That Time a German Prince Built an Artificial Volcano
The smoke began rising above the farm fields and tidy forests of Woerlitz on last Saturday morning, puffs of white and black that signaled something unusual. By sunset, thousands of people had gathered on the shores of an artificial lake, listening avidly to ominous rumbles. Dozens more, tipsy with schnapps and wine, floated in candlelit gondolas on the still water.
They were all here to see Europe's biggest, oldest and—as far as anyone knows—only artificial volcano. Completed in 1794, the Stone Island of Woerlitz is a little-known wonder of the Enlightenment, a provincial prince's attempt to bring a bit of Italian drama and grandeur to the farmers of Germany. |  |
Black Bears Can "Count" as Well as Primates
Do black bears count in the woods? Possibly, according to a recent study that shows the mammals are as smart as primates.
In experiments, captive bears showed that they could perform numerical tasks, including distinguishing the number of dots on an image.
Even though bears have the largest relative brain size of any carnivore (still not as big as primates), surprisingly little research has been done on their cognitive abilities, according to the study.
In experiments, captive bears showed that they could perform numerical tasks, including distinguishing the number of dots on an image.
Even though bears have the largest relative brain size of any carnivore (still not as big as primates), surprisingly little research has been done on their cognitive abilities, according to the study.
Glowing Cockroach Mimics Toxic Beetle
A glowing green cockroach would seem much easier to kill than our more familiar kitchen pests, but this particular insect evolved its own set of lights to avoid exactly such predatory attention, according to a new study.
Luchihormetica luckae glows to mimic the bioluminescent click beetle, whose glow warns predators of its toxicity.
Found in rain forests around an active volcano in Ecuador, the inch-long (2.5-centimeter-long) cockroach is unique for a few reasons, scientists say.
Luchihormetica luckae glows to mimic the bioluminescent click beetle, whose glow warns predators of its toxicity.
Found in rain forests around an active volcano in Ecuador, the inch-long (2.5-centimeter-long) cockroach is unique for a few reasons, scientists say.
Maya Prince's Tomb Found With Rare Drinking Vessel
Excavating a remote Maya palace in the ruined city of Uxul, archaeologists in Mexico have uncovered the ancient tomb of a young prince—and a rare artifact.
The floor of an entrance building within Uxul's 11-building royal complex concealed the entrance to the small chamber, which held the remains of the 20- to 25-year-old man and nine ceramic objects.
On one cup, "there was a simple message ... in elegantly modeled hieroglyphics that read: '[This is] the cup of the young man/prince,'" team member Nikolai Grube, an anthropologist at Germany's University of Bonn, said in a late-July statement.
The floor of an entrance building within Uxul's 11-building royal complex concealed the entrance to the small chamber, which held the remains of the 20- to 25-year-old man and nine ceramic objects.
On one cup, "there was a simple message ... in elegantly modeled hieroglyphics that read: '[This is] the cup of the young man/prince,'" team member Nikolai Grube, an anthropologist at Germany's University of Bonn, said in a late-July statement.
Mexico wastewater project uncovers Ice Age bones
Workers have discovered hundreds of bones belonging to Ice Age animals, including mammoths, mastodons and glyptodons, while digging to build a wastewater treatment plant north of Mexico City.
The bones could be between 10,000 and 12,000 years old and may include a human tooth from the late Pleistocene period, Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History said Thursday.
The bones could be between 10,000 and 12,000 years old and may include a human tooth from the late Pleistocene period, Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History said Thursday.
Pictures: Mass Sacrifice Found Near Aztec Temple
Sixteen feet (five meters) below street level in Mexico City, archaeologists have found a jumble of 1,789 bones from children, teenagers, and adults along with the complete skeleton of a young woman.
The burial, dating to the 1480s, lies at the foot of the main temple in the sacred ceremonial precinct of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, founded by the Aztecs in 1325. The Aztecs dominated central Mexico until falling to Spanish conquistadores in 1521. Although several burials with multiple remains have been uncovered previously in this precinct, this is the first that includes human bones from such a wide span of ages. |  |
Eureka! 'Light Bulb' Solar Storm Erupts from Active Sun
An enormous sun eruption, shaped like a giant glowing light bulb, was captured by a veteran spacecraft that closely monitors our nearest star. NASA scientists dubbed the sun storm a solar "Eureka! moment."
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft, which is a joint mission by NASA and the European Space Agency, snapped the new photos of the bulbous, light bulb-shaped coronal mass ejection as it erupted from the sun's surface on Aug. 20. |  |
From Flood Myth to Martian Megafloods
“No one with an eye for land forms can cross eastern Washington in daylight without encountering and being impressed by the “scabland.” Like great scars marring the otherwise fair face to the plateau are these elongated tracts of bare, black rock carved into mazes of buttes and canyons. Everybody on the plateau knows scabland…[]…The popular name is a metaphor. The scablands are wounds only partially healed – great wounds in the epidermis of soil with which Nature protects the underlying rock…[]…The region is unique: let the observer take wings of the morning to the uttermost parts of the earth: he will nowhere find its likeness.”
[Follow article link...]Mars Rover Curiosity Begins 1st Long Martian Drive
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has left its landing site, embarking upon a weeks-long Martian road trip toward its first major science target, mission officials announced today (Aug. 29).
