Sorry for the late news, my internet connection has been down all day. I hid under my bed until it came back on.
- What may be the oldest Christian church in the Holy Land has been found on the grounds of an Israeli Prison. Stephen King is already at work on the novel. Here are some better pictures.
- Archaeologists believe they have found the skull of Renaissance astronomer Nicolas Copernicus. Stephen King’s working on a novel about this, too.
- Tis Find-A-Church week. A 9th Century Byzantine Church was found near Pisa’s Piazza dei Miracoli, home to the famed Leaning Tower.
- A metal detector enthusiast has found a hoard of Tudor-era silver coins. He plans to spend it in Australia, where the exchange rate is quite favourable.
- Brisbane molecular archaeologist, Dr Tom Loy, has passed away after just finishing his book on the world’s oldest mummy, Oetzi. The news article repeats rumours of a mummy’s curse, which I think is a bit offensive and insensitive. Here’s another article that again focuses on the mummy’s curse.
- What would Charles Darwin, a shy and gentle man, make of the acclaim and the fury that surround his Theory of Evolution today? With a straight face, he’d say, “It’s just a theory.”
- A 9’000-year-old skeleton has been unearthed by Beijing archaeologists, buried in the fetal position.
- Here’s a striking photo of a 3’700-year-old Dragon totem discovered in China, possibly the world’s oldest found so far.
- Chinese archaeologists have also unearthed a dainty necklace made of white porcelain, 4000 to 5000 years of age.
- An ancient observatory made of packed earth with 13 stone pillars, dating back 4100-years-ago, was discovered in Shanxi Province, China. Post your thoughts on the significance of 13 pillars.
- China and five central Asian nations will nominate the Silk Road for UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Tibet hopes that one day they will be nominated for independence.
- Chinese archaeologists have claimed to have found the world’s smallest ancient temple with Mahayana scriptures in the southern rim of the Taklimakan Desert.
- Idol thieves are on the prowl in an area rich in ancient Jain and Hindu temple architecture. Kids across the world swamp internet message boards, expressing their concern.
- With only 20% of the basement of Cairo’s Egyptian Museum inventoried so far, what treasures still await rediscovery? They’re actually just looking for Zahi Hawass’s carkeys.
- Egypt’s irrigation water is threatening ancient temples and stone reliefs. The source of the Nile is Zahi’s bathroom.
- Scientists warn that we face a dire future if fossil fuel use is not curbed.
- One wild idea to shade the Earth from the Sun is by constructing a gigantic ring made of small particles or spacecraft. The Master Chief says he’s not blowing up another one.
- The planned touchdown of a Japanese space probe on a distant asteroid has been cancelled at the last minute. All your base are belong to us.
- At the centre of our galaxy is a super-massive black hole, according to Chinese scientists.
- Australian Professor Reg Cahill says he can prove Albert Einstein’s Theories of Relativity are wrong, but his colleagues all laugh at him.
- Scientists believe they are on the verge of measuring gravitational waves, one of the most elusive phenomena in the universe, for the first time.
- Scientists say there is no scientific proof exposure to electrical equipment causes ill health. I know a few sparkies who beg to differ, although it was their own fault they cut the wrong wire.
- Some experts however believe there should be warnings for those who think they suffer from electrical allergies. In my case, it’s more the fumes from warm/hot plastic that causes allergies.
- More than one in three children do not know that the main ingredient of chips is potato, according to research published today by the British Heart Foundation. Actually, the kids are probably right, knowing what goes into fast food chips and fries!
- Recent research suggests we have a second brain in our stomachs. NASA begins recruiting at fast food outlets and pubs.
- How evil is Walmart? Evil enough to make me need a dozen showers to feel clean again after shopping there for the first and last time.
- What makes conspiracy theories so compelling? Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, or a chimney, or a cigarette, or a man smoking a cigarette in the shadow of a chimney up to no good.
- The sweet smell of biological warfare, or just belated promotions for Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film? Some would say conspiracy theories have a certain smell.
- The hunt is on for Kanasi Huguai, China’s very own version of the Loch Ness monster.
- Cryptozoologist Richard Greenwell passed away this week, aged 63. He was the co-founder of the International Society of Cryptozoology.
- Orbs seem to be the most common form of UFOs these days. What are they, and where do they come from?
Thanks Kat, Kat and Kat.
Quote of the Day:
To know all, it is necessary to know very little; but to know that very little, one must first know pretty much.
Georges I. Gurdjieff
