Hidden Garden of Eden wilts as Earth warms- March 10, 2006 A paradise world of undiscovered species and tropical glaciers in the mountains of New Guinea is disappearing faster than it can be explored. So says a climate scientist who has discovered that global warming there is happening 20 times faster than previously thought. The highlands of the giant Asian island are among the most isolated places on the planet. They are rarely visited by local tribes and are virtually invisible to satellites because they are constantly shrouded in cloud. Last week,..http://www.frimlin.com/links/2006/03/hidden-garden-of-eden-wilts-as-earth.php Liquid water found on Saturn's moon Enceladus- March 10, 2006 One of Saturn's moons, Enceladus, is spewing out a giant plume of water vapor that is probably feeding one of the planet's rings, scientists said on Thursday. The findings, published in the journal Science, suggest that tiny Enceladus could have a liquid ocean under its icy surface which in theory could sustain primitive life, similar to Jupiter's moon Europa. The plume was spotted by Cassini, a joint U.S.-European spacecraft that is visiting Saturn. "We realize that this is a radical...http://www.frimlin.com/links/2006/03/liquid-water-found-on-saturns-moon.php Genome's knowledge "avalanche"- March 9, 2006 Dr Francis Collins, the scientist leading the Human Genome Project, says he expects important new gene sequences governing aspects of personality, such as intelligence and behaviour, to be known very shortly. While the project to crack our DNA code has been targeted at understanding and eradicating disease, Dr Collins believes the project will provide significant insights into a broad range of heritable aspects. "We haven't discovered most of those yet, but frankly, we should be prepared for..http://www.frimlin.com/links/2006/03/genomes-knowledge-avalanche.php Elaborate cave paintings stun scientists- March 9, 2006 Chilean and French scientists have discovered .. elaborate pre-Columbian cave paintings by indigenous Alacaluf people on an isolated island in Patagonia.More than 40 stunning paintings were located inside the so-called "Pacific Cave" on Madre de Dios island, in Chile's far south, expedition head Bernard Tourte of France said.The Alacaluf, a nomadic and seafaring people indigenous to the area, were not previously known to have produced such art."For years, people have insisted that this group...http://www.frimlin.com/links/2006/03/elaborate-cave-paintings-stun.php World's oldest ship timbers found in Egyptian desert- March 9, 2006 The oldest remains of seafaring ships in the world have been found in caves at the edge of the Egyptian desert along with cargo boxes that suggest ancient Egyptians sailed nearly 1,000 miles on rough waters to get treasures from a place they called God's Land, or Punt.Florida State University anthropology professor Cheryl Ward has determined that wooden planks found in the manmade caves are about 4,000 years old - making them the world's most ancient ship timbers. Shipworms that had tunneled...http://www.frimlin.com/links/2006/03/worlds-oldest-ship-timbers-found-in.php Tools 'may be 250,000 years old'- March 9, 2006 Stone tools found at one of the South's most important early prehistoric sites could date back 250,000 years, archaeologists claim.The historic finds were uncovered at a former gravel quarry on the Isle of Wight during digs last summer. Flint axes found near Great Pan Farm, Newport, are thought to be of the sort used by Neanderthal man. Elephant teeth from the same period were also found. Specialists are now to carry out further investigations of the site.Only part of the text from this article.http://www.frimlin.com/links/2006/03/tools-may-be-250000-years-old.php Early Andean maize unearthed- March 8, 2006 Ancient finding suggests Peruvians could have been making tortillas 4,000 years ago.Archaeologists have found the oldest evidence so far of agriculture in the Andes. The discovery shows that ancient Peruvians were growing and eating maize some 4,000 years ago - more than a millennium earlier than previous records had suggested.Maize was originally cultivated in Mexico, and archaeologists have evidence that the crop was grown as early as 7,000 years ago in Ecuador. But they had previously not...http://www.frimlin.com/links/2006/03/early-andean-maize-unearthed.php |