The remains of 2,000-year-old Roman walls have been discovered by archaeologist in Switzerland in the foothills of the Alps. During the excavation of a gravel pit in Cham in the canton, or state, of Aug in central Switzerland, the walls, which once protected a Roman building complex, were found. Other pieces have also been unearthed by archaeologists, include a plaster wall, iron nails, and gold fragments. As well as items such as bowls, millstones for grinding, glassware, and crockery and ceramic jugs known as amphorae. In a statement form the Office for the Preservation of Monuments and Archeology, the findings were labelled an "archaeological sensation" for the region and could shed light on Roman activity in central Switzerland. Gishan Schaeren, head of the Department of Prehistory and Protohistoric Archaeology said in the statement: "Roman buildings of similar dimensions were last excavated in Cham-Heiligkreuz almost 100 years ago. We were also amazed that the top bricks were even visible above ground." The walls extend over an area of at least 5,300 square feet (500 square metres). Although it's unclear how Romans used the site, including whether it was a "villa with a view or a temple building," said professor of archaeology of the Roman provinces at the University of Bern Christa Ebnöther. The team said that findings of Roman tableware known as terra sigillata - which means "sealed earth" in Latin - were found, suggesting elite people were at the site. The amphorae, which typically held liquids such as wine, olive oil and fish sauce, are evidence that Romans in the region traded with those in the Mediterranean. Archaeologists also found several copper and bronze coins, including a silver denarius minted by Julius Caesar from the first century B.C. The discovery of the Roman walls is not the first ancient find in the area. Previously, archaeologists had found remains of a middle Bronze Age settlement, burials from the late Bronze Age, and a number of coins form the era of the Celts. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Scientists have achieved a new world record for a next-generation solar cell, which holds the promise for novel applications like building-integrated and window solar panels. The breakthrough follows two years of research from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University into organic solar cells (OSCs), which until now have been too inefficient and costly to be used widely in practical applications. The research team invented a new technique to boost the stability of OSCs, achieving a power-conversion efficiency of 19.3 per cent. “The new finding will make OSC research an exciting field, and this will likely create tremendous opportunities in applications like portable electronics and building-integrated photovoltaics,” said Li Gang, a professor of energy conversion technology at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. “This is a very encouraging result for the long-standing research on OSCs that I have conducted over the past two decades. We have already achieved better OSC efficiency and this will subsequently help accelerate the applications of solar energy.” Professor Li and his team believe an efficiency rate above 20 per cent is now achievable using their new technique. The research is detailed in a study, titled ‘19.3% Binary Organic Solar Cell and Low Non-Radiative Recombination Enabled by Non-Monotonic Intermediate State Transition’, published in the scientific journal Nature Communications. The 19.3 per cent efficiency record is still a long way off other solar cell technologies, with researchers passing the 30 per cent barrier last year with a tandem design that used the so-called “miracle material” perovskite. OSCs are more lightweight and flexible than traditional silicon-based solar panels, as they consist of thin layers of organic semiconducting materials. The materials used are more environmentally friendly and 1,000-times thinner than silicon solar cells, meaning they have the potential to be vastly cheaper. They are also semi-transparent, allowing them to be used not just within building materials, but also on windows. Dozens of startups are already working on novel applications for harvesting solar energy, such as London-based Filia, which integrates solar technology into blackout blinds. California-based Ubiquitous Energy raised more than $30 million last year to push forward its vision of turning skyscrapers into “vertical solar farms” through the development of windows capable of converting sunlight into electricity. The firm aims to begin production at some point next year following further research and development. Read More Electric car range set to double with first production of breakthrough battery Solar panel efficiency to increase 50% with first production of ‘miracle’ tandem cells Solar panel efficiency to increase 50% with first ‘miracle’ tandem cells Elon Musk’s private jet lands in China for billionaire’s first visit in three years WhatsApp set to add major features including a new username system

RiceGum broke his silence and addressed the claims about working at McDonald's

From Donald Trump's 2016 election victory to the shocking twist at the end of Game of Thrones, it seems that The Simpsons has a knack for predicting the future - and now some believe it predicted the new social media app Threads. The cartoon series has been running for 35 years since it first took to screens in 1989 and has become a part of pop culture in the 750 episodes that have aired. During this time, The Simpsons have covered a wide selection of topics from politics to celebrities, and as a result, it has eerily managed to foretell news or events that have not happened yet. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Some recent examples include the unexpected connection between the Titanic sub and foreseeing the controversial Willow Project. Most recently, people believe the show predicted Meta's new social media platform, Threads, which is said to rival Twitter. The "evidence" that has been circulating around the internet is a photo of Homer Simpson with his ear circled as it appears to be drawn like an "@" sign, strikingly similar to the Threads logo, which is shown beside the image. "The Simpsons predicted threads?!??" Twitter user @bestinteracted asked. However, all is not what it seems since Homer's ears are drawn differently in the cartoon show, and so the image is not real, rather it has been edited to make it look like the Threads logo. Someone was quick to point this out in response. So, in conclusion - no, The Simpsons did not predict the Threads app. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Adin Ross and IShowSpeed are apparently in the same height bracket, though Ross appears to have a slight advantage

Misleading claims about the gunman who killed eight people at a Dallas-area shopping center are swirling on Twitter, thanks in part to the platform's owner, Elon Musk

By Blake Brittain Alphabet's Google must pay patent holding company Personal Audio LLC $15.1 million for infringing two

Robots are on display at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in London, where visitors can get a glimpse of the future

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 1, 2023--

By Nate Raymond and Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) -A federal appeals court on Friday ordered the White House, the FBI and

EXTON, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 6, 2023--

Smartwatches have grown from a novelty for early adopter cyborgs to a robust and diverse