Wednesday, December 31, 2003
'Pregnant' San Andreas Could Be Ready to Deliver
Scary beauty surrounds Cameron Barrows. He works in lush groves of fan palms that erupt like mirages from moonscape terrain. Hot springs bubble beneath them. Sand dunes drift nearby.
"It's an amazing place," said Barrows, director of the Coachella Valley Preserve east of Palm Springs. The 20,000-acre sanctuary owes its splendors to the San Andreas fault, the frightening part of the bargain.
Many scientists say the Coachella Valley is where the 750-mile San Andreas seems most prone for an epic earthquake, a monster that would be enormously more powerful than the recent temblors in San Simeon, Calif., and Bam, Iran.
It really only is a matter of time before we see a big one strike on the San Andreas fault like the one experienced in 1906 in San Francisco.
From Yahoo - Top Stories - Los Angeles Times
"It's an amazing place," said Barrows, director of the Coachella Valley Preserve east of Palm Springs. The 20,000-acre sanctuary owes its splendors to the San Andreas fault, the frightening part of the bargain.
Many scientists say the Coachella Valley is where the 750-mile San Andreas seems most prone for an epic earthquake, a monster that would be enormously more powerful than the recent temblors in San Simeon, Calif., and Bam, Iran.
It really only is a matter of time before we see a big one strike on the San Andreas fault like the one experienced in 1906 in San Francisco.
From Yahoo - Top Stories - Los Angeles Times
Tuesday, December 30, 2003
Walker named NHL Offensive Player of the Week
Nashville Predators forward Scott Walker, who tallied seven points (four goals, three assists) and was plus-6 in four games, has been named the NHL’s Offensive Player of the Week for December 22-28, 2003.
WOOHOO, go Scott Walker!
Found it on the Nashville Predators front page.
WOOHOO, go Scott Walker!
Found it on the Nashville Predators front page.
Earth's Inconsistant Magnetic Field
Every few years, scientist Larry Newitt of the Geological Survey of Canada goes hunting. He grabs his gloves, parka, a fancy compass, hops on a plane and flies out over the Canadian arctic. Not much stirs among the scattered islands and sea ice, but Newitt's prey is there -- always moving, shifting, elusive.
His quarry is Earth's north magnetic pole.
At the moment it's located in northern Canada, about 600 km from the nearest town: Resolute Bay, population 300, where a popular T-shirt reads "Resolute Bay isn't the end of the world, but you can see it from here." Newitt stops there for snacks and supplies -- and refuge when the weather gets bad. "Which is often," he says.
I remember trying to plot a history of where the earths magnetic north pole had been and where it would be going in one of my classes while I was still in school. It has moved considerably. Through the rock record, we can see that it pretty much always has moved.
From Red Nova
His quarry is Earth's north magnetic pole.
At the moment it's located in northern Canada, about 600 km from the nearest town: Resolute Bay, population 300, where a popular T-shirt reads "Resolute Bay isn't the end of the world, but you can see it from here." Newitt stops there for snacks and supplies -- and refuge when the weather gets bad. "Which is often," he says.
I remember trying to plot a history of where the earths magnetic north pole had been and where it would be going in one of my classes while I was still in school. It has moved considerably. Through the rock record, we can see that it pretty much always has moved.
From Red Nova
Geologists Study St. Louis Soil, Bedrock
Geologists have begun working with Missouri and Illinois agencies to study St. Louis-area soil and bedrock, looking to better map the danger zones and safer places in case of a serious earthquake.
The study announced Monday comes as many scientists and engineers suspect that the New Madrid Fault beneath the Bootheel area in southeast Missouri could produce a significant temblor within the next half-century or so.
A series of earthquakes was linked to that fault in 1811-12, when the mid-Mississippi Valley was sparsely settled. Lesser-but-damaging quakes followed in the Bootheel in 1843 and 1895.
For most of my life I have lived in the shadow of the New Madrid Fault. For information on recent quake activity on this fault and others in the Central U.S., you can visit the Center for Earthquake Research and Information.
From Yahoo Science - AP
The study announced Monday comes as many scientists and engineers suspect that the New Madrid Fault beneath the Bootheel area in southeast Missouri could produce a significant temblor within the next half-century or so.
A series of earthquakes was linked to that fault in 1811-12, when the mid-Mississippi Valley was sparsely settled. Lesser-but-damaging quakes followed in the Bootheel in 1843 and 1895.
For most of my life I have lived in the shadow of the New Madrid Fault. For information on recent quake activity on this fault and others in the Central U.S., you can visit the Center for Earthquake Research and Information.
From Yahoo Science - AP
First Middle Earth, now Roman empire
A Roman coin, thousands of years old, has been uncovered during excavation work on the Taylor River bank, in Marlborough.
The coin, with Caesar Augustus stamped on it, is believed to have come from 7 BC.
Marlborough District Council's reserves and amenities supervisor, Russell Montgomery, said it was an "exciting find" although it would never be known how it got there. "It could have been flicked off a bridge in 1940 or dumped in ballast in 1840 - we will never know," he said.
It is amazing how antiquities like this end up in the weirdest places.
From The Sydney Morning Herald
The coin, with Caesar Augustus stamped on it, is believed to have come from 7 BC.
Marlborough District Council's reserves and amenities supervisor, Russell Montgomery, said it was an "exciting find" although it would never be known how it got there. "It could have been flicked off a bridge in 1940 or dumped in ballast in 1840 - we will never know," he said.
It is amazing how antiquities like this end up in the weirdest places.
From The Sydney Morning Herald
Jade figurine, phoenix unearthed in ancient tomb
Archeologists in northeast China's Liaoning Province have unearthed a jade figurine and a phoenix from an ancient grave that probably belonged to an affluent wizard who lived more than 5,000 years ago.
The greenstone figurine, naked and standing 18.5 cm tall, was found on the left side of the skeleton, next to the pelvis.
They were in a well-preserved stone coffin that was unearthed from a grave 3.9 meters long, 3.1 meters wide and 4.68 meters deep,the largest ever found at the Neolithic Hongshan Culture site at Niuheliang, in the west of the province.
Ancient China is still giving up her secrets.
From Xinhua Online
The greenstone figurine, naked and standing 18.5 cm tall, was found on the left side of the skeleton, next to the pelvis.
