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Time of India
02-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Where the first toilet was built and how it worked
Image: Unsplash L ong before the advent of modern plumbing or sanitation laws, ancient societies were already finding ingenious ways to manage one of life's most essential needs: waste removal. From the stone-lined homes of prehistoric cities to the intricate layouts of early urban settlements, the concept of the toilet began to emerge as both a practical and thoughtful innovation. These early systems weren't simply about comfort; they reflected an evolving awareness of cleanliness, public health, and city planning. But where exactly did the first toilet appear, and how did it work, long before pipes and porcelain? The first toilet: Indus Valley Civilization 's sanitation marvel ( 2800–1900 BCE) Among the earliest and most sophisticated pioneers of domestic sanitation were the ancient cities of the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC), notably Mohenjodaro, Harappa, Lothal, and Dholavira, located in northwest India. Flourishing around 4,500 years ago, this Bronze Age civilization was remarkable for its meticulously planned cities, grid-like streets, advanced water systems, and above all, integrated toilets and covered drainage networks that surpassed those of many later empires. The toilets of the Indus Valley were generally small brick-lined chambers within individual homes. These were often situated along outer walls or adjacent to bathrooms. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025년 가장 여유 넘치는 농장 게임. 설치 없음 Taonga: 아일랜드 팜 플레이하기 Undo The waste from these toilets was channeled via vertical terracotta or brick chutes into covered brick drains that ran beneath the streets. In some cases, these drains led directly to soak pits or cesspools, and in larger cities, they connected to sophisticated multi-tiered sewer systems designed to prevent flooding and contamination. Flushing was achieved manually. Residents would pour water from jars or pitchers into the toilet chute to flush away waste, an effective and hygienic method given the climate and available materials. The brickwork was often watertight, with some drains showing signs of lime or gypsum plastering to reduce leakage. Archaeologists have even discovered inspection holes and manhole covers along the larger drains, indicating a clear understanding of the need for periodic maintenance. A culture rooted in cleanliness and civic responsibility What sets the Indus Valley apart is not just the presence of toilets but the extent to which sanitation was integrated into everyday life. Unlike in many ancient societies where only elites had access to such amenities, toilets in the IVC were common across a wide range of residential buildings, suggesting a more egalitarian approach to hygiene. The cities also featured public bathhouses, most famously the Great Bath of Mohenjodaro, a large rectangular tank with watertight brick lining and a sophisticated drainage system. This communal facility likely served both ritual and hygienic purposes. Meanwhile, nearly every street had a covered drain, and larger homes had access to private wells, water tanks, and separate bathing areas, all interconnected with the city's water flow system. This indicates not only advanced engineering but also a cultural priority placed on cleanliness. Scholars believe that hygiene was a cornerstone of Indus society, possibly driven by religious beliefs or social customs that emphasised purity and environmental order. No rulers, no palaces, but spotless cities One of the most fascinating aspects of the Indus Valley Civilization is the absence of monumental architecture or evidence of authoritarian rule. There are no known palaces or extravagant tombs, yet their cities are consistently uniform in planning, suggesting a shared civic philosophy rather than top-down governance. The emphasis on sanitation, symmetry, and accessibility indicates that the inhabitants valued collective well-being. The design of the toilet and drainage systems, functional, durable, and user-friendly, reflects a technological and ethical leap in human civilization. While the Indus script remains undeciphered and many questions about their society endure, one truth stands clear: the people of the Indus Valley were far ahead of their time in understanding the importance of urban hygiene and waste management. Their innovations predate the Roman aqueducts and medieval sewer systems by millennia. Today, as we grapple with urban sanitation challenges in modern megacities, the enduring legacy of these ancient toilets stands as a reminder that great civilisations are built not just on monuments and warfare, but on the unseen infrastructure that preserves public health and dignity.
Indian Express
21-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
International Yoga Day: Why is it hard to pinpoint the origin of yoga?
