At the same auction, other movie memorabilia were also sold, including props from *Star Wars*, *Harry Potter*, and *James Bond*.

Indiana Jones’ screen and photo matched fedora from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom has SOLD for: $630,000 (incl. BP)

Fortune and Glory for the winning bidder! pic.twitter.com/St2Z9x9bZO

— Propstore (@propstore_com) August 15, 2024

The auction house announced that the hat was also used during additional photography in visual effects studios owned by producer George Lucas.

This hat fetched double the price of another hat worn by Ford as Indiana Jones, which was sold at auction in 2021 for $300,000.

The post Indiana Jones Hat Sold at Auction for $630,000 appeared first on CorD Magazine.

The mineral is similar to newgrablenovite, which was only identified a few years ago in basalt rock from Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. Both the lunar and terrestrial versions have the chemical formula (NH4)MgCl3·6H2O and similar crystal structures.

Since newgrablenovite can be studied here on Earth, the discovery of an almost identical mineral on the Moon can provide scientists with clues about where lunar water is hidden and how it got there, as well as insights into the history of lunar H2O.

The origin, presence, and distribution of water on the Moon remain a mystery. Scientists are eager to uncover this information because understanding where lunar moisture comes from and where it is currently located is a vital component of the Earth-Moon system’s history.

Moreover, knowing where water is located is crucial for future lunar exploration missions, as humans need water to survive.

Water has previously been found in older lunar samples, trapped in tiny glass beads formed when surface material melts. The detection of water signals in the light spectrum reflected from the Moon’s surface suggests there is much more to discover.

The discovery also points to a previously unknown source of water on the Moon—hydrated salts, which are much more stable than water ice.

This suggests that water could be accessible even in areas of the Moon that are frequently exposed to sunlight, reducing future reliance on water ice found deep within craters at the lunar poles.

The post Chinese Mission Discovers Significant Water-Rich Minerals on the Moon appeared first on CorD Magazine.

The UHS magnetic levitation transport system with a low-vacuum tube, jointly developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Limited and Shaanxi, was successfully tested, reported Science and Technology Daily.

The test was conducted in a two-kilometer-long pipeline with a low-vacuum environment, and the results showed that the train achieved controlled navigation, stability, and safe stopping, according to the report.

Construction of the UHS “maglev” transport system began in April 2022. The train integrates aerospace technology with railway transportation technology, aiming to reach a speed of 1,000 km per hour.

In the future, the system could be used for transport between China’s mega-city clusters, allowing travel from Beijing to Shanghai in about an hour and a half.

The post New Chinese Train Reaches Speeds of Up to 1,000 Kilometers Per Hour appeared first on CorD Magazine.

The conflict began in April when Turkey filed an application to register the name “doner kebab” as a “guaranteed traditional specialty” across Europe. This designation would mean only those adhering to specific production methods and meat specifications could use the label.

Germany argues that such a designation would create significant bureaucratic hurdles and raise the price of kebabs, leading to its veto just before the legal deadline.

If Ankara’s bid succeeds, only beef and lamb meat sliced horizontally into 3-5 mm thick cutlets could be sold as doner kebab, while chicken cutlets could be thicker, and minced meat would be entirely banned.

The age of the animals and the slicing knife would also need to meet various specifications, as would the spices used for marinating the meat, according to the application sponsored by the International Kebab Federation in Istanbul, which asserts that the dish is an integral part of Turkey’s culinary heritage.

The stakes are high, with kebab sales in Germany amounting to around €7 billion annually. It is estimated that one in three Germans eats at least one doner kebab a month, though this is becoming increasingly costly for their wallets.

Both Turkey and Germany, which has a Turkish diaspora of 2.7 million people, claim to be the birthplace of the doner kebab. Its bicultural significance sparked a spat during German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s state visit to Istanbul in April when he appeared with a doner kebab skewer.

The new European regulations would represent “intervention in the German market with tangible economic impact,” stated the German Ministry of Agriculture, led by Cem Özdemir, a politician of Turkish descent.

“It is an attack on German cultural identity,” said Berlin sociologist Eberhard Seidel, who has written a book on the history of the doner kebab.

The two countries now have six months to find a compromise, or the European Commission will have to resolve the dispute. Although Turkey is not part of the European Union, non-EU countries can also register products within the EU.

The post Germany and Turkey Clash Over Doner Kebab appeared first on CorD Magazine.