Curiosity headed off eastward Tuesday (Aug. 28) toward a spot called Glenelg, where three different types of terrain come together in one place. The 52-foot (16-meter) drive marks the rover's first big move away from "Bradbury Landing," where Curiosity touched down on the night of Aug. 5. |  |
Before-and-After Photos: Curiosity’s Laser Burns Holes in Martian Rock
When it comes to laser blasts, the Curiosity rover is no slouching Stormtrooper. These impressive before-and-after shots show a nice row of dots resulting from the probe’s Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on a target patch of soil on Mars.
Burning tiny holes in this unlucky bit of Martian dirt — which NASA engineers nicknamed “Beechy” — is called a five-by-one raster. The technique provides data about changes in chemical composition over small areas of the regolith. Each image covers a circular view about three inches wide. |  |
Fungi could thwart carbon capture efforts
Plants are the original carbon capture and storage solution: as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rise, plants absorb more of the gas to fuel photosynthesis, and more carbon is stored in the soil. At least that's the theory. But the fungi that live on the plant roots might undo some of that extra work by releasing CO2 back into the atmosphere again.
It's long been known that as levels of CO2 in the atmosphere rise, plants can increase their rate of photosynthesis. This should result in more carbon being stored away in the soil. |  |
'Spineless' animals under threat of extinction
A fifth of animals without backbones could be at risk of extinction, say scientists.
Almost 80% of the world's species are invertebrates, meaning they lack a spinal column. Reviewing over 12,000 species known to be threatened, biologists found that freshwater ones are most at risk. Researchers urged for comprehensive studies of those vulnerable, to help inform conservation and protect species. |  |
Butterflies 'more endangered than tigers’
The biggest study of invertebrates ever conducted found that one in five is at risk of dying out. This can affect humans by threatening crops and food supplies.
Prof Jonathan Baillie, the director of conservation at the Zoological Society, said insects, slugs and snails may not be as glamorous as lions or dolphins but are just as important to providing the food we eat and the countryside we love. “These critters form the basis of many of the essential benefits that nature provides; earthworms recycle waste nutrients, coral reefs support a myriad of life forms and bees help pollinate crops,” he said. “If they disappear, humans could soon follow.” . |  |
Wealthy families obey economics rather than evolution
"Go forth and multiply" might be poor advice for parents who want to ensure their descendants' economic success. A study in Sweden spanning five generations confirms that the wealthiest families tend to remain small, despite evolutionary pressures to have as many offspring as possible.
Evolutionary biologists are aware of a curious phenomenon that kicks in when societies become industrialised: the wealthiest families begin to have fewer children, suggesting they are no longer concerned with maximising their reproduction. |  |
Three people enter into civil union in Brazil
Claudia do Nascimento Domingues, a public notary, granted the wishes of the man and two women, saying there is nothing in law that prevents such an arrangement.
The trio have lived together in Rio de Janeiro for three years, and have a joint bank account, sharing bills and expenses. The union was made formally three months ago, according to Globo TV, but only became public this week. “We are only recognising what has always existed. We are not inventing anything,” said Ms Domingues. |  |
Should Pakistan's blasphemy laws change?
The arrest of Rimsha Masih, a Christian girl in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, has once again raised the risk of violence committed in the name of religion.
The girl accused of burning pages of the Quran - according to some reports she burnt pages of the Noorani Qaida which is the beginner's guide for reciting the Quran with a correct accent and pronunciation - is being held under Pakistan's anti-blasphemy laws.
There are conflicting reports about the details of her arrest as well as her age and mental state. Some reports say she is just 11 and suffers from Down syndrome.
Note: related Avaaz Petition here
The girl accused of burning pages of the Quran - according to some reports she burnt pages of the Noorani Qaida which is the beginner's guide for reciting the Quran with a correct accent and pronunciation - is being held under Pakistan's anti-blasphemy laws.
There are conflicting reports about the details of her arrest as well as her age and mental state. Some reports say she is just 11 and suffers from Down syndrome.
Note: related Avaaz Petition here
Hundreds of bones from the Ice Age discovered in Mexico
The bones could be between 10,000 and 12,000 years old and may include a human tooth from the late Pleistocene period, Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History said on Thursday.
Tusks, skulls, jawbones, horns, ribs, vertebrae and shells were discovered 65 feet deep in Atotonilco de Tula, a town in the state of Hidalgo, as workers built a drain, the institute said. These remains belong to a range of species including mastodons, mammoths, camels, horses, deer and glyptodons, the armadillo's ancestor. Some bones may belong to bison, while others have not been identified. |  |
Palaeontology and Evolutionary Biology
24 November is a great day for palaeontology and evolutionary biology. Not only was it on this date in 1859 that Charles Darwin’s “Origin of Species,” as it is commonly known, was published (it sold out on its first day and had to be re-printed), it was also the day, in 1974, when paleoanthropologists discovered Lucy, a 3.2 million year old skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis, an extinct species of hominid.
In the broadest definition, a hominid is an erect bipedal primate that includes modern day humans and other living species of ape, as well as other extinct species such as Homo habilis. Lucy was discovered in 1974 by David Johanson, Maurice Taieb and Yves Coppens, in Hadar, Ethiopia. |  |
Genome of ancient Denisovans may help clarify human evolution
Our ancestors didn't walk alone: Neanderthals and other ancient peoples shared Earth with them tens of thousands of years ago.
Now, using new technology, scientists have sequenced with high precision the genome of one of those close but little-known relatives: an extinct people known as the Denisovans, who lived in and around modern-day Siberia. The Denisovan genome, reported online Thursday in the journal Science, was derived from tiny quantities of shredded DNA extracted from a finger bone found in a Russian cave in 2008, as well as a tooth found later. |  |
No comments:
Post a Comment