treasure | Common News Update

Dec12018 by adminNo Comments

Nation's botanical treasure troves 'under huge threat'

Science

A million plants from every corner of the globe are tucked away inside the cabinets that line the walls.It's a scientific collection that goes back centuries, gathered by the likes of Carl Linnaeus, the "father of taxonomy", and Charles Darwin.They could have had no inkling that pressed, dried collections of plants would have modern uses in assessing extinction risks.Estimates suggest one in five of the world's plant species is threatened. Collections of pressed, dried plants are an important "living" resource, say scientists."People think of Herbaria as being dead, old plants and not relevant," says Kathy Willis, Professor of Biodiversity at the University of Oxford."It's living in the sense that the information it has is as rel...

In Gaza, Hamas levels an ancient treasure

Technology

Palestinian and French archaeologists began excavating Gaza's earliest archaeological site nearly 20 years ago, unearthing what they believe is a rare 4,500-year-old Bronze Age settlement. But over protests that grew recently, Gaza's Hamas rulers have systematically destroyed the work since seizing power a decade ago, allowing the flattening of this hill on the southern tip of Gaza City to make way for construction projects, and later military bases. In its newest project, Hamas-supported bulldozers are flattening the last remnants of excavation. "There is a clear destruction of a very important archaeological site," said Palestinian archaeology and history professor Mouin Sadeq, who led three excavations at the site along with French archaeologist Pierre de Miroschedji after its accident...

Your junk, their treasure: Some investors hoard offbeat collectibles from condoms to Pez dispensers

Finance

From duck decoys and hood ornaments to limited-edition sneakers and Pez candy dispensers, offbeat collectibles attract the eye of investors who crave tangible assets they can appreciate and that ... well, appreciate in value. Assembling a collection of rare items is as much a labor of love as an investment tactic and won't necessarily net owners significant returns. Then again, it might. "In general, these are considered speculative types of investments," said Russ Robertson, a certified financial planner with WealthCrest Financial Services. "You can get great returns, but it comes with high risk, unless you really know what you're doing."Pez aficionado Dale Pike of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, who has amassed more than 1,000 of the themed candy dispensers over several decades, told CNBC.co...