People from around the world celebrated the International Yoga Day on Saturday (June 21) with large scale gatherings, virtual events, and messages of peace and harmony. The genesis of yoga can be traced to ancient India. But it is impossible to pinpoint exactly how old it is. While the words '5,000-year-old tradition' are often thrown around, available evidence simply does not allow for such specificity. Here's why. Two key pieces of archaeological evidence are often cited as proof of yoga's antiquity. * The first is a small staetite seal recovered from the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) site of Mojenjodaro (now in Pakistan). Dated to circa 2,500-2,400 BCE, the seal 'depicts an impressive seated figure… sitting with legs crossed in what many have taken to be the mulabandhasana, a posture later to be much favoured by tantric yogis,' historian Alistair Shearer wrote in The Story Of Yoga: From Ancient India To The Modern West (2020). But ascribing meaning to millenia-old objects whose contexts are not fully understood, especially given that the IVC script is yet to be deciphered, is not sound historical practice. Could the so-called Pashupati seal be depicting a yogic pose? Yes. But it could also simply be depicting someone sitting cross-legged, as is common across South Asia till date. * The other, more recent, archaeological find comes from Balathal, Rajasthan, one of the 90-odd sites of the chalcolithic Banas culture. Excavated from the site was a roughly 2,700-year-old skeleton 'sitting in the samadhi position,' a posture 'that many yogis adopt for meditation and it is also assumed at the time of their burial,' Shearer wrote. The exact posture of the buried figure — 'cross-legged, hands resting on his knees with thumb and index fingers touching in the yogic jnanamudra' — makes this piece of evidence more credible. Nonetheless, this only helps establish a baseline date of the yoga's origin: logically, the genesis of yoga would predate what is preserved in the archaeological record. In ancient literature The word 'yoga' finds mention in the Vedic corpus (1,500-500 BCE), the earliest (surviving) literature from the sub-continent. But it appears in a context far removed from postural or even meditational exercise — the sense in which it is understood today. It is in the Mahabharata, composed over six centuries from 300 BCE to 300 CE, that yoga is used in a sense that would be familiar today. 'Some of these citations [in the Mahabharata] refer to yoga in a philosophical sense,' while others use the word 'when describing arduous physical penances and austerities performed by holy men,' Shearer wrote. Contemporaneous and later texts, such as the Upanishads, also use the term similarly. One school of thought states that yoga is not of Vedic provenance at all, but has its origins in heterodox traditions of the first millennium BCE (and before), most notably Buddhism and Jainism. 'The unifying feature of this freelance religious movement was the practice of yoga,' Vivian Worthington asserts in A History of Yoga (1982). Various Buddhist and Jain texts mention yoga. The Yoga Sutra of Maharishi Patanjali is the most well-known text on the matter, and composed around 350 CE, the oldest text dedicated solely to the subject. Most scholars agree that the present understanding of yoga is shaped by this text. What is an 'origin'? None of the texts mentioned above provide definite, empirical answers on the origin of yoga. This is largely because India does not have a tradition of history-writing like in the West, where a sharp distinction is drawn between history, based on empirical evidence, and myth, whose credibility lies in its meaning rather than veracity. As Worthington wrote, 'One of the difficulties of tracing a history of yoga has been that by its nature it leaves nothing behind except myths and legends of miraculous powers possessed by some of the more accomplished practitioners of the art.' There are no contemporary sources on yoga which can provide empirical specifics on its provenance. While analysing textual evidence can provide clues about the evolving meaning of the term and the evolution of the practice, it cannot with certainty provide a singular point in time when yoga originated. Like any other facet of culture, yoga is a product of diverse, interacting influences. And just as it continues to evolve today, it underwent constant in the past. As such, it is often impossible to determine any facet of culture distinguishes itself from antecedents that shape it.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mindset Medical Announces FDA Clearance for its Contactless Respiratory Rate Measurement Device
PHOENIX, June 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mindset Medical, Inc. ("Mindset Medical" or the "Company"), a digital health company, today announced it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for its latest contactless vital sign monitoring solution. The Informed Vital Core (IVC) App is a software-only medical device that measures respiratory rate through smartphones, tablets, or laptop cameras. This milestone marks Mindset Medical's second FDA clearance in less than a year, building on the success of its previously cleared pulse rate measurement device on November 18, 2024. With these clearances, Mindset Medical is closer to transforming the delivery of care with innovative telehealth technology. Mindset Medical can now offer another solution for healthcare providers to gather physiological information from their patients without needing physical contact or dedicated hardware. Software on phones, tablets, and laptops can easily be deployed in clinical and outpatient facilities, remote care environments, long-term care settings, or the patient's home. Telemedicine skyrocketed due to COVID-19, as many barriers to adoption were removed, allowing video conferencing to become routine. "Video alone is not enough. Patients and providers deserve virtual services with fewer barriers and limitations because we are all patients at the end of the day. The next step is purpose-built virtual health offerings that can legitimately provide brick-and-mortar experiences. Virtual healthcare remains a permanent fixture moving forward, and we have only scratched the surface of how we use technology to address shortcomings with the health system."