In the News:
Mammoths: Blond, Brunette or Redhead? - Researchers
have extracted DNA from a 43,000-year-old bone that leads them to believe
that mammoths may have come in various hair colors, including red and
blond. The gene, "Mc1r", codes for a protein that affects hair
color in mammals. Reduced activity of that gene produces red hair in humans
and yellow hair in such animals as mice, horses and dogs. The research
was lead by Holger Roempler of the University of Leipzig in Germany
Cosmic Close Call - Early in July a half-mile
wide asteroid zipped by the planet Earth, missing it by about the distance
of the moon. While this might seem a huge margin to some, scientists note
that it astronomical terms the asteroid, designated 2004 XP14, was the
largest object to pass this close to the our planet in the last few years.
The space rock was visible as a small moving dot to amateur astronomers
with telescopes in North America. 2004XP14 will have other encounters
with Earth this century, but according to scientists, none will be a threat
for collision. Estimates show that a typical asteroid of this size would
create a fireball six miles wide and a crater 7 miles in diameter from
a 100,000 megaton explosion if it hit earth.
Carnivorous Kangaroos Surprise Scientists - Kangaroos
are usually thought of as cute, pleasant and somewhat unusual animals,
that lope across the Australian outback. That wasn't the case in prehistoric
times. Paleontologists have found the remains of a much more scary meat
eating version of kangaroo that lived between 10 and 20 million years
ago. The animal had fangs similar to those of a modern wolf. The species
found at the excavation had "well muscled-in teeth, not for grazing. These
things had slicing crests that could have crunched through bone and sliced
off flesh", said vertebrate paleontologist Sue Hand, a member of the research
team. The scientists also found a large duck-like bird that may also have
been carnivorous. The scientists jokingly refer this specimen by the name
of the "demon duck of doom."
Inflatable Space Station Test Successful - Last
month a private commercial space company managed to put an experimental
satellite, named Genesis I, into orbit to test the possibility of building
a space station using inflatable modules. Real estate magnate Robert Bigelow
is bankrolling the project. Bigelow has committed $500 million toward
building the station and so far, $75 million has been spent. The object
of this recent flight was to see if the test module could successfully
inflate in orbit and indications are that the test was a success. Unlike
the rigid aluminum construction of the international space station, the
test module consists of a flexible outer shell built with such tough materials
such as kevlar, which is found in bulletproof vests.
Bacteria has Midas Touch - Scientists have identified
a bacteria that seems to be able to create solid gold. Ralstonia metallidurans
has been found on gold nuggets in widely separate locations and scientists
think that this bacteria takes gold in its dissolved form and converts
it into less toxic, solid form. Since heavy metals are toxic to most microorganisms,
being able to detoxify its immediate environment gives Ralstonia metallidurans
a metabolic advantage. This research is the strongest evidence so far
that bacteria could play an important role in creating solid gold, although
how this actually works is not yet known.
What's New at the Museum:
Comet Halley: Harbinger of Death?: Man has
always found comets a bit scary, so when Comet Halley flew past the earth
in 1910 leaving a trail of poisonous gas, people got just a little nervous...
>Full Story
The Lost World (Remix) - Our graphic novel
version formatted as a book so you can can download and print it out at
home.>Full Story
From
The Curator's Office: The LAN Party - Pour in eight
teenage boys, mix with a room full of powerful computers and let bake
all night... >Full Story
Ask the Curator:
Thai Water Elephant - I saw this being talked
about on the web and wondered if you knew anything about this "legend"
and cryptid. Have you ever heard of it? I've read volumes of stuff on
Cryptozoology, but I've never heard of this one. It is supposedly a "Thai
Water Elephant" - Anonymous
I have to admit that this was so obscure I couldn't find anything about it in any of my regular cryptozoological resources. However, snooping around the web I seem to have found out that this creature falls into the same category as the "jackolope:" a quite normal creature in life that has been altered by taxidermy to be something quite unusual in death. In the case of the jackolope, a deceased rabbit is altered by giving it the antlers of a deer.
In the case of the "Thai Water Elephant" it sounds like the perpetrators have started with a shrew. A shrew is a small mouse-like mammal with a long pointed snout, making it already vaguely elephant shaped. The taxidermist does his work removing and adding bones and flesh in different places (for example, apparently the front legs bones below the knees are removed and shaped into the tusks). In the end the hoaxer has something that looks like a tiny elephant. These can then be sold in the tourist trade as novelties. Although several have shown up on Ebay with prices running in the thousands, apparently they can be acquired from street vendors in Burma for a reasonable price.
The story of the water elephant goes back at least to the 1800's. It is said that they spend their lives in the water and that their tusks carry venom that can kill a man (this part of the story might have some basis in fact as the shrew is one of the few mammal that are poisonous). Only experienced hunters are able to capture them, which is why they are so rare and expensive (at least that is how the story is told by the curiosity shop owner that wishes to sell you one). It is not clear whether the story of a water elephant has any place in traditional folklore, or if it was simply invented after the first hoaxer discovered he could turn a dead, worthless shrew into a rare, valuable water elephant and need a story to go along with it.
Moon Hoax - In August of 1835 The New York
Sun newspaper published a series of stories reporting that astronomers
had observed creatures on the moon that were four feet in height, covered
with glossy copper-colored hair, and had wings on their backs. Though
the articles were supposed to be a reprint from the Edinburgh Journal
of Science (which was nonexistent) the material was actually written
by Sun reporter Richard Adams Locke. The series became known as the "Moon
Hoax." Locke said his motives for writing the story were satirical as
he wanted to poke fun at the idea there could be life on other planets.
The "Moon Hoax" remains one of the best examples of 18th century
hoax journalism, a widespread practice at
that time.
In the Sky:
Perseid Meteor Shower - The peak of this shower
will occur on August 12th between midnight and first light. Look for the
shooting stars to appear anywhere in the sky, but traveling from the direction
of the constellation of Cassiopeia. These meteors are dust left by the
comet Swift-Tuttle. As the earth moves though the comet's path these tiny
particles hit our atmosphere and make spectacular streaks across the night
sky as they burn up.
Observed:
Bigfoot Dispute Hits Court - According to a story
in the Mercury News, a lawsuit has broken out between C. Thomas
Biscardi, a self described Bigfoot expert, and Carole Rubin and Robert
Shorey, president and vice president of the Great American Bigfoot
Research Organization. According to Biscardi's lawyer, Biscardi was
hired by the group for $250,000 to act as a consultant and guide for expeditions.
As a part of the deal Biscardi would also allow the group to use his library
which includes plaster footprints, films, photos and sound recordings
of the beast. Biscardi's lawyer says the group only paid him $65,000 and
will not return his collection. Biscardi's lawyer says he is willing to
drop the suit if the Organization will return his library collection.
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 investigate the most famous aviation mystery of World War I. On
the PBS: August 22 at 8 pm ET/PT
Europa: Mystery of the Ice Moon - Does life exist
on one of Jupiter's moons? Europa, the planet's fourth largest moon, may
hold the answer. Scientists have found evidence that water exists there,
and they are probing to see if Europa's oceans could, or did at one time
sustain life. On the Science Channel: AUG 01 2006 @ 10:00 PM; AUG 02 2006
@ 01:00 AM; AUG 02 2006 @ 05:00 AM; AUG 02 2006 @ 11:00 AM; AUG 02 2006
@ 03:00 PM; AUG 06 2006 @ 06:00 PM; ET/PT
Prophets Of Science Fiction - Examine the strange
lives of the visionaries of science fiction. The secrets of their uncanny
ability to foretell the future are revealed. On the Science Channel: AUG
06 2006 @ 10:00 PM, AUG 07 2006 @ 01:00 AM, AUG 07 2006 @ 05:00 AM, AUG
07 2006 @ 11:00 AM, AUG 07 2006 @ 03:00 PM, AUG 13 2006 @ 09:00 AM; ET/PT
The Mystery of the Jurassic - A remote plateau
in Patagonia, Argentina reveals an incredible dinosaur graveyard that
scientists believe could be the most significant find ever. This area
reveals fossils from the Middle Jurassic, the most mysterious period in
dinosaur history. On The Science Channel: AUG 21 2006 @ 08:00 PM, AUG
21 2006 @ 11:00 PM, AUG 22 2006 @ 03:00 AM, AUG 22 2006 @ 09:00 AM, AUG
22 2006 @ 01:00 PM, AUG 26 2006 @ 04:00 PM; ET/PT.
Shark Week! - Discovery Channel does their annual
Shark Week starting August 1st. Some featured shows will be Sharks:
Are They Hunting Us? AUG 02 2006 @ 09:00 PM, AUG 03 2006 @ 01:00 AM,
AUG 05 2006 @ 04:00 PM; Shark Rebellion AUG 03 2006 @ 09:00 PM,
AUG 04 2006 @ 01:00 AM, AUG 05 2006 @ 05:00 PM; and MythBusters - Jaws
Special AUG 02 2006 @ 10:00 PM. On The Discovery Channel.
Triassic Giant - Ichthyosaurs were swimming,
air breathing creatures that resembled whales and dolphins. A team excavates
the giant fossil from a riverbank in British Columbia that is believed
to be the largest Triassic ichthyosaur ever found. On The Discovery Channel:
AUG 05 2006 @ 09:00 PM, AUG 06 2006 @ 01:00 AM ; ET/PT.
The Real Tomb Hunters: Snakes, Curses, and Booby
Traps - Fighting Nazis; grabbing golden treasure; fleeing angry natives;
dodging pitfalls in a booby-trapped temple--we all know how fictional
explorers and archaeologists spend their days. But does real life compare?
We follow some of the most daring archaeologists and take on the dangers
they face--Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass steps into a booby-trapped
tomb; American Arthur Demarest fights looters in the jungles of Cancuen;
and in Chiapas, angry villagers kidnap Australian-born Peter Mathews.
We also examine stories of past explorers who helped shape the "Indiana
Jones" stereotype--paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews battled venomous
snakes and Mongol bandits in the Gobi Desert; John Pendlebury, the British
archaeologist, fought Nazis on Crete; and Sylvanus Morley, who was the
first American archaeologist/spy. There are no special effects, no stuntmen,
and no retakes...and for these real-life archaeologists, no guarantee
they'll survive for a sequel.On History Channel: August 5 @ 5pm ET/PT
LGM:
Science over the Edge Archives
LGM Archive 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
Copyright Lee Krystek 2006. All Rights Reserved.