Latest news with #B.C
National Geographic
2 days ago
- Science
- National Geographic
4,000-year-old victim was shot in the back—and survived with an arrow to the rib
A flint arrowhead lodged in a rib from a person who lived in the Spanish Pyrenees more than 4,000 years ago was most likely shot during a skirmish with a rival clan, researchers say. "It is direct evidence of a violent conflict episode," says Carlos Tornero, who led the team that unearthed the rib in a mountain cave 6,000 feet above sea level near the Spanish-French border. His team announced the finding July 8. Previous excavations at the cave—called Roc de les Orenetes, or "Rock of the Swallows" in Catalan—unearthed thousands of human bones. Some had fractures and cut marks apparently caused by stone-tipped spears, arrows, and copper or bronze axes and daggers. The researchers published their analysis of the bones last year and concluded the injuries came from conflicts with other groups. This latest finding reinforces that idea. The interior of the cave as seen from the entrance. Photograph by Leo Pérez, IPHES-CERCA "This extraordinary discovery is direct proof, and confirms our initial hypothesis," says Tornero, an archaeologist at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and a researcher at the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES-CERCA). Little is known about who shot the arrow, except that they were probably from an enemy group who fought violently against the people later buried in the cave—in a dispute over territory, or perhaps access to resources. The researchers dated the violent episodes to between 2550 and 2150 B.C. Tornero says the victims in the cave were likely from a single clan of Early Bronze Age farming people; but their attackers may have been nomadic hunters. The archer shot this individual from behind so the arrow lodged in their back, within the rib cage but below the shoulder blade. "Undoubtedly, the person who was struck had little ability to react in time to avoid it," says Tornero. Excavation work at the Roc de les Orenetes site, where human remains dating to 2400 BC can be seen in the foreground. Photograph by Leo Pérez, IPHES-CERCA The moment of the discovery of a flint arrowhead with a broken tip, dated to 2400 BC. Photograph by Iván Ramírez, IPHES-CERCA Each arrowhead found in the cave was likely once embedded in the flesh of the dead people interred there, he says. But this individual did not die from their arrow wound—instead, the rib bone shows signs of healing that indicate the victim lived for a long time after their close encounter with death, Tornero says. Roc de les Orenetes was discovered in 1969, and the remains of 60 bodies—many bearing scars from battle—have since been unearthed there, although only one-third of the site has been excavated, according to Tornero. The newly found arrowhead is another indicator of the violent conflicts in prehistory, as well as final proof for Tornero that the ancient people buried at Roc de les Orenetes were sometimes the victims of violence—and may have been the perpetrators of deadly violence in return.
The Province
2 days ago
- Health
- The Province
'Grossly exceeded': Fentanyl in air at Vancouver supportive housing offices
In a statement, the B.C. Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs said it takes the concerns about possible worker exposure to airborne fentanyl seriously. Published Jul 21, 2025 • Last updated 10 hours ago • 4 minute read The presence of second-hand fentanyl smoke is so severe at some British Columbia supportive housing facilities that workers cannot escape "substantial exposure," even if they stay in their offices and don't venture into hallways or tenants rooms. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG The presence of second-hand fentanyl smoke is so severe at some B.C. Columbia supportive housing facilities that workers cannot escape 'substantial exposure,' even if they stay in their offices and don't venture into hallways or tenants' rooms. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors That is the among the findings of tests conducted at 14 supportive housing facilities, results that contributed to the province's decision to form a working group aimed at tackling safety issues — including second-hand fentanyl exposure. The assessments, conducted by Sauve Safety Services Ltd. for B.C. Housing, tested facilities in Vancouver and Victoria — finding elevated levels of airborne fentanyl even in the main office of all three buildings tested in Vancouver. The B.C. Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs said it takes the concerns about possible worker exposure to airborne fentanyl seriously. 'We'll be working with our partners to ensure providers can take fast action to protect staff and tenants in supportive housing,' a statement said. 'The immediate need is to mitigate the known risks based on the exposure assessment and air quality testing that has been done.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In June, the province announced the formation of a working group to tackle safety in supportive housing, including second-hand exposure to fentanyl. The announcement of the group came after a number of recent incidents in the housing units, including a June 11 fire at the former Howard Johnson hotel in Vancouver that injured two people. The ministry said at the time that testing on the 14 facilities in Vancouver and Victoria showed some may be 'more likely to have elevated levels of airborne fentanyl, above the limit WorkSafeBC has established.' Details can be found in more than 600 pages of assessments conducted by Sauve. It recommended that all three Vancouver facilities improve ventilation to the main office, as well as mandating workers to wear respiratory protection in some cases and strengthening enforcement of no-smoking policies for tenants. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In its assessment of the Osborn facility on West Hastings Street, testers found occupational fentanyl exposures over a 12-hour shift that 'grossly exceeded applicable regulatory limits,' including WorkSafeBC's limits. 