They were in a well-preserved stone coffin that was unearthed from a grave 3.9 meters long, 3.1 meters wide and 4.68 meters deep,the largest ever found at the Neolithic Hongshan Culture site at Niuheliang, in the west of the province.
Ancient China is still giving up her secrets.
From Xinhua Online
Now that's what you call a real vintage: professor unearths 8,000-year-old wine
Scientists have discovered the world's oldest wine - a vintage produced by Stone Age people 8,000 years ago. The find pushes back the history of wine by several hundred years.
New discoveries show how Neolithic man was busy "bottling" and deliberately ageing red wine in Georgia, the former Soviet republic. Although no liquid wine from the period has survived, scientists have now found and tested wine residues discovered on the inner surfaces of 8,000-year-old ceramic storage jars.
Biochemical tests on the ancient pottery wine jars from Georgia are showing that at this early period humans were deliberately adding anti-bacterial preservatives to grape juice so that the resulting wine could be kept for longer periods after fermentation. The preservative used was tree resin, which contains several bactericidal compounds, says Professor Patrick McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania Museum, the scientist leading the study of ceramics from the 6th and 5th millennia BC. The wine may have tasted something like retsina, the resin-preserved wine still popular in Greece.
An impressive find, residue still on the inner surface of an 8,000 year old storage vessel. The next question is will they try and reproduce it like they did the beer recipie from Egypt.
From Independant.co.uk
New discoveries show how Neolithic man was busy "bottling" and deliberately ageing red wine in Georgia, the former Soviet republic. Although no liquid wine from the period has survived, scientists have now found and tested wine residues discovered on the inner surfaces of 8,000-year-old ceramic storage jars.
Biochemical tests on the ancient pottery wine jars from Georgia are showing that at this early period humans were deliberately adding anti-bacterial preservatives to grape juice so that the resulting wine could be kept for longer periods after fermentation. The preservative used was tree resin, which contains several bactericidal compounds, says Professor Patrick McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania Museum, the scientist leading the study of ceramics from the 6th and 5th millennia BC. The wine may have tasted something like retsina, the resin-preserved wine still popular in Greece.
An impressive find, residue still on the inner surface of an 8,000 year old storage vessel. The next question is will they try and reproduce it like they did the beer recipie from Egypt.
From Independant.co.uk
Saturday, December 27, 2003
Beagle hopes hang on mothership
The British team behind the Beagle 2 mission to Mars has failed to contact the landing craft for the fifth time.
There has been no signal since the probe's planned touchdown on the Red Planet early on Christmas Day.
Team leader Professor Colin Pillinger says they are now pinning their hopes on the mothership, Mars Express.
He told reporters: "Mars Express is our primary route of communication. It's the one we spent most of our time over the last four years testing.
"Really and truly now we're waiting until 4 January for a really big attempt with Mars Express."
We can only hope that the Beagle 2 is operating and just hasnt been heard yet.
From BBC Online
There has been no signal since the probe's planned touchdown on the Red Planet early on Christmas Day.
Team leader Professor Colin Pillinger says they are now pinning their hopes on the mothership, Mars Express.
He told reporters: "Mars Express is our primary route of communication. It's the one we spent most of our time over the last four years testing.
"Really and truly now we're waiting until 4 January for a really big attempt with Mars Express."
We can only hope that the Beagle 2 is operating and just hasnt been heard yet.
From BBC Online
Wednesday, December 24, 2003
Happy holidays
Posts are going to be a trickle at best the rest of this week, getting ready to head out to be with the family for the holidays. Hope everyone else has a great holiday season.
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
The Best of 2003: Top 10 Astronomy Images
Seldom does astronomy enjoy a year with such avid and widespread amateur participation, from first-timers watching compelling sky events and photographing them, to a kid who stumped the experts with one remarkable picture that enthralled the media and the public around the world.
The Summer of Mars, when the red planet was closer than it had been in nearly 60,000 years, engaged even the most casual skywatchers around the world. Telescope supplies were depleted. Bars in Arizona threw Mars observing parties. While astronomers captured the moment with big observatories, regular folks held digital cameras up to telescope eyepieces to create their own personal Martian photo albums.
There are some great pictures here, be sure to check them out!
From Space.com.
The Summer of Mars, when the red planet was closer than it had been in nearly 60,000 years, engaged even the most casual skywatchers around the world. Telescope supplies were depleted. Bars in Arizona threw Mars observing parties. While astronomers captured the moment with big observatories, regular folks held digital cameras up to telescope eyepieces to create their own personal Martian photo albums.
There are some great pictures here, be sure to check them out!
From Space.com.
Alberta archeologists racing to save ancient artifacts
A team of archeologists from Calgary is heading to Sudan over the holidays, where they'll be racing to save the remnants of an ancient African civilization.
Archeology and anthropology professors John Robertson and Rebecca Bradley of Mount Royal College will try to find and save artifacts of the Kush, a little-known people who lived about 2,000 years ago along the banks of the Upper Nile in what is now Sudan.
It would be a tragedy if these sites were lost to the dam that is being built before we learned more about the little known Kush.
From CBC.
Archeology and anthropology professors John Robertson and Rebecca Bradley of Mount Royal College will try to find and save artifacts of the Kush, a little-known people who lived about 2,000 years ago along the banks of the Upper Nile in what is now Sudan.
It would be a tragedy if these sites were lost to the dam that is being built before we learned more about the little known Kush.
From CBC.
Prehistoric oriental 'Venus' carved on cliff discovered in Ningxia
A figure of a pregnant woman carved into a cliff, known as a prehistoric oriental "Venus", the Goddess of love, has been discovered by Chinese archaeologists in Zhongwei county, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
The "Venus" has a plump figure, full breasts and a bulbous belly. The woman, standing straight with her legs together, has slender fingers but no facial features.
The image was a typical reproduction of figures of naked women carved on stone by ancients in the late Paleolithic period, said Zhou Xinhua, curator of the museum of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
This is a significant find, possibly portraying a sacred female fertility ritual site.
From Peoples Daily.
The "Venus" has a plump figure, full breasts and a bulbous belly. The woman, standing straight with her legs together, has slender fingers but no facial features.
The image was a typical reproduction of figures of naked women carved on stone by ancients in the late Paleolithic period, said Zhou Xinhua, curator of the museum of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
This is a significant find, possibly portraying a sacred female fertility ritual site.
From Peoples Daily.
More information/stories regarding yesterdays 6.5 earthquake in California
Here are some more stories regarding yesterdays earthquake.
