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From baffling ancient Egyptian technologies to a hidden prehistoric forest found in a giant sinkhole, and the surprising historical significance of two ancient logs, these discoveries are reshaping our understanding of the past. New revelations continue to challenge what we thought we knew about history and civilization.
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00:00If there's a question that still baffles archaeologists to this day, it's this one.
00:05How did the ancient Egyptians build those magnificent pyramids?
00:09As far as we know today, their resources were quite limited,
00:13especially in terms of tools and building materials.
00:15We still don't have a fully satisfying answer.
00:18But hey, we've got some pretty amazing theories worth considering.
00:22The leading contender among these theories involves the clever Egyptians
00:27employing a sneaky strategy.
00:29Now, picture this.
00:30They constructed a slanted and curving mound made of bricks, earth, and sand,
00:35encircling the pyramid to be.
00:37As the pyramid grew taller and taller,
00:40they simply increased the height and length of this wacky structure.
00:43It's like they were playing an ancient game of Jenga.
00:46Now, how did they get those massive stone blocks up there?
00:50Well, according to the legendary ancient Greek historian Herodotus,
00:54they used sleds, rollers, and levers.
00:57It sounds like they turned construction into a supersized game of tug-of-war.
01:01And guess what?
01:02Herodotus also claimed that the Great Pyramid,
01:05you know, the one from Giza, the granddaddy of them all,
01:08took a whopping 20 years to build.
01:11There's more.
01:12Herodotus also dropped a mind-boggling number on us.
01:16100,000 men were supposedly involved in this pyramid extravaganza.
01:21Did they hire the entire Egyptian population?
01:24Well, it might not be as far-fetched as it sounds.
01:27These men were probably mostly farmers,
01:30so they probably focused on the pyramids
01:32when there wasn't much work to be done in the fields.
01:34You know, like during the flood season of the Nile River.
01:38Obviously, specialists in the archaeological community
01:41had something to add to this theory.
01:43By the late 20th century,
01:45they discovered some evidence that suggests
01:47the workforce might have been smaller
01:49and more permanent than previously thought.
01:52Instead of a massive army of 100,000 pyramid builders,
01:56they proposed that a modest crew of around 20,000 workers,
02:00accompanied by support personnel,
02:02like bakers, physicians, and even spiritual leaders,
02:05could have gotten the job done.
02:07There was also this theory
02:09that claimed that the pyramids were actually built
02:11from the top downward.
02:12It suggested that these colossal structures
02:15were nothing more than isolated hills used as quarries.
02:19The stones were supposedly drawn from these hills,
02:21and over time, competing engineers took charge
02:25and transformed them into the iconic pyramids we know today.
02:29Now, before you dismiss this theory as a wild fantasy,
02:33some folks thought it wasn't completely crazy.
02:35After all, there are instances where isolated hills exist.
02:39So maybe this theory had a tiny glimmer of truth.
02:43Whether it involved ramp building or ingenious work schedules,
02:47one thing is clear.
02:48Those pyramids have definitely left their mark on history
02:51and on our imaginations.
02:54Now, speaking of ancient Egyptian mysteries,
02:57there's this gigantic unfinished obelisk
02:59sitting in ancient Egypt.
03:01And scientists are trying to figure out how it was shaped.
03:04Now, some people suggest that our industrious ancestors
03:07use handheld pounders to get the job done.
03:11One expert has a different take on the matter, though.
03:13He argues that if we take a closer look
03:16at the pattern left behind by the shaping tool,
03:19we'll notice something peculiar.
03:21The walls of the trenches surrounding the obelisk
03:24display a neat and even pattern,
03:26which is pretty unlikely if they were pounded away
03:29by mere mortal hands.
03:31According to this expert,
03:32those horizontal striations are usually the result
03:36of a tool that takes breaks while removing material,
03:39leaving its mark on the surface.
03:41But wait, there's more.
03:43Imagine the tool being rocked back and forth
03:46against the trench walls,
03:47clearing away the waste to keep the trench from narrowing.
03:51Well, in that case,
03:52the tool might have left some funky horizontal striations
03:55where it was pressed against the sidewall.
03:57This sounds like some fancy technology at play,
04:00don't you think?
04:01And guess what?
04:02The dynastic Egyptians probably didn't have access
04:05to that kind of know-how.
