World
Archaeologists discover 12,000-year-old pebbles that could provide new insights about the wheel
12,000-year-old perforated stones found over years of excavations in Israel may “represent early evidence for the adoption of spinning with the ’spindle and whorl’ device,” according to newly published research in PLOS ONE.
The wheel-shaped stones were found at Nahal Ein-Gev II in the Jordan Valley of Israel, over many years of excavations. A total of 113 perforated stones have been discovered in the area since 1972.
Of those stones found, 48 of them had complete perforation, 36 were broken items with partial holes present and 29 were unfinished items with one or two drill marks, according to the research.
There were over 100 wheel-shaped stones found in Israel that researchers believe are an early example of a “spindle and whorl” device. (Talia Yashuv)
MOM, SON DIG UP ANCIENT OBJECT OFTEN FOUND NEAR BURIAL GROUNDS WHILE GARDENING
The stones were “dominantly limestone,” co-authors Talia Yasuv and Leore Grosman of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem wrote in their published research, ranging in weight from 1 to 34 grams.
Researchers came up with several theories about what these perforated stones could be.
“An initial thought was they may have been related to fishing,” Yasuv told Fox News Digital in an email. Researchers ultimately came to the conclusion that, because of the shape of the stones, the material, plus the shape and size of the holes made, that they were most likely spindle whorls.
The perforated stones were found during excavations of the Nahal Ein Gev II (NEG II) in Israel’s Jordan Valley. (Naftali Hilger)
ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIND SEVERAL ROCK CARVINGS OF ANCIENT BOARD GAME DATING BACK 4,000 YEARS
High-resolution 3D models were used in this research to study the stones in much more detail.
“For the naked eye, the collection of stones seems highly variable, with no standardization in the sense that every stone in the assemblage is different and unique,” Yashuv said.
“However, the 3D analysis pointed out morphological parameters that showed there are standard measures — for example, width/length ratio, a central location of the centre of mass, the fact that the perforations were located at that point too, and that the minimal width of the perforation is at a constant measure,” Yashuv continued.
The authors of the study noted that their theory could be strengthened by “use wear analysis,” but explained that the particular method was “beyond the scope of the present article.”
The stones were observed in great detail by researchers to gather a better understanding of their past use. Research included 3D modeling as well as a test with replicas to test the stones’ functionality as spindle whorls. (Laurent Davin)
FLORIDA PROFESSOR FIND EVIDENCE THAT ANCIENT EGYPTIANS DRANK HALLUCINOGENIC COCKTAILS
What was done as part of this study, beyond 3D modeling, was a feasibility test to test the functionality of the items as ancient spindle whorls. This was done with the help of Yonit Kristal, a traditional craft-making expert, per the study.
“Although those parameters pointed to the functionality of spindle whorls, we were left with a doubt and therefore ran a feasibility test with replicas we produced,” Yashuv said.
Though Kristal’s first initial attempt didn’t work well, the authors explained in their research, she eventually was able to spin both wool and flax using the pebbles as spindle whorls.
“Surprisingly, the experiment demonstrated that not only do the replicas function well as spindle whorls, but that the parameters we suspected as disadvantageous were actually beneficial for this purpose,” Yashuv said.
Yashuv believes that this discovery is bigger than just a matter of “who’s first.”
“The ‘earliest’ spindle whorl could easily become irrelevant when an additional earlier find will be found,” Yashuv pointed out. “However, since we suggest an explanation to how come the innovation disappeared, if an earlier find would be retrieved, it could join into the general scheme we presented.”
Through the multistep process of studying the perforated rocks, the researchers came to the conclusion that these items could have been spindle whorls that were used to spin fibers.
“In a cumulative evolutionary trend, they manifest early phases of the development of rotational technologies by laying the mechanical principle of the wheel and axle,” the researcher wrote in their study. “All in all, it reflects on the technological innovations that played an important part in the Neolithization processes of the Southern Levant.”
President Tinubu takes victorious tone despite recent mass kidnappings by armed groups across the country.
Published On 12 Jun 2026
Nigeria’s military has “neutralised” more than 13,000 “terrorists” in the past year, the president says, as armed groups and criminal gangs continue to carry out mass attacks and kidnappings in the country.
In a televised national address on Friday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said the death toll from Nigeria’s fight against armed rebels is down 81 percent since he took power in 2023.
list of 3 itemsend of listRecommended Stories
Tinubu added that “124,000 fighters and dependants have laid down their arms since 2023 through Operation Safe Corridor,” a programme aimed at rehabilitating repentant armed group members who voluntarily lay down their arms.
Tinubu’s speech was in commemoration of Nigeria’s Democracy Day, which marks the end of several years of military rule and the restoration of democracy in 1999.
However, despite the victorious tone of his speech, Africa’s second-biggest economy is in the throes of a spiralling insecurity crisis that has seen armed groups linked to ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda, as well as criminal gangs, abduct citizens for ransom money.
Soft targets, including schools, churches and mosques, particularly in vulnerable rural communities with limited state security presence, have been particularly at risk.
While armed groups initially limited their operations to the country’s north, they have begun spreading through thick forest corridors to attack targets in the country’s southwest.
Officials say the groups are shifting base because of military pressure on their locations.
