—Crystal Skulls Deemed Fake “A potpourri of analytical techniques reveals purported Aztec sculptures are not bona fide” Humans seem to have a predilection for fake quartz-crystal Aztec skulls. Since the 1860s, dozens of skull sculptures have appeared on the art market purporting to be pre-Columbian artifacts from Mesoamerica, that is, created by the indigenous peoples of Mexico and Central America prior to Spanish exploration and conquest in the 16th century.
by Sarah Everts | March 04, 2013
Originally isolated from the dried leaves of a Mexican shrub, haplophytine is an active ingredient in "la hierba de la cucaracha," a natural insecticide in use since Aztec times. It comprises two heterocyclic segments and features a crowded quaternary carbon center. Chemists had made both wings of haplophytine, but the complete molecule had evaded synthesis.
by Carmen Drahl | July 20, 2009
It had been used to flavor xocoatl, the chocolate drink favored by the Aztecs, in Mexico, centuries before the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez (14851547) ran into it at the Aztec emperor Montezuma's court. Vanilla became popular in Europe soon after.? Today's vanilla beans of commerce, the Britannica says, are the cured, unripe fruit of Vanilla planifolia or Vanilla tahitensis.
by BY K. M. REESE | January 27, 2003
CLEAR SKIES University of Maryland researcher Lackson Marufu flew a Piper Aztec-E PA-23-250 airplane to help test air pollution during the 2003 blackout. PHOTO BY PEDRO BUENO Chemical & Engineering News ISSN 0009-2347 Copyright © 2004 E-mail the editor cen 82 25
by LOUISA DALTON | June 21, 2004
—Gut Microbes Bring Out Best In Cocoa “ACS Meeting News: Bacteria in a person’s colon break down tough-to-digest portions of the powder into fatty acids and heart-healthy small molecules” People have been stating—and overstating—the health benefits of cocoa ever since Aztec emperor Montezuma II drank it obsessively in the 1500s, according to John W.
by Lauren K. Wolf | March 24, 2014
At the time of the Spanish Conquest, beginning in the late-15th century, the Maya and Aztecs used chocolate with most meals. Usually they mixed it with another ingredient (for example, water, maize, chili, and/or honey) in different proportions to make a variety of drinks. Hurst and his colleagues, however, were looking only for chocolate.
by BY K. M. REESE | July 29, 2002
The Aztecs were the first to incorporate the peppers into their food, ritual, and culture. An early documented use, DeWitt says, was to discipline children by holding them over piles of burning peppers. Today, there are a wide range of slightly more enlightened industrial uses for capsaicin. It's what puts the punch in pepper spray, of course.
by RICK MULLIN | November 03, 2003
We can thank the Aztecs and their contemporaries in Mexico and Central America for discovering the cacao tree’s delights, explains Cornell University anthropologist John S. Henderson. In the 16th century, Spanish explorers brought cacao pods back to Europe and beyond; the world has been devouring chocolate ever since.
by Mitch Jacoby | February 07, 2017