Mayas may have made some prophecies, but not about the end of the world
MEXICO CITY — As the clock winds down to Dec. 21, experts on the Mayan calendar have been racing to convince people that the Mayas didn’t predict an apocalypse for the end of this year. Some experts are now saying the Mayas may indeed have made prophecies, just not about the end of the world.
Archaeologists, anthropologists and other experts met Friday in the southern Mexico city of Merida to discuss the implications of the Mayan Long Count calendar, which is made up of 394-year periods called baktuns. Experts estimate the system starts counting at 3114 B.C., and will have run through 13 baktuns, or 5,125 years, around Dec. 21. Experts say 13 was a significant number for the Mayans, and the end of that cycle would be a milestone — but not an end. Note: See John Major Jenkins interview on 2012 |  |
Did a Massive Extraterrestrial Body Impact Earth 12,000 Years Ago?
New research results are consistent with a controversial theory that an extraterrestrial body – such as a comet – impacted the Earth approximately 12,900 years ago, possibly contributing to the significant climatic and ecological changes that date to that time period. The paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) includes significant findings about the nature of so-called "microspherules" that were found at a number of prehistoric sites, based on research done at North Carolina State.
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NASA spacecraft records 'Earthsong'
Nobody ever said anything about singing, though. A NASA spacecraft has just beamed back a beautiful song sung by our own planet.
"It's called chorus," explains Craig Kletzing of the University of Iowa. "This is one of the clearest examples we've ever heard." Chorus is an electromagnetic phenomenon caused by plasma waves in Earth's radiation belts. For years, ham radio operators on Earth have been listening to them from afar. Now, NASA's twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes are traveling through the region of space where chorus actually comes from—and the recordings are out of this world. |  |
Is the Gospel of Jesus' Wife a Forgery?
A scrap of papyrus from the early Christian era that refers to Jesus having a wife has met with extreme skepticism since its unveiling 11 days ago. Many scholars have declared the so-called "Gospel of Jesus' Wife" a modern forgery — one that probably postdates Dan Brown's 2003 novel, "The Da Vinci Code." Others say that conclusion is too hasty.
What are the experts' arguments for and against its authenticity? And will the world ever know for sure whether this dogma-defying artifact is real?. |  |
Earth’s carbon sink downsized
Abundance of soil nutrients a limiting factor in plants’ ability to soak up carbon dioxide.
As carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere continue to climb, most climate models project that the world’s oceans and trees will keep soaking up more than half of the extra CO2. But researchers report this week that the capacity for land plants to absorb more CO2 will be much lower than previously thought, owing to limitations in soil nutrients. |  |
How the mafia is destroying the rainforests
It's not as glamorous as cocaine or diamonds, but the illegal logging industry has become very attractive to criminal organisations over the past decade. A new report finds that up to 90 per cent of tropical deforestation can be attributed to organised crime, which controls up to 30 per cent of the global timber trade.
For years, environmental regulators thought that illegal logging was decreasing worldwide. But they were just looking in the wrong places, says Christian Nelleman, author of the 27 September report from the United Nations Environment Programme. |  |
Preparing fossils: the fine art of extracting bones from the rocks
It is easy to marvel at a beautiful fossil specimen that is illustrated in a scientific article, in a book or online, or is on display in a museum, and overlook the time-consuming and often painstaking work that went into getting it into that condition. Exhibitions and documentaries often show the dramatic scenes of fossils wrapped in protective plaster jackets being dragged or even airlifted out of the field site, but then mention only in passing the weeks or even months of effort required to extract the bones (or shells or whatever) from the rock.
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Arctic Bigfoot? Balding polar bear? Inquiring minds want to know
Is there a Bigfoot on Alaska’s North Slope? One Barrow family thinks so, and it has them worried about a remote cabin property they own about 35 miles south of America’s northernmost community.
Sarah Skin has been camping at the cabin every year for the last half-century. In the last three years, she and her family say they've repeatedly seen 10-foot tall, bipedal creatures that are black, brown or grayish in color. Skin said that they've seen the creatures three years running, each time in the fall when the family heads to the cabin to hunt for caribou. |  |
'They just rushed away, all in fur, walking on two legs': Yeti sightings in Siberia
Three separate 'sightings' of yetis have been made in Siberia in recent weeks, say fishermen and an official in Russia.
All were in the remote Kemerovo region, where around 30 'abominable snowmen' live, according to the country's leading researcher on the creatures. In one previously undisclosed case last month near Myski village, fishermen in a boat on a river initially mistook distant figures first for bears and then people, said the Siberian Times 'We shouted to them - do you need help?,' said fisherman Vitaly Vershinin. 'They just rushed away, all in fur, walking on two legs, making their way through the bushes and with two other limbs, straight up the hill.' He said: "What did we think? It could not be bears, as the bear walks on all-fours, and they ran on two.... so then they were gone.' |  |
High-Arctic heat tops 1,800-year high, says study
Summers on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard are now warmer than at any other time in the last 1,800 years, including during medieval times when parts of the northern hemisphere were as hot as, or hotter, than today, according to a new study in the journal Geology.
