Health & Wellness News: The great nut battle that will decide – which is better to eat?

The great nut battle that will decide – which is better to eat?

Research points to surprising differences between two types of nuts: Pecans lead in healthy fats and antioxidants, while peanuts are richer in protein.

By News Agencies,  May 17, 2026

https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/nutrition/article-895563

Pecans and peanuts (photo credit: INGIMAGE)

With the growing popularity of nuts as part of a healthy diet, a key question arises: What is better for heart health – pecans or peanuts? The answer, it turns out, is more complex than it seems.

According to a report on the Verywell Health website, both types of nuts offer significant health benefits – but with completely different nutritional compositions. Pecans are considered especially rich in unsaturated fats, which are linked to lower levels of bad cholesterol and improved blood vessel function. In addition, they contain powerful antioxidants, including gamma-tocopherol, which may reduce inflammation inside the arteries and support heart health.

On the other hand, peanuts offer a different nutritional advantage: Higher protein content alongside active compounds such as resveratrol and arginine, which help expand blood vessels and improve blood flow. These differences are also reflected in the numbers: A serving of about 28 grams of pecans contains about 21 grams of fat, compared to about 14.1 grams in peanuts. In contrast, peanuts provide about 6.9 grams of protein per serving – more than double the amount found in pecans.

Peanuts (credit: INGIMAGE)

Despite the differences, the two types share an important common denominator: They are rich in dietary fiber and antioxidants, and help reduce the risk of heart disease when consumed as part of a balanced diet. Experts emphasize that the key is balance. The recommendation is to consume about 28 grams per day, in order to enjoy the health benefits without overloading on calories.

Ultimately, the choice between pecans and peanuts depends on the goal: Those seeking to improve their cholesterol profile may prefer pecans, while those looking for an accessible source of protein and energy will find an advantage in peanuts. The bottom line is clear: There is no single winner – the combination of both is the smartest approach.

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Archaeology News: Scientists unearth fossil of Southeast Asia's largest dinosaur in Thailand

 Scientists unearth fossil of Southeast Asia's largest dinosaur in Thailand

Nagatitan lived at a time when Earth's atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were rising, coinciding with high global temperatures

By Reuters, May 14, 2026

https://www.jpost.com/science/article-896269

Artist reconstruction of the Cretaceous Period sauropod dinosaur Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, whose fossils were unearthed in Thailand, seen in this illustration released on May 14, 2026. (photo credit: Patchanop Boonsai/Handout via REUTERS)

Along a meandering river in a warm, arid region that is now Thailand, roughly 113 million years ago, a plant-eating behemoth almost 90 feet long browsed in the treetops with little fear of predators because of its sheer size. This was Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, the largest-known dinosaur from Southeast Asia.

Researchers have unearthed skeletal remains of Nagatitan, a member of the dinosaur lineage called sauropods known for having a long neck, long tail, small head, and four columnar legs.

The fossils of this Cretaceous Period dinosaur were first spotted by a villager in Thailand's northeastern province of Chaiyaphum. Scientists over a period of years then dug up spine, rib, pelvis, and leg bones, including a front leg bone - the humerus - measuring 5.8 feet long.

Based on the dimensions of its humerus and femur, the corresponding hind leg bone, the researchers estimated Nagatitan's body mass at 25 to 28 tons. Its head and teeth were not among the fossils recovered, but the researchers have a good idea of its feeding preferences based on other sauropods.

"Nagatitan was probably a bulk browser that focused on consuming high volumes of vegetation that required little to no chewing, such as conifers and possibly seed ferns," said Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, a University College London doctoral student in paleontology and lead author of the research published on Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports.

Researcher Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul poses with a front leg bone, or humerus, of the Cretaceous Period sauropod dinosaur Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis at the Sirindhorn Museum in Kalasin Province, Thailand, in 2024, in a photograph released on May 14, 2026. (credit: Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul/Handout via REUTERS)

The climate was probably subtropical, with some forests, as well as savanna-like and shrubland habitats. Nagatitan lived alongside other dinosaurs and flying reptiles called pterosaurs. The rivers were teeming with crocodiles, fish, and freshwater sharks.

The ecosystem's largest predator was a relative of the giant African meat-eating dinosaur Carcharodontosaurus, probably about 26 feet long and around 3.5 tons.

"At that size, it was dwarfed by Nagatitan. At full size, Nagatitan likely had very little to fear in terms of predation," Sethapanichsakul said.

Predators probably avoided attacking healthy adults of any large sauropod species because of the danger of being squashed. But they may have targeted old or sick adults or vulnerable babies.

The climate was probably subtropical, with some forests, as well as savanna-like and shrubland habitats. Nagatitan lived alongside other dinosaurs and flying reptiles called pterosaurs. The rivers were teeming with crocodiles, fish, and freshwater sharks.

