. Now, NPR reports, Ferrero—the makers of Nutella—are petitioning the FDA to place it under the same label as honey, jam, and other sweet spreads. Doing so would reduce the serving size from two tablespoons to one and therefore cut the listed calories in half, making the product more attractive to health-conscious individuals.

The two-tablespoon suggested serving size assumes you’ll be eating it as part of a dessert: Either spread on top of cupcakes, dolloped on ice cream, or piped inside pastries. When the FDA surveyed consumers in the early 1990s, “a significant number” of respondents reported using the spread as an ice cream topping.

But times have changed: Between 2009 and 2014, Nutella sales tripled to $240 million in the U.S. Now the sweet product holds a trendy status few brands can lay claim to. And according to Ferrero, that chic reputation has helped the spread break out of the dessert mold. A 2012 consumer survey conducted by the company found that 60 percent of the women surveyed like to eat their Nutella on bread. At 14 percent, the second most popular use was as a sandwich filling, and 8 percent of responders said they like to spread their Nutella on crackers. Nutella was enjoyed with ice cream only 2 percent of the time.

The FDA is conducting a survey of their own. They will consider reclassifying Nutella and similar spreads as part of the group that contains “honey, jams, jellies, fruit butter, [and] molasses” or creating a separate category altogether for nut cocoa-based spreads based on consumer feedback. If you have strong feelings about how Nutella should or should not be eaten, or if you just want to share your preferences, you can send your comments to the FDA here.

[h/t NPR]

A Bangkok-based artist has come up with a creative way to sport your love for your favorite animal. According to Bored Panda, jewelry designer Mary Lou creates rings in sets of three that come together to make one creature.

As you can see from the images below, her enamel-coated brass rings often include a face, arms, and a tail that curls around your finger. The deer set includes a shiny pair of antlers, while the cat rings come with bell-adorned collars.

According to her Facebook page, Mary Lou has been selling animal-inspired jewelry out of her shop in Thailand since 2009. Stackable rings are just one part of her repertoire: To browse her earrings, necklaces, and one-piece animal rings, head over to the artist’s Etsy shop.

All images courtesy of MaryLouBangkok.

[h/t Bored Panda]

A new LED pendant lamp from Dutch designer Teresa van Dongen likely won’t appeal to germaphobes. That’s because instead of sourcing its power from electricity, sunlight, or salt water, the Spark of Life light runs on electrochemically active bacteria, Dezeen reports.

The stark lamp design consists of four compartments each containing microscopic organisms. An electrode inside the lamp harnesses the faint electrical charges emitted by the life-forms. These currents are then transmitted to LEDs in the light’s core where they provide the lamp with continuous power.

The Spark of Life lamp isn’t completely self-sustaining—the bacteria need to be fed with a teaspoon of acetate every two weeks or so. Van Dongen also recommends replenishing the lamp with fresh tap water, salt, and vitamins once every few months. Cleaning the apparatus doesn’t harm the bacteria, as they will remain safe and sound in the electrode until the lamp is reassembled.

Teresa van Dongen isn’t the first person to look to the Earth’s tiniest organisms as an innovative energy source. Bioluminescent bacteria have been incorporated into lights in the past, by the Paris-based company Glowee and by van Dongen herself. Her latest luminous project doesn’t have the signature blue alien glow of her octopus bacteria lamp, so it feels a bit more like something that could fit in with the decor of most living rooms. Just don’t forget to feed its power source.

[h/t Dezeen]

Header/banner images courtesy of iStock.

After it was found filled up with dirt, a centuries-old well that was once believed to hold sacred healing powers has been excavated.

St. Anne’s Well, named after the mother of the Virgin Mary, was discovered on a private farm near Liverpool in the UK. St. Anne inspired a cult following in the medieval era. According to Live Science, the well would have been a popular pilgrimage site for the devotees of the holy figure. The 4-foot pit features three stepping stones leading down into the 6.5-foot-by-6.5-foot sandstone pool. Once inside, bathers would have submerged themselves in the water to reap the full benefits of its alleged abilities to cleanse sins and heal skin and eye diseases.

