NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 817: Frying Eggs
In 1956, Henry Lote led a French expedition in the Sahara Desert and discovered 10,000 murals.
The next year, he brought back replicas and photographs of the murals, which covered an area of about 11,600 square feet, to Paris, where they became a sensation that astounded the world.
From the large number of ancient artifacts unearthed, it was determined that the Sahara, between 10,000 and 4,000 years ago, wasn't a desert but a grassland—a lush oasis teeming with numerous tribes or nations living on this fertile land, creating a highly developed culture.
The most prominent feature of this culture was the widespread popularity of polished stone tools and the manufacture of pottery, marking a sign of productive capacity. The murals also contained Sahara script and Tifinagh characters, indicating a relatively high level of cultural development at the time.
At the time, this news was undoubtedly extremely shocking and sensational; nobody could have imagined that the land, sprawling over 9 million square kilometers of golden sand, was once a dense forest and grassland.
Nowadays, humans have gained a much more detailed understanding of Earth's history, and the revelation no longer seems stirring in comparison.
However, when people saw the murals depicting herds of cattle and sheep, and compared it with the desolate scene outside the cave, they still experienced a sense of astonishment and wonder.
The murals' form of expression or technique was not complex, but the content was rich and colorful.
From the brushwork, a sense of rough and simple touch emerged spontaneously.
Bi Fang moved closer, gently blew away the dust on the wall, and the image instantly became clearer, even the colors seemingly brightened.
"Before the industrial age, pigments were a very expensive commodity."
"But humans never lacked ingenuity in producing pigments, even during the Ice Age when human life was brutal and short, they still found time to create art."
"In the Blombos Cave along the West African coastline, evidence of tools dating back 100,000 years was discovered: there were grindstones and stone hammers used to crush ochre pigments, as well as abalone shells used to mix animal fats and urine for body decoration, leather, and cave wall adornments."
"In the Chauvet, Lascaux, and Altamira caves, the pigments used for rock paintings 1,500 to 3,500 years ago were charcoal, chalk, and crushed bone, as well as the red and yellow ochre iron ore deposits that resemble mud. They are testimonies to the early humans' masterful skill in using colors."
"However, the classic true red cannot be extracted from iron oxide minerals because their red color comes from soil and doesn't have the noble red of a sunset or blood."
"Most of the murals were made with different rocks and soils, such as red iron oxide, white kaolinite, ochre, green or blue shale acting as fuel, and some also used blood and animal fats—those in front of us are of this type."
Bi Fang leaned in and took a sniff. Despite the thousands of years, he could still detect different scents, that of an injured cow, its abdomen oozing gushing blood—perhaps to portray it more vividly, the painter had directly used real blood.
Perhaps because so much time had passed, the blood on the murals no longer appeared red but more brown.
Instead, the colors in a few other scenes were more vivid, with the red easily recognizable.
Bi Fang leaned in and took another sniff.
"The red color was made by grinding red rocks from the plateau into powder and adding water to paint. Because the moisture from the pigments thoroughly seeped into the rock wall, causing chemical changes over prolonged contact, they fused into one, maintaining the vividness of the images for a long time. After thousands of years, exposed to wind and weather, the colors remain bright and striking to this day."
"It's quite a remarkable phenomenon."
["Determining the type of pigments by smell, what kind of skill is that?"]
["I want to learn that."]
["Why do you want to learn everything? I won't teach you!"]
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[Dog's head]
On the rock wall extending for tens of meters, there were many human figures in addition to cattle and sheep.
Many were valiant warriors, exuding a daunting and inviolable aura, holding spears and round shields, riding rapidly on chariots, displaying scenes of battle.
Some were wrapped in waistcloths, wearing small caps; some weren't armed, appearing as though they were playing musical instruments; some seemed to be presenting offerings, as if welcoming the "gods" from heaven, perhaps symbolic of a ritual; some figures were depicted in dancing poses.
As for further inside, it was too dim to see clearly, and Bi Fang didn't rashly light a torch.
