In the News:
Brit
Geo Group Says Monster is No Earthquake- The British Geological Survey
has dismissed the theory proposed last month by Dr. Luigi Piccardi that
earthquakes are responsible for many sightings of the Loch
Ness Monster. Piccardi believes that movement along the Great Glen
Fault, which runs under Loch Ness, would have released bubbles of gas
that would churn up the calm surface of the lake. British Geological Survey
spokesperson, Hilary Heason, said there was no evidence that the fault
was currently active and that "earthquakes in the UK are generally
not associated with large fault structures in the way that they are in
California or Italy." She also added that , "Statements that
the Great Glen Fault is a major source of earthquakes are false."
Dinosaur
Fossils vs. Golf Course - William T. Caneer, a retired geologist,
is fighting to save priceless sets of fossil dinosaur tracks from the
construction of the a golf course over them. The tracks were discovered
by Dr. Martin Lockley, a professor of geology at the University of Colorado
in Denver, on a five-acre strip of abandoned clay pits at the town of
Golden, Colorado. The find includes the first tracks ever found of horned
dinosaurs known as ceratopsians and the only track of a champsosaur
known to exist in the United States. The city of Golden plans to build
an 18 hole golf course on the site. While construction of the course will
not destroy the tracks, Caneer is worried that some of the fossils will
be buried completely, while others will be inaccessible to the public.
Caneer wants to delay construction of the course till a comprehensive
survey of the pits can be done by dinosaur experts who will be looking
for additional tracks.
Professor
Offers Radical New Theory on Siberian Explosion - The massive, mysterious
explosion over central Siberia in 1908 that most scientists have attributed
to a meteor was, according to a new theory by Wolfgang Kundt, Professor
of Astrophysics at the University of Bonn, actually a "volcanic blowout"
of ten million tons of natural gas. Kundt says, in August's issue of the
journal Current Science, that seventeen factors, including the
patterns of tectonic faults and fallen trees in the area, indicate the
explosion was caused by gas forced upwards from the Earth's molten core.
Kundt dismissed the comet and meteorite theories as pseudo-science. He
also predicts that if he is right there may be a geological structure
known as a kimberlite to be found close under the surface in the area
of the explosion which would turn Siberia into a "rich industrial
country."
Fireball
Seen Over Northeastern U.S. -A fireball
racing across the sky startled commuters traveling home in the Northeastern
U.S. last month. The object, a large meteor, also known as a biolide,
streaked across the sky trailing smoke early one evening causing drivers
to stop their cars and gape. Authorities think parts of the extraterrestrial
rock may have landed in central Pennsylvania. While fireballs like this
aren't particularly rare (they come plunging into the Earth's atmosphere
usually two or three times a month) they rarely fall over a populated
region during a clear night at rush hour.
Fat
Dinos Grew Fast - According to a research paper in the journal Nature
the biggest dinosaurs became that way by growing faster than almost any
animal that ever lived. The heaviest dinosaur that ever lived, Argentinasaurus,
probably gained more than 100 pounds a day during its adolescent growth
spurt. To reach this conclusion scientists examined dinosaur leg bones
and estimated their body weights by measuring the bones' thickness. Then
they calculated age of the animals by counting annual growth rings in
the bones. A half-century ago scientists thought that dinosaurs must have
grown slowly, like modern reptiles, and thought it would have taken a
century for a big animal, like an apatosaurus to reach maturity.
The new estimates suggest that it may have only taken between 12 and 20
years. The discovery may add weight to the argument that dinosaurs were
warm-blooded.
Iceman:
Accident or Murder?- Scientists have solved a 5300-year-old-mystery
of what killed a Bronze Age hunter whose frozen mummy was found a decade
ago in the Alps. Paul Gostner, a radiologist studying the "Iceman,"
said an arrowhead was found under his left shoulder. According to Gostner,
the path the arrow followed as it shot through the man's body could be
traced on his bones. Experts think that the wound was so sever that the
man could not have lived more than a few hours after he was hit. The frozen
corpse was discovered in 1991 by mountaineers climbing in the Tyrollean
Alps. The mummy is now kept refrigerated in a viewing chamber at the South
Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in northern Italy.