04:07Another famous Egyptologist from way back
04:10also uncovered a bunch of core drills
04:12during his adventures.
04:13Although the actual drill bits are missing,
04:16his collection houses these particular core remnants
04:19made of limestone, alabaster, and even granite.
04:23These constructions aren't the only amazing thing
04:25the ancient Egyptians left behind, though.
04:28As it turns out,
04:29the Egyptians were the genius minds
04:31behind the creation of the handheld mirror.
04:34Yeah, that little mirror you use every day
04:37to check yourself out.
04:38But here's the twist.
04:39These mirrors are like pieces of art.
04:42They were decorated with inscriptions and figures.
04:44But that's not all.
04:46The Egyptians had a serious concern with their appearance.
04:49They knew the importance of personal hygiene
04:51and looking fabulous.
04:53So, in their quest for pearly whites,
04:56they invented toothbrushes and toothpaste.
04:59Dental problems were pretty common back then,
05:01and their smiles weren't exactly all white.
05:04Dentistry wasn't their strongest suit, you see.
05:07Maybe their minds were distracted
05:08by all that pyramid building.
05:10So, that doesn't mean
05:11those ancient toothpaste recipes weren't amazing.
05:14One delightful concoction
05:16included rock salt, mint,
05:18dried iris petals, and pepper.
05:20Some brave dentists in the 21st century
05:23tried it out,
05:24and it worked pretty well.
05:26Ground-up ash was also used in another recipe
05:28to create a tooth cleansing paste.
05:31Mint was missing,
05:32so they didn't do much for their breath.
05:34That's when the genius Egyptians
05:35came up with the world's first breath mints.
05:38They made tablets from heated spices like cinnamon,
05:41and they mixed it with honey.
05:43Now, let's shift gears to home decor,
05:46Egyptian style.
05:47They surely took ornamentation to the next level.
05:50While the concept of decorating furniture
05:52started in Mesopotamia,
05:54the Egyptians cranked it up a notch.
05:56They went all out with different colors of ink,
05:59and even developed various weights of paper.
06:02Oh, and let's not forget
06:03about those cute little area rugs
06:06we all have in our homes today.
06:08Guess who came up with the idea?
06:10Yep, the Egyptians.
06:11They used the versatile papyrus plant
06:13to make those cozy rugs.
06:15And speaking of trends,
06:17the Egyptians loved their knick-knacks.
06:19They had an assortment of small figurines
06:21in the shapes of cats, dogs, and people.
06:24These statues were made from various materials,
06:27like simple sun-dried mud
06:29to the ultimate bling of gold.
06:31It all depended on how loaded you were.
06:34The Egyptians were also all about farming,
06:37and they knew that clean water
06:39was crucial for their crops and animals.
06:41That's why they came up with some nifty inventions
06:43and techniques to make sure their land was fertile
06:46and their plants were happy.
06:48First off, they had the genius idea
06:51of using ox-drawn plows.
06:53They had two types of plows, heavy and light.
06:56The heavy plow would strut its stuff,
06:58cutting deep furrows in the soil,
07:00while the lighter plow followed behind,
07:02fluffing up the earth.
07:04But they didn't stop there.
07:05After plowing, the Egyptians would break up
07:08clumps of soil and sow the rows with seeds.
07:10To give those seeds a good old squish into the pharaohs,
07:14they'd march their livestock across the field,
07:16effectively closing up the furrows.
07:19But hey, all that hard work would be pointless
07:21if their seeds were as dry as the Sahara.
07:24That's where irrigation comes into play.
07:27The Egyptians were so good at it
07:29that other cultures, like the Greeks and Romans,
07:32couldn't help but copy their techniques.
07:34Now let's switch gears
07:35and talk about the marvelous architecture of ancient Egypt.
07:38These folks weren't just skilled farmers.
07:41They were also architectural maestros.
07:44They built these fancy canals
07:46to carry water to farms and villages.
07:48And boy, did they know how to make those canals look pretty.
07:51Just imagine strolling along a canal
07:54lined with ornate structures.
07:56The pharaoh Ramesses the Great
07:58was quite the overachiever when it came to construction.
08:01One of his mind-blowing creations
08:03was the construction located at Abu Simbel.
08:05This building was designed so that twice a year,
08:09the sun would shine directly into it
08:11and illuminate the statues of Ramesses.
08:14And let's not forget about the corbelled arch.
08:17Without this architectural gem,
08:19we'd be missing out on some mind-boggling structures
08:22like the Great Pyramid.
08:23The Egyptians knew how to make things stand tall and proud,
08:27thanks to their engineering and construction wizardry.
08:30They built grand halls and inner sanctums
08:32that make your jaw drop.
08:34And some of these temples doubled
08:35as astronomical observatories.
08:38Imagine you are walking to your car in the morning,
08:41but there is a problem.
08:42Your vehicle is not sitting neatly by the side of the road.
08:46Its rear end is sticking out of a gaping hole.
08:49This is what happened to a Queens resident,
08:52New York, back in 2020.
08:54A sinkhole had swallowed his SUV overnight.
08:58Events like this are nothing out of the ordinary
09:00in many parts of the globe.
09:02But sometimes, sinkholes can hide unspoken beauty inside them.
09:06In East Asia, a recent find stunned the scientific community.
09:11Cave explorers came across a colossal sinkhole
09:14that concealed an ancient forest.
09:16It is located in a province, Guangxi Zhuang,
09:20close to the north of Vietnam, the Ley County,
09:23where researchers discovered the hidden forest
09:25is already famous worldwide for sinkholes.
09:28This one brings the number to 30.
09:31They are scattered over an area the size of three Gibraltars.
09:35This is just a tenth of the total number of sinkholes
09:39in the whole country.
09:40The name, Tiankeng, for these large holes in Earth's surface
09:44translates as skyholes or heavenly pits.
09:48The dimensions of the new sinkhole are impressive.
09:51It is over a thousand feet long,
09:53and it's pretty deep, too.
09:55You could fit the Great Pyramid of Giza
09:57one and a half times inside it.
09:59The sinkhole's total volume matches that of
10:022,000 Olympic swimming pools.
10:04The exploration team had to hike for hours
10:06to reach the bottom.
10:08It was all worth it in the end.
10:10They discovered a pristine underground forest
10:13that had no trace of human activity.
10:16Scientists estimate that the plants date back
10:18to the time of the dinosaurs.
10:20The foliage reached to the explorer's shoulders.
10:23Some trees were two times taller than the Hollywood sign.
10:27This discovery was amazing,
10:29but not entirely unexpected.
10:32Geologists were familiar with this type of landscape.
10:35In this part of East Asia,
10:37karst topography is pretty common.
10:40The word is Slavic in origin.
10:42Since the late 19th century,
10:44geologists have been using it
10:46to describe barren limestone regions.
10:49This type of landscape features fissures in the ground,
10:52caves, underground streams,
10:54and, of course, sinkholes.
10:57Karst forms in parts of the world with heavy rainfall.
11:00The water dissolves materials
11:02such as limestone or dolomite.
11:04This creates a scenery
11:06that many people describe as wild beauty.
11:09Karst terrains have a practical purpose as well.
11:12They are ideal for storing water
11:14that humans can drink.
11:16Around 700 million people around the world
11:18use these karst aquifers
11:20as their primary water source.
11:22In the United States alone,
11:2440% of the groundwater used for drinking
11:27comes from them.
11:29Springs of Florida
11:30and the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky
11:31are just some of the most famous karst areas.
11:35Geologists classify around a fifth
11:37of the U.S. land surface as karst.
11:40This type of terrain exists on other continents as well,
11:43in the Caribbean, Europe, Australia, and Asia.
11:47Due to local differences in climate and geology,
11:50karst doesn't appear the same everywhere.
11:52In the Spanish province of Malaga,
11:55the landscape consists of barren rock.
11:57This is what the karst regions of Italy,
12:00Slovenia, and Montenegro also look like.
12:03In East Asia,
12:05the landscape over the karst is green.
12:07This is because of the humid tropical climate.
12:10Sinkholes and cave entrances
12:12are usually hidden behind lush vegetation.
12:15The region's unique appearance
12:17got it inscribed on the UNESCO's
12:19World Heritage List in 2007.
12:21The world's second most populous country
12:24is home to two-thirds of the planet's
12:26natural occurring sinkholes,
12:28Tiankengs.
12:29They start to form when rainwater seeps
12:32into cracks in the limestone.
12:34Over time, the gaps widen
12:36as more and more material is washed away.
12:39At one point,
12:40the ground above the limestone becomes unstable.
12:43The end result
12:44is the collapse of the surface layer.
12:46This happens suddenly
12:48and without prior warning signs.
12:50Once a hole forms in the ground,
12:52water starts filling it up.
12:53Another way for a sinkhole to form
12:56is the existence of an underground cave.
12:59Its roof can collapse.
13:00The shape of such sinkholes
13:02resembles a funnel.
13:04It is wider at the opening on the top
13:06and narrower near the bottom of the pool.
13:09The most famous of these sinkholes
13:11are cenotes.
13:12They occur naturally
13:13on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
13:15The region is home
13:17to more than 2,000 cenotes.
13:19They are all former caves
13:20whose roofs had collapsed
13:21at some point in time,
13:23and they are filled with fresh water.
13:25The local people
13:26have been using them
13:27as water sources
13:28for thousands of years.
13:29The ancient Mayas
13:30gave them mystical symbolism.
13:32For them,
13:33the cenotes were passageways
13:35to the other world.
13:36In reality,
13:37they are just a feature
13:38of karst terrain.
13:40Sinkholes that form in regions
13:41with abundant rainfall
13:43and limestone
13:44beneath the surface soil.
13:46The depth of a sinkhole
13:48can vary significantly.
13:49The smallest are barely
13:51three feet deep.
13:52When it fills up with water,
13:54it turns into a pond.
13:55A large lake
13:56can form in the place
13:57of a large sinkhole.
13:59One example
14:00is the Red Lake in Croatia.
14:02The most impressive thing
14:03about it
14:04are the steep cliffs
14:05that rise above the lake.
14:06They are nearly
14:07800 feet tall.
14:09The world's biggest
14:10and deepest sinkhole,
14:12Xiaoshai Tiankeng,
14:14lies in the vicinity
14:15of the Yangtze River.
14:17The outside world
14:18discovered it
14:19only in 1994.
14:21The hole is so deep
14:22that you could stack up
14:24seven statues of liberty
14:25inside it.
14:26During the rainy season,
14:28a waterfall cascades
14:30from the pit's mouth
14:31into a cave system
14:32at the bottom.
14:33But not all sinkholes
14:35fill up with water.
14:37This was the case
14:38with the newly discovered
14:39giant sinkhole in Asia.
14:41It developed
14:41its own ecosystem.
14:43The high humidity
14:44and low temperature
14:45inside it
14:46were perfect
14:47for plant life to thrive.
14:49The very bottom
14:50of the hole
14:51is connected
14:52to an underground water flow.
14:55Scientists discovered
14:5672 species
14:57of rare wild plants
14:59in the area.
15:00They are in danger
15:01of disappearing
15:02on the surface.
15:03But inside the sinkhole,
15:05they have found
15:06the perfect conditions
15:07for growth.
15:08The enormous opening
15:09in the ground
15:10is essentially
15:11a wildlife refuge.
15:13This was confirmed
15:14in 2021.
15:16That's when biologists
15:17discovered two species
15:19in the Yunnan province
15:20that they previously thought
15:21had gone extinct.
15:23Who knows
15:24what other animal
15:25and plant species
15:26are still hiding in there.
15:28Exploring these
15:29underground cave systems
15:30can be quite dangerous.
15:32They are often
15:33home to venomous snakes
15:34and mosquitoes.
15:35Even descending
15:36into a sinkhole
15:37is perilous.
15:38The cliffs are steep
15:39and stones
15:40are often very sharp.
15:42That's why
15:43the exploration
15:44of sinkholes in Asia
15:45is going slower
15:46than research would like.
15:48The sinkholes
15:49I've mentioned so far
15:50have all formed naturally.
15:52Erosion is the main process
15:54behind their creation.
15:55But the ground
15:56can also open
15:57because of human activity.
15:59Everything from
16:00a construction site
16:01to a leaking sewer pipe
16:02can cause the earth
16:03to give way.
16:05Sinkholes in urban areas
16:06pose a risk
16:07to infrastructure.
16:09One of the most famous
16:10examples of this
16:11happened in Japan
16:12in 2016.
16:14A busy street
16:15in downtown Fukuoka
16:16collapsed near
16:17the main train station.
16:19The sinkhole
16:19severed power lines
16:21and pipes
16:21that lay underground.
16:23Luckily,
16:24no one was injured.
16:25The diligent
16:26Japanese engineers
16:27repaired the damaged
16:28road section
16:29in just 48 hours.
16:31The biggest issue
16:33with sinkholes
16:33is that you never know
16:35when and where
16:35they are going to open.
16:37The best tool
16:38that geologists have
16:39for detecting
16:40underground cavities
16:41is ground penetrating radar
16:43GPR.
16:44It resembles a landmower.
16:46The operator
16:47goes up and down
16:48a troubled area
16:49to scan the ground
16:50underneath.
16:50The radar
16:51sends out impulses
16:53that detect any contrast
16:54between different materials.
16:56It feeds back
16:57this info
16:58in the form of a 2D
16:59or a 3D image.
17:01Once engineers
17:02detect a potential sinkhole,
17:04they use different techniques
17:05to stabilize the ground
17:07above it.
17:07The simplest method
17:09is called grouting.
17:10It involves filling the hole
17:11so it won't collapse.
17:13The most common materials
17:15are polyurethane foam
17:16and cement.
17:18The alternative
17:19is to lift a structure
17:20above the sinkhole.
17:21This technique
17:22is called underpinning.
17:24Workers drive steel rods
17:26into the load-bearing
17:27deeper layer of soil.
17:29This is the same
17:30construction method
17:31engineers use
17:32to erect stilt houses
17:33above the waterline.
17:39So a team of archaeologists
17:40digging in the far north
17:42of Zambia
17:42stumbled upon something
17:44that could change
17:45all we know
17:46about early humans.
17:47Was it a Walkman?
17:49Nah.
17:50It's a wooden structure
17:51built around
17:51half a million years ago,
17:53the oldest of its kind
17:54on Earth.
17:55The construction
17:56consists of two logs
17:58that had been shaped
17:59to fit together,
18:00something like Lincoln Logs,
18:01those toy building sets.
18:02There's no chance
18:04that the two logs
18:05could have just drifted
18:06along the river
18:07and merged in that shape
18:08naturally.
18:09They were carved
18:10with sharp tools
18:11before Homo sapiens,
18:13or modern humans,
18:14appeared in Africa.
18:15Researchers don't know
18:17which species
18:17of ancient humans
18:18could manage to create
18:19something like this,
18:20but they were pretty great
18:22at planning
18:23and maybe even
18:24used some language
18:25to discuss
18:26their construction projects.
18:27It also means
18:28we can't be so sure
18:30that Stone Age folks
18:31were just wandering nomads.
18:33They might have been
18:34more settled down
18:35than we thought,
18:35with enough resources
18:37to stick around
18:38in one place.
18:39Finding wooden stuff
18:40from the Stone Age
18:41is like looking for
18:42a needle in a haystack,
18:43because it decomposes
18:45over time,
18:46much like Beethoven.
18:49But this one
18:50was found near
18:51Colombo Falls,
18:52near the border
18:53of Zambia and Tanzania.
18:54The construction
18:55might have been
18:56a walkway,
18:56a firewood
18:57or food storage spot,
18:59or a base for shelter.
19:00It was preserved
19:01so well
19:02in waterlogged sediments
19:03that have no oxygen
19:04and kept
19:05the construction fresh.
19:07The discovery
19:07has marks
19:08left from tools
19:09that were used
19:10to make the two pieces
19:11fit together.
19:12Archaeologists also
19:13dug up
19:14four ancient
19:15wooden tools
19:16at a site,
19:16a wedge,
19:17a digging stick,
19:19a chopped log,
19:20and a branch
19:21with a notch,
19:21all dated back
19:22to over 300,000 years ago.
19:25Scientists analyzed
19:26minerals in the sand
19:28around the goodies
19:28they found
19:29and used a technique
19:30called luminescence dating
19:32to tell the age
19:33of the finds.
19:37Experts believe
19:38that they should study
19:39more waterlogged sites
19:40because they could have
19:42more examples
19:42of ancient woodworking.
