In the News:
New Propulsion System Promises Shorter Trip to Mars- Scientists are
looking at a technology that could make a manned trip to Mars as short
as 76 days. Using conventional propulsion systems the travel time to the
red planet is around 2 and ½ years. Using this new technology, called
magnetized-beam plasma propulsion, or mag-beam, the trip would be greatly
shortened which should increase the chances of a successful mission. Mag
beam technology would use a beam generator on a space station in Earth
orbit that would send streams of magnetized ions toward a spacecraft with
a sail. The ions bouncing off the sail would propel the ship forward.
By placing such space stations around the solar system it might be possible
to build a permanent human presence in space facilitated by travel between
the stations. According to the scientists that presented the idea at NASA's
Institute of Advanced Concepts symposium in Seattle, a test mission could
be ready in five years.
A
"Pink" Dwarf? - Scientists have recently discovered an object
that is in unknown class of dwarf stars. This dark star appears to have
been killed by it's companion, a white dwarf star. The object is a warm
body one-twentieth the mass of our sun. Its companion star seems to have
sucked enough material from this object that it no longer has the mass
to continue the nuclear fusion process necessary for it to shine in visible
light. This body does not seem to fit any known class of dwarf star, which
are usually given the names of colors that are somehow relevant to their
situation (white dwarf, brown dwarf, red dwarf, etc.). One scientist did
suggest calling it a "pink" dwarf because the object only shines in infrared
light. The unclassifiable star is named EF Eridanus and is located 300
light-years from Earth in the constellation Eridanus.
The
Robots are Coming! - According to a study just released by the Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) the number of personal or domestic service
robots in use will expand to 6.7 million by 2007. About 1.3 million are
in use today. Of those about one half are designed for domestic tasks
while the other half are entertainment and leisure robots. The study says
that the expected growth will come mostly in the form of robots designed
to assist around the house. Automated vacuum cleaners will account for
much of that increase.
"Hobbits"
Found on Asian Island - Scientists at the Indonesian Research Center
have found the remains of a species of hominoid which they have nicknamed
"Hobbits" because of their small stature. The "hobbits"
inhabited an isolated Island named Flores in southeast Asia. Normally
small skeletons indicate the person was a child, or an individual with
abnormal growth development. In this situation, however, scientists have
found the remains of at least six skeletons from adult bodies that were
perfectly proportioned to their height. Is is estimated the the remains
of the "hobbits" date from around 18,000 years ago
T-Rex
May Have "Chewed" Its Food - Scientists have been surprised
to find that members of the tyrannosaurids family of dinosaurs, whose
most famous member was Tyrannosaurus rex, may have sliced their
food with their razor sharp teeth rather than swallowing it whole. A study,
to be published next year in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica,
found marks on fossil teeth consistent with tooth-to-tooth contact. This
is unexpected as all modern reptilians swallow their food whole without
chewing and their teeth do not show the kind of wear found in these fossils.
While the tyrannosauids lacked the muscles and jaw joints necessary to
chew food like mammals do, they apparently did slice it up into smaller
pieces before swallowing it.
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Back
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to the shop
What's New at the Museum:
Einstein
and the Universe (Part II)- After publishing his Theory of Special
Relativity, Einstein began to garner much respect among physicists. However,
Einstein was not satisfied with his work. He felt it was incomplete and
soon started searching for new theories, first one that would include
the force of gravity, then later one that would explain all of physics.
I>Full
Story
Classic Graphic Novels - Check out the sixth chapter - History
Lessons - in our classic graphic novel version of Jules Verne's 20,000
Leagues Under the Sea. - >Full
Story
Ask the Curator:
The
Snouters - I was recently told the story of the snouters. How did
this story get started and why haven't I heard of these thing before?
- Eve
The Snouters, also known as Rhinogrades, were the invention of Gerolf Steiner a professor of zoology at the University of Heidelberg. Steiner was looking for a way to teach his students about evolution, so he decided to invent a completely fictional order of mammals. All of his creations used their noses in some way to survive. For example, some of the creatures used their noses to walk, others to jump from danger, others to catch food.
Steiner was apparently inspired by the 19th century writer Christian Morgenstern who wrote a short poem about an animal, the nasobame, that walked upon its nose.
In 1957 Steiner put his creations into a book, The Snouters: Form and Life of the Rhinogrades, which was published in German. The work, credited to the fictional scientist Harald Stumpke, included detailed information about the animals including sketches and illustrations. In addition to being a teaching tool, the book was a parody of similar academic texts used at the time.
According to the book the Snouters had been discovered by a Swedish naturalist who was ship wrecked on the Hi-yi-yi Islands in the Pacific Ocean in 1941. To explain why the Snouter are no longer around today, Steiner came up with the story that only island on which they lived was accidentally destroyed as the result of an atomic bomb test. Dr. Stumpke supposedly perished in the same mishap.
