In the News:
One
Big Croc- Paul C. Sereno, a paleontologist from the University of
Chicago, said in an interview with the journal Science last month
that he and his team have discovered the remains of crocodile longer than
a school bus and weighing about 10 tons. The giant animal lived in Africa
110 million years ago, during the age of the dinosaurs, and Sereno believes
that the creature could have easily eaten a good-sized dinosaur. The animals
name, Sarcosuchus imperator, means flesh crocodile emperor.
The species was first identified by French scientists in 1964, but the
Sereno team's find is the most complete fossil skeleton of the creature
found yet. The animal's eye sockets are rotated upward which suggests
to Sereno that the croc was an ambush predator, hiding under the water
and then rushing out onto land to grab anything on the shore. A small
sauropod, 30 feet in length, would have been "no problem," to bring
down concluded Sereno.
Baby
Dino Skin Discovered in Patagonia - Scientists in Argentina have found
the remains of dinosaur embryo skin inside fossilized eggs. "If
the discovery of these eggs is a rarity, then finding skin is a bombshell..."said
paleontologist Rodolfo Coria. The eggs were discovered in Neuquen, a province
in Argentina's southern Patagonian desert. The eggs are the first found
from a sauropod, a class of dinosaurs with small heads, long necks and
bulky bodies. The particular species of sauropod appears to be titanosaurs
according to Coria. Titanosaurs roamed what is now modern-day Argentina
some 80 million years ago. Coria along with paleontologist Luis Chiappe
of Los Angeles' Museum of Natural History and Leonardo Salgado
of Neuquen's Museum of Comahue University are now preparing an
article on the 1997 discovery for a scientific journal.
New
Smithsonian Solar System Exhibit is too Big for Building- More than
six football fields in length, the Smithsonian's new exhibit "Voyage:
A Journey Through the Solar System," will be displayed outdoors along
the national mall in Washington. The exhibit is designed to demonstrate
to visitors the scale of distance between the planets relative to their
size. The sun, which is size of a grapefruit in the exhibit, is located
some 650 yards from Pluto, the outer most planet, which is smaller than
a poppy seed. On the same scale the nearest star to our solar system would
be the size of a cherry and located across the country in California.
Baboons
Deeper Thinkers than Previously Thought - According to research published
in the October issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology
baboons have shown they maybe capable of abstract reasoning. The work
was conducted by Joel Fagot of the Center for Research in Cognitive
Neuroscience with Edward Wasserman and Michael E. Young of the University
of Iowa. The experiments used images on a computer screen to see if
the baboons could demonstrate the kind of "this-is-to-that" comparisons
that are fundamental to reasoning. During one test a set of images was
shown, and the baboons had to pick out other images similar to or different
from the originals. If they were successful, they were rewarded with food.
Previously, chimpanzees were the only non-human primates to show similar
skills in such testing.
Space
Colonies May Save Mankind says Hawking - Humans are likely to be wiped
out by a doomsday virus before this millennium is out unless we colonize
space the famous British scientist Stephen Hawking said last month. "I
don't think the human race will survive the next thousand years unless
we spread into space. There are too many accidents that can befall life
on a single planet," he told Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper.
Hawking's comments came as the United States was dealing with concerns
over the deadly anthrax virus that is being mailed through the postal
system to high-profile media and political leaders.
Purple-Necked
Wallaby Does Exist - Researchers from the Macquarie University
in Sydney have discovered that the legendary purple-necked wallaby does
exist. Witnesses have claimed for years that the creature was for real,
but whenever one was shot the purple color would disappear before it could
be shown to skeptical scientists. Now the Department of Biological Sciences
at Macquarie has found out that the color is secreted through the skin
and rapidly fades once the animal is dead. Why the animal has the strange
markings is still a mystery. Using genetic technology Macquarie has been
able to verify that these animals are an entire new species.
What's New at the Museum:
Crossing
the Atlantic By Air - On July 25th, 1909, Louis
Bleriot stunned the world by using an airplane to cross the English Channel.
Only ten years later the first men to fly the Atlantic would tackle a
distance of over one-hundred times greater than that of the Channel flight
and incalculably more dangerous. Read their story: Crossing
the Atlantic By Air
The
Mystery of the Hindenburg Disaster - It was
the biggest thing that ever flew. Was its fiery end the result of an accident
or sabotage? The
Mystery of the Hindenburg Disaster.
To Listen to:
UFO
Reality - Pop rocker Dean Wolfe writes us that his CD Reality
is available online at MP3.com and contains a song, Unidentified Flying
Objects, that was inspired by a sighting he had when he was a teen.
Flying saucer aficionados may want to download it off the net at
http://www.mp3.com/deanwolfe or buy the whole album.
Alien
Bases on the Moon? - On November 20, 1952, George Adamski, claimed
he met a Venusian flying saucer pilot in the desert of southern California.