In a study conducted by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, 13 sharks were examined, revealing alarmingly high levels of cocaine in their muscles and livers—up to 100 times higher than previously reported in other marine creatures.

Researchers believe the drug reaches these marine animals through various sources. One theory suggests the contamination originates from illegal drug labs or from the excrement of drug users. While discarded or lost cocaine packages thrown overboard by traffickers are considered a possible source, it is deemed less likely.

Notably, all the female sharks tested were pregnant, raising concerns about the potential impact of cocaine exposure on their fetuses. Experts emphasize the need for further research to determine if and how cocaine affects shark behavior and development. This groundbreaking study marks the first time cocaine has been detected in sharks, highlighting an urgent environmental and public health issue.

The post Sharks in Brazil Test Positive for Cocaine appeared first on CorD Magazine.

According to the state news agency ANSA, this demographic shift means that one-third of Italy’s population will soon be over 65 years old. Many of these individuals will live alone, raising concerns about social isolation and the need for adequate care.

The growing number of elderly people underscores an urgent need for home care services, with projections indicating that around six million older Italians will live alone and be at risk of isolation within the next 20 years.

This impending demographic change presents significant challenges for Italy’s healthcare system and social services, which must evolve to meet the needs of an increasingly aging population while addressing the risks of isolation and ensuring a high quality of life for the elderly.

The post Italy’s Population of Nonagenarians Set to Surge appeared first on CorD Magazine.

A liter of beer at the Bavarian capital’s iconic festival will cost between €13.60 and €15.30 this year, compared to last year’s range of €12.60 to €14.90.

As the organizer of Oktoberfest, the city of Munich ensures that beer prices charged by tavern owners are reasonable by comparing them to prices at large hospitality venues in the city. Currently, prices range between €7.70 and €12.80 per liter for export-quality beer.

However, beer at Oktoberfest comes with additional costs. It is brewed specially for the festival and has a higher alcohol content of around 6%. Additionally, tavern owners incur expenses for setting up and taking down tents over the two-week festival, as well as for live music performances.

Since 2004, beer prices at the festival have roughly doubled. Twenty years ago, a liter of beer cost between €6.70 and €7.10. Non-alcoholic beverages will also see a price increase this year. Last year, Oktoberfest attracted 7.2 million visitors, who consumed 6.5 million liters of beer, highlighting the event’s enduring popularity and economic impact.

The post Oktoberfest Beer Prices Hit Record High appeared first on CorD Magazine.

This ancient wine was found in a funerary urn in southern Spain, alongside the cremated bones of a Roman. 

Experts from the University of Cordoba analyzed the ancient liquid within the urn, which was uncovered in a rare, intact Roman tomb in the Andalusian town of Carmona five years ago. They found that the ancient liquid resembled sherry.

Prior to this discovery, reported in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, the oldest known wine preserved in liquid form was a bottle of Speyer wine from 325 AD, unearthed from a Roman tomb near the German city of Speyer in 1867.

The recently discovered tomb contained eight funerary niches, six of which held urns made of limestone, glass, and lead. Each urn contained the cremated remains of an individual, and two of the urns were inscribed with the names of the deceased: Hispanae and Senicio.

The post World’s Oldest Liquid Wine Found in Roman Tomb in Spain appeared first on CorD Magazine.

This groundbreaking project, once completed in 2029, will become the world’s longest submerged rail and road tunnel.

Named the Fehmarn Belt, this tunnel will enable cars to traverse the Baltic in just 10 minutes via four lanes, while trains will cover the distance in approximately seven minutes. The tunnel will connect the Danish island of Lolland with Germany’s Fehmarn island, significantly enhancing the transport link between the two countries.

The decision to build the tunnel was made in 2011, with construction commencing on the Danish side in July 2022 and a year later on the German side. The project, valued at an estimated $7.38 billion, is being funded by Denmark. The Danish government will later determine whether to impose tolls for tunnel usage. This project is part of Denmark’s broader infrastructure expansion, which in recent years has also included new road and rail connections to neighbouring Sweden and among its own islands.

The post King Frederick X Inaugurates First Section of Undersea Tunnel Connecting Denmark and Germany appeared first on CorD Magazine.

This significant discovery underscores the existence of water, a vital element for life as we know it, on the Red Planet.

The study focused on Tarsis, the largest mountain range in the Solar System, located on Mars’ equator. During nighttime, temperatures on these mountains drop below the freezing point of water, leading to the condensation of water vapor from the atmosphere and the formation of a layer of ice.