-- Mitch Foster, Chairman and CEO of Mindset Medical. Mindset Medical envisions a future where vital signs and diagnoses can be captured with nothing more than everyday devices. This will help bridge gaps in access to healthcare, reduce the burden on providers, and improve chances for earlier intervention. The company continues developing its platform to include additional vital sign measurements, working closely with clinicians and patients to ensure each new feature meets their needs. About Mindset Medical Mindset Medical, Inc. ( headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, was formed by several members of Excelsius Surgical, a robotic surgical platform. Recently, Mindset Medical has developed proprietary signal-processing algorithms that extract health measurements from video. Combined with AI technology for advanced image analysis and facial recognition, these algorithms transform patients' smartphones into contactless vital sign measurement devices. Mindset Medical utilizes secure and encrypted links delivered to patients from healthcare providers to collect up-to-the-minute patient data and accurate remote physiological measurements. Contact For media, sales, or investor inquiries, please email 396163@ or 396163@ We can also be reached at 480.269.0859. HASHTAGS#healthcare #telehealth #healthequity #vitals #physiological SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILESLinkedin: View original content: SOURCE Mindset Medical, Inc. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mindset Medical Announces FDA Clearance for its Contactless Respiratory Rate Measurement Device
PHOENIX, June 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mindset Medical, Inc. ("Mindset Medical" or the "Company"), a digital health company, today announced it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for its latest contactless vital sign monitoring solution. The Informed Vital Core (IVC) App is a software-only medical device that measures respiratory rate through smartphones, tablets, or laptop cameras. This milestone marks Mindset Medical's second FDA clearance in less than a year, building on the success of its previously cleared pulse rate measurement device on November 18, 2024. With these clearances, Mindset Medical is closer to transforming the delivery of care with innovative telehealth technology. Mindset Medical can now offer another solution for healthcare providers to gather physiological information from their patients without needing physical contact or dedicated hardware. Software on phones, tablets, and laptops can easily be deployed in clinical and outpatient facilities, remote care environments, long-term care settings, or the patient's home. Telemedicine skyrocketed due to COVID-19, as many barriers to adoption were removed, allowing video conferencing to become routine. "Video alone is not enough. Patients and providers deserve virtual services with fewer barriers and limitations because we are all patients at the end of the day. The next step is purpose-built virtual health offerings that can legitimately provide brick-and-mortar experiences. Virtual healthcare remains a permanent fixture moving forward, and we have only scratched the surface of how we use technology to address shortcomings with the health system."-- Mitch Foster, Chairman and CEO of Mindset Medical. Mindset Medical envisions a future where vital signs and diagnoses can be captured with nothing more than everyday devices. This will help bridge gaps in access to healthcare, reduce the burden on providers, and improve chances for earlier intervention. The company continues developing its platform to include additional vital sign measurements, working closely with clinicians and patients to ensure each new feature meets their needs. About Mindset Medical Mindset Medical, Inc. ( headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, was formed by several members of Excelsius Surgical, a robotic surgical platform. Recently, Mindset Medical has developed proprietary signal-processing algorithms that extract health measurements from video. Combined with AI technology for advanced image analysis and facial recognition, these algorithms transform patients' smartphones into contactless vital sign measurement devices. Mindset Medical utilizes secure and encrypted links delivered to patients from healthcare providers to collect up-to-the-minute patient data and accurate remote physiological measurements. Contact For media, sales, or investor inquiries, please email 396163@ or 396163@ We can also be reached at 480.269.0859. HASHTAGS#healthcare #telehealth #healthequity #vitals #physiological SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILESLinkedin: View original content: SOURCE Mindset Medical, Inc. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
10-Year-Old College Grad Breaks a Record Set by Her 2 Older Siblings, 12 and 13
Zora Elling, 10, has become the youngest person to graduate from Irvine Valley College in California, according to the school The pre-teen broke the record previously set by her own siblings, Athena and Tycho, at the same school Zora told KABC-TV that getting her record-setting degree was 'a bit scary' but also 'really fun'A 10-year-old girl is now the youngest graduate ever at a California college, breaking her own siblings' records. Zora Elling has set the record at Irvine Valley College (IVC) after receiving her Associate in Science for Transfer degree in Mathematics, according to a Facebook post shared by the school. IVC described Zora as 'a math whiz, a STEM advocate and a total inspiration.' She plans to attend the University of California in Irvine this fall. 'The Elling family continues to redefine what's possible—one remarkable milestone at a time. 💙💛,' school officials wrote. Zora said getting her record-setting degree was 'a bit scary' but also 'really fun,' according to ABC affiliate KABC-TV. "I don't really care about breaking the record, I just wanted to take the math classes," the 10-year-old explained. Zora, who has yet to graduate from high school, will transfer to UC Irvine, where she plans to major in math, this fall, according to The Orange County Register. Christina Chow, Zora's mom, said her 10-year-old daughter has long been resilient. 'As parents, you always just try to figure out what it is they like and support them,' she explained. 'For Zora, it's always been pets and reading and math.' This is the third straight year that the record has been broken, having been previously set by Zora's siblings Athena and Tycho. Athena was just 11 years old when she set the last record in May 2024, earning an associate's degree in liberal arts. Older brother Tycho was also 11 when he set the record in 2023. His birthday took place within days of his graduation, while Athena's was seven months away. Athena is currently taking more classes at IVC, while Tycho is preparing to graduate from UC Irvine this month with a bachelor's in mathematics, according to KABC-TV. Tycho reportedly plans to enter the University of Southern California's Ph.D. program in August. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Athena said she and her siblings are not fond of the phrase 'genius' being used to describe them. "I think we sort of have this rule that whatever we do, we really do it to our full extent," she said, per KABC-TV. Read the original article on People
