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Ancient Mayan water filters stopped a lot--just not mercury poisoning

Popular Science

The civilization made the most of its technology, but everything has its limits. Mayan society often relied on cinnabar, a deep red pigment that got its hue from mercury sulfide. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. A trio of ancient reservoirs in present-day Guatemala is revealing both the strength--and limitations--of Mayan water science. While the civilization's purification techniques resulted in comparatively clean drinking sources, archaeologists say the unknowable consequences of a commonly used, deep-red pigment consistently subjected the Indigenous population to toxic mercury poisoning .


Rice cheese may be the next big thing

Popular Science

Early test batches contained 12 percent protein. Food scientists with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station investigated proteins from three parts of a single rice cultivar for plant-based cheesemaking and discovered each source offered different qualities. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. There are a lot of non-dairy and vegan cheese alternatives on the market today. But while the tastes and textures of many of them almost pass for the real thing, they usually lack one major component: protein .