In the News:
Unidentified
DNA Hair Sample Maybe Yeti - Scientists from the Institute of Molecular
Medicine in Oxford, England, have admitted that they have not been able
to identify a hair sample, supposedly from a Yeti
(also called the Abominable Snowman), as coming from any known creature.
The hair, found by a British expedition team while working on a TV documentary,
was taken from a tree in a forest in the Kingdom of Bhutan, on the eastern
side of the Himalayas. The expedition was led to the location by Sonam
Dhendup, the King of Bhutan's official yeti hunter for the past 12 years.
Locals people had claimed they had discovered a piece of a mysterious
skin in that forest. The results of DNA analysis on the hair surprised
even the most skeptical researchers. Bryan Sykes, one of the scientists
involved in the testing, told New Scientist that the sample was
not human or bear, or anything else that they have so far been able to
identify,
Ghost
Survey Completed in Edinburgh - Ghostbusters, led by psychologist
Richard Wiseman from Hertfordshire University in southeast England, spent
10 days probing rooms in Edinburgh, Scotland to see if they could find
scientific evidence of any phantom presence. Although the high-tech detectors
scanning the vaults for drafts, temperature, magnetic fields and lights,
found only a large round green blob on a pair of photographs, scientists
were intrigued that many of the 250 volunteers asked to travel through
the rooms reported having ghostly encounters in only certain chambers.
Most of the rooms visitors cited in the reports as being spooky were those
already reputed to be haunted, though none of the volunteers knew the
reputation of each room. Reports included a feeling of being watched or
a sudden drop in temperature. Other visitors felt something touch their
face or tug at their clothes. Wiseman isn't convinced that ghosts are
really involved yet, but admits that the subject requires further investigation.
Dinosaur
Uses Feathers for Warmth - A fossil carved by farmers from the Liaoning
fossil beds in northeastern China last spring is the first showing a feathered
dinosaur with its fluffy body covering fully preserved. Scientists claim
it provides further proof that modern birds evolved from dinosaurs. The
animal, a dromaeosaur, is part of a group of small predators related
to the Velociraptor which walked on two legs. Mark Norell, chairman of
paleontology at the Museum of Natural History in New York speculated that
since the dromaeosaur walked and didn't fly, it proves that feathers first
developed for warmth rather than flight.
NASA
Launches X43 -After scrapping the X-33 project last month NASA has
unveiled a new project designated the X43A. The X43A is designed to fly
at up to 10 times the speed of sound. Unlike the rocket-powered X-15,
which holds the current speed record of 6.7 times the speed of sound,
the X-43A has an air-breathing engine. The plane carries hydrogen for
fuel, but must suck oxygen out of the atmosphere to burn, unlike rockets
which carry their own oxygen with them. The first X-43A will be unpiloted
and make its test flight in mid-May, flying under its own power for 10
seconds before it does a splash down into the Pacific Ocean. The $185
million project is just an experiment and its not expected that the first
piloted prototypes will fly until 2025.
Shroud
of Turin Real Authenticated by Sudarium of Oviedo?- Tests are going
on this month in Oviedo, Spain on the Sudarium of Oviedo to try
and determine if it dates back to the time of Christ. The Sudarium of
Oviedo is supposed to be the cloth that had covered Jesus' head when he
was buried in the same way the Shroud of Turin supposedly covered his
entire body. Carbon-dating tests done previously set the age of the shroud's
creation in the 13th century making it a fake, probably created in Turkey.
However, microscopic testing a sample of dirt taken from the foot region
of the burial linen in 1978 has been shown to contain crystals of travertine
argonite, a relatively rare form of calcite found near the Damascus Gate
in Jerusalem. Also pollen studies done by Max Frei of Switzerland show
pollens specific to Palestine on the shroud. Researcher Dr. Alan Whanger,
professor emeritus of Duke University, claims that the pattern of wounds
on the Sudarium of Oviedo exactly match those seen on the Shroud of Turin.
If so, it would prove that the Shroud of Turin is at least as old as the
Sudarium of Oviedo which has a history that can be traced back to 610
AD. This would make the Shroud of Turin at least 600 years old than what
the Carbon-dating test shows.
New
Theory to Bump-Off Big Bang? - The physical universe began not with
a "Big Bang" according to a new theory, but with a tremendous
collision with another universe. According to Princeton University physicist,
Paul Steinhardt, and his colleagues, the universe began as a three-dimensional
void in a higher-dimensional space. It was attracted to another such universe
and the two lined up and collided with each other along their surfaces.
The theory, dubbed "The Big Collision," is tentative. However,
the scientists say it explains many observations of the universe, like
it's extraordinarily homogeneous, better than the Big Bang.
SciFi
Replicator a Step Closer- Scientists are one step closer to creating
a "replicator" much like that shown on the science fiction television
series Star Trek. The show pictured a machine that could be given the
specifications of a complicated device and in seconds that machine could
create the object from raw materials. John DuPont, assistant professor
of materials science and engineering at Lehigh University, is working
on a machine that will do something very similar. The device uses a laser
to melt metallic powders as they are sprayed onto a substrate that moves
on a special table. As the table moves and the materials are sprayed on
and the object is built up layer by layer in whatever shape directed by
a computer. Other systems have been built to create similar shapes by
computer, but not using metallic materials.
What's New at the Museum:
The
Lybarinth at Knossos - The Ancient Greeks told
stories about the hero Thesesus who traveled to Crete to enter a maze
called the Labyrinth and kill a half-man, half-bull monster called the
Minotaur. Is any part of this legend true? The
Lybarinth at Knossos.