"The Medieval Warm Period was not as uniformly warm as we once thought--we can start calling it the Medieval Period again," said the study's lead author, William D'Andrea, a climate scientist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. "Our record indicates that recent summer temperatures on Svalbard are greater than even the warmest periods at that time." |  |
The chemical memory of seawater
Scientists examine the biomolecules dissolved in the ocean and read them like a history book of the sea
Water does not forget, says Prof. Boris Koch, a chemist at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association. Irrespective of what happens in the sea: whether the sun shines, algae bloom or a school of dolphins swims through a marine area – everything and everyone leaves biomolecular tracks. With the help of a combination of new techniques, Boris Koch and colleagues can now identify and retrace some of these.
Water does not forget, says Prof. Boris Koch, a chemist at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association. Irrespective of what happens in the sea: whether the sun shines, algae bloom or a school of dolphins swims through a marine area – everything and everyone leaves biomolecular tracks. With the help of a combination of new techniques, Boris Koch and colleagues can now identify and retrace some of these.
North Sea cod: Is it true there are only 100 left?
If recent reports are to be believed, the North Sea cod's days are numbered. But should we believe these reports? What do the experts say about the numbers of fish that are left?
The Daily Telegraph recently ran the headline: "Just 100 cod left in the North Sea". It sounded fishy. Trawlermen were furious. "It just makes my blood boil - 100 cod in the North Sea?" fumes Brian Buchan, who's been fishing in the North Sea for more than 30 years. "More like 100 million cod in the North Sea." It's not a trivial issue. Over-exploitation and conflicts over fisheries cause major problems worldwide. |  |
Climate change 'may shrink fish'
Fish species are expected to shrink in size by up to 24% because of global warming, say scientists.
Researchers modelled the impact of rising temperatures on more than 600 species between 2001 and 2050. Warmer waters could decrease ocean oxygen levels and significantly reduce fish body weight. The scientists argue that failure to control greenhouse gas emissions will have a greater impact on marine ecosystems than previously thought. |  |
Excavation unearths Bronze Age cultures
Excavations at the Aslantepe tumulus near the central Anatolian city of Malatya have unearthed a large building containing two spearheads and a necklace, all of which appear to date to the early trans-Caucasian culture.
Excavation work continued this year on part of a structure in the southern portion of the tumulus that is believed to be the world’s first palace, the head of the Aslantepe excavations, Professor Marcella Frangipane of Rome’s La Sapienze University, told members of the press. Some other buildings found to the north of the palace in earlier phases of the excavation date from the Bronze Age, she said. |  |
Is this western Europe’s first city?
Archaeological excavations carried out at the site of La Bastida (Totana, Murcia, in Spain) have exposed an imposing fortification system which is unique for its location and date. This discovery, together with all previous finds made in recent years, reaffirm that the site represents the most advanced ‘city’ settlement in western Europe in both political and military terms during the Bronze Age ca. 2,200 BCE. In terms of sophistication, it is comparable only to the Minoan civilisation of Crete.
The archaeological site is located in the Sierra Tercia, on a steep hill at the confluence of the Rambla de Lebor and Salado Cliff around 6 km west of Totana town in Murcia.
The archaeological site is located in the Sierra Tercia, on a steep hill at the confluence of the Rambla de Lebor and Salado Cliff around 6 km west of Totana town in Murcia.
Will driverless cars mean computer crashes?
Google co-founder Sergey Brin believes that "self-driving cars will be far safer than human-driven cars" but who trusts them enough to drive in them or even alongside them?
Drivers will not need a driving licence by 2040. At least that is what the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers believes. It thinks autonomous cars capable of driving to any destination are set to become the norm. With an estimated 90% of current car accidents thought to be caused by human error, taking people out of the equation is seen by many car companies as a massive boost to safety. |  |
Bringing Pieces of Mars to Earth: How NASA Will Do It
Over the next few months, NASA will map out a strategy for returning bits of Martian rock and soil to Earth, so scientists can study them for signs of past Red Planet life.
That ambitious goal should drive the space agency's next steps at Mars, according to a report released Tuesday (Sept. 25) by the Mars Program Planning Group. The report also lays out several ways Mars sample-return can be accomplished over the next decade or two, and NASA is reviewing those options now. The agency may reveal its chosen path in February, after the White House releases its federal budget request for fiscal year 2014, NASA officials said Tuesday. In the meantime, here's a brief rundown of the scenarios they're looking at. |  |
Water on Mars has a long history
It was November 1971. The scene at Nasa was a tense one, similar to that of Curiosity's landing back in August. Ground controllers held their collective breath as Mariner 9 approached Mars. If everything went to plan, the spacecraft would make history by being the first manmade object to go into orbit around Earth's neighbouring planet.
Mariner 9 was an octagonal spacecraft just less than a metre and a half across, with four cross-like solar panels sticking out another two metres from its body. Its mission was to map Mars. At the appointed time, the retrorockets fired and Mars' gravity took hold of the spacecraft. |  |
Space Trash Considered for Space Gas
When it comes to human spaceflight, what goes up does indeed need to come down, typically at significant expense on both legs of the journey.
A team of NASA engineers and scientists thinks there is a better way -- turning all that trash into rocket gas and other useful items. "The goal is to make sure what you ship up in space you actually use," said chemist Paul Hintze, who oversees the Trash to Supply Gas project at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. |  |
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