In the News:
Moon Rock Stolen - A moon rock valued at $5 million dollars was stolen
from the Museum of Natural History in Mdina, Malta last month. The plastic
display case had been forced open and the rock, which was about the size
of a raisin, was removed. The museum has no guards or surveillance cameras,
only a ticket taker. The rock was brought from the moon by Apollo 17 in
1972 and given to Malta by President Richard Nixon. Experts speculate
that the thieves may have hard time disposing of the rock unless they
manage to sell it to a private collector.
Oldest
University Found - Archaeologists from Poland have discovered traces
of what is being called the "oldest university ever found."
The remains of 13 lecture halls have been located in Egypt at Alexandria.
The university apparently operated there from the 5th century to the 7th
century AD. Scientists estimate that the lecture halls found could accommodate
some 5,000 students seated on rows of semicircular benches. There were
also raised seats for the lecturers. Ancient Alexandria was long a center
of knowledge and learning because of it's library founded in 295 B.C.
that operated until the 4th century.
Warm
Climate Makes Too Many Male Dinos? - Two many male dinosaurs may have
brought the animals to extinction according to a theory being researched
by scientists at the University of Leeds, in England. Some reptiles use
temperature to determine whether their eggs turn out male or female. If
this was true of the dinosaurs a rise in temperature at the end of Cretaceous
Era, 65 million-years ago, might have produced too many male dinosaurs.
With not enough females the animals would soon be extinct. The theory
isn't knew, but this is the first time the problem has been looked at
closely by fertility experts. The possibility of extinctions of species
via this mechanism is of great interest to experts as there seems to be
a trend toward global warming going on today.
Neanderthals
Grew Up Fast - Spanish paleotogists examining teeth from ancient remains
have come to the conclusion that Neanderthal man matured much more rapidly
than modern man. By examining ridges laid down in the teeth during growth
they estimat that Neanderthals reached adulthood at the age of 15 years
as opposed to Homo sapiens who became adults between the ages of
18 and 20. According to the researchers such a difference suggests that
Neanderthals were not closely related to Homo sapiens and probably
did not interbreed with them.
Monster
on Endangered Species List - Officials in Sweden want to know how
the lake monster of Storsjoe, a creature with a semi-mythical status like
the Loch Ness Monster, wound up on the nation's endangered species list.
The monster apparently has been on the list since 1986, but was only noticed
when a businessman recently applied for a permit to collect and hatch
the monster's eggs. Records show that the creature was placed on the list
by an environmental court so it could deny a building permit to a developer
who wanted to put up a resort up along the edge of the lake.
What's New at the Museum:
Classic Graphic Novels - Check out the first chapter in our
classic graphic novel version of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under
the Sea. - >Full Story
Ask the Curator:
Face
on Mars - One night I saw a show saying that they found a face
mounded on Mars. Is that true, and if so how much information do they
have on it? - Rachel.
In 1976 the Viking Mars Orbiter captured an image of a Martian surface feature that resembled a human face. NASA released a picture of it figuring it would get people's attention focused on the space program. Soon some people were suggesting it was some kind of "alien artifact" perhaps similar to the giant drawings found on the Naza plain in Peru. Subsequent photographs have been taken of the area in the 90's by the Mars Global Surveyor probe. These pictures taken under different lighting conditions, angles and resolutions seem to show that the object is a natural hill or ridge, and it's resemblance to a face is only a coincidence.
For more information check out: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast24may_1.htm
Big
Black Cats - On June 2nd, 1963, a hunter in Illinois observed a strange
animal. It was catlike, about five feet long and 14 inches high at the
shoulder. The animal had jet-black fur with two streaks of tawny at the
jaw. This animal might have been a panther except that panthers (also
known as cougars, pumas or mountain lions) have been extinct east of the
Rocky Mountains since the 19th century. Also, mountain lions are almost
never black (animals usually referred to as black panthers live in Asia
and are a completely different species). Despite this, reports of these
strange black cats seem to pop up all the time, even in places (like the
British Isles) were no known big cat species has ever existed.
In the Sky:
Venus
Transit - June 7th marks the first time in over a hundred years there
will be a "transit" of Venus across the sun (A transit is the
movement of Venus between Earth and the sun so that it is visible against
the sun's disc). The last occurred in 1882 and they come in pairs eight
years apart. Observing the transit was of supreme scientific interest
in the past as the observation could be used to calculate the distance
from Earth to the Sun. In 1769 expeditions were sent all over the world
to observe the transit and the information recorded allowed the distance
to the sun to be calculated to within 1 percent.
This transit will be in progress when the Sun rises over North America and will end at 8:25 EDT. Do not attempt to view the transit without proper filtering devices. Looking directly at the sun can cause permanent eye damage!
Observed:
Students
Release "UFO"- Students at the Varndeen School located in
southern England accidentally caused a UFO scare last month. The students
had purchased a 25 foot-long, black, plastic "Solar Airship"
balloon and were flying at a field near the school when the string attached
to it snapped. The balloon, which rises because of the sunlight striking
the black surface and heating up the air inside, climbed to an estimated
height of 1,000 feet. Residents of the next town reported it to the authorities
as a UFO. The balloon stayed aloft in the area for at least three days.
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: Who Killed the Red Baron? - Forensic experts revisit the most
famous aviation mystery of World War I. On PBS: June 15 @ 8PM; ET.
NOVA: Fireworks! - Pyrotechnists use hi-tech firing systems and ancient
alchemy to create dazzling fireworks displays. On PBS: June 29 @ 8PM;
ET.
Titanic: Answers from the Abyss- Groundbreaking deep-water tests show
what's never been seen -- Titanic's fate once she slipped out of sight,
beneath the chilly ocean waves. New photomosaics images show stunning
views of new pieces of the submerged hull. On the Discovery Channel: Jun
05 @ 08:00 PM Jun 05 @ 11:00 PM; ET.
Seven
Wonders of Ancient Egypt - The ancient Egyptians showed the world
how boundless ambition and vast quantities of human labor could transform
rock and stone into the most incredible monuments ever created. Meet the
pharaohs, engineers and laborers who built the wonders of Egypt. On Discovery
Channel: Jun 13 @ 10:00 PM Jun 14 @ 01:00 AM Jun 17 @ 09:00 PM Jun 18
@ 12:00 AM Jun 19 @ 01:00 PM Jun 26 @ 07:00 PM; ET.
Debunked! - Secrets of the Stone Spheres - In the last century, almost
300 ancient stone spheres were unearthed in Costa Rica's tropical forests.
Alexei Vranich and Paul Harmon have teamed up to unravel the mystery of
where the balls came from, how they were made and who made them. On Discovery
Channel: Jun 17 @ 08:00 PM Jun 17 @ 11:00 PM Jun 19 @ 12:00 PM; ET.
The
True Story of Troy - It's the site of history's most legendary war
and the Western world's oldest adventure story. According to myth, it
began with a rigged beauty contest and ended with a giant wooden horse
unleashing utter destruction. Now, archaeologists, literary detectives,
and military analysts are uncovering evidence suggesting the war was really
waged. From archaeological trenches at ancient Troy and the citadel fortress
of King Agamemnon, from Homer to Hollywood, we search for the true story
of Troy. On History Channel: June 11 @ 9pm, ET/PT.
Secret
Japanese Aircraft of WWII - In the 1930s, Japanese designers created
a range of warplanes, culminating in the legendary Ki-43 "Oscar" and the
A6M "Zero". As the war turned against Japan, designers created the rocket-powered
"Shusui", the "Kikka" jet fighter, and the experimental R2Y "Keiun". We
also disclose frantic preparations to assemble a secret airforce of jet
and rocket planes to counter an anticipated U.S. invasion in1945, and
chronicle post-war aviation and the birth of the Japanese rocket program
in the 1950s and '60s. On History Channel: June 13 @ 8pm ET/PT.
LGM:
Science over the Edge Archives
LGM Archive 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
Copyright Lee Krystek 2004. All Rights Reserved.