In the News:
Students
Find Mystery Mars Boulders - A group of international school students
who won a chance to take pictures of Mars from a NASA spacecraft have
discovered a baffling collection of boulders on the Martian surface. The
students, ranging in age from 10 to 16, are members of the Planetary Society's
Red Rover Goes to Mars Training Mission. With the help of Malin Space
Science Systems experts they selected three locations for NASA's Global
Surveyor spacecraft to take pictures. In one photo they discovered a clump
of boulders where there should be none. "It's puzzling, " said
Michael Carr of the U.S. Geological Survey in a NASA press release. "I
looked at a few pictures around [the area] and couldn't find anything
to explain it. Very puzzling! These are huge boulders. There are no indications
of any outcrops that could shed such boulders...The mystery is why so
much of the rest of the slope is smooth and devoid of blocks."
The students were chosen through an essay contest from more than 10,000 entrants worldwide.
The
Biggest Crystals Ever - The largest natural crystals
in the world have been discovered in two caves that were unearthed during
mining operations in Chihuahua, Mexico. The crystals, longer than 20 feet
in length, are a form of clear gypsum. The mine plans to air condition
the caves, which are currently 100 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit in temperature,
and open them to the public as a tourist attractions. Meanwhile the mining
company is limiting access to the caves because of mineral hunters who
have broken into the chambers to steal some of the crystals. One burglar
was killed when the crystal he was trying to dislodge from the ceiling
fell on him and killed him. The previous record holding crystals came
from the nearby "Cave of Swords" and some of those are now on
display at the Smithsonian Institution.
Giant
Squid Gets Pickled - The body of a giant squid, some forty feet long
and weighing 440 pounds (200 Kg) has been found off the coast of Australia.
Scientists from the Melbourne Museum are attempting to preserve the body
for study by pickling it. Only a small number of giant squid carcasses
have ever been found and the creature, which inhabits water as deep as
4,800 feet, has never been seen alive. Mark Norman, of the Museum, joked
that such a creature could provide calamari rings the size of "car
tires," but they would taste like "floor cleaner."
Stick
Insect not Extinct - A rare 'stick' insect has been found alive on
a small island off the coast of Australia. Scientists thought it had gone
extinct some 80 years ago. Dryococelus australis, which grows about
6 inches (15 centimeters) long and a half-inch (1.5 centimeters) wide,
was originally thought to live only on Lord Howe Island off the coast
of Australia. It was wiped out from the island in 1920 by rats that landed
on the island from a supply ship in 1918. Scientists discovered the surviving
insects on Balls Pyramid which is a volcanic rock that rises from the
sea 23 kilometers from Lord Howe Island. One of the researchers, Dr. David
Piddel said that the creatures grew so large because, before the rats
arrived, it had no natural enemies. According to Piddel the animal looks
like a "walking sausage."
Slash
and Tear Dino - Scientists using engineering techniques have found
that the Allosaurus dinosaur attacked its prey with a 'slash and tear'
method, much like the modern Komodo Dragon.
Researchers at the Cambridge Department of Earth Sciences built a 3D computer
model of the Allosaurus fragilis's skull based on fossil skulls.
The computer then calculated how the skull would perform under stress.
Scientists were intrigued by the strange combination of features that
Allosaurus skulls had: a strong upper part, a weak jaw, and a series of
struts along the back. The results indicated that the Allosaurus used
it neck muscles to drive its skull down on its target like a hatchet,
then tear away large chucks of flesh. This was a different approach than
the famed T. rex, who's skull is was a "bone crusher."
NEAR
Landing - NASA accomplished a first last month when the NEAR-Shoemaker
spacecraft set down gently onto surface of the the asteroid 433 Eros.
It was the first time anyone had ever tired such a feat. The robot spacecraft,
which was launched 5 years ago and made a 2 billion mile journey during
its operation, had not been designed to actually land on the asteroid,
but merely to observe it from orbit. NASA scientists decided that the
mission had been so successful that they would try one final feat with
the spacecraft before the end of the mission. The landing on Eros allowed
the craft to observe the asteroid very close up and see objects on the
surface as small as four inches across as it made its approach. NASA says
that the mission was extremely successful and they collected 10 times
more scientific data than was originally planned.
What's New at the Museum:
Roy
Chapman Andrews - Visit our Virtual Exploration
Society to learn about the life of explorer Roy Chapman Andrews. He plunged
into Outer Mongolia heedless of sandstorms, civil wars and armed bandits
for the sake of science.