Three killed in California earthquake from New Scientist.
Calif. Earthquake Rang Planet 'Like a Bell' from Reuters.
Earthquake shakes Central, Southern California from SFGate.com.
Tectonic Summary from the USGS.
Earthquake collapses historic building, killing 2 from CNN
Three killed in California earthquake from New Scientist.
Calif. Earthquake Rang Planet 'Like a Bell' from Reuters.
Earthquake shakes Central, Southern California from SFGate.com.
Tectonic Summary from the USGS.
Earthquake collapses historic building, killing 2 from CNN
Monday, December 22, 2003
Earthquake Magnitude 6.5 - CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
A strong earthquake occurred at 19:15:56 (UTC) on Monday, December 22, 2003. The magnitude 6.5 event has been located in CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. The hypocentral depth was estimated to be 8 km ( 5 miles). (This is a computer-generated message -- this event has not yet been reviewed by a seismologist.)
Yep, you saw it here before it was on the news (of course, unless you live in California).
Check out the information at USGS Earthquake Hazards Page.
Yep, you saw it here before it was on the news (of course, unless you live in California).
Check out the information at USGS Earthquake Hazards Page.
Geologists Discover New Class Of Spreading Ridge On Sea Bottom
Scientists have discovered a new "ultra-slow" class of ocean ridge involved in seafloor spreading. Investigations in the remote regions of the planet--in the far south Atlantic and Indian Oceans and the sea floor beneath the Arctic icecap--found that for large regions there, the sea floor splits apart by pulling up solid rock from deep within the earth. These rocks, known as peridotites (after the gemstone peridot) come from the deep layer of the earth known as the mantle.
Known ocean ridges, like the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the East Pacific Rise, include regularly spaced volcanoes that continuously create a layer of crust on the seafloor. Mantle rocks are only rarely found along these volcanic ridges. Along the new class of ocean ridges, however, volcanoes occur only at widely spaced intervals and contain more sodium and potassium, among other chemical elements, than do typical mid-ocean ridge lavas.
Now we have a whole new theory on the way oceanic crust is formed.
From National Science Foundation
Known ocean ridges, like the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the East Pacific Rise, include regularly spaced volcanoes that continuously create a layer of crust on the seafloor. Mantle rocks are only rarely found along these volcanic ridges. Along the new class of ocean ridges, however, volcanoes occur only at widely spaced intervals and contain more sodium and potassium, among other chemical elements, than do typical mid-ocean ridge lavas.
Now we have a whole new theory on the way oceanic crust is formed.
From National Science Foundation
Rainfall Controls Cascade Mountains' Erosion And Bedrock Uplift Patterns
The pattern of rainfall in the Washington Cascades strongly affects long-term erosion rates in the mountain range and may cause bedrock to be pulled up towards the Earth's surface faster in some places than others, according to a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded study published in this week's issue of the journal Nature. The results are the first convincing evidence of such effects, on mountain-range scales.
"The data strongly suggest that precipitation controls erosion rates across the Cascades, and that the regional climate may also exert a strong control on the distribution and scale of tectonic rock uplift and deformation of the range," said Peter Reiners, lead author of the study and a geologist at Yale University.
This is very interesting and goes against the theory that erosion wears down landscapes.
From National Science Foundation.
"The data strongly suggest that precipitation controls erosion rates across the Cascades, and that the regional climate may also exert a strong control on the distribution and scale of tectonic rock uplift and deformation of the range," said Peter Reiners, lead author of the study and a geologist at Yale University.
This is very interesting and goes against the theory that erosion wears down landscapes.
From National Science Foundation.
Ancient tomb findings stun archaeologists
The finding of ancient tombs which may take up a total area of 1 million square metres in southern Beijing has surprised many archaeologists.
Exploration of the first group of the graves, covering an area of around 200,000 square kilometres, has already started, with that into the rest five to six groups not yet scheduled, source with the Beijing Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau was yesterday quoted by the Beijing-based Star Daily.
"Our preliminary prospecting indicates there are 40 to 50 ancient graves in the designated Group One, of which we have explored about one-third," said an official identified as Zhu.
Archaeologists have only discovered graves from Han (206 BC-AD 220) and Tang (618-907) dynasties so far, but Zhu said the conclusion was left open regarding whether or not graves from other dynasties might still be found there.
This is a HUGE discovery, and a huge project, to map, document, and analyze 1 million square metres.
From Xinhuanet.
Exploration of the first group of the graves, covering an area of around 200,000 square kilometres, has already started, with that into the rest five to six groups not yet scheduled, source with the Beijing Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau was yesterday quoted by the Beijing-based Star Daily.
"Our preliminary prospecting indicates there are 40 to 50 ancient graves in the designated Group One, of which we have explored about one-third," said an official identified as Zhu.
Archaeologists have only discovered graves from Han (206 BC-AD 220) and Tang (618-907) dynasties so far, but Zhu said the conclusion was left open regarding whether or not graves from other dynasties might still be found there.
This is a HUGE discovery, and a huge project, to map, document, and analyze 1 million square metres.
From Xinhuanet.
Surprise find has archaeologists smiling
French archaeologists have discovered 19 mummies as well as wood and limestone sarcophagi in an ancient Egyptian burial ground south of the capital, antiquities officials said Sunday.
The secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawwas, said in a statement that a mission from the Louvre Museum in Paris found the antiquities in the Saqqara region, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Cairo.
Also found were statuettes and pieces of fabric, he added.
Ancient Egypt is still trying to give up her secrets to us, and this find should help us understand a little more about the Egyptian culture during the Late Dynastic Period and the Ptolemic era.
From IOL
The secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawwas, said in a statement that a mission from the Louvre Museum in Paris found the antiquities in the Saqqara region, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Cairo.
Also found were statuettes and pieces of fabric, he added.
Ancient Egypt is still trying to give up her secrets to us, and this find should help us understand a little more about the Egyptian culture during the Late Dynastic Period and the Ptolemic era.
From IOL
Oldest sculptures unearthed
A set of ivory figurines found in southwestern Germany add to a growing cache of the oldest art known.
The 30,000-year-old carvings underline the remarkable creativity of our earliest European ancestors. Nicholas Conard of the University of Tübingen, Germany, discovered the 2-centimetre-high figures in the Hohle Fels Cave in the country's Swabia region1.