Following unfounded allegations of a “Christian genocide” in the country by US President Donald Trump late last year, the United States military has since begun supporting Nigeria in conducting precision strikes on armed group locations. In February, 100 American soldiers were deployed to Nigeria.
Scores of people have been abducted since January alone, including teachers and pupils as young as four years old. The latest incident in May saw 46 people kidnapped from a school in southwest Oyo state.
On Monday, the Nigerian military said it rescued 360 people kidnapped by ISIL-linked Boko Haram and held in a remote mountain hideout in northern Borno State.
new video loaded: 13 Civilians Killed in Pakistani Airstrikes in Afghanistan
By Alisa Shodiyev Kaff
June 11, 2026
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey resigned Thursday after clashing with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government over military spending, dealing the British leader a setback weeks before a critical NATO summit to include President Donald Trump.
Healey’s departure stemmed from a dispute over the delayed Defense Investment Plan (DIP) — the government’s long-promised roadmap for military investment and readiness — and as NATO allies face renewed pressure from Trump to boost defense spending.
“John Healey’s resignation is a seismic moment for the government and the Ministry of Defense,” Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Senior Associate Fellow Ed Arnold told Fox News Digital.
“For the government, it creates a sequence of political headaches in terms of a replacement, and trying to get the Defense Investment Plan published.”
BRITISH PM KEIR STARMER MOVES UK MILITARY INTO ‘WAR-FIGHTING READINESS’
Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey speaks with British and Norwegian naval personnel at the unveiling of the Atlantic Bastion programme in Portsmouth, Britain, on Dec. 4, 2025. (Peter Nicholls/Pool via Reuters)
Healey had been in intense, late-stage negotiations with Starmer and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves over the scale and timelines of the DIP.
Starmer reportedly refused to set out a timeline to reach 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense by 2035 — a promise he made to Trump at last year’s NATO summit — and would not commit to a firm date for reaching 3%.
Instead, Starmer offered Healey a deal to spend 2.68% of GDP on defense by 2030, up only marginally from 2.6% next year, Reuters reported.
“You have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country,” Healey wrote to Starmer in his resignation letter, warning that the financial constraints would “make the country less safe,” the outlet reported.
NATO CHIEF URGES MEMBERS TO ‘TURBOCHARGE’ DEFENSE PRODUCTION AS HE PAINTS PICTURE OF A WORLD BOUND FOR WAR
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, U.S. President Donald Trump and Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer pose with NATO country leaders during the NATO Heads of State and Government summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025. (Ben Stansall/Pool via Reuters)
“If the delay to the Defense Investment Plan was already undermining the government’s credibility on defense, John Healey’s resignation has blown a hole in its side,” Professor Kevin Rowlands of the RUSI defense and security think tank told Fox News Digital.
“The immediate consequence is not just political embarrassment for No. 10, but a significant loss of planning certainty at a time when the British Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defense, and industry really need clarity on what will be funded, and when,” he added.
The political fallout is expected to reverberate across the Atlantic, where Washington has increased pressure on European allies to fulfill their defense obligations. Trump has frequently criticized NATO alliance members as “free riders.”
On June 3, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the upcoming Ankara summit would be the “most important meeting” in NATO’s history because there are some things “that need to be cleared up and fixed.”
He added, “The United States is still in the NATO alliance, and we’ll be there.”
TRUMP EFFECT FORCES GERMANY TO REPRIORITIZE DEFENSE AS NATION PLAYS CATCH-UP IN MILITARY SPENDING
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer increased the military presence in Cyprus following an Iranian drone strike early Monday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Kin Cheung / POOL / AFP via Getty Images))
However, U.S. officials have made it clear that patience is wearing thin.
“Ahead of next month’s NATO summit, POTUS has been clear: Allies must fulfil their commitment to spending 5% of GDP on defense,” U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker posted on X this week.
Furthermore, a U.S. official noted that a U.K. funding package far lower than 18 billion pounds ($23 billion) would send a highly “negative” signal to Trump ahead of the Ankara meeting, according to The Times.
Starmer has pledged to lift spending to 3% in the next Parliament but Healey’s exit has exposed that the current strategy leaves the U.K. lagging behind key allies. By comparison, Germany plans to spend 3.7% of its GDP on defense by 2030.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Healey knows the threats we face, he knows the capabilities and shortfalls the armed forces have, and if he believes that the financial settlement is not enough to keep the country safe — to the extent that he cannot honorably stay in post — then we are in trouble,” Rowlands added.
“While the impact will mainly be felt on Whitehall, the international implications are severe with a NATO summit just three weeks away,” Arnold noted.
-
Science47 seconds agoWarning of cuts to medical services, L.A. health officials ask state for emergency funds
-
Sports6 minutes agoCommentary: Cameron Brink is trying to navigate a fouled-up situation
-
World16 minutes agoNigeria killed more than 13,000 ‘terrorists’ in past year, president says
-
News43 minutes agoWhich billionaire said they learned a ‘significant lesson’ this week? The quiz knows
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoFire breaks out under roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoMayor Sheffield absent from People Mover board during alleged wrongdoing
-
San Francisco, CA3 hours agoDay Around the Bay: All BART Stations In San Francisco Now Have Free Wi-Fi
-
Dallas, TX3 hours agoReunion Tower debuts World Cup light show as Dallas welcomes fans