Read about this scientist/adventurer who many people believe was the model
for Hollywood's Indiana Jones. Roy Chapman Andrews
The
Great Mummy Project - Need
a great science or art project for school? Or maybe something to just
liven up your den or bedroom? With a little cardboard, paints, a glue
gun and some elbow grease you can build a full-szie replica mummy complete
with case. The Great Mummy Project.
The
Surgeon's Fake Photo - It was on March 11, 1994 that the London
Daily Mail published a story that reported that one of the most famous
pictures of the Loch Ness Monster, known as "The
surgeon's photo," was a hoax. Ninety year-old Christian Spurling
confessed that he had created a miniature monster which was photographed
by his stepfather, Marmaduke Weatherell. Weatherell then got Robert K.
Wilson, a surgeon, to turn the pictures in to the press. Weatherell was
seeking revenge on a newspaper after an incident involving the Loch Ness
Monster where Weatherell was himself hoaxed by someone planting fake monster
footprints using a preserved hippo foot.
In the Sky:
Crescent
Venus - Last month we noted how brilliant Venus looked. It still is
this month and it provides a great opportunity to see the difference between
a planet and a star. Early this month go out several hours after sunset
and look for Venus in the western sky. It will the easy to find, it is
the brightest thing out there except the moon. Now use a pair of binoculars
to spot the planet's crescent shape. You may have to rest the binoculars
on something to hold them steady enough. You will never see a star with
a crescent shape. First because star's shine with their own light, second
every star but our own is too far away to look like anything but a point
of light in even a large telescope.
Observed:
Fraudulent
Temples Sealed Off - Two phony temples built to defraud pilgrims of
their monetary offerings were closed down by local officials at Huong
Son, Vietnam. The area is known for its caves and temples which are visited
by hundreds of thousands of people during the pilgrimage season that starts
after the Lunar New Year. The temples were build by villagers in the 1990's
to collect donations from unsuspecting worshipers. The region has 31 caves
and temples recognized as legitimate historical relics.
Fireball
Over Scotland - People are combing the countryside in Scotland looking
for the remains of a fireball that streaked across the sky on the night
of February 8th. The fireball, caused by a meteorite falling to Earth,
may have landed in the area of Leith or Portobello. Rock hunters are hoping
to find pieces of the fireball, which can easily be identified by the
thin black crust that covers them, because dealers are willing to pay
a high price for even small fragments.
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.
Search
for the Lost Cave People - This Nova follows a team of archaeologists
to Rio la Venta Gorge in Central America. There they discover the remains
of the ancient and mysterious Zoque people who practiced ritualistic cannibalism
and child sacrifice. Airs March 6 on PBS 9PM ET.
Crocodiles!
With David Attenborough - Sir David Attenborough hosts this Nova
on the life of these reptilian predators that have remained almost unchanged
since the days of the dinosaurs. Airs on PBS March 13 at 9PM ET.
Land
of the Mammoth - If you liked the first one watch this sequel to one
of Discovery Channel's highest rated programs: Raising the Mammoth.
Airs on March 11 at 8 PM ET/PT.
Ancient
Technologies - This TLC program takes a look at technology thousands
of years ago. Were those civilizations more advanced than we think? March
2 at 7PM and 2AM, ET.
Area
51: Beyond Top Secret - What goes on at the super secret Area 51 in
the Nevada Desert? Are they just trying out top secret planes, or are
captured alien spacecraft tested there? On the History Channel March 6
at 8PM, March 7 at midnight and 4AM, ET/PT.
Secret UFO Files - Has the CIA systematically suppressed, distorted
and even fabricated reports of UFO sightings? On the History Channel March
22 at 8PM, March 23 at midnight and 4AM, ET/PT.
Secrets
of the Dinosaur Hunters - In the 19th century American scientists
O.C. Marsh and Drinker Cope fought a frenzied
and bitter competition to see who could discover more dinosaur species.
Did the rivalry help or hurt science? On the History Channel March 16
at 11PM, March 17 at 3AM and March 18 at 5AM, ET/PT.
Monsters
of the Sea - Are sea monsters figments of sailor imaginations, or
living relics from the time of the dinosaurs? On the History Channel March
19 at 8PM, March 20 at midnight and 4AM, March 25 at 11 AM, ET/PT.
LGM:
Science over the Edge Archives
LGM Archive 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001.
Copyright Lee Krystek 2001. All Rights Reserved.