'This trend held true across all sampled work activities, including time spent in the main office, working in the kitchen, cleaning shelter areas, and performing general duties on the shelter floor,' the report said. 'At the time of assessment, none of the mental health workers were observed wearing respiratory protection.' Airborne fentanyl levels at the other facilities in Vancouver — Al Mitchell Place on Alexander Street and Hotel Maple on East Hastings — also exceeded exposure limits in office space. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The assessments also found higher concentrations in the air of fluorofentanyl, a 'structurally modified' version of fentanyl that can be twice as potent as the original opioid, at all three Vancouver facilities. 'Although fentanyl levels on the second floor approached the eight-hour time-weighted average, fluorofentanyl concentrations were approximately five times higher, indicating a substantial and concerning exposure risk,' the assessment for Al Mitchell Place said. In the 11 tested Victoria facilities, some main offices were found to offer 'protective environments' or had fentanyl levels below regulatory limits, while others exceeded them and created 'significant health risks' for staff. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Dr. Ryan Marino, a medical toxicologist with University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, is an expert on addiction medicine and the medical toxicology of opioids such as fentanyl. He said that while he had not seen the specifics of the assessments, the main risk from fentanyl smoke is 'breakdown products' that result when the substance is burned, which can be directly noxious or toxic to a person's airway surfaces. 'It's actually very similar to smog pollution and can give people pretty significant irritation, coughing,' Marino said. It 'could exacerbate asthma symptoms, that kind of thing. And so that is a very real concern, I would say.' However, he cautioned against overreacting to the threat of absorbing fentanyl or fluorofentanyl through the air, since the opioid does not suspend in an airborne fashion and any particles in the air must be carried through wind or physical motion. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It would take a lot of physical powder to be in the air for someone to inhale a significant amount,' Marino said. 'For someone who's not using drugs, not ingesting anything in any way, the risk of a second-hand exposure, toxicity, overdose, whatever you want to call it, from fentanyl is pretty close to zero.' Mark Haden, a University of B.C. adjunct professor, agreed, adding that he believes the problem of tenants smoking fentanyl in supportive housing is a direct symptom of drug prohibition — a more fundamental issue that should be tackled. 'This is a completely predictable outcome of a social policy that we need to fix,' said Haden, who referred to fentanyl in a health care setting as a medicine. 'We wouldn't have people using fentanyl in their rooms if they could go downstairs to some health facility and talk to a health care worker or a nurse who provided these kind of medicines within the context of a health service.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He called supervised consumption sites a big step in addressing the issue, but not enough. 'Supervised injection sites don't provide the medicine,' Haden said. 'They provide a space for people to inject illegal drugs. So, what we need to do is to provide the medicines that people take in the context of health facilities.' The province has said it is working with the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, WorkSafeBC and B.C. Housing to develop new exposure reduction guidance at supportive housing facilities, and the focus is on protecting the workers and tenants in these buildings. Read More Vancouver Canucks News News GlobeNewswire News
Yomiuri Shimbun
4 days ago
- Science
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Archaeologists Unveil 3,500-year-old City That Linked Coast, Andes
LIMA (Reuters) — Archaeologists on July 3 unveiled a 3,500-year-old city in Peru that likely served as a trading hub linking Pacific coast cultures with those in the Andes and Amazon, flourishing around the same time as early civilizations in the Middle East and Asia. Drone footage released by researchers shows the city center is marked by a circular structure on a hillside terrace, with remains of stone and mud buildings constructed some 600 meters above sea urban center, named Penico, is located in the northern Barranca Province and was founded between 1,800 B.C. and 1,500 B.C. It is close to where the Caral civilization, the oldest in the Americas, developed 5,000 years ago. Caral, comprised of 32 monumental structures, is considered a contemporary of civilizations in Egypt, India, Sumeria and China. However, unlike them, it developed in complete isolation, according to researchers. Ruth Shady, the archaeologist who led the research into Penico, said the newly unveiled city is key because experts believe it emerged after the Caral civilization was devastated by climate change. 'They were situated in a strategic location for trade, for exchange with societies from the coast, the highlands and the jungle,' Shady said. Archaeologist Marco Machacuay, a researcher with the Ministry of Culture, said at a news conference that Penico's importance lies in it being the continuation of the Caral society. After eight years of studies, researchers have identified up to 18 structures in Penico, including ceremonial temples and residential complexes. The walls of a central plaza stand out for their sculptural reliefs and depictions of the pututu, a conch shell trumpet whose sound carries over long distances. In other buildings, researchers found clay sculptures of human and animal figures, ceremonial objects and necklaces made from beads and seashells, they added. Peru is a center of ancient cultures and home to archaeological sites such as the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in Cusco and the mysterious Nazca lines located in the desert region along the country's central coast.
