
History? Anything but….



Self-described “some kind of artist” Ben Campbell needed a centerpiece for his art show on the link between ancient Egypt and modern society, so he set out to craft a life-size mummy using about $200 worth of food he purchased at McDonald’s.

What results is this beautiful network of streams, reminding us of the role math plays in everyday life, even in things as chaotic as pouring water. Read the abstract here.

The last missing pages from a supposedly ‘magical’ Book of the Dead from an Egyptian priest, Amenhotep, have been found after a century-long search – in a museum in Queensland.
British Museum Egyptologist Dr John Taylor said he was ‘floored’ by the discovery of the 100 fragments.
It’s the end of a worldwide search by archaeologists for the papyrus scroll – which supposedly contains spells to guide spirits into the afterlife.

How much do countries spend on their militaries? This data from the Stockholm International Peace research Institute shows the world in arms spending – both in dollars over time and as a percentage of GDP.