ancient Egyptian rooftop jars evaporative water cooling

Ancient Egyptians cooled drinking water without ice

Water stored in porous clay containers can slowly seep through the walls and evaporate. Evaporation removes heat, cooling the water left inside. Ancient Egyptians used related methods to make drinking water more comfortable in hot weather. The same physical principle still powers evaporative coolers today.

Perfume can start with ready-made scent bases

Perfume makers can reuse pre-blended bases instead of starting with raw ingredients. A base may capture an idea like a dewy rose better than rose oil, or recreate flowers such as gardenia, whose scent cannot be extracted directly.

Vesuvius may have turned part of a human brain into glass

Researchers studying remains from Herculaneum, buried by Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, identified unusual glass-like material inside a victim's skull. They proposed that extreme heating followed by rapid cooling transformed brain tissue into glass. The interpretation is remarkable but depends on reconstructing exactly what happened during the eruption.

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ancient Egyptian rooftop jars evaporative water cooling

Ancient Egyptians cooled drinking water without ice

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