UPI
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Famous birthdays for July 20: Judy Greer, Sandra Oh
1 of 3 | Judy Greer attends the 28th annual Critics' Choice Awards at the Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023. The actor turns 50 on July 20. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo July 20 (UPI) -- Those born on this date are under the sign of Cancer. They include: -- Macedonian leader Alexander the Great in 356 B.C. -- Poet Petrarch in 1304 -- Pope Innocent IX in 1519 -- Monk/botanist Gregor Johann Mendel in 1822 -- Explorer Edmund Hillary in 1919 -- Artist Nam June Paik in 1932 -- Writer Cormac McCarthy in 1933 -- Former Sen. Barbara Mikulski, the longest serving woman in U.S. Congress history, in 1936 (age 89) File Photo by Pat Benic/UPI -- Actor Diana Rigg in 1938 -- Actor Natalie Wood in 1938 -- Artist Judy Chicago in 1939 (age 86) -- Musician John Lodge (Moody Blues) in 1943 (age 82) -- Musician Kim Carnes in 1945 (age 80) -- Musician Carlos Santana in 1947 (age 78) -- Musician Jay Jay French (Twisted Sister) in 1952 (age 73) -- Musician Paul Cook (Sex Pistols) in 1956 (age 69) -- Actor Donna Dixon in 1957 (age 68) -- Musician Mick MacNeil (Simple Minds) in 1958 (age 67) -- Musician Chris Cornell (Soundgarden/Audioslave/Temple of the Dog) in 1964 File Photo by Jim Bryant/UPI -- Actor Dean Winters in 1964 (age 61) -- Actor Adam Godley in 1964 (age 61) -- Musician Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam) in 1966 (age 59) -- Actor Josh Holloway in 1969 (age 56) -- Actor Sandra Oh in 1971 (age 54) File Photo by Chris Chew/UPI -- Actor Omar Epps in 1973 (age 52) -- Actor Simon Rex in 1974 (age 51) -- Actor Judy Greer in 1975 (age 50) -- Actor Charlie Korsmo in 1978 (age 47) -- Model Gisele Bundchen in 1980 (age 45) File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI -- Musician Mike Kennerty (All-American Rejects) in 1980 (age 45) -- Actor/filmmaker John Francis Daley in 1985 (age 40) -- Actor Osric Chau in 1986 (age 39) -- Dancer/Julianne Hough in 1988 (age 37) -- Actor Alycia Debnam-Carey in 1993 (age 32) -- U.S. Olympic figure skater Maia Shibutani in 1994 (age 31) File Photo by Chris Chew/UPI
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Settlement proposed in class-action lawsuit over B.C. solitary confinement
VANCOUVER – A proposed settlement of up to $60 million has been reached in a class-action lawsuit related to the use of solitary confinement in B.C. correctional facilities. The Quebec-based law firm Proactio says the settlement must be approved by the B.C. Supreme Court, but could provide eligible class members up to $91,000. A statement from the firm on Saturday says the lawsuit alleges the B.C. government improperly subjected prisoners to solitary confinement, 'causing emotional, physical, and psychological harm.' It says the class includes people incarcerated after April 18, 2005, and involuntarily held in separate confinement or segregation for at least 15 consecutive days, or when the province knew or ought to have known they suffered from a mental illness. The allegations in the statement of claim had not been tested in court and B.C.'s Ministry of Attorney General did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A hearing to decide whether to approve the proposed settlement has been set for Oct. 22 and Proactio says class members have until Sept. 2 to indicate if they support or object to the proposal. Those put in separate confinement after Dec. 22, 2020, can opt out by Sept. 2, in which case they would not receive compensation but would retain their right to pursue an individual lawsuit. The firm says class members can also submit a claim for compensation at a later date if the court approves the settlement. The court has appointed Koskie Minsky LLP and McEwan Partners LLP as class council, while Proactio has been mandated to act as administrator of the class action, the statement adds. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2025.