The figurines, and similar relics previously unearthed in Swabia, are the earliest known representations of living forms. "Without question, they are the oldest corpus of figurative art in the world," says archaeologist Anthony Sinclair of the University of Liverpool, UK.
It is amazing that these ivory carvings survived 30,000 years without being destroyed.
From Nature.
The 30,000-year-old carvings underline the remarkable creativity of our earliest European ancestors. Nicholas Conard of the University of Tübingen, Germany, discovered the 2-centimetre-high figures in the Hohle Fels Cave in the country's Swabia region1.
The figurines, and similar relics previously unearthed in Swabia, are the earliest known representations of living forms. "Without question, they are the oldest corpus of figurative art in the world," says archaeologist Anthony Sinclair of the University of Liverpool, UK.
It is amazing that these ivory carvings survived 30,000 years without being destroyed.
From Nature.
First Photos from New Spitzer Space Telescope
NASA announced the formal name of its newest space telescope today and released the first science pictures. The images support a promise that the orbiting observatory, now called the Spitzer Space Telescope, will provide top-notch science and entertainment on par the Hubble Space Telescope.
"Every time we take a picture, we see something spectacular," said Giovanni Fazio of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO).
Check out these amazing pictures if you haven't looked at them yet.
From Space.com
"Every time we take a picture, we see something spectacular," said Giovanni Fazio of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO).
Check out these amazing pictures if you haven't looked at them yet.
From Space.com
Mars Express Deploys Beagle 2 Lander
Europe's Mars Express orbiter successfully ejected its Beagle-2 surface probe today, clearing the way for a Christmas Day landing of Beagle-2 and the insertion of Mars Express into orbit around the red planet.
Both probes will search for signs of present or past life on Mars.
Mars Express Mission Manager Michael McKay confirmed separation shortly after noon Central European Time (6 a.m. ET) after having received telemetry data from Mars Express via a satellite tracking station in Australia. McKay's announcement ended a tense two and one-half hours following the automated command for Mars Express to let go of Beagle-2.
With 3 concurrent missions with rovers on Mars, hopefully we will be able to learn a great deal more about the red planet.
From Space.com
Both probes will search for signs of present or past life on Mars.
Mars Express Mission Manager Michael McKay confirmed separation shortly after noon Central European Time (6 a.m. ET) after having received telemetry data from Mars Express via a satellite tracking station in Australia. McKay's announcement ended a tense two and one-half hours following the automated command for Mars Express to let go of Beagle-2.
With 3 concurrent missions with rovers on Mars, hopefully we will be able to learn a great deal more about the red planet.
From Space.com
Poor octopi flinging fans, the catfish strike first again
Nashville defenseman Dan Hamhuis came out of the penalty box, saw a loose puck and turned it into the first game-winning goal of his career.
Hamhuis scored at 8:33 of the third period and Tomas Vokoun stopped 21 shots Saturday night as the Predators snapped a five-game winless skid by beating Detroit 1-0. The Predators are undefeated against Detroit this season, improving to 3-0 over the Western Conference's best team.
"I just came down the middle of the ice to support and play defense," Hamhuis said.
"The puck squirted out. I noticed that their one defenseman was down, so it's a two-on-one with David Legwand. As I skated on the ice, their defenseman slid over and gave me a lot of room on that side. I took a shot, and it went in."
3-0 against the red wings this year, gotta love it!
Katy and I went to the Red Wings - Predators game (part of our season ticket package), and I have to say, this was one of the more exciting games that I have been to (besides, of course, when I saw the Devils-Avs during the Stanley Cup Finals). In the stadium were the so called "pred wing" fans, those who are predator fans all year long except when the hated red wings come to town, and then there were your loyal preds fans who were being their rowdy self.
Our seats are right next to the Cellblock, the area of the rowdiest fans in the whole arena. These people put everyone in The Can where the Avalanche play to shame (unless you consider talking on your cellphone throughout the game being rowdy). One guy, throughout the whole second period when Detroit was defending our end of the ice, heckled Cujo nonstop. The Red Wings fans in the general area of the Cellblock were also being heckled as they tried to start their little chants, just to be overpowered by the hometeam faithful (still have the sounds of Cu-jo, Cu-jo, Cu-jo - YOU SUCK running through my head).
And of course, the goal. Hamhuis just stepping out of the penalty box to go solo against Cujo. The catfish flying onto the ice after the goal was scored. The roars from the crowd as all of the red wings fans sat there dejected. And the best part, those poor red wings fans who brought those octopi to throw onto the ice had to leave with those stinking piles of tentacles in their purses still.
And people say a 1-0 game is boring! I think they just don't love the game enough to understand what a good, close, hard fought game where one little slipup (or being rusty cause you don't have a team that wants you and you have to play in the minors) loses the game for you.
btw, GO PREDS!
From CBS Sportsline
Hamhuis scored at 8:33 of the third period and Tomas Vokoun stopped 21 shots Saturday night as the Predators snapped a five-game winless skid by beating Detroit 1-0. The Predators are undefeated against Detroit this season, improving to 3-0 over the Western Conference's best team.
"I just came down the middle of the ice to support and play defense," Hamhuis said.
"The puck squirted out. I noticed that their one defenseman was down, so it's a two-on-one with David Legwand. As I skated on the ice, their defenseman slid over and gave me a lot of room on that side. I took a shot, and it went in."
3-0 against the red wings this year, gotta love it!
Katy and I went to the Red Wings - Predators game (part of our season ticket package), and I have to say, this was one of the more exciting games that I have been to (besides, of course, when I saw the Devils-Avs during the Stanley Cup Finals). In the stadium were the so called "pred wing" fans, those who are predator fans all year long except when the hated red wings come to town, and then there were your loyal preds fans who were being their rowdy self.
Our seats are right next to the Cellblock, the area of the rowdiest fans in the whole arena. These people put everyone in The Can where the Avalanche play to shame (unless you consider talking on your cellphone throughout the game being rowdy). One guy, throughout the whole second period when Detroit was defending our end of the ice, heckled Cujo nonstop. The Red Wings fans in the general area of the Cellblock were also being heckled as they tried to start their little chants, just to be overpowered by the hometeam faithful (still have the sounds of Cu-jo, Cu-jo, Cu-jo - YOU SUCK running through my head).