The ecosystem's largest predator was a relative of the giant African meat-eating dinosaur Carcharodontosaurus, probably about 26 feet long and around 3.5 tons.

"At that size, it was dwarfed by Nagatitan. At full size, Nagatitan likely had very little to fear in terms of predation," Sethapanichsakul said.

Predators probably avoided attacking healthy adults of any large sauropod species because of the danger of being squashed. But they may have targeted old or sick adults or vulnerable babies.

"Indeed, sauropods are known to have grown very quickly after hatching, and this probably relates to the dangers of predation. The sooner sauropods could become large, the safer they were because they would have been more difficult to tackle," University College London paleontologist and study co-author Paul Upchurch said.

Largest land animals in Earth's history

Sauropods included the largest land animals in Earth's history. Nagatitan was huge by any standard, but not on the scale of some South American sauropods, such as Argentinosaurus and Patagotitan, which topped 100 feet long.

Nagatitan's name references Naga, a serpent-like being in some Asian religious traditions, prominently depicted in various Thai temples. In all, 14 named dinosaurs are known from Thailand.

The names of several large sauropods include the word titan. Sethapanichsakul said it might be appropriate to call Nagatitan Southeast Asia's last "titan" because the region became a shallow sea later in the Cretaceous, meaning no more sauropods would live there.

Nagatitan provides insight into sauropod diversity in the region. Not many sauropods are known from Southeast Asia, and Nagatitan is the largest and the geologically youngest of them. Nagatitan belonged to a subgroup of sauropods that possessed bones with lots of internal air sacs and thin walls, traits that lightened their skeletons.

This group originated around 140 million years ago, achieved global distribution, and, around 90 million years ago, became the only sauropods left worldwide, thriving until the dinosaur age ended 66 million years ago due to an asteroid impact. 

Nagatitan lived at a time when Earth's atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were rising, coinciding with high global temperatures.

"Sauropods seem to have become particularly large at this time, with gigantic forms living in South America, China, probably North Africa, and now with Nagatitan, a fairly large one in Southeast Asia," Upchurch said.

"This possible relationship between large body size and high climatic temperatures is not fully understood, but it's likely that the high temperatures had an impact on the plant fodder that was important to sauropods, which were very large-bodied herbivores. Nagatitan gives a glimpse of the period leading up to the eventual peak in body size and temperatures about 10 to 15 million years later," Upchurch said.

Largest Dinosaur Ever Found in Southeast Asia Discovered in Thailand

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Archaeology News: Egypt exhibits rare artifact from King Tut's tomb, two restored New Kingdom tombs in Luxor

Egypt exhibits rare artifact from King Tut's tomb, two restored New Kingdom tombs in Luxor

The tombs that were opened are those of Rabuya and his son Samut from the 18th Dynasty, the first of the New Kingdom dynasties. Rabuya and Samut served as door keepers of the deity Amun.

By Reuters, May 15, 2026

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-896312

Ancient Egyptian paintings adorn the newly restored tomb wall, inside the recently restored ancient "Samut" in the El-Khokha 

necropolis on the west bank of the Nile in Luxor, Egypt, May 14, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY)

Egyptian authorities on Thursday exhibited a plaster blocking wall of King Tutankhamun's tomb in Luxor and unveiled two restored ancient tombs on the West Bank of the city that date back to the New Kingdom and contain scenes of daily life and funerary rituals.

Abdelghaffar Wagdy, director-general of Luxor Antiquities, said the wall is a unique artifact that has never been replicated in Egypt or anywhere else in the world, because almost all Pharaonic tombs were looted.

"Therefore, it is a one-of-a-kind artifact — the only one currently on display more than 100 years after the discovery of Tutankhamun's Tomb," he said at an exhibition in Luxor. "It is the only surviving artifact of Tutankhamun that the world had never seen before. Recently, an Egyptian team reconstructed it."

"Therefore, it is a one-of-a-kind artifact — the only one currently on display more than 100 years after the discovery of Tutankhamun's Tomb," he said at an exhibition in Luxor. "It is the only surviving artifact of Tutankhamun that the world had never seen before. Recently, an Egyptian team reconstructed it."

The original plaster blocking wall of the tomb of King Tutankhamun is considered among the most prominent elements associated with the sealing of the tomb discovered in 1922 by the British archaeologist Howard Carter, said the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

The wall, displayed to the public for the first time at the Luxor Museum, was used to secure the entrances of the burial chamber and bore official stamps reflecting funerary rituals and the administrative authority associated with the king's burial, said the ministry.

The recently restored ancient ''Samut'' (TT417) and ''Amenhotep Rabuia'' (TT416) outside in the El-Khokha necropolis on the west bank of the Nile in Luxor, Egypt, May 14, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY)

The wall bears seals belonging to Tutankhamun as well as those of the necropolis guards charged with keeping the tombs safe and protecting them from theft, Wagdy said.

