NPR: Excavations reveal sophisticated Mayan water filtration
A multidisciplinary team of UC researchers makes a startling find at Tikal
NPR's Weekend Edition talked to University of Cincinnati researchers about their amazing discovery that the ancient Maya created a sophisticated filtration system to keep drinking water clean.
A multidisciplinary team of biologists, anthropologists and geographers in UC's College of Arts and Sciences found evidence that the ancient Maya imported materials such as sand and zeolite for the express purpose of filtering water stored in the reservoirs that largely provided their only potable water during the dry season.
UC's findings were published this month in the journal Scientific Reports.
NPR host Scott Simon talked to one of the co-authors, UC biology professor David Lentz, about the team's discovery.
"The Maya were a very clever and inventive people. They had stunning architecture. They had beautiful sculptures. They were adept at astronomy. They had mathematics," Lentz said.
The project included lead author and UC associate professor of anthropology Kenneth Barnett Tankersley, UC geography professor Nicholas Dunning, UC assistant research professor Christopher Carr and UC professor emeritus of anthropology Vernon Scarborough.
Featured image at top: The ancient Maya city of Tikal. Photo/Jimmy Baum/Unsplash
UC biology professor David Lentz, pictured at UC's Center for Field Studies, talked to NPR's Weekend Edition about UC's startling discoveries about the ancient Maya. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC Creative + Brand
Related Stories
Cincinnati Enquirer: Black doctors urge residents to vaccinate...
May 7, 2021
In Ohio, 43 percent of the total population has started the COVID-19 vaccination, but just 23 percent of Black residents have gotten at least one shot. Hamilton County closely mirrors the state’s pace. A group of black physicians, including two University of Cincinnati faculty, have signed an open letter to the Greater Cincinnati Black community urging members to complete the COVID-19 vaccination.
Dermatology Times: Artificial intelligence diagnostics fall...
May 7, 2021
Pushkar Aggarwal, a third-year medical student at the University of Cincinnati, presented a research poster at the 17th Annual Skin of Color Society Scientific Symposium. His findings were reported by Dermatology Times.
Breaching the blood-brain barrier to treat tumors
May 7, 2021
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati, in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, have found that using ultrasound combined with RNA-loaded nanoparticles could help infiltrate the blood-brain barrier and deliver targeted, more effective treatment to brain tumors, while eliminating uncomfortable side effects.