What's New at the Museum:
Gustave
Whitehead - Did a poor, German immigrant named
Gustave Whitehead build the first working airplane three years before
the Wright Brothers did? Check it out: Gustave
Whitehead
Those
Fabulous and Foolhardy Flyers - Man has always
wanted to fly, but his experiments with flight have sometimes had disastrous
consequences. Follow our history of flight from Icarus to Orville - Those
Fabulous and Foolhardy Flyers
To Do:
Kraken
Contest - Kids and Adults alike can draw a
picture of what they think a Kraken looks
like and send it to the Activated Storyteller website contest,
then go there and read the story of "Old Stormalong." For more
details goto http://www.geocities.com/activatedstorytellers/kraken.html
Hurry! The contest closes on August 10th.
Early
Loch Ness Report - One of the earliest, modern reports about the Loch
Ness Monster was published in the Northern Chronicle on August
27, 1930. The article stated that three men out fishing in the lake noticed
"a commotion about 600 yards up the loch." Spay was being thrown
to a considerable height, said the report, by something that appeared
to be alive and was about 20 feet in length. Witnesses added it was not
"anything normal."
In the Sky:
Perseids
Meteor Shower - Catch the summer meteor show: the Perseids, this month.
The shower peaks early on the morning of Sunday August 12th, but some
shooting stars may be visible the evening before and after. The best way
to observe a shower is on your back someplace with a full view of the
a dark sky.
Observed:
Russian
Officials Blame Crop Circle on Aliens - The Russian news agency Itar-Tass
reported last month that officials outside Maikop in the Krasnodar region
have attributed five concentric circles of wheat, flattened in a clockwise
direction, to a visit by extraterrestrials. The officials think that the
aliens came by to collect soil samples.
UFO
Lights Over New Jersey - Officials are still trying to explain a set
of dazzling, orange lights that hovered over Carteret, New Jersey, last
month. Witnesses said there were 16 lights, some in "V" formations,
other scattered around. Police reported at least 30 calls about the lights.
Neither the nearby Newark Airport or National Weather Service could find
anything to explain the what people saw.
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
Beast of Loch Ness - Nova repeats this investigation about
the search for the Loch Ness Monster. Is it just a fairy tale, or could
a primeval beast lurk in the deep, dark waters of this Scottish lake?
On PBS: August 14 on PBS at 9PM, ET/PT.
Ghost
Ships - Ships sailing without a crew? It was the case for The Flying
Dutchman, the Mary Celeste, the Dash, the Teazer, and the more recent
Joyita. Part of the History Channel's History's Mysteries series:
August 9 at 11PM and August 10 at 3AM.
The
Abominable Snowman - Is Yeti an eastern
cousin of our own Bigfoot? Can these creatures truly live, prowling civilization's
perimeters? See what the experts say. Part of the History Channel's Incredible
But True? series. August 13 10AM and 4PM.
Quest for the Giant Squid - The Discovery Channel and Smithsonian
Institute go looking for a bus-size marine monster alive in its deep sea
habitat. August 12 at 8PM and 12AM ET/PT.
Loch
Ness and Giant Squid - Two mysteries for the price of one in this
show: The legend of the Loch Ness monster, and the life of the 60-foot-long
giant squid. On the Discovery Channel: August 16 8PM and 12AM, August
18 2PM ET/PT.
Allosaurus:
A Walking with Dinosaurs Special - Go back in time to see how a huge
Jurassic carnivore, the allosaurus lived and died. On the Discovery Channel:
August 19, 8PM and 12AM ET/PT.
Anaconda:
Giant Snake of the Amazon - Over 30 feet long and weighing nearly
500 pounds, the deadly Amazon anaconda is
the world's largest and most powerful snake. With its great coils it can
kill in seconds. On the Discovery Channel: August 20 9PM and 1AM ET/PT.
Bermuda
Triangle -Hear new theories that try to explain of the mysterious
tragedies that occur in the Bermuda Triangle. Is there a massive whirlpool
or "gas ice" that bubbles up and sinks ships? On
the Discovery Channel: August 30 8PM and 12AM ET/PT.
Extra
Sensory Perception - Does extra sensory perception (ESP) really exist?
It there a mental link between identical twins? Can people tell if they
are being watched? On TCL: August 25 8PM and 11PM. Also August 26 2PM
ET/PT.
LGM:
Science over the Edge Archives
LGM Archive 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001.
Copyright Lee Krystek 2001. All Rights Reserved.