The West Bank of the River Nile at Luxor is home to the Valley of the Kings, where pharaohs and nobles of the New Kingdom were buried in tombs carved into the rock.

Among the many New Kingdom pharaohs buried there was Tutankhamun - popularly known as King Tut - whose 14th-century BCE tomb and its full contents were unearthed in 1922.

Egypt restores, opens tombs discovered in 2015

The tombs that were opened are those of Rabuya and his son Samut from the 18th Dynasty, the first of the New Kingdom dynasties. Rabuya and Samut served as door keepers of the deity Amun, the ministry said.

"Today we are inaugurating two very important tombs that were discovered by chance in 2015," said Hisham El-Leithy, secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The tombs contain scenes of activities including agriculture, harvest, crafts, bread, pottery and wine production.

Egypt unveils rare King Tutankhamun artefact in Luxor

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Archaeology News: Nearly 2,000-year-old 'souvenir cup' found in Spain names Hadrian's Wall's eastern forts - study

Nearly 2,000-year-old 'souvenir cup' found in Spain names Hadrian's Wall's eastern forts - study

The cup is decorated with red, green, turquoise, and blue enamel, all arranged in geometric patterns, including fish scales and tower motifs that are believed to represent the wall itself.

By Miriam Sela-Eitam, Jerusalem Post, May 7, 2026

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-895387

3D reconstruction of the Berlanga Cup. 

(photo credit: Institutional Delegation of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in Andalusia)

A bronze cup dated to the second century CE found near Berlanga de Duero, Spain may have been a souvenir brought to the region by a Roman soldier who'd served at Hadrian's Wall, according to a new study published in the journal Britannia. 

The cup, named the "Berlanga Cup” after the nearby town, is one of five similar vessels - themselves coined "Hadrian’s Wall Cups” - and is the first one to feature inscriptions of the eastern forts and military camps stationed along the wall.

"The 'Berlanga Cup' is exceptional not only because it is one of the best-preserved 'Wall cups'," said Susana de Luis Mariño of the National Archaeological Museum. "But because it is the only one bearing inscriptions referring to military camps in the eastern section of the Wall: Cilurnum [Chesters], Onno [Halton Chesters], Vindobala [Rudchester], and Condercum [Benwell]."

The cup is decorated with red, green, turquoise, and blue enamel, all arranged in geometric patterns, including fish scales and tower motifs that are believed to represent Hadrian's Wall itself.

Chemical analysis of the metal, carried out using portable X-ray fluorescence and lead isotope testing at Durham University, showed that the cup was made up of a bronze alloy mixed with zinc and lead, most likely from mines located in northern England or Wales.

Ruins of Hadrian's Wall, England. Photo taken April 8, 1978. (credit: Bill Tompkins/Getty Images)

Cup may have belonged to Hispanic Roman soldier

"The craftsmanship and materials used in these cups tell us they were prestige objects, most likely made to order as gifts or awards for the military elite who had served on Hadrian's Wall, the most distant frontier of the empire," explained Jesús García Sánchez, researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of Mérida (IAM).

"In fact," he added, "Most researchers, ourselves included, agree in interpreting them as a souvenir or memento of the Wall.”

According to the study, the cup is believed to have most likely belonged to a member of the Cohors I Celtiberorum, a Roman auxiliary regiment recruited from the Celtiberian (north-central) region of Spain, who served at Hadrian's Wall during the second century. 

Additionally, an archaeological survey carried out on the field where the cup was found using ground-penetrating radar revealed the remains of a Roman settlement dating to the first to fourth centuries CE - which may have been the home of the cup's owner.

The "Berlanga Cup" are now being held at the Numantine Museum of Soria in Spain.

2,000-Year-Old Roman Treasure Found in Spain Shocks Historians Worldwide

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Defense News: IDF Deploys New Drone Interception System as Hezbollah Expands FPV Threat

 IDF Deploys New Drone Interception System as Hezbollah Expands FPV Threat

Net-based autonomous interceptor tested amid Hezbollah’s growing use of fiber-optic FPV drones and intelligence warnings of an evolving low-cost aerial warfare campaign.

By Mandi Kogosowski, israeldefense.co, 04/05/2026

https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/68844

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have begun deploying a new autonomous counter-drone system in southern Lebanon designed to intercept Hezbollah’s growing use of fiber-optic FPV explosive drones, according to Israeli media reports.

According to Ynet, the system, known as the Iron Drone Raider, is currently being used on a trial basis and has so far not demonstrated significant operational success. IDF sources cited by the outlet said the system had previously been tested about a year ago but did not achieve reliable detection performance.