Weird
Geology: Geysers - What causes these natural
boiling fountains? Why are they so rare? And why are many being destroyed?
Weird Geology: Geysers.
Also, do you know what a fumarole is? If not, visit our Gallery
of Geyser Field Formations and find out. Gallery
of Geyser Field Formations.
A
Sea Serpent Named "Chessie"- One of the earliest modern
sightings of "Chessie," the sea monster that supposedly appears
in the Chesapeake Bay off of America's east coast, occurred on May 31,
1982 when it was seen by Robert and Karen Frew and friends. In the early
evening they spotted what looked like a creature swimming within 100 feet
of the shore. It seemed to be about 30 to 35 feet long and one foot in
diameter. Robert Frew video taped the animal and the tape was shown to
a group of scientists meeting at the Smithsonian Institute. The scientists
could not identify the object, though they admitted that it appeared to
them to be "animate." It was shortly after several incidents
at this time that "Chessie" was given its nickname.
In the Sky:
Mars
Goes Backwards - This is the month to start taking a close look at
Mars. It will be rising late in the evening (around midnight) in the SE.
If you watch it night after night this month you will notice something
strange. Every night up to May 11th it will appear a little further east
against the star background. This is its normal orbital motion as seen
from Earth. On May 11th, though, Mars will go into retrograde motion and
appear to start moving backwards! It will do this for the next two months.
The planet does not actually change its orbit. The apparent reverse in
motion is only the result of our movement as we ride along with on our
own orbital path with planet Earth. For more information on this subject
check out our flash film: Conjuctions and
Occultations.
Observed:
UFO
Group Shuts Down - Mission to Earth Complete? - The British Flying
Saucer Bureau is closing after nearly 50 years because of a drop in
the number of reported UFO sightings. The group at times received at 30
reports a week, but now sightings have virtually disappeared. Denis Plunkett,
70, who founded the BFSB in 1953 with his late father Edgar, believes
that perhaps the alien visitors have completed their survey of the earth
and have gone home.
In
Hunt For Nessie, Witch 1, Scientists 0 - There was a clash of interests
at Loch Ness this month. Equipped with nets,
sonar and acoustic cameras, scientists led by Jan Sundberg were out on
a mission to capture the legendary lake monster. Things got a bit rough
when Kevin Carlyon, a high priest in the British Coven of White Witches,
turned up and started casting spells on the group’s boat and on the lake
where Nessie resides. The scientists were angered. Carlyon said that he
was simply trying to protect the creature. According to Carlyon it started
out as a bit of a joke. He told friends that he would sometime go up to
Loch Ness and save Nessie. He said it was pure coincidence that he and
the scientists were there at the same time. While it is unknown if the
spell worked, it is noted that the scientists did not succeed in catching
the monster.
On the Tube:
Currently we are only able to give accurate times and dates for these programs in the United States. Check local listings in other locations.
The
Lost Mummy of Imhotep - Archaeologists may have discovered the tomb
of Egyptian high priest from the movie "The Mummy."
Follow them as they dig the sands of Saqqara to explore his final resting
place. Is he still there? Or is he working on the sequel? Airs on the
Discovery Channel on May 2 2001 8:00 PM and 12:00 AM. Repeats May 5 2001
6:00 PM ET/PT.
The
Ultimate Guide: Pyramids - The pyramid's stones still hold hidden
clues to ancient cultures, and the mysteries of their construction still
confound modern scientists. Travel across three continents to see how
these pyramids and their fabled cities must have looked at the peak of
their civilizations. On the Discovery Channel May 7 at 9 PM and 1 AM,
Saturday, May 12 at 5 PM, Wednesday, May 16 at 9 PM and 1 AM and Saturday,
May 19 at 1 PM ET/PT
The
Hunt for Noah's Ark - New evidence indicates that the flood that forced
Noah to build an ark actually happened. If there
was an ark, what happened to it? Do recently declassified CIA photos reveal
a distinctive ship-shaped formation near Mt. Ararat summit? Follow this
History Channel Premiere as it looks into this enduring mystery. May 1
at 8 PM ET/PT.
The Enduring Mystery of Stonehenge - For 5,000 years Stonehenge
has stood on the plain of Salisbury, England. Who built it? Was it an
altar for human sacrifice, or landing pad for UFOs? On the History Channel.
May 27 10:00 AM ET.
Ancient
Aliens - Have we been visited in the past by aliens?. If so, will
there be return trips in the future? Scientists investigate ancient ruins,
artifacts, and texts from around the world exploring the possibility of
extraterrestrial visits. Airs May 09 8:00 PM, May 10 12:00 AM, May 10
4:00 AM, May 27 2:00 PM ET/PT.
Alien
Hunters - Part of the History Channel's "Incredible But True?"
series. For centuries, cultures worldwide speculated about the
existence of intelligent life beyond earth's bounds. With modern astronomy's
birth, old myths transformed into compelling new theories. May 11 11:00
PM, May 12 3:00 AM and May 13 5:00 AM.
Secrets
of Lost Empires II - PBS's Nova repeats part of it series on ancient
technology. "Medieval Siege" on May 15, 2001 at 9 PM and "Pharaoh's
Obelisk" on May 22, 2001 at 9 PM ET.
LGM:
Science over the Edge Archives
LGM Archive 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001.
Copyright Lee Krystek 2001. All Rights Reserved.