CBS News
New technology allows archaeologists to use particle physics to explore the past
Naples, Italy — Beneath the honking horns and operatic yelling of Naples, the most blissfully chaotic city in Italy, archeologist Raffaella Bosso descends into the deafening silence of an underground maze, zigzagging back in time roughly 2,300 years.
Before the Ancient Romans, it was the Ancient Greeks who colonized Naples, leaving behind traces of life, and death, inside ancient burial chambers, she says.
She points a flashlight at a stone-relief tombstone that depicts the legs and feet of those buried inside.
“There are two people, a man and a woman” in this one tomb, she explains. “Normally you can find eight or even more.”
This tomb was discovered in 1981, the old-fashioned way, by digging.
Now, archeologists are joining forces with physicists, trading their pickaxes for subatomic particle detectors about the size of a household microwave.
Thanks to breakthrough technology, particle physicists like Valeri Tioukov can use them to see through hundreds of feet of rock, no matter the apartment building located 60 feet above us.
“It’s very similar to radiography,” he says, as he places his particle detector beside the damp wall, still adorned by colorful floral frescoes.
Archeologists long suspected there were additional chambers on the other side of the wall. But just to peek, they would have had to break them down.
Thanks to this detector, they now know for sure, and they didn’t even have to use a shovel.
To understand the technology at work, Tioukov takes us to his laboratory at the University of Naples, where researchers scour the images from that detector.
Specifically, they’re looking for muons, cosmic rays left over from the Big Bang.
The muon detector tracks and counts the muons passing through the structure, then determines the density of the structure’s internal space by tracking the number of muons that pass through it.
At the burial chamber, it captured about 10 million muons in the span of 28 days.
“There’s a muon right there,” says Tioukov, pointing to a squiggly line he’s blown up using a microscope.
After months of painstaking analysis, Tioukov and his team are able to put together a three-dimensional model of that hidden burial chamber, closed to human eyes for centuries, now opened thanks to particle physics.
CBS News
What seems like science fiction is also being used to peer inside the pyramids in Egypt, chambers beneath volcanoes, and even treat cancer, says Professor Giovanni De Lellis.
“Especially cancers which are deep inside the body,” he says. “This technology is being used to measure possible damage to healthy tissue surrounding the cancer. It’s very hard to predict the breakthrough that this technology could actually bring into any of these fields, because we have never observed objects with this accuracy.”
“This is a new era,” he marvels.
Amazon
Amazon Prime Day 2024 is here again, and that means you can shop can’t-miss deals on everything from electronics to home essentials at the mammoth retailer. Though it’s only live for two days, July 16 and July 17, the blockbuster event is a huge opportunity for savings for Prime members.
If you’re already trying to plan next year’s deal-buying budget or just want to know when you might be able to see more sales pop up, we’re ready to share everything we know about Prime Day scheduling and other special Amazon sales coming up. It’s always good to be prepared, after all.
When is the next Prime Day?
Prime Day, Amazon’s annual two-day sale event with sales live now, typically happens in July. The exact dates for Prime Day 2025 have not been officially announced, as Amazon usually confirms the dates a few weeks before the event.
But based on previous Prime Day sales, we can make an educated guess about when Prime Day 2025 might take place. Historically, Prime Day has been held in July. In 2023, Prime Day took place on July 11 and 12. Amazon tends to schedule Prime Day to avoid overlapping with major US holidays like the Fourth of July as well.
That means it’s likely that Prime Day 2025 will happen on either July 14 and 15, or July 21 and 22, 2025. These dates fall on the second and third Monday and Tuesday combinations of the month, respectively. But it’s important to note that this is only an estimation based on past trends. We don’t know the exact dates, so make sure they’re confirmed before you make any decisions.
Amazon could choose to deviate from this pattern. But as soon as the dates are locked in, you’ll know about it.
12 best Prime Day deals for 2024 overall
You may have already shopped the Prime Day 2024 sale, but are you sure you’ve seen all the best Prime Day deals? There’s not much time left, so our team of shopping experts have put together this tight list of our 12 favorite Prime Day deals. Our writers and editors have bought many of these items during the sale.
