The purpose of the mysterious 3,600-year-old Bronze Age sky disc of Nebra, which caused a world-wide sensation when it was brought to the attention of the German public in 2002, is no longer a matter of speculation. German scientists have discovered that the disc was used as an advanced astronomical clock. More »

CNN’s Business 2.0 has a great story about the future of private space ventures and the incredible multi-billion dollar opportunities that lie ahead. More »

A giant squid of 8.62m (28ft), nicknamed Archie after its Latin name Architeuthis dux, is on display at the Darwin Centre of London’s Natural History Museum. It is one of the biggest and most complete giant squids every found! More »

Since Coca-Cola introduced new types of bottles in the Netherlands they are now the same as those in Belgium. However, the Coca-Cola Company bottles here have a deposit of €0.25, but that is not the case in Belgium. Since the introduction Belgians have been crossing the border en masse to turn in their non-deposit bottles at supermarkets for €0.25 each. More »

Today, in the Dutch town of Etten-Leur, the world record of the largest number of people to jump rope simultaneously was broken. The original British record from 2004 of 2,350 people was broken today with a new total of 3,426. More »

This morning at 1:16am CET, Earth’s population hit 6.5 billion people. The next benchmark will be six years from now; the Earth will be home to 7 billion people on 18 October 2012. More »

After several years Disney has stopped offering their merchandise on eBay and has started their own auctions site. This move will enable Disney do more brand cross-promotions, as well as cross-link to other Disney websites. More »

On Thursday the city of Leiden began placing a huge billboard near the Centraal Station. When complete, the billboard will be 1100 square meters in size. The board will promote cultural events in Leiden, with the image of a huge bookshelf holding books with titles related to themes such as the celebration of Rembrandt’s 400th birthday this year. Leiden’s museums and landmark buildings will also be featured. The billboard will be located between the train station and the center of the city, so visitors will see it as soon as they arrive in the city. More »

Today the United States National Archives and Google have launched a pilot program to make the National Archives available for free online through Google Video. The non-exclusive agreement will enable researchers and the general public to access a diverse collection of historic movies, documentaries and other films. More »

The Rembrandt-themed Dutch Ice Sculpture Festival, an attraction in Leiden since December, has been a huge success. Nearly a quarter million people have seen the ice statues so far. The festival will close this Sunday at 6pm. At 5:30pm a group of blind and legally blind persons will be able to feel the sculptures. During the run of the festival, touching the sculptures by the public was not allowed. More »