New Magnetic Survey Reveals Ancient Assyrian Capital’s Hidden Structures
A newly conducted magnetic survey has unveiled several previously unknown structures at the ancient Assyrian capital of Khorsabad in northern Iraq, according to reports. The site, dating back 2,700 years, was originally established as Dur-Sharrukin, or “Fortress of Sargon,” by Neo-Assyrian Emperor Sargon II in 713 B.C. The discoveries include a sprawling villa with 127 rooms, royal gardens, and a water gate, challenging earlier assumptions that the city was left largely incomplete before its abandonment in the eighth century B.C.
Details of the Survey and Findings
The findings, presented by Jörg Fassbinder, a geophysicist at Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, during the American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2024 Annual Meeting, were obtained without excavation. A magnetometer was manually operated over 0.3 square kilometres of the site, revealing structures far beyond the previously excavated palace complex. The villa, described as being twice the size of the White House, and other features suggest a level of development previously unrecognised in Khorsabad.
Sarah Melville, a historian of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, commented in an email to Live Science that the non-invasive mapping technique provided valuable insights while preserving the integrity of the site. Melville’s observations highlight the importance of using advanced tools to gain a more comprehensive understanding of historical capitals like Khorsabad.
Historical Context and Preservation Challenges
Sargon II’s death in 705 B.C. resulted in the capital being abandoned as his successor, Sennacherib, shifted focus to Nineveh. While 19th- and early 20th-century excavations uncovered parts of the palace and iconic statues like the Lamassu, significant portions of the city remained unexplored. The site also suffered damage during looting by the Islamic State in 2015, with archaeological work resuming only after 2017.
Experts, such as Daniele Morandi Bonacossi of the University of Udine, in their statement have noted that this research fills critical gaps by exploring non-monumental architecture and urban structures, providing evidence of a thriving community. The future of the newly identified structures remains uncertain, as further excavation decisions are awaited.
For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.
Nuclear physicists have detected the radioactive disintegration of a rare isotope of astatine for the first time. This shows that the heaviest element found in nature may be modified a lot, maybe even destroyed, in a way that scientists didn’t predict. That oddball radioactive decay with 85 protons and 103 neutrons is almost (but not quite) a nuclear species that we would call stable. The finding was made by researchers at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland, and it’s a major development for nuclear physics. It describes something that just shouldn’t be and then shows us what the forces are that make for heavy atomic structures.
Rare Proton Decay in 188At Sheds Light on Extreme Nuclear Shapes and Stability Limits
As per a report published in Nature Communications on May 29, 2025, the isotope was produced using a fusion-evaporation reaction that entailed the irradiation of a natural silver target with strontium-84 ions. The exotic nucleus, 188 At, has a pronouncedly prolate form (of a ”watermelon” type) generated by the neutron and proton normal and attractive interaction in the inner shells of heavy nuclei experienced as a projectile in our case study.
Henna Kokkonen, the doctoral researcher who made the discovery, has mentioned that the proton emitted allows an unstable nucleus to progress towards stability by getting rid of a proton. The 190 At isotope was found by Kokkonen with the investigation of rare decay in the heavy nucleus, the rare interaction in the binding energy of the proton, and presumably a tendency change in the heavy atom region.
The team of the theory and experiment workshop pointed out the importance of exploring new decay modes and testing predictive models at the extremes of the periodic table. They also talked about how technology has improved in making and studying isotopes with short lifetimes.
Isotope discoveries of this scale remain rare in modern nuclear physics. Kokkonen expressed pride in contributing to a global effort that deepens our understanding of atomic structure. Each such finding helps refine our knowledge of nuclear forces, elemental formation, and the fundamental limits of matter. The breakthrough underscores how even after a century of nuclear science, the field continues to yield surprises from the smallest building blocks of the universe.
For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway