Joint U.S. and Jordanian archaeological expedition have discovered what they say is a 3,000-year-old Iron Age temple related to the country's Moabite kingdom mentioned in the Old Testament. The temple dating back to between 1200 BC and 539 BC, was uncovered in Khirbat 'Ataruz, near the town of Mabada southwest of the capital city of Amman. The three-storey temple consists of a multi-chambered sanctuary and open courtyard. It is said to be the largest and most complete in the region. The dig also discovered more than 300 artifacts, including a figurine of four-legged Moabite god Hadad. Alarabiya.net.

Saudi Arabia said it intends to set up a research centre for civilian nuclear and renewable energy. It is aimed to meet rising demand for power and desalinated water. Former commerce minister Hashem bin Abdullah Yamani is reported to head the King Abdullah City for Nuclear and Renewable Energies, to be built in the capital city of Riyadh. Saudi authorities said the centre would undertake research in nuclear and alternative energies toward the goal to make power generation less dependent on oil and natural gas.

Alarabiya.net.

Educational fund FSTC is going to distribute in the US and UK 3000 free copies of a new Arab textbook on the scientific and cultural legacy of Muslim civilization. The textbook, called “1001 Inventions”, aims to shatter the myth about the so-called “Dark Ages” and instigate debates about interconnection among faith, science and culture. The textbook spans 1000 years of scientific, technical and social development underestimated in modern textbooks, the Middle East Online reports. The chief editor of the book explains: “The period between the 7th and 17th centuries, that has been erroneously labeled ‘The Dark Ages’ was in fact a time of exceptional scientific and cultural advancement in China, India and the Arab world. This is the period in history that gave us the first manned flight, huge advances in engineering, the development of robotics and the foundations of modern mathematics, chemistry and physics.”

Qatar is working on establishing a modern genetics centre, which will be the first in the GCC. It is to be accredited in October. Such centres are extremely hard to set up and are very expensive to run. This centre is being set up in the framework of the Newborn Screening Programme. To date, over 70 thousand newborn babies have been screened by the laboratory, the Gulf Times reports. Newborns are tested for such common problems as vision, hearing and metabolism disorders, as well as homocystinuria. The latter affects one in 4000 children and is a genetic disorder common to children of couples made between close relatives.
(two leading experts in the sphere are on the photo)