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Feature

On 09 November 2004, I caught part of America’s Stone Age Explores, a very interesting PBS feature. The program looked at the common theory that the first North American peoples, called the Clovis People, crossed the Bering Land Bridge from Asia about 13,500 years ago.

Mitochondrial DNA analysis of North American First Nations Peoples showed the expected Asian markers. But then the investigators were thrown a curve ball when they found evidence of pre-Columbian European influences, along with the Asian markers, in the DNA of the Ojibwa People. This new DNA turned out to be similar to that of the Clovis-like Solutrean People of ancient France and Spain.

"Could it have been possible for some early European peoples to have reached North America during a past ice age?” I asked myself this question, years ago, while sailing into the Arctic through Davis Strait. I remember that for as far as the eye could see, the sea ice was black with seals, and there was almost a daily sighting of whales. Their presence represented a huge food supply, and, if the modern Inuit can live, for extended periods, on sea ice eating seals, other marine animals and fish, why couldn’t the Solutreans? Perhaps a band(s) of Solutrean Peoples could have followed the ice edge, west to North America, either by foot, dog team or boat (similar to Inuit umiak).The Stone Age Columbus?The Clovis Spear Point

For further reading, please see:

• The Clovis First / Pre-Clovis Problem by Tony Baker
• Coastal Navigators by  E. James Dixon
• The Clovis and Beyond Conference
• The Topper site --- Did man arrive in NA 50,000 years ago?
• The Topper Site --- Early Dates, Real Tools? by Eric A. Powell
• The Solutrean Connection
• Images of Solutrean artifacts by Tony Baker
• Clovis and Solutrean: Is There a Common Thread? by James M. Chandler
• Immigrants From The Other Side (Clovis Is Solutrean?)
• An Introduction to Ojibway Culture and History
• The Free Encyclopedia.com entry on Amerindian
• Center for the Study of the First Americans
• The Mammoth Trumpet

Wanderings

The San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers brings us the DIY plans for building a Dobsonian Telescope. Note: You may be able to use these plans as a guide to modify and improve your commercial 'scope.

The drastic drop in price of digital cameras allows the amateur to install a camera module in their rocket, balloon or what ever.

• Modifying a Pencam For External Control
• AYUCR Camera Controller
• Flying a Solid-State Video Camera - The EyeSoar

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It’s an ornithopter!, a machine that, like a bird, flies by flapping its wings. Buy an inexpensive kit or try your hand at a DIY construction.

Ice Flash! --- Triboluminescence --- or --- piezoluminescence?

NASA’s World Wind allows any user to zoom from satellite altitude into any place on Earth, leveraging high resolution LandSat imagery and SRTM elevation data to experience Earth in visually rich 3D.

The working group on VLF/ELF Remote Sensing of the Ionosphere and Magnetosphere (VERSIM) is an international group of scientists interested in studying the behaviour of the magnetosphere and ionosphere by means of both naturally and artificially generated ELF and VLF (300 Hz - 30 kHz) radio waves.

Red Sprites and Blue Jets is the description of the University of Alaska’s research into middle and upper atmospheric optical and electrical phenomena.

Mike Boschat's Astronomy Page contains a huge number of astronomy related links.

India’s new Hanle telescope, perched on a Himalayan mountaintop, holds the title of being the World's highest telescope, 4,500 meters (14,760 feet) above sea level).

Bob Fritzius’ Shade Tree Physics web pages provide us with a host of links to keep us busy reading during these long winter nights.

On 16 November 2004, ElectronicsWeekly.com reported that an unmanned sub crossed hundreds of kilometres of open ocean without using an engine of any kind. The “Spray”, a type of Slocum Glider, was developed by Scripps and Woods Hole scientists to provide a small autonomous platform for long-term hydrographic measurements. Also see --- “Using a Fleet of Slocum Battery Gliders in a Regional Scale Coastal Ocean Observatory.”

The Slocum Glider is named after Nova Scotia born Captain Joshua Slocum. He set sail on 24 April 1895 in his sloop, Spray, and become the first person to sail single-handedly around the world. His trip totalled more than 74,000 km (46,000 miles).

Cultures On The Edge is an online magazine that looks at cultural diversity around the world.

The Page Museum is located at LA’s Rancho La Brea Tar Pits and is recognized for having the largest and most diverse collection of extinct Ice Age plants and animals in the world.

The topic of Forrest Mims’ World of Science for 29 October 2004 was Science and Cotton. In his article, Forrest comments on the comfort of cotton clothing on a hot (dry) summer day. Yes, cotton clothing can feel good under the right conditions, but being an occasional backpacker and/or canoeist, I am aware of the saying “Cotton Kills!” Cotton fibers will quickly become saturated with water and/or perspiration. This added to cotton’s slow drying characteristic tends to render the clothing very uncomfortable. Quite a few people have succumbed to hypothermia while wearing wet blue jeans and a cotton T-shirt. For outside adventures my choice is layered synthetics. Also, please see --- Staying Warm in the Outdoors. [Interesting contrast on the suitability of cotton clothing on hot summer days in the South versus cold, damp days up North. Having just returned from rather frigid Fairbanks, Alaska, I totally agree. Editor.]  

The Kids Room

The results of the 2004 European Union Contest for Young Scientists have been posted.

YES I Can! Science believes that anyone with the desire, interest, or just simple curiosity can learn about, and understand, science.

The Exploratorium’s Science Information Infrastructure (SII) is a collaboration among teachers and scientists that introduces the student to NASA’s collection of images and data sets. For example, one lesson, Graphing Stratospheric Ozone, introduces the student to a "how-to" graphing example followed by other, more sophisticated examples of graphing using NASA data.

The Science Toy Maker’s page is a site for people, of all ages, who like to roll up their sleeves and make fun and educational toys that entice scientific investigation.

Along with their science pages, the Enchanted Learning site contains a wealth of resources for parents and teachers. Of special note is the Crafts section, which contains enough projects to keep even the busiest little tyke occupied.

Use your knowledge of physics to design an on-line roller coaster on the Amusement Park Physics site.

The Science.ca website combines rich narrative biography with clear graphic explanation to describe Canada's greatest scientists and their achievements. Also see The Science and Technology for Canadians web site.

The Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics Network (SETNET) is a UK charity that promotes Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics awareness, especially among young people.

The Institute of Physics’ Physics.org web site has been described as "a cybercopia of knowledge".

From The Far Side

The Cyprus Atlantis Expedition reports they have discovered man-made structures located 1.6 km (1 mile) below sea level. Has Atlantis been discovered? For further information, please see the Discovery of Atlantis web site.

Are The Ica Stones proof positive that man and dinosaurs roamed the Earth at the same time or were the stones carved by local farmers trying to make a bit of extra cash? Also, see:

• The Ancient Ica Stones of Dr. Cabrera --- proof of an unknown ancient civilization.   8-)
• The Skeptic’s Dictionary entry on The Ica Stones.
• Ica Stones: Yabba-Dabba-Do! --- by The Skeptical Inquirer.

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