And of course, the goal. Hamhuis just stepping out of the penalty box to go solo against Cujo. The catfish flying onto the ice after the goal was scored. The roars from the crowd as all of the red wings fans sat there dejected. And the best part, those poor red wings fans who brought those octopi to throw onto the ice had to leave with those stinking piles of tentacles in their purses still.
And people say a 1-0 game is boring! I think they just don't love the game enough to understand what a good, close, hard fought game where one little slipup (or being rusty cause you don't have a team that wants you and you have to play in the minors) loses the game for you.
btw, GO PREDS!
From CBS Sportsline
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Mars Emerging from Ice Age, Data Suggest
Scientists have suspected in recent years that Mars might be undergoing some sort of global warming. New data points to the possibility it is emerging from an ice age.
NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has been surveying the planet for nearly a full Martian year now, and it has spotted seasonal changes like the advance and retreat of polar ice. It's also gathering data of a possible longer trend.
There appears to be too much frozen water at low-latitude regions -- away from the frigid poles -- given the current climate of Mars. The situation is not in equilibrium, said William Feldman of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
I hope that one of the crafts we are sending to Mars can help is establish if this is the case or not.
From Space.com.
NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has been surveying the planet for nearly a full Martian year now, and it has spotted seasonal changes like the advance and retreat of polar ice. It's also gathering data of a possible longer trend.
There appears to be too much frozen water at low-latitude regions -- away from the frigid poles -- given the current climate of Mars. The situation is not in equilibrium, said William Feldman of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
I hope that one of the crafts we are sending to Mars can help is establish if this is the case or not.
From Space.com.
Tiny Skeleton May Be From the World's Oldest Marsupial
Scientists searching an ancient volcanic deposit in China have unearthed the skeleton of the oldest marsupial yet found, a furry, long-tailed, mouse-size creature that ate insects and probably climbed trees to escape hungry dinosaurs.
The discovery of Sinodelphys szalayi in the 125 million-year-old fossil beds of China's northeastern Liaoning province has deepened the mystery surrounding the origins, dispersion and fate of marsupials -- pouched mammals represented today mostly by opossums and Australian species such as kangaroos, koala bears and wombats.
"More and more it looks like marsupials originated in a northern continent -- either Asia or North America," said John R. Wible, an associate curator of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and a member of the international team that reported its discovery today in the journal Science. "Yet there are no marsupials in Asia today."
Maybe the discovery of this marsupial will help us figure out where their origin is.
From Washington Post.
The discovery of Sinodelphys szalayi in the 125 million-year-old fossil beds of China's northeastern Liaoning province has deepened the mystery surrounding the origins, dispersion and fate of marsupials -- pouched mammals represented today mostly by opossums and Australian species such as kangaroos, koala bears and wombats.
"More and more it looks like marsupials originated in a northern continent -- either Asia or North America," said John R. Wible, an associate curator of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and a member of the international team that reported its discovery today in the journal Science. "Yet there are no marsupials in Asia today."
Maybe the discovery of this marsupial will help us figure out where their origin is.
From Washington Post.
Australian Astronomers Discover Milky Way Border
Australian astronomers have discovered an extra cosmic arm in the Milky Way that they believe wraps around the outskirts of the vast galaxy like a thick gas border.
Astronomers at scientific research group, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), hope the find will help paint a better picture of the Milky Way galaxy, which is home to Earth.
CSIRO scientist Naomi McClure-Griffiths said the gas border, which is 6,500 light years thick, showed the Milky Way had a structure similar to those of most other galaxies, which have gassy spiral arms extending beyond the more central stellar spiral arms.
The biggest question I have is how do they actually know this is really the edge of the Milky Way?
From Yahoo Reuters - Science.
Astronomers at scientific research group, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), hope the find will help paint a better picture of the Milky Way galaxy, which is home to Earth.
CSIRO scientist Naomi McClure-Griffiths said the gas border, which is 6,500 light years thick, showed the Milky Way had a structure similar to those of most other galaxies, which have gassy spiral arms extending beyond the more central stellar spiral arms.
The biggest question I have is how do they actually know this is really the edge of the Milky Way?
From Yahoo Reuters - Science.
Big dust storm stirs concern as rovers get closer to Mars
Mars researchers are keeping a watchful eye on a large dust storm that could - if it grows into a raging global event that shrouds the whole planet - complicate efforts to land the first of two NASA rovers less than three weeks from now.
"Usually they appear and die out in a few days to a week, or they expand into global storms. We don't know what's going to happen with this one," said Bruce Jakosky, a University of Colorado geologist who served on the site selection committee for NASA's $820 million Mars Exploration Rover mission.
The first of the golf cart-sized rovers, Spirit, is scheduled to land Jan. 3 near the center of Gusev Crater.
With the loss of the Japanese satellite to Mars, and 3 arriving very soon, hopefully there will be no others lost. But with the success rate of missions to Mars being a very low 33%, it is almost expected that at least one more of these craft will fail.
From Rocky Mountain News.
"Usually they appear and die out in a few days to a week, or they expand into global storms. We don't know what's going to happen with this one," said Bruce Jakosky, a University of Colorado geologist who served on the site selection committee for NASA's $820 million Mars Exploration Rover mission.
The first of the golf cart-sized rovers, Spirit, is scheduled to land Jan. 3 near the center of Gusev Crater.
With the loss of the Japanese satellite to Mars, and 3 arriving very soon, hopefully there will be no others lost. But with the success rate of missions to Mars being a very low 33%, it is almost expected that at least one more of these craft will fail.
From Rocky Mountain News.
Tuesday, December 09, 2003
Dust explains shooting stars' twin streaks
Some meteors leave two trails in the night sky because of a rain of dust, US researchers say. Scientists have been seeking an explanation for the puzzling twinned lines, bent and twisted by high-altitude winds, for at least a hundred years.
Michael Kelley of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and his colleagues argue that double trains are the result of a separation between glowing gas, created as a meteor speeds through the upper atmosphere, and a sprinkling of bright space dust settling through the air like mud grains sedimenting out of dirty water(1).
Very interesting theory about how the two tails on some shooting stars are formed.
From Nature.
Michael Kelley of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and his colleagues argue that double trains are the result of a separation between glowing gas, created as a meteor speeds through the upper atmosphere, and a sprinkling of bright space dust settling through the air like mud grains sedimenting out of dirty water(1).
Very interesting theory about how the two tails on some shooting stars are formed.
From Nature.
Viking queen may be exhumed
The grave of a mysterious Viking queen may hold the key to a 1,200 year-old case of suspected ritual killing, and scientists are planning to unearth her bones to find out.