- Amazon Echo Buds, $35 (71% off, was $120)
- Ring video doorbell, $50 (reduced from $100)
- Hanes men’s boxer briefs (6-pack), $13 (reduced from $22)
- Apple AirPods Pro 2, $169 (reduced from $249)
- Bissell Litte Green carpet cleaner, $82 (reduced from $124)
- Apple Watch Series 9 41mm GPS smartwatch, $280 (reduced from $399)
- Shark AI Ultra robot vacuum with cleaning station, $405 (reduced from $550)
- Beckman Hotel Collection queen-size bed pillows, set of two, $36 (reduced from $60)
- Keurig K-Mini coffee maker, $58 (reduced from $100)
- Black and Decker electric leaf blower, $34 (reduced from $51)
- Crest 3D Whitestrips Professional Effects, $30 (reduced from $46)
- Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet, $75 (reduced from $140)
Will Amazon have another deal day in 2024?
It’s almost a guarantee that Amazon will have additional deal days in 2024. Outside of the annual Prime Day event, Amazon has introduced other deal days throughout the year in the past. One example is the Amazon Early Access Sale, also known as “Prime Early Access Sale” or “Prime Day October,” which debuted in October 2022.
It’s a two-day event that serves up exclusive deals to Prime members. It has historically taen place in the fall, typically in October, and serves as a kick-off to the holiday shopping season. While the exact dates for the 2024 Early Access Sale haven’t been confirmed, if it does happen, it’ll likely occur in October this year.
Amazon occasionally offers other limited-time promotions and flash sales throughout the year, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, which provide customers with additional opportunities to save on their purchases. There are also opportunities for additional sales to pop up, like the Amazon Big Spring Sale we saw in March.
Keep an eye on Amazon as well as its promotional emails and communications to learn more about when you can expect to see deal days come around. We’ll keep you abreast of all the new developments as well, so be sure to keep checking back here.
How often does Amazon have deal days like Prime Day?
Amazon typically hosts several major deal events throughout the year, with Prime Day being the most well-known. On average, Amazon tends to have at least two to three major deal events that are similar to Prime Day per year. But there are plenty of opportunities to shop that pop up beyond Prime’s usual summer schedule. Here’s a brief look at some of the deal days you can expect to see scheduled throughout the year.
Prime Day: This is Amazon’s biggest and most popular deal event, held annually (usually in July.) Prime Day is a two-day sale featuring exclusive discounts and lightning deals for Amazon Prime members. It’s been a yearly occurrence since 2015, with the exception of 2020 when it was postponed to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amazon Early Access Sale: Introduced in 2022, the Amazon Early Access Sale is another two-day event usually held in October, which kickstarts the holiday shopping season. Like Prime Day, it offers exclusive deals to Prime members, hence the “early access” portion of its title. Amazon hasn’t confirmed an Early Access Sale for 2024, but it could still happen.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Amazon actively participates in these traditional holiday shopping events, offering a wide range of deals and discounts. These sales typically occur in late November, with Black Friday falling on the day after Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday following a few days later.
Miscellaneous seasonal and flash sales: Throughout the year, Amazon typically has plenty of sales tied to specific holidays or themes. There are even sales intended for you to Stuff Your Kindle with cheap or free books. Add on Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and other holidays, and you never know exactly what Amazon will have up its sleeve.
We’re tracking down all the best Prime Day discounts, including the best lightning deals and rival sales during Prime Day 2024. Whether you’re trying to find the best Prime Day deals on tech, Prime Day sales on beauty and fashion finds or Prime Day deals on health and fitness equipment, our team of expert deal hunters has you covered.
Amazon
Amazon Prime Day 2024 is here, and we found lots of amazing deals across tech, home and kitchen, including a discount on our favorite food storage containers from Vtopmart. The 24-piece container set is a 38% off during Prime Day, making it just $33. That breaks down to about $1.37 per container, which is definitely a steal given their popularity. Amazon shoppers consistently rave about these handy containers, awarding them a 4.7-star rating from more than 19,100 reviews.
