Earth's first continents may have emerged from the planet's primordial oceans much earlier than we thought, as little as six hundred million years after the planet formed, new research suggests. Ancient zircon crystals from the Jack Hills in Western Australia contain evidence of fresh water, indicating that areas of land must have been present as fresh water can only form if there is land to later collect to precipitation. The team described the zircons at a European Geosciences Union conference in April 2024. The composition of early Earth has long puzzled scientists. When our planet first formed, 4.6 billion years ago, it was a ...

In the remains of the Great Temple of Hattusa, located in modern-day Turkey, there is an interesting peculiarity: an imposing nephrite monolith carved in the shape of a cube. This stone, known as the “wishing stone ” by local inhabitants, was found among the remains of the Hittite empire, which established itself in the region around 2000 BC, emerging as one of the dominant powers of the Middle East by 1340 BC. The Hittite capital, Hattusa, reached its peak with an estimated population of 40,000 to 50,000 people and was characterized by numerous temples, royal residences and impressive fortifications. However, over the course of several d...

Geography The splendid Bura terra cotta pieces originate from what is now Burkina Faso, the name Bura coming from the burial ground where the first archaeological pieces were found. Asinda and Sikka are two more precise locations, inside this larger excavation area. Burkina, or Burkina Faso in its long form, was formerly called the Upper Volta. It is a landlocked country in West Africa whose name in French means "country of the just men". The country is inhabited by the Burkinabé, a word which designates the inhabitant, male or female, in the Foulfouldé language spoken by the Peuls, a population of nomadic stock breeders throughout West ...

Geography Djenné ceramics come from Mali which has a surface area of more than 1,200,000 km², which is about twice the size of France. The north and the center of the country are practically Saharan: arid, dry and endemically suffering from drought. These are areas of nomadic cattle-raising (bovine, especially ovine and caprine) whose very poor economy suffers from the absence of maritime outlets and, with the exception of some gold lodes, an almost total lack of mineral resources. The more humid south benefits from the Senegal and Niger river valleys where agricultural output is greater, principally fine quality millet, rice, sorghum, a...

Geography Ghana is a west African country located on the Gulf of Guinea, just north of the equator. It shares a border with the Ivory Coast to the west, Togo to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. Ghana owes its former name, Gold Coast, to the large amount of gold to be found in the country. Before being exploited by the British, German, Dutch and French colonists, this gold was used abundantly by the Ashanti ethnic group, supporting their tradition of splendid gold jewelry, a tradition also propagated by the neighboring Baoulé ethnic group. The country consists of dense tropical forests in the south, and the savanna in the north. It...

Geography Chad is a landlocked country in central Africa, located to the south of Libya, to the east of Niger and Nigeria, to the north of Cameroon and the Central African Republic, and to the west of Sudan. The modern borders are remnants of European colonialism; the result of negotiations between the French, English and Germans in the 1880s. But this area called Chad has a rich and relatively well-known history. The first homonid remains were found there as part of the recent "Toumaï" discovery, and it is undoubtedly one of the cradles of humanity. It has also been the seat of three large saharan kingdoms: the Kanem Bornou, the Baguirm...

Geography The Akan are a group of peoples (Ashanti, Baoulé, Anyi, Attié, etc.) who live in southern Ghana and in the south-east of the Ivory Coast. For a geographical presentation of Ghana, please refer to the Sao section. The Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa bordering the countries of Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana. It has a population of 17 million and is a member of the African Union. Its capital, Yamoussoukro, is situated in the center of the country. Other principal cities are Abidjan and San Pedro, on the Gulf of Guinea, and Bouaké, also in the center. The population is very young: 48,2% are under the age of ...

Geography Modern Nigeria has a population of 140 million and is situated on the Gulf of Guinea bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. There are 4,047 km of land borders, and 853 km of shoreline. It is bordered to the west by Benin (773 km), to the east by Cameroon (1,690 km), to the north by Niger (1,497 km) and by Chad to the north-east (84 km). The Southern part of the country where a majority of the important villages are located has an equatorial climate. The capital, Lagos is one of the biggest cities in the world. The Central part of the country is made up of savannas and plateaus. It is in this area of the country that the highest point,...

Moses by Michelangelo Is A Marble Sculpture Created In 1513–1515 One of the numerous intricate aspects of this work of art is a little muscle in the forearms that only contracts when the pinky is lifted; otherwise, it is undetectable. Moses is raising his pinky, so the teeny muscle there is contracted. The attention to detail is impeccable.

,🇬🇧 🌟 4-Ingredient Yogurt Cloud Cake! 🌟 👩‍🍳 INGREDIENTS : 4 Eggs 70 g of Brown Sugar 50 g of Cornstarch 300 g of Greek Yogurt 👨‍🍳 PREPARATION : In a large bowl, mix the yolks with the sugar and yogurt using a hand whisk until you achieve a smooth and creamy mixture. Add sifted cornstarch and mix carefully until all ingredients are fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold them into the previously prepared mixture, mixing gently from the bottom up to avoid deflating the egg whites and keeping the batter light. Pour the batter into an 18 cm diameter cake pan, previously lined with parc...