In the News:
Ballard
Found Noah's Flood? - Dr Robert Ballard, discoverer of the Titanic,
has found the remains of settlements at the bottom of the Black Sea under
300 feet of water. These settlements were thought to have been covered
over some 7,000 years ago when the waters of the Mediterranean Sea overflowed
into the Black Sea causing an enormous flood. Some researchers have speculated
that the flood may be the one referred to in the Bible story of Noah's
ark.
NASA
Space Elevator - NASA scientists are starting to look at how a 'Space
Elevator' might be built. David Smitherman of NASA/Marshall's Advanced
Projects Office has compiled a publication called Space Elevators:
An Advanced Earth-Space Infrastructure for the New Millennium based
on findings from a conference last year. A space elevator would consist
of a long cable extending from Earth's surface to a space station in geostationary
orbit some 35,786 km overhead. Rather than using expensive rockets to
put people and materials into orbit, space elevators would climb the cable
at a fraction of the cost. Such a project is still beyond current technology,
but might be possible at the end of the century after new high-strength
materials are developed.
British
Scientists Warn of Asteroid Danger - Britain's Task Force on Near
Earth Objects reports the threat to Earth by a large asteroid hit
is very real and concludes the British government should take some steps
to prevent it. The Task Force recommends the development of an asteroid
early warning system using British telescopes. In response to the report
the minority Liberal Democrat Party called for 70 million pounds to be
spent over the next ten years on technology to track asteroids. Such a
system could give Earth a five to one-hundred year warning of such an
impact, therefore giving scientists a chance to design a system to divert
the asteroid before it hits.
Comet
Responsible for Dark Ages?- Professor Mike Baillie of Queen's University
in Belfast thinks that something very, very bad happened to the Earth
around 540 AD and whatever it was might be responsible for the end of
the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Dark Ages. Baillie bases his
theory on tree rings. Trees he has examined show a slow down of growth
at that time. Baillie thinks this was due to a bombardment of cometary
debris onto Earth. Many historians are reluctant to accept Baillie's idea
because no written records during that period tell of such an event, though
there are legends from that time telling of a comet that seemed to set
the sky on fire.
Early
Sauropod - Eric Buffeaut of France's National Center for Scientific
Research reports in an article in Nature that a sauropod dinosaur
skeleton has been discovered in Thailand. The bones are significant because
they date from the boundary of the Triassic/Jurassic period. Scientists
knew that sauropod dinosaurs, which have long
necks, long tails and four feet, lived in the Jurassic and Cretaceous
period, but this is the first evidence they also lived earlier in the
Triassic period. The animal discovered has been given the name Isanosaurus
attavipachi.
Moldy
Army Not Under Threat - Authorities have refuted earlier reports that
mold on China's 2,200-year old terra cotta army are causing them to decay.
The army of 8,000 life-sized figures of warriors and horses are part of
the tomb of China's first emperor, Qui Shihuang, who died in 210 BC. Officials
of the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum have said there is
"No danger" and that the blue, white and yellow-colored molds
were common at sites worldwide and did nothing to damage the famous statues.
The army, which was meant to protect the emperor in the afterlife, was
discovered in the 1970's by farmers digging a well and has become one
of China's top tourist attractions.
Lost
World found in Cambodia? - Scientists have identified a mountainous
region of Cambodia filled with previously unknown creatures and creatures
thought to be extinct. Jenny Daltry, a biologist, led an expedition sponsored
by Fauna and Flor International of Cambridge to this remote region
where they discovered the once thought extinct Siamese crocodile and also
the Wolf Snake. They found large numbers of frogs, moths and subspecies
of birds that are new to science. Scientists hope that the Cambodian government
will legally protect the area and preserve the wildlife.
In History:
Star
Jelly - On the evening of October 8, 1844 two men were walking in
a field near Coblentz, Germany, when they observed something luminous
fall to the ground. It was too dark to see the object, so the men marked
the spot and came back by daylight to look at it. What they found was
a mass of gray jelly which quivered when they poked it with a stick.
This report is a classic case of Pwdre Ser which is also known as "star jelly." This phenomenon has been reported many times through the years, but never fully explained.
In the Sky:
Krell
Homestar - Early this month try and see if you can identify some well-known
stars in the sky. Not too long after dark step outside and look for a
bright star high in the western sky. This will be Vega. Look even higher
in the sky, almost directly over your head, for the star Deneb. It's just
a little bit dimmer than Vega. Finally look a little lower down in the
sky and toward the south/southwest to see the star Altair.
For science-fiction fans Altair is the home of Krell in the classic movie Forbidden Planet.
Observed:
Fake
Moon Dirt for Sale - Authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, want to extradite
a man being held in Canada for allegedly selling fake moon soil for $100,000.
The man, Richard Mountain, was arrested in Surrey, British Columbia, for
also selling phony signed prints of the astronauts. According to a Royal
Canadian police spokesperson he was running a fraudulent children's charity.
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.
Places
of Mystery- Check out some weird places on this Travel Channel series.
On October 17 at 9PM and 12AM see Chitchen Itza and Coral Castle
and at 10PM and 1AM watch Machu Picchu and Nasca. All times are
ET.
Lost
Tombs of Peru - Archaeologist Izzumi Shimada goes to the north coast
of Peru where he opens up some of the richest and most spectacular tombs
known in the new world. Discovery Channel on October 4th at 9PM and 1AM,
October 7 at 2PM ET/PT.
Bonehead
Detectives of the Paleoworld -Some dinosaurs sported very strange
accessories: exposed bones, horns and even musical instruments. This Discovery
channel offering asks the question "Why?" October 8 at 9:30AM.
The
Desert Mummies of Peru - Sonia Guillen, bioanthropologist and mummy
expert leads a team to the vast desert of southern Peru. There they unearth
18 tombs belonging to a little-known Peruvian people. Discovery Channel
October 14 10PM and 1AM, October 15 at 7PM, October 18 at 9PM and 1AM,
and October 21 at 2PM ET/PT.
UFO
Invasion Week - Check out these History Channel special episodes on
History's Mysteries: Area
51: Beyond Top Secret on October 9th, 8PM repeats October 15 at 11AM
ET/PT. Secret UFO Files October 10 8PM repeats October 22 at 11AM
ET/PT. Ancient Aliens October 11 at 8PM ET/PT. Roswell: Secrets
Unveiled October 12 8PM ET/PT.
Raising
the Huntley - History Channel on October 16 8PM ET/PT. In 1864, the
Huntley became the first submarine to torpedo an enemy ship, but sank
itself before it could return to base. Why? Archaeologists bring the boat
to the surface after over a century to find out.
The
Haunted History of Halloween - Discover how Halloween has been celebrated
over time, from its origins as a Celtic festival to today's popular traditions.
History Channel 10PM on October 27 ET/PT.
Amityville
Horror Special - A two-part History's Mysteries that looks
into the dark shadows of a seemingly idyllic suburban town to determine
if its horror tales are true. Amityville Horror: The Haunting October
30 8PM ET/PT and Amityville Horror: Horror or Hoax? October 31
8PM ET/PT. On the History Channel.
LGM:
Science over the Edge Archives
Copyright Lee Krystek 2000. All Rights Reserved.