News Briefs 30-04-2004

It's Friday. Let's begin with this.........

• An Iranian archaeologist says that recent discoveries show that the Jiroft civilization predated Sumer.
• Archaeologists in Israel may have unearthed the oldest evidence of fire use by our ancestors.
• A massive gamma-ray burst could have helped destroy much of life on Earth 440 million years ago.
• The University of Chicago is returning 300, 2500-year old clay tablets to Iran.
• A 1539 map that depicts sea monsters off the coast of Scotland, sinking galleons, sea snakes, and wolves urinating against trees, but the sea and land mass have an amazing resemblance to the latest satellite images.
• Was there a Trojan War?
• A Hawaiian arrow was carved from the bone of 18th-Century British explorer Captain James Cook. Great story, but DNA-testing says no.
• A Russian Museum will exhibit Rasputin’s penis. That's entertainment.
• Despite previous reports, Yellowstone Park is not likely to blow up anytime soon.
• Roaming robots can solve the world-problem of over-fishing. Maybe you can fish if you say, 'Klaatu Barada Nikto'.
• Some experts are concerned that we are on the brink of changing what it means to be human by enhancing healthy brains.
• Bad news for aspirin. A study suggests people can learn to suppress pain when they are shown the activity of a pain-control region of their brain. Just tough it out, kid.
• A family has been driven out of their home by an invisible force that has set fire to furniture and played 'mind games' with them.
• Black holes devour people.
• Latest Global Warming panic - the world must have carbon stores.
• Baby buckyballs hold the promise of new and unusual physical properties for nano-engineers to explore. 'Baby buckyballs' is fun to say, too.
• NASA says future flight may be on on bended wing.
• Rocket options are examined for the Moon-Mars initiative.
• Hubble sees a stellar demise in fire and ice (with pic). Speaking of Hubble, there may be hope to keep it.
• NASA acts to ensure that astronauts don't follow their urges.
• NASA's Mars rovers Opportunity and Spirit have completed their primary 90-day mission and achieved all of its original goals. Now, they are heading for the hills.

Quote of the Day:

We choose to explore space because doing so improves our lives, and lifts our national spirit.

President George W. Bush