She is one of two women whose fate has been a riddle ever since their bones were found in 1904 in a 22 metre longboat buried at Oseberg in south Norway, its oaken form preserved miraculously, with even its menacing, curling prow intact.
No one even knows the name of the queen, but the Oseberg boat stirred one of the archaeological sensations of the 20th century two decades before the discovery of the tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings.
This information would be valuable to learn more about Viking burials from the 800's.
From ABC News Online.
She is one of two women whose fate has been a riddle ever since their bones were found in 1904 in a 22 metre longboat buried at Oseberg in south Norway, its oaken form preserved miraculously, with even its menacing, curling prow intact.
No one even knows the name of the queen, but the Oseberg boat stirred one of the archaeological sensations of the 20th century two decades before the discovery of the tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings.
This information would be valuable to learn more about Viking burials from the 800's.
From ABC News Online.
German "Stonehenge" marks oldest observatory
A vast, shadowy circle sits in a flat wheat field near Goseck, Germany. No, it is not a pattern made by tipsy graduate students. The circle represents the remains of the world's oldest observatory, dating back 7,000 years. Coupled with an etched disk recovered last year, the observatory suggests that Neolithic and Bronze Age people measured the heavens far earlier and more accurately than scientists had imagined.
Archaeologists reported the Goseck circle's identity and age this past August. First spotted by airplane, the circle is 75 meters wide. Originally, it consisted of four concentric circles--a mound, a ditch and two wooden palisades about the height of a person--in which stood three sets of gates facing southeast, southwest and north, respectively. On the winter solstice, someone at the center of the circles would see the sun rise and set through the southern gates.
This circle is reportedly the oldest and best preserved in Europe, and precedes Stonehenge by at least 2000 years. Also, associations have been found with other artifacts like the Nebra disk which was discovered 25 km away.
From Scientific American.
Archaeologists reported the Goseck circle's identity and age this past August. First spotted by airplane, the circle is 75 meters wide. Originally, it consisted of four concentric circles--a mound, a ditch and two wooden palisades about the height of a person--in which stood three sets of gates facing southeast, southwest and north, respectively. On the winter solstice, someone at the center of the circles would see the sun rise and set through the southern gates.
This circle is reportedly the oldest and best preserved in Europe, and precedes Stonehenge by at least 2000 years. Also, associations have been found with other artifacts like the Nebra disk which was discovered 25 km away.
From Scientific American.
New Han wooden strips discovered in Inner Mongolia
New historical records from Xin (8-23 A.D.), a short-lived regime at the end of the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-24), were discovered on wooden strips from Han at Juyan, in Ejin Banner of North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The discovery was made after nearly one year's research by archaeologists with the state and local archaeological institutions on more than 500 wooden strips excavated from 1999 to2002.
"From these wooden strips, we found abundant historical records on Xin, the historical materials of which had been scarce," said Xie Guihua, a research fellow with the institute of history of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
This is a very important find that allows scholars to find out more about the short lived Xin. Among the wooden strips, 12 imperial edicts were discovered, along with laws and accounting records.
From People's Daily.
The discovery was made after nearly one year's research by archaeologists with the state and local archaeological institutions on more than 500 wooden strips excavated from 1999 to2002.
"From these wooden strips, we found abundant historical records on Xin, the historical materials of which had been scarce," said Xie Guihua, a research fellow with the institute of history of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
This is a very important find that allows scholars to find out more about the short lived Xin. Among the wooden strips, 12 imperial edicts were discovered, along with laws and accounting records.
From People's Daily.
Dam dating back to 1000 BC discovered
A French archaeological team discovered the remains of an old dam in the East Coast dating back to 1000 BC.
The discovery was made during the excavation at the site of an old human settlement and a temple near what is at present known as Al Bithna village.
The dam indicates that agriculture was already being practised by the residents during those days.
For an Iron Age dam to survive 3000 years is amazing. Now we just have to wait to find out what relation the dam has with the settlement.
From Gulf News Online.
The discovery was made during the excavation at the site of an old human settlement and a temple near what is at present known as Al Bithna village.
The dam indicates that agriculture was already being practised by the residents during those days.
For an Iron Age dam to survive 3000 years is amazing. Now we just have to wait to find out what relation the dam has with the settlement.
From Gulf News Online.
Monday, December 08, 2003
Project to drill into Earth fault
An ambitious project by scientists in the US to try to predict earthquakes will go ahead thanks to a $20m grant from the National Science Foundation.
Researchers from the United States Geological Survey and the University of Stanford are working to put instruments directly inside the San Andreas fault.
The crack in the Earth's surface, which runs through California, is one of the most studied faults on the planet.
The new data will come from sensors lowered down a 4-km-deep drill hole.
If we can learn anything from this experiment that might increase our chances of knowing when an earthquake might strike, it will be worth more than the money invested in it.
From BBC Online.
Researchers from the United States Geological Survey and the University of Stanford are working to put instruments directly inside the San Andreas fault.
The crack in the Earth's surface, which runs through California, is one of the most studied faults on the planet.
The new data will come from sensors lowered down a 4-km-deep drill hole.
If we can learn anything from this experiment that might increase our chances of knowing when an earthquake might strike, it will be worth more than the money invested in it.
From BBC Online.
Hubble spies stellar formation in a nearby galaxy
In the autumn constellation Triangulum the Triangle, a spiral galaxy known as the Pinwheel (M33) harbors an enormous region of star formation within one of its arms. A giant cloud of mostly hydrogen gas 1,300 light-years in diameter, NGC 604 contains more than 200 brilliant, young, blue stars. It is one of the largest star-forming regions known — second only to 30 Doradus (the Tarantula Nebula) in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way.
In early December, the Hubble Heritage Team presented to the public a dazzling new picture of this amazing region. The view is a composite of images taken over the past decade by various teams of scientists using Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2.
The Hubble Telescope still keeps amazing us with its discoveries.
From Astronomy.com.
In early December, the Hubble Heritage Team presented to the public a dazzling new picture of this amazing region. The view is a composite of images taken over the past decade by various teams of scientists using Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2.
The Hubble Telescope still keeps amazing us with its discoveries.
From Astronomy.com.
'Lost' sacred language of the Maya is rediscovered
Linguists have discovered a still-surviving version of the sacred religious language of the ancient Maya - the great pyramid-building civilisation that once dominated Central America.
