Whudaya know! ‘One man’ can change the world, a pun can be relatively pain-free, and, contrary to popular opinion, a few sane humans still inhabit the globe.
- Update: Octopus – Genius of the deep. (Read, save, or pay-per-view later.)
- Archaeologists believe they have found a third Jellinge stone – a Viking-era stone engraved with ancient Danish Rune writing.
- Hoard of Viking-era silver coins found in Sweden.
- Norwegian archaeologists have found a Viking farmer buried with horse, sword, spear and shield.
- Scholar’s long-discredited theory on Dead Sea Scrolls finds support in new archaeological dig.
- When did Native Americans first arrive on the North American continent, and where did they settle? Researchers say this question can only be addressed underwater, and plan a multiyear expedition to chart ancient coastlines, now underwater, in order to find the first settlements. More here. As I suggested, they may also look in underwater caves.
- 30,000 year old fossils found in Romanian cave display mixture of modern human and neanderthal features.
- Eighth-century Buddhist caves discovered in Afghanistan.
- Arrgh! ‘Recovering artifacts‘ my eyepatch! Marine archaeologists are ‘looting’ the Queen Anne’s Revenge, Blackbeard’s lead ship.
- You will forget the world at Deir Mar Moussa. Large photos follow text; not for the faint of bandwidth.
- 92-year-old Turkish archaeologist acquitted in headscarf case.
- Enviro-cataclysm of the week: Major study says that by mid-century, there will be virtually no fish left in the seas. Brits will have no more fish and chips by 2048. Seafood gumbo and clam chowder will also be distant memories.
- Giant shockwaves around a distant cluster of galaxies could be generating some of the mysterious cosmic rays that strike Earth. They could also give us a clue as to why the universe is threaded with magnetic fields.
- When the Phoenix spacecraft takes off for Mars in August, 2007, it will take along a DVD with messages from visionaries of our time to future visitors or settlers on Mars. Sign up here, and this DVD will also include your name.
- UK doctors find that novel new treatment heals congestive heart failure.
- Scientists use stem cells to grow artificial human liver.
- A study in Nature has found that obese mice on a high-fat diet got the benefits of being thin – living healthier, longer lives – without the pain of dieting when they consumed huge doses of red wine extract (roughly equal to a human consuming 100 glasses a day) containing resveratrol, which spurs mitochondrial activiity and regrowth. Researchers are using words like spectacular, astounding, and Holy Grail.
- In a controversial study, researchers have resurrected a retrovirus that infected our ancestors millions of years ago and now sits frozen in the human genome.
- Forgetful? The Mayo Clinic says a virus may be eating your brain.
- Are social attitudes inherited? Political scientists and geneticists are questioning 8,000 sets of twins, to test their theory that politics may be in the genes.
- A traditional healer in Samoa may have found the cure for HIV.
- Psychiatrists probe what happens in the brain when people ‘speak in tongues’.
- Global study dispels what we thought we knew about sex.
- Think-tank study says Britain’s teenagers are among the most badly behaved in Europe. Why UK teens struggle to cope.
- About two years ago in Sydney, Juan Mann quietly began offering ‘Free Hugs‘. Now, thanks to 10,000 people signing a petition, a Sick Puppies video on YouTube, and a visit to The Oprah Show, the ‘Free Hugs’ movement is spreading like wildfire.
Thanks Rico.
Quote of the Day:
Details are all that matters; God dwells there, and you never get to see Him if you don’t struggle to get them right.
Stephen Jay Gould