"To be honest, I don't know much about wall paintings, I can only match them up based on historical context and chemical pigments, trying to analyze them from a cultural perspective is beyond me."
[Teacher Fang is being modest]
[I only understand a tiny bit]
[Look, that's modesty from a big shot]
"However, beyond their cultural value, wall paintings have a lot of other practical significance, such as for studying historical climate change. Research into historical climates, apart from natural sampling analysis, cannot do without such historical data, both serving to corroborate each other."
There are generally two types of proxy evidence used in reconstructing historical climates.
One is historical documentation, which can be broadly divided into records of weather, meteorological disasters, phenology, regional climate characteristics, and their impact.
The other is natural proxy evidence, which currently mainly includes tree rings, ice cores, stalagmites, corals, lake and bay sediments, etc.
"Research into historical climate is an important part of historical geography, especially historical physical geography, with the main goal to study the history of climate and reveal past climate change patterns, to 'use the past for contemporary application'."
"Many studies now indicate: the era when humans affect the Earth's natural evolution has arrived. When human living environments are faced with severe challenges such as global warming and frequent extreme weather events, it becomes extremely important to study climate changes in historical periods."
"Alright, since there are wall paintings here, let's not disturb them, the pigment material is very sensitive to carbon dioxide."
"The wall paintings in the Altamira Cave in Spain, one of the twelve treasures of Spain, were severely damaged during the 1960s and 70s due to the influx of carbon dioxide brought in by numerous tourists."
"Since then, access has been limited, and now the waiting list for visits is already three years out."
"Let's switch to another cave instead and see if there's one with nothing at all."
After one last glance at the wall paintings, Bi Fang led Alpha out of the cave and checked several other caves on the same rock wall, finding that aside from the first one, several others also had some paintings, occupying about two-thirds of the total number.
In those caves without wall paintings, Bi Fang also found some other interesting things.
"When you encounter a cave in the wild, don't get excited thinking it's an opportunity for exploration; dark and damp caves are the beloved refuge for many venomous creatures, especially in the desert where the scorching sun during the day forces animals to find shady places to cool off, with caves being their preferred choice."
Without the worry of damaging the paintings, Bi Fang lit a torch, crouched down, and used the torch to attract the attention of a venomous snake in front of him.
"Look, a horned viper."
Bi Fang said with a smile.
The desert horned viper is a snake that is quite easy for ordinary people to identify, because it has two clearly visible horns on its head.
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At this moment, the Horned Viper was coiling behind a rock, its body blending seamlessly with the color of the pebbles, tight like a spring compressed to its utmost, clearly ready to strike.
Although he had caught venomous snakes in the desert several times before, a single misstep when handling venomous creatures often spelled doom, and there is no room for error, so Bi Fang also dared not get too close.
[I've seen it on the Animal Planet!]
[All vipers are venomous, right?]
[Is this today's lunch? (Dog's head)]
[Damn, those horns, so boss!]
[Indeed cool]
[Are the horns made of bone? Growing on the head? That's pretty badass]
"Not exactly, unlike the hard keratin of a rhinoceros horn, the two horns on the head of a Horned Viper are extensions of normal snake scales, which means, you won't see these two little horns on its skull," Bi Fang explained.
"These horns can even fold, flattening against the top of the head as it moves through subsurface layers of sand. They also fold when touched by humans."
"As a snake that lives in the desert, theoretically, the horns can protect their eyes from the harsh sunlight, preserving their vision while they slither over sand dunes."
"However, it's also possible that they use their horns to lure prey by rubbing their scales to mimic wriggling worms and other species, thereby attracting rodents and then killing them."
"One of the species' signature skills involves burying themselves in loose sand dunes with only their eyes exposed. The only thing a passing animal would see are its horns and eyes."
Bi Fang brought the torch closer so that viewers could clearly see the lower half of the snake buried in the gravel.
The cave was constantly exposed to wind and sun, accumulating a significant amount of gravel within a few meters of its entrance.
"This type of snake is almost never found in human-inhabited areas. They have undergone careful evolution to survive in desert regions. They can store the precious moisture from their recent prey and morning dew within their scales."