For years some Maya hieroglyphic texts have defied interpretation - but now archaeologists and linguists have identified a little-known native Indian language as the descendant of the elite tongue spoken by rulers and religious leaders of the ancient Maya.
The language, Ch'orti - spoken today by just a few thousand Guatemalan Indians - will become a living "Rosetta Stone", a key to unravelling those aspects of Maya hieroglyphic writings which have so far not been properly understood. Over the next few years dozens of linguists and anthropologists are expected to start "mining" Ch'orti language and culture for words and expressions relating to everything from blood-letting to fasting.
This is amazing, now we should be able to understand even more about the Mayan culture.
From The Independant.
For years some Maya hieroglyphic texts have defied interpretation - but now archaeologists and linguists have identified a little-known native Indian language as the descendant of the elite tongue spoken by rulers and religious leaders of the ancient Maya.
The language, Ch'orti - spoken today by just a few thousand Guatemalan Indians - will become a living "Rosetta Stone", a key to unravelling those aspects of Maya hieroglyphic writings which have so far not been properly understood. Over the next few years dozens of linguists and anthropologists are expected to start "mining" Ch'orti language and culture for words and expressions relating to everything from blood-letting to fasting.
This is amazing, now we should be able to understand even more about the Mayan culture.
From The Independant.
Friday, December 05, 2003
Peking Man Site Under Threat
The Peking Man site at Zhoukoudian is facing unprecedented threat from human and natural disaster. Experts warned that it might be taken off the World Heritage Site list if no action is taken to protect it. Among 27 locations that are regarded as of high archeological value, 21 are in danger of collapse, a conference on the protection of Zhoukoudian was told Tuesday.
When Pei Wenzhong astonished the world with his finding of the Peking Man skull at Shandingdong on Dec. 2, 1929, the cave was complete. Now half of the cave is exposed to the elements, said Mou Huichong, a professor with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Another archaeological site in China that is being destroyed by the doing of man (with some help from nature).
From China.org.cn.
When Pei Wenzhong astonished the world with his finding of the Peking Man skull at Shandingdong on Dec. 2, 1929, the cave was complete. Now half of the cave is exposed to the elements, said Mou Huichong, a professor with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Another archaeological site in China that is being destroyed by the doing of man (with some help from nature).
From China.org.cn.
Paleontologists discover extra-limbed reptile
A reptile from the dawn of the dinosaur age had an extra digit on each limb, Canadian paleontologists have found.
About 240 million years ago, most tetrapods, four-limbed vertebrates, had five digits on each limb.
Polydactyly, or extra digits, occasionally happens in modern pandas, moles, humans and cats. The extra digits are rare and usually stunted, rather than resembling a full finger or toe.
I am suprised that reptiles from this era haven't been found with extra digits before.
From CBC News Online.
About 240 million years ago, most tetrapods, four-limbed vertebrates, had five digits on each limb.
Polydactyly, or extra digits, occasionally happens in modern pandas, moles, humans and cats. The extra digits are rare and usually stunted, rather than resembling a full finger or toe.
I am suprised that reptiles from this era haven't been found with extra digits before.
From CBC News Online.
Nature in Print
For xmas, I am getting a print subscription to Nature. I can't even express how excited I am to be receiving this wonderful gift. I am also sure I will want to discuss a few of the stories that I will be reading.
Prehistoric Rodent's Food Stash Found
Paleontologists in Germany have discovered the oldest cache of stored food, according to a report in the current issue of the journal Paleontology.
Dating back to 17-million years ago, the hoard of fossilized nuts has been found in a lignite mine around the town of Garzweiler. Around 1,800 chinquapin nuts were lining the walls and corridors of the burrow, representing the oldest evidence of mammals laying food stores
Now if they had only found the critter who had stored this huge cache of chinquapin nuts. Another interesting note of this article is that the chinquapin tree is now found only of the Pacific coast of North America and in East Asia.
From Discovery Online.
Dating back to 17-million years ago, the hoard of fossilized nuts has been found in a lignite mine around the town of Garzweiler. Around 1,800 chinquapin nuts were lining the walls and corridors of the burrow, representing the oldest evidence of mammals laying food stores
Now if they had only found the critter who had stored this huge cache of chinquapin nuts. Another interesting note of this article is that the chinquapin tree is now found only of the Pacific coast of North America and in East Asia.
From Discovery Online.
Stone warrior delights experts
Archaeologists are delighted by a 2,500-year-old stone statue that offers a rare insight into life in western Europe before the Roman conquest.
The stone torso, unearthed at Lattes in southern France, is one of just a few detailed figurines considered to have been made by the ancient Celts.
The statue of a male warrior wears a style of armour worn in Spain and Italy and was life-size when it was complete.
This is a great discovery relating to Celtic history and culture.
From BBC Online.
The stone torso, unearthed at Lattes in southern France, is one of just a few detailed figurines considered to have been made by the ancient Celts.
The statue of a male warrior wears a style of armour worn in Spain and Italy and was life-size when it was complete.
This is a great discovery relating to Celtic history and culture.
From BBC Online.
Crustacean Fossil Is First Undoubted Male -Report
A fossil crustacean whose scientific name is "swimmer with a large penis" is the earliest clear example of a male animal, British researchers reported on Thursday.
The 425 million-year-old ancestor of modern water fleas, found in rocks in Britain, is unusually well-preserved, allowing scientists to see it had gills and an advanced circulatory system.
It shows that ostracodes -- extremely common water-dwelling creatures -- have evolved little in hundreds of millions of years, said David Siveter of the University of Leicester.
I guess since these guys havent changed much in 425 million years it was easy to tell if this little guy was a male or female.
From Yahoo Reuters - Science.
The 425 million-year-old ancestor of modern water fleas, found in rocks in Britain, is unusually well-preserved, allowing scientists to see it had gills and an advanced circulatory system.
It shows that ostracodes -- extremely common water-dwelling creatures -- have evolved little in hundreds of millions of years, said David Siveter of the University of Leicester.
I guess since these guys havent changed much in 425 million years it was easy to tell if this little guy was a male or female.
From Yahoo Reuters - Science.
Thursday, December 04, 2003
Dinosaur family footprints found
A rare piece of evidence pointing to a dinosaur mothering her young after they had left the nest has been discovered on the Isle of Skye.