Haaretz reported that the system, developed by Aerobotics (a subsidiary of Ondas Holdings), integrates radar-based detection with autonomous interceptor drones. Once a hostile drone is identified, an interceptor launches from a ground pod, tracks the target using radar and computer vision, and either follows it or deploys a net to physically capture it. The captured drone is then lowered by parachute to reduce the risk of detonation.

The system is designed specifically to counter fiber-optic-controlled FPV drones, which are increasingly used because they are resistant to electronic warfare jamming. However, IDF sources cited by Haaretz acknowledged that Israel was not fully prepared for the scale of Hezbollah’s drone campaign, noting that existing systems “do not provide a comprehensive solution” and are not available in sufficient quantities.

The deployment comes amid continued casualties from Hezbollah drone attacks, including recent incidents in which two soldiers and a Defense Ministry contractor were killed and more than 15 others wounded. The drones are also increasingly assessed to be used for psychological impact, exploiting gaps in current air defense coverage.

Alongside the operational deployment, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that he had ordered the establishment of a “special project” to counter the drone threat. “It will take time, but we are on it,” he said.

Netanyahu also announced that Israel plans to invest approximately 350 billion NIS (around $100–120 billion) over the next decade in domestic defense production and military capabilities, including advanced aerial systems and munitions development.

A separate assessment by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center provides broader context for the escalation, describing a significant expansion in Hezbollah’s use of FPV drones since March 2026. According to the report, fiber-optic FPV systems – capable of precise strikes over long distances and resistant to electronic jamming – have become a central component of Hezbollah’s battlefield doctrine.

The assessment notes that Hezbollah initially employed FPV drones in limited form during the 2023–2024 conflict with Israel, primarily targeting IDF outposts and surveillance infrastructure along the border. However, since renewed escalation, the group has carried out dozens of attacks using these systems, particularly against IDF positions in southern Lebanon.

The report further highlights Hezbollah’s decentralized production model, with workshops in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley assembling drones from commercial components at low cost, alongside smuggled shipments in the thousands. It also points to growing Iranian-linked knowledge transfer and battlefield learning from conflicts in Syria and the Russia–Ukraine war.

Beyond their tactical role, the report emphasizes the integration of FPV drone attacks into Hezbollah’s psychological warfare strategy, including amplification of Israeli media coverage to reinforce perceptions of vulnerability and technological erosion.

According to the assessment, Hezbollah has also developed fiber-optic variants capable of penetrating up to 15 kilometers into Israeli territory, suggesting continued expansion of both range and sophistication.

Iron Drone Raider System

Check out https://www.airoboticsdrones.com/iron-drone/ for more details on the system

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Defense News: IDF uses Ro'em self-propelled howitzer artillery for first time in southern Lebanon

 IDF uses Ro'em self-propelled howitzer artillery for first time in southern Lebanon

The firing was declared an operational success and even served as a basis for developing new artillery fire responses while fighting, the military wrote in a press release.

By Jerusalem Post Staff, April 17, 2026

https://www.jpost.com/defense-and-tech/article-893333

IDF operates its domestically produced Ro'em self-propelled howitzer for the first time in southern Lebanon in April 2026.(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

The IDF has operated its domestically produced Ro'em self-propelled howitzer for the first time, using it in an operation in southern Lebanon, the military announced on Thursday. 

The Ro'em was used to fire at several Hezbollah anti-tank targets, which posed a threat to IDF forces. The firing was declared an operational success and even served as a basis for developing new artillery fire responses while fighting, the military wrote in a press release.

"This is a historic event," Lt. Col. B., head of the Ro'em branch in the IDF, said. "This translates to one thing: more firepower in less time, exposure, and risk to forces on the ground."

The Ro'em can be fired at a much higher rate than existing systems, at longer ranges, and even along multiple trajectories so that different shells hit the target simultaneously.

"It offers mobility, full automation, and the ability to operate as part of a maneuver deep into enemy territory. It shoots farther and more accurately, making it a true breakthrough," B said. 

Greater rate of fire with fewer crew

The system features a fully automated turret, capable of handling ammunition selection, loading, gun laying, and firing without manual intervention. This automation reduces the crew to just three soldiers, a dramatic improvement over the seven-person crew required for the M109.

Its reduced crew size helps address IDF concerns, including manpower challenges such as injuries, and its high degree of automation allows for more flexible staffing. 

The Ro’em is designed to operate as part of a fully networked battlefield, receiving fire missions directly from command-and-control systems and coordinating with sensors, drones, and other artillery units.

This connectivity shortens the sensor-to-shooter cycle and allows the IDF to deliver precise, timely fire support with minimal delay. The system’s automation also enables extremely fast shoot-and-scoot tactics, reducing exposure to enemy counter-battery fire.

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