In the News:
Venemous
Dinosaur - In the 1990 book Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton
conjectued that some dinosaurs might have been poisonous, though there
was no fossil evidence to support that idea at the time. Now researcher
Francisco Aranda-Manteca of the University of Baja California reports
finding a groove on a dinosaur tooth that sugggests some dinosaurs might
have had a poisonous bite. According to Aranda-Manteca the tooth is about
two centimeters long and belonged to a theropod dinosaur of an unknown
species. The tooth was found in rocks between 70 and 80 million years
old located in Mexico. While the groove is not proof positive that the
animal was venemous, other living animals, like the cobra, with the same
type of groove down the back of their teeth are poisonous.
More
Evidence for Life on Mars - In 1996 NASA scientists startled the
world by saying they had found evidence in a meteorite from Mars found
in Antarctica that there had once been life
on Mars. The rock contained structures that might have been fossil
bacteria and materials that might have been produced by living organisms.
At the time critics argued that the evidence was far from convincing.
Now Joseph Kirschvink, a geobiologist working as a part of a NASA funded
study on meteorites from Mars, says that they have found a type of magnetite
crystal in a meteorite sample that is only known to be produced by living
organisms. Now critics argue that the sample may have been contaminated.
Whatever the case, this new finding is sure to spark more debate on the
possibility of life on the red planet.
Turnabout
on Tut Tests - The head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities,
Gaballah Ali Gaballah, announced that plans to test the DNA of the mummies
of King Tutankhamum and his possible grandfather,
Amenhoptep III, have been canceled. For years archaeologists had debated
on whether King Tut was indeed the biological son of Amenhotep IV. The
tests, to be conducted by a team from Japan's Waseda University and Cairo's
Ein Shams University, would have tired to clear up this mystery. The tests,
though, had been controversial with some Egyptian archaeologists thinking
the results might be used to "tamper" with Egyptian history.
Two
Sunken Cities Found - Two legendary ancient Egyptian cities that mysteriously
disappeared have been found under the waters of the Mediterranean Sea
just off the coast of Alexandria. Franck Goddio, head of the European
Institute for Underwater Archaeology, used ancient texts to guide him
in the discovery. The texts placed the location of the cities in what
was once the mouth of the Canopic branch of the Nile, but is now a part
of Aboukir Bay. The ruins, thought to be the cities of Menouthis and Herakleion,
were found under twenty-five-feet of water with the help of high-tech
instruments such as depth sounders, side scan sonar and nuclear resonance
magnetometers. Scientists speculate that the cities sunk as either the
result of an earthquake, or a massive flood in 741-742 AD that liquefied
the muddy soil on which the cities had been built.
Hydrothermal
Underwater "Lost City" is Found - A team of scientists aboard
the research vessel Atlantis has discovered a strange hydrothermal
vent system on the sea floor of the Atlantic Ocean they have dubbed the
"Lost City". The vents, which tower 180 feet above the bottom
and look like pointed spires, are the largest of their kind ever discovered
according to Deborah Kelly, a University of Washington geologist. The
spires can be as wide as thirty feet across at the top and are capped
with white, feathery hydrothermal precipitates. The water near these vents
can be as hot as 160 degrees which allows mats of bacteria to thrive around
the spires. The city, however, does not seem to attract the strange sea
life sometimes seen at other hydrothermal vents.
A
Tenth Planet? - Astronomer Robert McMillian, of the Univesity of Arizona's
Spacewatch Project, has discovered a chunk of rock between 330 and 750
miles in diameter that might be called a very big asteroid, or a very
small planet. The object is on a orbit similar to Pluto's at the edge
of the solar system. It is at the most half of Pluto's 1,470 mile diameter.
The object is not likely to be named a planet because of its small size.
Many astronomers today do not even consider Pluto itself a "true"
planet.
What's New at the Museum:
The
Observatory - Visit our new major gateway to the mysteries of space
and time - The Observatory.
The
Impossible Rocks that Fell from the Sky - See
why at one time the best scientific minds in the world didn't believe
that meteorites existed -
Impossible Rocks.