Dinosaur footprints found on a remote beach on the island reveal an adult ornithopod - a bipedal plant-eating dinosaur - walking along a muddy lake edge, with up to 10 smaller individuals.
The find on a slab of sandstone is thought to be a world first for palaeontologists.
The 170-million-year-old footprints were discovered by the isle's Staffin Museum curator, Dugald Ross, and hotelier Paul Booth last year.
This is an incredible discovery that could change how some dinosaurs were thought to nest/raise their young. Also, just seeing footprints in a sandstone outcrop is mindblowing. I experienced this when I was in still living in Denver by visiting Dinosaur Ridge.
From BBC Online.
Dinosaur footprints found on a remote beach on the island reveal an adult ornithopod - a bipedal plant-eating dinosaur - walking along a muddy lake edge, with up to 10 smaller individuals.
The find on a slab of sandstone is thought to be a world first for palaeontologists.
The 170-million-year-old footprints were discovered by the isle's Staffin Museum curator, Dugald Ross, and hotelier Paul Booth last year.
This is an incredible discovery that could change how some dinosaurs were thought to nest/raise their young. Also, just seeing footprints in a sandstone outcrop is mindblowing. I experienced this when I was in still living in Denver by visiting Dinosaur Ridge.
From BBC Online.
Fossils Bridge Gap in African Mammal Evolution
Fossils discovered in Ethiopia's highlands are a missing piece in the puzzle of how African mammals evolved, a team of international scientists said on Wednesday.
Little is known about what happened to mammals between 24 million to 32 million years ago, when Africa and Arabia were still joined together in a single continent.
But the remains of ancestors of modern-day elephants and other animals, unearthed by the team of U.S. and Ethiopian scientists 27 million years on, provide some answers.
An 8 million year gap in mammalian history is huge, especially considering how recent this time frame is (geologically speaking).
From Yahoo Reuters - Science.
Little is known about what happened to mammals between 24 million to 32 million years ago, when Africa and Arabia were still joined together in a single continent.
But the remains of ancestors of modern-day elephants and other animals, unearthed by the team of U.S. and Ethiopian scientists 27 million years on, provide some answers.
An 8 million year gap in mammalian history is huge, especially considering how recent this time frame is (geologically speaking).
From Yahoo Reuters - Science.
The Solar System that Neptune Built
The solar system used to be much smaller. According to a new theory, Neptune long ago migrated away from the Sun and forced a vast field of giant boulders out with it.
The idea for Neptune's big construction project is based on a computer simulation that attempts to solve a mystery that's been nagging astronomers in recent years. In 1992, researchers discovered the first object besides Pluto that is beyond Neptune. (Pluto is sometimes inside Neptune's orbit and sometimes outside.)
The region is now known as the Kuiper Belt, and nearly 1,000 Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) have been found. Some of them are about half as big as Pluto. Scientists estimate there are billions more, both small and large.
But they shouldn't all be there.
This is a new look onto how our solar system was formed. Just think what things might have been like if Neptune had continued to leave the solar system, or had stopped at a different point.
From Space.com.
The idea for Neptune's big construction project is based on a computer simulation that attempts to solve a mystery that's been nagging astronomers in recent years. In 1992, researchers discovered the first object besides Pluto that is beyond Neptune. (Pluto is sometimes inside Neptune's orbit and sometimes outside.)
The region is now known as the Kuiper Belt, and nearly 1,000 Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) have been found. Some of them are about half as big as Pluto. Scientists estimate there are billions more, both small and large.
But they shouldn't all be there.
This is a new look onto how our solar system was formed. Just think what things might have been like if Neptune had continued to leave the solar system, or had stopped at a different point.
From Space.com.
Cliff Inscriptions: Messages from the Past
Many cliff inscriptions of 1,700 years old have been found in the Three Gorges area on the Yangtze River. Located on steep cliffs above torrential rapids, these carvings are hard to be reached or made rubbings of. That's why they could be reserved until today. When sailing on the river, one will have the chance to read this "rare book" and admire the wonderful legacy of art left by the Chinese ancestors. For historians, these inscriptions are messages passed down from remote antiquity, which reflect the changes of time.
Cliff carving has a very long history in China. It spread widely in the Qin (221-206 B.C.) and Han (206 B.C.-A.D.220) dynasties, flourished in the later period of the Han Dynasty and continued to develop during the Three Kingdoms (220-280) and Jin Dynasty (265-420). By the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, all events, big or small, were recorded with stone carvings. Later, stone inscriptions became increasingly prosperous and prevailed to every corner of China.
Combining words and images, the art of stone carving was widely used through all dynasties to record history, eulogize virtues and achievements, express beliefs and adoration, and convey affection. Today, research on stone inscriptions has become an important part of history studies in China.
It is a tragedy that China is filling the Three Gorges area with water instead of showing off all of the amazing archaeological sites in the area. The damming of the Yangtze River, in my opinion, is a grave mistake.
From China.org.cn.
Cliff carving has a very long history in China. It spread widely in the Qin (221-206 B.C.) and Han (206 B.C.-A.D.220) dynasties, flourished in the later period of the Han Dynasty and continued to develop during the Three Kingdoms (220-280) and Jin Dynasty (265-420). By the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, all events, big or small, were recorded with stone carvings. Later, stone inscriptions became increasingly prosperous and prevailed to every corner of China.
Combining words and images, the art of stone carving was widely used through all dynasties to record history, eulogize virtues and achievements, express beliefs and adoration, and convey affection. Today, research on stone inscriptions has become an important part of history studies in China.
It is a tragedy that China is filling the Three Gorges area with water instead of showing off all of the amazing archaeological sites in the area. The damming of the Yangtze River, in my opinion, is a grave mistake.
From China.org.cn.
Chariot and skeleton crew found on motorway
Motorway builders have unexpectedly unearthed one of the most important Iron Age relics to be found in Britain - appropriately, a chariot.
Buried for 2,500 years, the find is a complete chariot containing the skeleton of a tribal leader, with the remains of at least 250 cattle, probably slaughtered for the funeral feast.
This discovery is important that it helps archaeologists understand the occupants of Britian 2500 years ago.
From Guardian Unlimited.
Buried for 2,500 years, the find is a complete chariot containing the skeleton of a tribal leader, with the remains of at least 250 cattle, probably slaughtered for the funeral feast.
This discovery is important that it helps archaeologists understand the occupants of Britian 2500 years ago.
From Guardian Unlimited.