The origins of the cult of St. Anne date back as far as 550 CE, but the group didn’t spread to England until the late 14th century. That means the well is likely no more than 600 years old, even though St. Anne herself was supposed to have taken a dip in it, according to local lore.

In addition to its holy reputation, the well is also associated with a gruesome curse. Legend has it that the well was the cause of a property dispute between a local monastery and a neighboring estate in the 16th century. Hugh Darcy, the estate’s landowner, had the monastery and well seized by the king’s commissioners after clashing with the prior of the monastery. In retaliation, the prior placed a curse on Darcy—and dropped dead himself soon after.

In the months that followed, Darcy would suffer financial troubles and the loss of his son to a mysterious illness. He used drinking as a coping mechanism, and after disappearing from a tavern one night, he was found dead in St. Anne’s Well with a crushed skull.

That folk-tale didn’t stop pilgrims from bathing in the well until the 1800s, and it didn’t stop modern-day archaeologists from excavating it. After years of ploughing, the only evidence of the historic site had been a few stones above ground (see first image below). Historic England Heritage was responsible for cleaning it out and replacing the stones that had fallen into the pit. They also added a new wooden buffer around the perimeter, which will hopefully keep the site clear of dirt and weeds in the future.

 
[h/t Live Science]

If you’ve browsed the internet, turned on a TV, or been to the Chicago area recently, you may have heard the news: The Cubs finally broke their 108-year-old curse with a nail-biting World Series win against the Cleveland Indians last night.

The championship marked the first time the team had made it to the World Series since 1945, and their first victory since 1908 (to put that in context, Thomas Edison, Franz Ferdinand, and Al Capone were all around for that W). To commemorate the historic triumph, The Chicago Tribune dug through their archives to republish their front page story from October 15, 1908.

#1908 Chicago Tribune cover when #Cubbies won their last World Series:) @johncusack pic.twitter.com/YtJ9CklfYd

— Becca Renee (@Becca42983) November 2, 2016

The cover, which reads “Cubs supreme in baseball world,” is reminiscent of a time when life was good for Chicago sports fans. From 1906 to 1908, the Cubs appeared in three consecutive World Series, becoming the first major league team to do so. The article reporting their 1908 win reads:

“Not in the memory of this generation of fans has any team ever won its honors with greater credit than that which belongs to Frank Chance’s warriors. Not in a thousand years has a team been compelled to fight as hard for its titles as the Chicago team, which won the National league pennant twice inside of five days under the most trying circumstances.”

Any Cubs fans can tell you that it hasn’t exactly been smooth travels for the team since. A number of supposed curses, including one connected to a famous, smelly goat, have been blamed for the Cubs’ decades-long bad luck streak. But after more than a century of heartbreak, the loyalty of their fans has finally paid off. In 1908, the Tribune wrote, “What those gray clad modest young warriors have accomplished will be remembered longer than any of them lives,” a statement that rings just as true today.

[h/t The Chicago Tribune]

When given to the right person at the right time, a piece of jewelry can speak volumes. With an Encode Ring, the message you’re trying to convey to your loved one will come across loud and clear: Instead of flashy gemstones or engraved terms of endearment adorning the ring, the design features sound waves tracing three seconds of heartfelt speech.

According to My Modern Met, each ring from the Japanese startup is custom-made. Buyers can record their message on the company’s website and see what their ring would look like in platinum, silver, stainless steel, and stainless or 18-karat gold. Because of the unique inflections in our voices, no two designs are identical. So while a ring engraved with the words “I love you” might feel cliché, an Encode Ring that communicates the same thing feels incredibly personal.

The design isn’t limited to regular speech: As long as the duration is less than three seconds, the sound of your dog’s bark, your child’s laugh, or crashing waves at the beach are all fair game. You can custom order a ring of your own with prices starting at about $125 (12,960 yen). 

[h/t My Modern Met]