Scientists have identified a Bronze Age pottery tradition as one of the earliest examples of branding, proving humanity’s attraction to reliable commodities is thousands of years old. The week’s other major findings include a reconstructed galaxy that acted as early food for the Milky Way, a multi-spacecraft view of a solar eruption, and a detailed scan of a narwhal tusk.
Brands are not brand new
Luciani, Marta et al. “Creating a brand. Genesis, transformation and diffusion of Qurayyah Painted Ware.” PLOS One.
Modern commerce is saturated with corporate trademarks and online influencers. However, the pull of brands is ancient. A study on Qurayyah Painted Ware reveals this phenomenon began roughly 3,200 years ago.
This pottery style was popular in what is now Saudi Arabia during the Bronze Age. It features distinctive black-and-red geometric designs alongside stylized animal and human figures. These visual traits, combined with consistent production methods and quality, indicate the items were produced as a recognizable commodity for the wider community.
“It is now understood that brands and proto-brands existed well before modern economies,” said researchers led by Marta Luciani of the University of Vienna. “In this contribution we analyze the process by which the commodity itself—decorated pottery vessels—was developed into a brand not by added symbols but on the virtue of its visual identity, material consistency, technological continuity, centralized production, export circulation, local imitation, intentional commercial scope, and cultural reputation.”
The team concluded the study offers the first investigation of the dynamics leading to the genesis of a brand.
That is a vintage brand. Who wants to do the sponsored endorsement on socials?
A low-energy snack for the Milky Way
Massari, Davide et al. “Evidence of a massive accretion event 1.8 billion years before the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus merger.” Nature Astronomy.
The Milky Way spans 100,000 light years and holds hundreds of billions of stars. Its growth resulted from swallowing smaller galaxies over time, adding to its starry mass.
Scientists have now identified the remains of a galaxy that served as cosmic baby food for the Milky Way during its infancy some 12 billion years ago. By studying stars at the galactic centre using the Hubble Space Telescope, the team reconstructed an ancient merger between the Milky Way and a dwarf galaxy named “Low-energy-Kraken-Heracles” (LKH).
“Our conclusions are strongly supported by cosmological simulations, which typically predict between one and four substantial mergers in the history of a Milky Way-like galaxy,” said researchers led by Davide Massari of the Observatory of Bologna. “The identification of a third merger event in the inner Galaxy puts to rest earlier debates and, honouring previous works, we name the progenitor system Low-energy-Kraken-Heracles, or LKH for short.”
The study explains the origins of a group of metal-poor stars in the galactic centre. These are leftovers from the LKH galaxy, which was about as massive as 500 million Suns. This merger occurred before the engulfment of another galaxy, Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus, which happened about 10 billion years ago and significantly influenced the Milky Way’s evolution.
It goes to show that you are what you eat (in this case, yummy primordial galaxies).
The Sun goes ka-blowie
Luspay-Kuti, Adrienn et al. “The structure of a complex, asymmetric coronal mass ejection revealed by 17 spacecraft across the inner heliosphere.” Science Advances.
Our star regularly expels enormous streams of solar plasma known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These radiate across the solar system and can damage satellites or ground infrastructure.
While these solar blowouts are common, their underlying mechanics are poorly understood. Scientists now report unprecedented observations of a CME from December 2024, captured by 17 spacecraft. Measurements from NASA’s Europa Clipper, en route to Jupiter’s icy moon, revealed “a structure far more complex than could be inferred from single-point observations,” according to the study.
“This study demonstrates the power of coordinated multipoint observations to uncover the true complexity of CME evolution in the inner heliosphere,” said researchers led by Adrienn Luspay-Kuti of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. “Such structure would not have been resolvable from Sun-Earth line observations alone. As human exploration extends toward Mars, such comprehensive heliospheric coverage will be critical for protecting spacecraft and crew.”
Future crews to Mars will have to take cover from projectile star vomit. At least the complex workings of CMEs are gradually becoming illuminated, though we may never fully understand these mercurial outbursts.
Taking a tusk to task
Rodriguez-Palomo, Adrian et al. “The narwhal tusk assembles its macroscopic helix from building blocks with opposing twists.” Nature Communications.
Narwhal tusks are elegant, elongated ornaments that have inspired myths due to their unicorn-like appearance. They have also captivated scientists for generations.
A team has now unraveled the mysterious layers of the narwhal tusk using advanced X-ray imaging techniques. This allowed them to resolve its structure on atomic, nano, and micro scales. The examination confirmed the tusk consists of a left-facing helix, whereas another interior structure twists to the right. This mesh is sculpted with small deviations that mirror the iconic twisted spiral of the tusk.
“To finally solve the narwhal helical tusk puzzle, we combine multimodal imaging and multiscale orientation analysis, enabling accurate mapping of the tusk from the atomic to the macroscopic scale,” said researchers led by Adrian Rodriguez-Palomo of Aarhus University.
“The structural anisotropy and the ensuing anisotropic mechanics mean that the tusk can grow straight, unlike, e.g., the curved elephant tusk, providing the narwhal with its majestic, evocative defining characteristic,” the team concluded. “The formation of such a structure remains unknown, as we lack crucial information on narwhal tusk growth and development.”
Shout out to all the aspiring narwhal scientists out there—looks like there’s more work to do.
