Baltic

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research.Archaeologists have identified what may be Europe’s oldest human-made megastructure, submerged 21 meters below the Baltic Sea in the Bay of Mecklenburg, Germany. This structure – which has been named the Blinkerwall – is a continuous low wall made from over 1,500 granite stones that runs for almost a kilometer. The evidence suggests it was constructed by Palaeolithic people between 11,700 and 9,900…

Archaeologists have identified what may be Europe's oldest human-made megastructure, submerged 21 meters below the Baltic Sea in the Bay of Mecklenburg, Germany. This structure—which has been named the Blinkerwall—is a continuous low wall made from over 1,500 granite stones that runs for almost a kilometer. The evidence suggests it was constructed by Paleolithic people between 11,700 and 9,900 years ago, probably as an aid for hunting reindeer. …

Divers working off the coast of Rostock, Germany, have found the broken-up remains of a wall on the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Researchers believe the Stone Age construction is over 10,000 years old, potentially making it the oldest human megastructure in Europe, and was likely used to herd prey during hunts.The wall dates to a time when the local sea level was lower. Around 8,500 years ago, the sea levels rose and swallowed the structure, which now sits at a depth of 69 feet (21 meters). As the team notes in their paper…

The study area in the Baltic Sea. Location and relative ages of submerged archaeological sites are taken from http://www.splashcos.org. (A) Overview map of the Western Baltic Sea. Bathymetric data were taken from the Global Multi-Resolution Topography (GMRT) synthesis (3). (B) Detailed structure of the Bay of Mecklenburg including the location of the Blinkerwall. Bathymetric data from The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency Bundesamt für…

Nature-based adaptation options in the event of rising sea levels are attracting increasing attention. One example of this is managed realignment, which aims to create a natural buffer zone between the sea and the dike. Credit: Joshua Kiesel, Kiel University The record storm surge in October 2023 caused severe damage to the German Baltic coast. Effective adaptation scenarios to rising sea levels are, therefore, becoming…

It’s quite rare – and conceptually curious – to find an artist as innovative and tech-forward as Brian Eno in the company of a large orchestra. The stage tonight is full of what more philistine tech bros might call “legacy” instruments – fussy cornets and sentimental cellos, blustery tubas and self-important timpani. This tour marks the first time this polymath, app designer and generative music specialist has performed with an orchestra; it is also, seemingly, his first ever solo tour of any kind – despite a career…

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain In 1914, two beads were found under the great ziggurat of Aššur in Iraq, in a foundation deposit dating from around 1800-1750 BC. Their material has now been identified as amber using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The beads represent some of the earliest amber specimens in southwest Asia and also some of the most distant discoveries from the find areas in the Baltic region.…

IGaming is considered one of the fastest-growing entertainment industries in the world. Over the past years, its market volume has increased by more than ten percent annually. The pundits suggest that this trend is going to continue in the coming years. According to the latest estimates, 40% of the digital entertainment market belongs to online casinos. Meanwhile, Europe is one of the leading centers of online gambling platforms. A special place on the European digital casinos’ map belongs to Baltic countries like…

Normally, Sweden building its first new class of submarines in 30 years wouldn't be of as much interest, but Saab laying the keel of its first Blekinge-class (A26) boat on June 30 as Sweden waits to join NATO signals a shift in the balance of power in the Baltic Sea.For a country with a submarine fleet numbering a grand total of five, Sweden is surprisingly innovative when it comes to underwater warfare and has a reputation for producing highly advanced submarine designs on a regular basis.During the Second World War,…

A female director (Vicky Krieps), in a relationship with an older film-maker (Tim Roth), spends time at a creative retreat on the island of Faro in the Baltic Sea, famously the home and workplace of Ingmar Bergman. There she develops an idea about a young woman (played by Mia Wasikowska, in a beguiling film within the film), also a film-maker, visiting Faro for a wedding and reconnecting with her former lover (Anders Danielsen Lie).Factor in the autobiographical element – Bergman Island’s writer-director, Mia Hansen-Løve,…