Russian
Ball Lightning - In January of 1984 a Russian passenger plane had
a brush with that strangest of electrical phenomena, ball lightning. A
glowing light, four inches in diameter, appeared to the pilots in front
of the cockpit. It disappeared with a roar and reappeared in the passenger
compartment. After sailing over the heads of the astonished passengers
it reached the tail section, where it divided into two crescents, then
merged again, and exited the plane. Later mechanics found holes in the
front of the fuselage and at the tail of the plane.
New to Read:
Book
Traces Career of "The Al Capone of Cartography" - Miles
Harvey traces the career of thief Gilbert Bland in his new book The
Island of Lost Maps. Bland, a failed computer salesman, stole hundreds
of old maps from libraries and research centers with a total value of
a half a million dollars. The results of Bland's thefts (usually by slashing
them out of a book with a razor blade) were turned into decorative objects
and sold on the antiques market. The extent of his crimes only came to
light when after he was caught and released in Baltimore. Then his notebook,
accidentally left behind, was found which detailed his crimes. By then
he'd assumed another identify and disappeared.
In the Sky:
Getting
Close - Though there isn't much to see you might want to note that
January 4th is the day of the year when our planet will be closest to
the sun at a distance of 91,400,000 miles which is 1,600,000 closer than
on average. This is because the Earth has a slightly elliptical orbit,
instead of perfectly circular.
Observed:
Town
Fears Collapse of Forgotten W.W.I Tunnels - The Belgian town of Nieupoort
has had a rash of buildings collapse and now scientists believe this is
the result of tunnels running under town that were constructed during
W.W.I. During the war the area was near the front lines and French, British
and American troops built tunnels as deep as 60 feet under the ground
as protection against heavy shelling by the German Army. It is estimated
that if all the tunnels under town collapsed at least 50 houses would
be at risk for damage. Researchers are looking for access to the tunnels
to examine their condition and find possible solutions to the problem.
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.
Sultan's
Lost Treasure - Follow an international team of archaeologists as
they dive to the bottom of the South China Sea to recover the priceless
cargo of an ancient wreck from the 14th century while at the same
time avoiding pirates, looters and the "bends." A Nova
episode on PBS Jan. 16 at 8PM ET/PT.
Great
Sphinx: Lord of the Pyramids - For thousands of years the Sphinx,
half man-half lion, has guarded the great pyramids of Egypt. Explore the
mystery of the Sphinx in this Discovery Channel premier: Jan. 7 at 9PM
and 1AM ET/PT.
Science
Mysteries: Strange Beings and UFOs - Discover the mysteries surrounding
alien abduction, the Yeti, and the Loch Ness monster. Are these strange
stories true? What's the evidence? Discovery Channel Jan. 18 at 10PM and
2AM. Repeats Jan. 20 at 4PM, ET/PT.
Doomsday
Asteroid - Could an asteroid less than a mile wide create tidal waves
three miles high that could wipe out civilization on the Earth? Find out
by watching this TCL special. Airs Jan. 18 at 9PM and repeats at 12AM,
ET/PT.
Noah
and the Flood - Archaeologists compare historical records with the
Bible story about the great flood of Noah. On
the History Channel. Jan. 2 at 9PM. Repeats Jan, 5 at 5PM ET/PT.
Bigfoot
and Other Monsters - Are the mermaid, Abominable Snowman and the giant
squid just legends? Or do they actually exist? Check out this History
Channel History's Mysteries to find out. Jan. 22 at 8PM. Repeats
Jan. 23 at 12AM and 4AM ET/PT.
History's
Mysteries - This History Channel has several other interesting episodes
coming up in this series this month including: Ancient City: Lost and
Found, Jan. 2 at 8PM repeats Jan. 3 at 12AM and 4AM Jan. 14 at 11AM.
Also Crop Circle Controversy Jan 29th at 8PM ET/PT.
LGM:
Science over the Edge Archives
Copyright Lee Krystek 2000. All Rights Reserved.