The extent of any damage is not yet known to the roughly 1,120-page Codex containing his drawings and writings from 1478-1519 on topics ranging from flying machines to weapons, mathematics to botany. Mould was first identified in April 2006 by an American scholar, and confirmed by the conservation experts from the Florence-based state conservation institute, Opificio delle Pietre Dure. Until the scientific analysis is done the extent of the damage and its cause will not be identified, said the Opificioâs deputy director, Cecilia Frosinini. Frosinini said the mould could be the result of factors including exposure during any exhibition or study, or the unintended consequence of a 1968-72 restoration. read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — The consultant overseeing the bankruptcy reorganization of a Manhattan art gallery has sought court permission to take more than 200 works of art — including those of Leonardo Da Vinci and Jackson Pollock — out of the hands of the gallery’s owner. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan Thursday, the consultant, Joseph Sarachek, said he was hired by the sole owner of Salander-O’Reilly Galleries LLC to manage the gallery’s bankruptcy reorganization. Benucci also transferred 14 pieces to Salander-O’Reilly for the gallery to sell under an arrangement in which Benucci would get some of the sale proceeds and Salander-O’Reilly would return to Benucci all artwork that it didn’t sell by Dec. Benucci has asked the bankruptcy court to not only have the artwork returned, but also to have the cost of shipping the pieces to Rome paid, which Benucci said Salander-O’Reilly agreed to in the contract. read more
The remaining leaf skeleton, the least-digestible element of the structure, is pulled downward by earthworms, which use bacteria in their gut to complete the leaf's transformation into the humus that gives soil its dark richness and life. Nardi, a scientist at the University of Illinois, writes in his newly published book, "Life in the Soil," that a square meter of healthy garden soil is home to 10 trillion bacteria, 10 billion protozoa, 5 million nematodes, 100,000 mites, 50,000 springtails, 10,000 creatures called rotifers and tardigrades, 5,000 insects and arachnids, 3,000 worms and 100 snails and slugs. Nardi writes that "the billions upon billions of soil bacteria exert an extraordinary influence on the health of the earth. Organic gardeners and farmers have always felt intuitively that you ignore the soil at your peril, but not until the recent past has the scientific basis for that become more broadly understood beyond the realm of soil scientists and microbiologists. In support of that, I recall a professional gardener at an arboretum telling me years ago that beech trees don't show meaningful top growth for seven years after planting, for it is during that period that beech-specific fungi are growing in the root zone. read more
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A rare 710-year-old copy of the Magna Carta, among the most important historical documents ever to hit the auction block, sold for $21. The last remaining copy in the United States and the last in private hands, the Magna Carta, one of 17 known to exist, was sold by The Perot Foundation, created by billionaire former U. Sotheby's called "the most important document in the world," established the rights of the English people and curbed the power of the king. Sotheby's said the Magna Carta was ratified and reissued with each monarch who succeeded John. Magna Carta , which has been in display at Sotheby's since December 7, will remain on public view at least through Wednesday. read more
