In contrast to present-day glass, ancient glass was opaque, thanks to the element antimony. Antimony is quite rare, which is why a team of archaeologists are bewildered as to where Ancient Egypt and Near East glassmakers gathered the element from. The antimony in ancient glass has been found to match the antimony found in Georgia, in the Caucasus, leading to the hypothesis that glass trade was an international affair that connected many ancient civilizations. Read full article here
Research
Improving media literacy could boost trust towards the news, IMPRESS report suggests
The UK media is regulated by the likes of IPSO and Ofcom. The report by press regulator IMPRESS highlights the link between low levels of media literacy and trust in the news. The study found that three quarters of those who did not know if journalists were regulated did not trust the news. It suggests that improving media literacy is one way to stem the erosion of trust, and shows that audiences have an appetite for information on news processes. Stakeholders need to collaborate in order to rebuild trust in the news, and independent media is well placed to do this. Read full article here