The book has been so popular with biologists and students, that it as been reprinted a number of times in different languages and still used in some college and high-school biology courses. The book is currently available in paperback from Amazon.com for $12.95.
Adamski's
Venusians - On November 20th, 1952, a gentleman named George Adamski
said he encountered a Venusian, named Orthon, in the California Desert.
Over the next decade or so he reported meeting with various aliens from
different planets. He even released pictures that allegedly showed their
ships. Though his stories and pictures were fascinating, few now take
Adamski's claims seriously. Adamski died in 1965.
In the Sky:
Planetary
Conjunction - Friday November 5th will be your chance to watch a conjunction
of the planets Jupiter and Venus in the eastern sky. A conjunction is
when two celestial bodies appear to come close to each other as seen from
Earth. On that date Jupiter and Venus will be only about 2/3 of a degree
apart (10 degrees is about the width of your fist held at arms length).
The best time for viewing this spectacle will be about 45 minutes before
sunrise.
Observed:
Early
Abductee Dies - Betty Hill, one of the first people in the USA to
claim she had been abducted by aliens, has died at age 85. Under hypnosis
she and her husband, Barney, recalled being kidnapped and examined by
aliens during a ride in New Hampshire's White Mountains in 1961. The couple
gained international attention after going public with their account.
Their story was turned into a best selling book, Interrupted Journey,
and a television movie starring James Earl Jones. Barney Hill had died
in 1969.
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.
NOVA: Great Escape - Experts dig into World War II's most daring and
technically ingenious prison break. On PBS: November 16 at 8 pm; ET.
NOVA: Ancient Refuge in the Holy Land - Israel's remote Cave of Letters
holds clues to a Jewish uprising against the Romans. On PBS: November
23 at 8 pm; ET.
Alexander the Great: Murder Unsolved - Unravel one of the strangest
mysteries of ancient times, the suspicious death of history's most extraordinary
leader, Alexander the Great. Experts attempt to decipher if his early
death at age 32 was caused by disease, excessive drinking or even murder.
On the Discovery Channel: Nov 29 @ 08:00 PM; Nov 29 @ 11:00 PM; Nov 30
@ 04:00 AM; Nov 30 @ 07:00 AM; Nov 30 @ 12:00 PM; Nov 30 @ 03:00 PM; ET.
Lost
Dinosaurs Down Under - As recently as 25 years ago, most scientists
thought the oldest reptile in these remote Pacific islands was the prehistoric
tuatara. But that was before paleontologist; Joan Wiffen explored the
backcountry and found New Zealand's first dinosaur bone. On Science Channel:
Nov 29 @ 08:00 PM; Nov 29 @ 11:00 PM; Nov 30 @ 04:00 AM; Nov 30 @ 07:00
AM; Nov 30 @ 12:00 PM; Nov 30 @ 03:00 PM; ET.
Disappearance of the PX-15 - In 1969, as astronauts walked on the
moon, a second mission, the PX-15 Ben Franklin, launched six aquanauts
on an historic 30-day drift dive of the gulf stream. Eclipsed by the moonwalk,
the story of the earthbound mission is told for the first time. On The
Science Channel: Nov 26 @ 10:00 PM; Nov 27 @ 01:00 AM; Nov 27 @ 06:00
AM; Nov 27 @ 09:00 AM; Nov 27 @ 02:00 PM; Nov 27 @ 05:00 PM ; ET/PT.
The Hindenburg Disaster: Probable Cause - When the Hindenburg took
to the skies in 1936, it became the largest flying machine in history.
What caused the Hindenburg's spectacular and tragic demise in only 34
seconds is still not clear. Specialist investigators re-examine this airship
disaster. On Science Channel: Nov 19 @ 10:00 PM; Nov 20 @ 01:00 AM; Nov
20 @ 06:00 AM; Nov 20 @ 09:00 AM; Nov 20 @ 02:00 PM; Nov 20 @ 05:00 PM
ET/PT.
History's
Mysteries The Nazi Plan to Bomb New York - Aviation historian David
Myhra has been investigating secret German aircraft projects for more
than 20 years, and has uncovered evidence of a diabolical Nazi plan to
deliver a radioactive bomb to New York. In late 1944, the "Amerika Bomber"
project was planned, and three aerospace designers--Wernher von Braun,
Eugen Sanger, and Reimar Horten--each had a different solution. Through
vivid 3D animation, photos, and recreations, these unusual projects are
finally revealed! On History Channel: November 13 @ 7pm ET/PT.
Science over the Edge Archives
LGM Archive 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
Copyright Lee Krystek 2004. All Rights Reserved.