Columbus Atlantic voyages volta do mar wind circuit

Columbus’s voyages relied on a wind circuit

Ships could sail west from the Canary Islands with winds from the northeast, then turn north to catch winds blowing east toward Europe. Portuguese sailors called the circuit volta do mar, meaning “turn of the sea.”

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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Columbus Atlantic voyages volta do mar wind circuit

Columbus’s voyages relied on a wind circuit

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