Later (in 1954) Adamski reported that the venusian had taken him on a
flight around the moon showing him the extraterrestrial bases located
there amid forests and lakes. Adamski was one of the first people to claim
to have been "contacted" by aliens and made a small career out
of it giving lectures. His claims were taken seriously by a number of
his disciples at the time, though given what has been learned over the
last 50 years by NASA astronauts and probes, extraterrestrial settlements
on the moon and Venus seem very unlikely.
In the Sky:
Mercury
in Morning - The morning of November 5th marks the best time to observe
the planet Mercury this year. Look 45 minutes before sunrise in the ESE.
It will be very close to a bright morning Venus.
Leonid
Meteor Shower - The Leonid meteor shower peaks Sunday November 18th
before dawn. In the past this shower has produced some spectacular displays.
Will we see something special this year? You'll have to get up early and
see. Best observed in a dark area with a wide view of the sky. A sleeping
bag and lounge chair are recommended.
Observed:
Python
1, Pitbull 0 - A Merced, California, man called police after coming
home from work last month. He feared that someone had broken into his
home and stolen his pets. The two officers who responded searched around
the home and found one of the man's animals, a 18-foot Burmese python
snake, curled up underneath the house. In the middle of the snake was
a suspicious bulge which turned out to be the man's other pet, a 30-pound
pit bull. "I guess they got in a tangle and the snake won," remarked one
of the officers.
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.
Building
the Impossible: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - Learn the
historical background of each of the Seven Wonders
of the World using information from ancient sources, modern investigations
of the remains and computer animation. On the Discovery Channel Nov 21
2001 8:00 PM Nov 21 2001 12:00 AM ET.
The
Mutter Museum: Strange But True Medical Mystery - Tour one of the
most unusual and enlightening medical museums in the world. Dr. Thomas
Dent Mutter contributed his personal collection of strange specimens,
creating the foundation of a truly harrowing exhibit. Airs on the Discovery
Channel on Nov 25 2001 9:00 PM Nov 25 2001 1:00 AM ET.
Burning
Bodies: Spontaneous Human Combustion -Survivors and first-hand witnesses
describe the horror of one of the most hotly debated topics in forensics.
How can a human body self-ignite in an environment completely untouched
by fire? On the Discovery Channel: Nov 25 2001 10:00 PM Nov 25 2001 2:00
AM ET.
Mysteries of the Pyramids - Discover the many puzzling and astonishing
features of pyramids around the world. Engineers and astronomers attempt
to find out how and why pyramids were built and what significance these
massive structures held. On the Discovery Channel: Nov 30 2001 10:00 PM
Nov 30 2001 1:00 AM ET.
Ten
Plagues of Egypt - According to the Bible, ten plagues, from boils
to locusts to slaying the first born in each household, were divine punishment
intended to convince the Pharaoh to release the Jews. On TCL: Nov 30 2001
10:00 PM Nov 30 2001 1:00 AM ET.
The
Lost Ark - Ancient astronauts journeyed to Earth and taught the Egyptians
to make a capacitor capable of storing electricity. The search continues
for the ark that worked along these electromagnetic principles. On TCL:
Nov 27 2001 9:00 PM Nov 27 2001 12:00 AM ET.
Psychics,
Shamans and Mystics - Explore how Philippine psychic detectives solve
crimes; Holy Men of India perform what appear to be magical feats of superhuman
ability; and Mudang Shamans of Korea are believed to communicate with
the spirit world and change people's fortune and fate. On TCL: Nov 13
2001 10:00 PM Nov 13 2001 1:00 AM Nov 17 2001 4:00 PM ET.
Atlantis
- The Lost Continent - Explore the myth, history and science fiction
surrounding the legend of Atlantis using computer graphics and state-of-the-art
digital video. Sophisticated imagery depicts the environment on the lost
continent and dramatizes life as it may have existed. On TLC: Nov 6 2001
10:00 PM Nov 6 2001 1:00 AM Nov 10 2001 4:00 PM ET.
History
Special Presentation UFOs: Then and Now? - A comprehensive series
investigating the UFO experience. On the History Channel: The Innocent
Years November 05 8:00 AM November 05 2:00 PM; Cause for Alarm
November 05 9:00 AM November 05 3:00 PM; Nightmare November
05 10:00 AM November 05 4:00 PM;Aliens and Contact November 05
11:00 AM November 05 5:00 PM ET.
Swamp
Monster - An investigation of reports that a huge man-like beast is
living in the swamps of Louisiana's bayou. Part of the classic In Search
of... TV series. On the History Channel November 02 11:30 AM ET.
LGM:
Science over the Edge Archives
LGM Archive 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001.
Copyright Lee Krystek 2001. All Rights Reserved.