Vtopmart’s airtight container set includes 24 food storage containers of varying sizes, perfect for holding all kinds of dry foods. These containers can help you organize and neatly store food in your pantry, which can often become one of the messiest and most disorganized areas in the kitchen. If tidying up your kitchen has long been on your to-do list, we recommend grabbing these before Prime Day ends.
We’re tracking down all the best Prime Day discounts, including the best lightning deals and rival sales during Prime Day 2024. Whether you’re trying to find the best Prime Day deals on tech, Prime Day sales on beauty and fashion finds or Prime Day deals on health and fitness equipment, our team of expert deal hunters has you covered.
Vtopmart airtight food storage containers, set of 24: $33 (save $20)
Amazon
This comprehensive food storage container set will tame even the messiest of pantries. The set comes with 12 tall containers (six that are 2.5 quarts and six that are 1.8 quarts), six medium containers (1.5 quarts) and six small containers (0.7 quarts). We love that these come with decorative, chalk labels, which will make organizing your pantry that much easier.
In addition to the downright stylish labels, we also like these food storage containers’ airtight seal, which is achieved thanks to the silicone gasket on the lids. This tight closure will help keep your food fresh and protect it from pantry bugs (this is especially crucial for flour).
The containers are made of dishwasher-safe, BPA-free plastic. They’re also stackable and conveniently see-through, making it easy to find ingredients and snacks as well as discern how much of them you have left. Keep in mind these are only for dry foods.
The Vtopmart airtight food storage containers are a favorite of Amazon shoppers and have a 4.7-star rating out of more than 19,100 ratings. One reviewer wrote, “I love that my pantry is so organized now and protected from rice and flour bugs. I thought this set had too many containers but I had just enough. Love them. My life feels free and organized.”
Another verified customer said, “I love the fact that they all use the same lid, there’s no searching through a stack of different lids trying to find the right one. They seem to seal well and I really like the labels.”
CBS News
Fentanyl, heroin, cocaine found “ingeniously concealed” in car muffler at U.S.-Mexico border
Nearly 17 pounds of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine were found hidden in the muffler of a car on its way from Mexico to the U.S. last week, according to Customs and Border Protection, which seized the illegal drugs at the border.
CBP officers stopped a 28-year-old man at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego at 4:30 a.m. local time and inspected his sedan with a K-9 team that alerted officers to the presence of narcotics. After a second inspection, they found irregularities with the muffler under the car.
In it were 10 packages containing 16.9 pounds of drugs – 4.62 pounds of fentanyl powder, 7.71 pounds of black tar heroin, 2.46 pounds of brown powder heroin and 2.11 pounds of cocaine.
CBP
The seizure is part of CBP’s Operation Apollo, a counter-fentanyl effort in California and Arizona that brings together several law enforcement agencies to target drug smugglers trying to get into the U.S.
Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person’s tolerance, usage and body size, according to the DEA. More than 2 kilograms of fentanyl were found in the car, according to CBP.
Fentanyl is a synthetic drug that can be used to treat patients with pain but it is 100 times more potent than morphine and is a Schedule II substance.
Illicit fentanyl primarily comes from labs in Mexico and is smuggled in to the U.S. Manufactured illicit fentanyl is often mixed with other drugs to increase potency, which means they often contain lethal doses.
Between July 8 and 14 a total of 1,610 pounds of illegal drugs were intercepted at San Diego’s border with Mexico, including 52 pounds of fentanyl, 1,310 pounds of methamphetamine and 235 pounds of cocaine, according to CBP Director of Field Operations for Sidney Aki.
When is the next Prime Day? Here’s how often Amazon has special deal days
Our favorite food storage containers are just $1.37 each during Prime Day 2024
Fentanyl, heroin, cocaine found “ingeniously concealed” in car muffler at U.S.-Mexico border
When is the next Prime Day? Here’s how often Amazon has special deal days
Our favorite food storage containers are just $1.37 each during Prime Day 2024