"It is said that in Greek mythology, Celastrus was created in the image of a Horned Viper."
Celastrus is one of the lesser-known chapters in Greek mythology, a terrifying horned snake monster.
Legend has it that this beast was born from Medusa's blood spilled in the Libyan Desert, an evil head capable of regeneration.
"According to the myth, Celastrus would leap out of the sand grains as it awaited travelers, sinking its fangs into them and dragging them under the sand. This beast is said to move laterally, which is attributed to Helen of Troy stepping on its back thousands of years ago during her elopement with Paris, and this is exactly how the Horned Viper moves as well."
The Horned Viper is one of the four species of rattlesnakes in the world; it does not slither forward but moves directly sideways, with only two small parts of the body touching the ground, aiming to minimize contact with the scorching desert floor.
Professional researchers can directly determine the number of ventral scales on the Horned Viper by the snake tracks left on the sandy ground, thus knowing its size and age.
"As for its venom, I won't say much, it's potent, and there's a chance of fatality if bitten. The venom destroys cell walls and the nuclei of these cells, and death is usually due to kidney failure as cells rupture, and organs can no longer function properly."
[Every time it's said how fierce and venomous the snake is, then getting so close himself, it's rather annoying [Brilliant]]
[The Snake King of South Africa, Austin Stevens, used to be on the science and education channel a lot, I remember one episode where he was bitten by a viper, forgot if it was the Horned Viper or the Gaboon Viper]
[To be honest, every time Master Fang introduces venomous snakes, I'm really scared (covers face)]
"And this one..."
Bi Fang tried to move around to see behind the Horned Viper, but at that moment, the snake suddenly made a relatively loud rustling sound, tensing up again, which discouraged him from continuing his attempt to get a better look.
Of course, he was only giving up on the idea of looking behind it, not on capturing it.
Bi Fang fixed his gaze on the Horned Viper, explaining as he shook the torch in his hand.
"Horned Vipers are of a calm temperament, but when faced with a threat, they coil their body into a C-shape and rub themselves as a warning to the enemy."
"Because their scales are quite hard, they can create a powerful rustling noise, like that of the Saw-scaled Viper. Both adults and young of the species can make this distinctive rustling sound and posses the ability for a rapid strike, so we must be cautious."
The torch, radiating high heat, firmly captured the attention of the Horned Viper, while Bi Fang held a tree stick in his other hand, quietly waiting for the right moment.
As he mentioned before, catching a venomous snake is a risky affair, and Bi Fang rarely handled them directly. He usually used a tree stick to hold down the head, then swiftly decapitated the snake.
Bi Fang had caught quite a few rattlesnakes using this method.
"Not all snakes rely on heat sensing to hunt; usually, only those in the Viperinae subfamily do so."
"Snakes like the rattlesnake, viper, desert viper, and Bamboo Viper, all have highly developed pit organs and use heat sensing as their primary means of locking onto prey."
The moment soon arrived.
Just as the Horned Viper could not stand it any longer and lunged out to attack, the tree stick in Bi Fang's hand came crashing down, instantly striking the snake's head.
The blow was forceful and decisive, aimed almost not just to restrain but to crush its head, causing the Horned Viper to roll frantically on the spot, churning the sand underneath into disordered patterns.
[Tree stick works wonders!]
[That makes my head hurt]
[That's so accurate]
Bi Fang didn't let it suffer for too long, he stepped forward, found an opening, held down its head, and chopped it off with a knife.
The rest of the body kept writhing, while he used the tree stick to flip open the snake's head and another stick to push aside the rock it was hiding under.
As the rock rolled to the side, dozens of round eggs suddenly came into view.
Bi Fang flicked his hat brim and whistled.
"Just as I thought, this one appears to be a female. Vipers generally lay their eggs in July and August, as do most snake species."
"If I'm not mistaken about the Horned Viper, they are active in April and then lay eggs after fifty to eighty days, which would be around June or July."
"We are lucky, tonight we can have fried eggs."