With the morning sun, this ice undergoes sublimation, transitioning directly into a gaseous state without melting first.

“What we are observing may be remnants of ancient climate cycles on Mars,” stated Adomas Valantinas, the lead author of the study from the University of Braun.

“In the past, there may have been precipitation, including snow, on these volcanoes,” he added.

This discovery adds to the growing evidence that Mars was once much wetter, and liquid water could have existed on its surface. Scientists have recently estimated that liquid water was present on Mars for at least 200 million years.

Moreover, this finding raises a plethora of questions about Mars’ past and whether life could have ever existed there.

Future research will focus on a more detailed examination of water on Mars and the search for potential traces of life.

The post Thousands of Tons of Frozen Water Found on Mars’ Volcano Summit appeared first on CorD Magazine.

Almost four in ten (39%) individuals worldwide reported actively avoiding the news sometimes or often, compared to 29% in 2017, according to a report from the University of Oxford.

The report authors noted that conflicts such as those in Ukraine and the Middle East have contributed to people’s desire to avoid news, while elections have increased interest in news in several countries, including the United States.

However, the overall trend remains firmly declining. Globally, 46% of people said they are very or extremely interested in the news – a drop from 63% in 2017.

In the UK, interest in news has almost halved since 2015.

“You’ve had a pandemic and wars, so it’s a pretty natural reaction for people to turn away from the news, either to protect their mental health or simply because they don’t want to disrupt their daily routines,” said Nik Newman, the lead author of the report, speaking to the BBC.

According to him, those who choose to selectively avoid the news often do so because they feel “powerless.”

“Some people feel increasingly burdened and confused by the amount of news around them, while others are tired of politics,” Newman added.

Trust in the news remained at 40%, but it is still 4% lower overall than it was at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, the survey revealed.

The report found that the audience for traditional news sources such as TV and print has sharply declined over the past decade, with younger people preferring to get news online or via social media. In the UK, nearly three-quarters of people (73%) said they get news online, compared to 50% for TV and only 14% for print.

Facebook remains the most important social media platform for news, although it is in long-term decline, while TikTok is rising and has now surpassed Twitter.

Connected to these changes, video is becoming an increasingly important source of online news, especially among younger age groups. According to the report, short video news clips are particularly appealing.

The post More People Opting Out of News Consumption Due to Content appeared first on CorD Magazine.

The Ashmolean Museum of Oxford, which acquired the statue in 1967, only discovered in 2019 through archival research that it originated from a temple in Tamil Nadu, India. This realization led to collaborative efforts with Indian authorities, culminating in the Oxford University Council’s March 2024 decision to repatriate the artefact.

The move is part of a broader shift among global institutions facing calls to return artefacts acquired under dubious circumstances during the colonial era or later. Notably, Oxford had previously agreed in 2022 to return 99 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, looted by British soldiers in 1897.

The return of the Hindu saint statue is another stride toward rectifying historical wrongs, highlighting the growing awareness and efforts to combat the illicit antiquities trade and preserve cultural heritage.

The post Oxford University to Return Stolen 500-Year-Old Hindu Saint Statue to India appeared first on CorD Magazine.

The Rubin Observatory is an advanced, integrated system featuring an 8-meter primary telescope, a high-resolution camera, and an automated data processing system, as detailed on the official website. The observatory is expected to collect around 20 terabytes of data daily, culminating in a 15-petabyte catalog over its decade-long survey.

This ambitious mission aims to enhance our understanding of dark matter and assess potential asteroid impact threats to Earth, as well as studying nearby stars and planets.

The post Chile to Install World’s Largest Astronomy Camera  appeared first on CorD Magazine.

First held in 1905, the Geneva Motor Show attracted 17,000 visitors and had two more editions before being paused due to the economic crisis and World War I. It resumed in 1923 and reached its peak in 2005, drawing nearly 750,000 visitors.

The coronavirus pandemic forced the show to shut down again for four years. When it reopened earlier this year, it saw only 37 exhibitors and 168,000 visitors, a stark contrast to the 602,000 visitors and 184 exhibitors in 2019.

Alexandre de Senarclens, President of the foundation’s permanent committee, expressed deep regret over the decision to cancel the event permanently. “It is a decision of utmost regret,” he said.

While the Geneva Motor Show will not return, the Geneva International Motor Show Qatar (GIMS Qatar) will continue in the Middle East, with the next event scheduled for November 2025 in Doha.

The post Geneva Motor Show Shuts Down After 119 Years appeared first on CorD Magazine.