Marine biologists have discovered that contrary to their earlier assumptions, some species of squid are actually careful and attentive mothers. Sorry, but I saw “mommie deepest” in the photo caption and had to use it.
The New Madrid Earthquakes and Archaeology
One of the events that has fallen into the “memory hole” of American history is the sequence of earthquakes from December 1811 to March 1812 that occurred in the central Mississippi River valley. These quakes (and the fault that caused them), named after the Missouri town of New Madrid, were the most powerful in continental …
Kangaroo: It’s What’s for Dinner
If you see medallions of australus on the menu, you’ll know that they’re serving ‘roo. Australus is the winner of a contest for a new name for kangaroo meat. Somehow I don’t think the aborigines will care.
Frozen Mammoth Genetic Studies
This news release talks about two separate genetic analyses carried out on a 28,000 year-old Siberian mammoth preserved in permafrost. One studied mitochondrial DNA while the other studied DNA from the cell nucleus. The researchers using mitochondrial DNA found that “…the woolly mammoth was more closely related to the Asian than the African elephant, but …
Historic Wall in New York City
The Los Angeles Times notes as does the New York Times, the discovery of a wall unearthed in construction near Battery Park in New York City. It was found 10 feet under the present ground surface and artifacts associated with it seem to indicate its construction in the late 17th and early 18th Centuries. It …
“On The Road” Manuscript Displayed
The San Francisco Public Library is going to display the manuscript of Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” this spring – at least a portion of it. This book has always been a sort of literary legend as it was written on a continuous 120 foot-long roll of paper fed through a typewriter in a three-week …
Mysterious Hot Spots
This picture comes from a piece in the Santa Barbara News-Press about some mysterious heat sources revealed by a landslide in the mountains northeast of here. I apologise, this may be a subscribers-only link. This hit the news here early in the summer when a small forest fire that was caused by these “hot spots” …
Steve’s Whereabouts
Just passing on news I got from Libby: Steve and his party were in Ankara yesterday and are traveling back to the US today. Steve will likely be home tomorrow night. As Libby said, “I’m sure he’ll be full of tales.” We’re looking forward to hearing some of them starting later this week.
War in the Middle East
This piece in the LA Times describes the excavation of the site of Tell Hamoukar in Syria, that has uncovered evidence that 5500 years ago the city there was sacked by an invasion from Mesopotamia. It is one of the earliest examples of large-scale warfare, and as the article says, “The discovery of the devastated …
A Real and Present Danger
Reader Matt Miller of Boise sends this report from the Vancouver Sun: Group pays to end killing on central coast. The introductory paragraph in this story by Nicholas Read, reads: “For the first time in B.C. history, an anti-hunting group has bought theguide-outfitting rights to a prime piece of the province’s wilderness with aview to …