19:44Archaeologists have
19:45to be really careful
19:46while working
19:47with these finds
19:47not to damage
19:49the delicate wood,
19:50so they use
19:51plastic tools.
19:52The team
19:53that found
19:53the construction
19:54had to keep
19:55the wood wet
19:55so it wouldn't
19:56lose traces
19:57of human activity
19:58or break.
19:59They took it
20:00to the UK
20:00to study in special tanks
20:02for underwater photography.
20:04There,
20:04they made 3D models
20:06of the wood.
20:07The earliest wooden artifact
20:08found so far
20:10is a piece of polished
20:11plank from Israel,
20:12which is over
20:13780,000 years old.
20:15There were also
20:16some wooden tools
20:17for foraging
20:18aged 400,000 years,
20:20but none of these finds
20:21are as progressive
20:22as the wooden construction
20:24in Africa.
20:26Scientists found
20:27cotton fibers
20:28from the ancient
20:28Near East
20:29that are 7,000 years old,
20:31the oldest of their kind.
20:33The place where
20:34they were found
20:34is like a time capsule,
20:36with mud brick buildings
20:37with all sorts
20:38of ancient goodies,
20:39giving us a peek
20:40into what life
20:41was like back then.
20:42They've already found
20:43signs of ancient parties
20:45with spots
20:46for stashing food.
20:47Usually,
20:48stuff from this era
20:48turns to dust,
20:50but thanks to
20:51fancy microscopes,
20:52experts can dive deep
20:53into the sediment
20:54collected from the site
20:55and uncover all sorts
20:57of organic remnants,
20:58including these
20:59cotton threads.
21:00People used to think
21:01the fabrics here
21:02were made from
21:03local plants,
21:04but it looks like
21:05this cotton
21:05might have traveled
21:06all the way
21:07from the Indus region,
21:09which is
21:09modern-day Pakistan.
21:11The ancient village
21:12of Tel Saf
21:13might have been
21:14more connected
21:14than we thought,
21:15part of some
21:16international trade network.
21:18There's more evidence
21:19backing up this idea,
21:21like beads from
21:21Anatolia,
21:22Romania,
21:23and Egypt,
21:24and pottery
21:25from other countries.
21:28The oldest known
21:29leather shoe
21:30that was found so far
21:31was waiting
21:32for 5,500 years
21:34in a cave
21:35in present-day Armenia.
21:36A British archaeologist
21:38stumbled upon this gem
21:39under a busted jar
21:41at the bottom of a pit.
21:43Alongside the shoe
21:44was a deer's shoulder blade,
21:46wild goat horns,
21:47a fish vertebra,
21:48and some scattered
21:49pottery shards.
21:51The shoe itself
21:51is pretty simple,
21:52made from a single piece
21:54of cowhide
21:54wrapped around
21:55the right foot,
21:56held together
21:57with a leather lace
21:58running through eyelids.
21:59To keep its shape,
22:01they stuff some grass inside.
22:03Scientists are not sure
22:04who rocked this shoe,
22:06but they use
22:06radiocarbon dating
22:07to figure out its age
22:09along with the grass stuffing.
22:10These shoes
22:11look a lot like
22:12the ones folks
22:13still wear today
22:14on Ireland's
22:15Aran Islands.
22:16The same tech
22:17and methods
22:17used to make
22:18these shoes
22:19stuck around in Europe
22:20until the middle
22:21of the 20th century.
22:24Near Leipzig,
22:25diggers found a grave
22:26from about 2,500 years
22:28before the current era
22:30packed with over
22:31a hundred dog teeth
22:32all lined up
22:33neat and tidy.
22:34These teeth
22:35could have been a part
22:36of a fancy flap
22:37for a handbag.
22:38The leather
22:39or fabric
22:40that was holding it together
22:41must have disappeared
22:42over centuries.
22:43If it's true,
22:44that would be
22:45the oldest purse
22:46in the world
22:47all the way
22:48from the Stone Age.
22:49Using dog teeth
22:50and hair ornaments
22:51and necklaces
22:52for both women
22:53and men
22:54was, you know,
22:54trendy back then,
22:56according to experts.
22:57Whoever was
22:58the owner of the purse
22:59must have had
23:00a high social status,
23:01judging by the number
23:02of materials
23:03used to make it,
23:04not counting
23:05all the toothless dogs.
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