Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Did grave robbers plunder battlefields?

science.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 72 posts

Re: Did grave robbers plunder battlefields?

#51

Post by dweekly »

dmurray wrote: post #40
gdcbe wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Belgium we (not me) used the corpses from the famous waterloo battle to refine sugar.

Yes indeed. Science.org recently published an interesting interview [0] on exactly that, that even made the HN front page. [0] https://www.science.org/content/article/now-we-know-where-de...

The use of bone char to filter cane sugar is interesting -- but something that I'm finding puzzling is that the above linked article specifically says that the bone char was used for sugar beet processing, but many other online sources consistently state that bone char is never used for sugar beet processing, only sugar cane processing. Did it used to be used for sugar beet processing but techniques changed?

Re: Did grave robbers plunder battlefields?

#52

Post by voxic11 »

dweekly wrote: post #51
dmurray wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes indeed. Science.org recently published an interesting interview [0] on exactly that, that even made the HN front page. [0] https://www.science.org/content/article/now-we-know-where-de...

The use of bone char to filter cane sugar is interesting -- but something that I'm finding puzzling is that the above linked article specifically says that the bone char was used for sugar beet processing, but many other online sources consistently state that bone char is never used for sugar beet processing, only sugar cane processing. Did it used to be used for sugar beet processing but techniques changed?

Based on some reading, beet sugar refining is easier because of less impurities than cane sugar. So the modern technique for producing white beet sugar is to use vacuum evaporation to crystalize out the sugar out of beet juice leaving the impurities behind. Maybe before vacuum evaporation was invented beet sugar had to be undergo chemical processing similar to cane sugar to remove the impurities?

Re: Did grave robbers plunder battlefields?

#53

Post by u32480932048 »

DonHopkins wrote: post #44
angiosperm wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We know, anyway, that they used untold millions of cat mummies for locomotive fuel. In other news, Egyptians mummified millions of cats.

Now we make cat drones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW0hyg4kfaw

Cambyses II would be proud.

https://short-history.com/cats-caused-the-ancient-egyptians-...

Re: Did grave robbers plunder battlefields?

#55

Post by psunavy03 »

Borrible wrote: post #45
dmurray wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes indeed. Science.org recently published an interesting interview [0] on exactly that, that even made the HN front page. [0] https://www.science.org/content/article/now-we-know-where-de...

The deeper you plough this field, the more fruitful the findings. No dead end in sight. This may even take the cake. Dark and heavy Belgian cake. Cake of the dead, so to speak.

This sounds suspiciously close to the Anglican Inquisition . . .

Re: Did grave robbers plunder battlefields?

#56

Post by bnc319 »

dmurray wrote: post #40
gdcbe wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Belgium we (not me) used the corpses from the famous waterloo battle to refine sugar.

Yes indeed. Science.org recently published an interesting interview [0] on exactly that, that even made the HN front page. [0] https://www.science.org/content/article/now-we-know-where-de...

Can't tell if this is sarcastic or not but an entertaining example of everyone going straight to the comments (myself included). (for those who didn't see this is link is the same as the main post these comments are under).

Re: Did grave robbers plunder battlefields?

#57

Post by devilbunny »

onlypassingthru wrote: post #17
pizzafeelsright wrote: post #7

If there's ever a plane crash I'm looking for cash and watches.

Don't forget to grab a garbage bag full of weed on your way out.[0] [0] https://www.climbing.com/people/yosemite-dope-airplane-crash...

I don't have a link, but a similar story happened on top of a mesa near Moab, Utah, in the 1970s. Local climbers already knew routes to the top and hiked out with whatever they could carry before the feds could fully clear it.

Re: Did grave robbers plunder battlefields?

#58

Post by eddd-ddde »

gdcbe wrote: post #33
Borrible wrote: post #31

And then I thought, we've known for some time that dead men make good fertilizer. https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/200th-a... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterloo_Soldier

In Belgium we (not me) used the corpses from the famous waterloo battle to refine sugar.

Honestly I rather my body be used for something useful than wasting space in a box underground.

Re: Did grave robbers plunder battlefields?

#60

Post by soneca »

bnc319 wrote: post #56
dmurray wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes indeed. Science.org recently published an interesting interview [0] on exactly that, that even made the HN front page. [0] https://www.science.org/content/article/now-we-know-where-de...

Can't tell if this is sarcastic or not but an entertaining example of everyone going straight to the comments (myself included). (for those who didn't see this is link is the same as the main post these comments are under).

Definitely sarcastic. And I only realized the loop after clicking on the comment’s link (I had visited the post before, but not read it)
Post reply on HN