Stolen Sarcophagus Heads Home

The sarcophagus, nearly 3,000 years-old was seized by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, or I.C.E , during a routine shipments inspection at the Miami International Airport in 2008 Agents became suspicious when they noticed inconsistencies in the shipment’s documentation.

Customs investigated the importer and the seller in Spain and concluded the sarcophagus was indeed stolen property. Read more about the stolen sarcophagus on National Geographic

Pterosaur's Wing, "Hairs" Unlike Any Living Animals'

"Found in a slab of Chinese shale loaded with ancient crustaceans and ash, this 135-million-year-old fossil has some of the best preserved soft tissue yet found in a pterosaur, researchers said in an August 2009 study.

New analysis of the creature's wings has shown that it had uniquely complex wing membranes and a covering of fibers quite different from the hair on modern mammals." Read the full story about the pterosaur at National Geographic

Untouched Tomb of Aztec King on Verge of Discovery?

After nearly 30 years in the field, archaeologist Leonardo López Luján may be on the verge of the discovery of a lifetime: the only known tomb of an Aztec king. An air of excitement has been thickening around Mexico's Templo Mayor (Great Temple) since 2006, when excavations near the temple revealed a stone monolith with a carving of an Aztec goddess.

What a huge day for Archaeology and a great accomplishment for Leonardo Lopez Lujan. I can't even imagine how amazing this would be. Congratulations!

Read the Full Story Here

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National Geographic News: Armadillo-like Crocodile Fossil Found in Brazil

An ancient crocodile with armadillo-like body armor (above, a reconstruction of the fossil in an undated picture) roamed the arid interior of Brazil about 90 million years ago, say researchers who found the fossil in São Paolo state.

In addition to its unusual bony shield, the reptile could chew like a mammal, moving its lower jaw forward and backward, researchers said in July 2009. Full Story Here

Most Vicious and Cannibalistic Prehistoric Creatures

During the Pre-Historic Era, certain creatures and species were limited in their access to food supplies, and so they were forced to feed on their own kind, giving them the ability to sustain their lives a bit longer.

Majungatholus

 

In 1998, paleontologist/anatomist Scott Sampson from the New York College found a Majungatholus skull, making it the most well preserved dinosaur skull ever found. Sampson said, "It's the kind of face that only a mother could love. It had textured, convoluted bone all over the surface of the skull which probably had skin tightly adhering to it. It had this horn-like structure on the top of the head between the eyes and another projection at the back of the skull as well."

Image via Wikipedia

Teeth marks along with serrated smaller notches were found embedded on the Majungatholus measuring the same width as the teeth on the dinosaur itself, implying that it may have been involved in a struggle with the same species.

Neanderthals

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Around 43,000 years ago, the Neanderthals were turning to cannibalism—even brain-eating. Discoveries of fossil remains suggest that these prehistoric humans looked entirely different from their northern counterparts. The Osteology of this species clearly suggests signs of dismemberment and skinning.

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Cannibalistic actions included cutting of the flesh, using small stone tools and smashing open the skull using larger tools to access the brain and marrow.

Image via Wikipedia

 

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“Reports of the Neandertals (often spelled "Neanderthals") ate their own kind, says paleoanthropologist Antonio Rosas of the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid. Rosas is the lead researcher for the study, which is published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.”

Anasazi

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Around 900 AD in the Chaco Canyon, the Anasazi of the southwestern U.S. routinely "processed their colleagues . . . skinned them, roasted them . . . severed their joints . . . and put the pieces into pots. This gives an entire new meaning to vicious and bizarre." Unfortunately, history has continued to be a distressing chronicle of man's inhumanity to man. Today, Chaco Canyon is a Mecca for New Agers. They like to believe that Anasazi existed in full harmony with nature. However, the archaeological evidence is exceedingly “inconvenient for those who argue that man in his natural state was good and that civilization as we know it is evil.”

Cave Bears

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Scientists have always believed that these creatures were gentle, feeding solely on vegetables and fruits. However, bones were discovered in the Carpathians - the mountains where Dracula supposedly dwelt – suggesting that cave bears could have also been cannibals. Ongoing studies of their bones and other accessory organs suggest that only a certain cave bear, dwelling in the Carpathians were carnivorous. They had high levels of Nitrogen 15 in their bones, which was highly bizarre considering that cave bears normally had low levels of Nitrogen-15.

Ultimately, Cave bears died out around 20,000 years ago when the ice had dominated the earth.

Mysterious Inscribed Slate Discovered at Jamestown

Archaeologists from Jamestown have just discovered a 400 year old transcribed slate tablet from America's first English Settlement. The slate is covered with writings, numbers, and drawings of people, plants, and birds that its owner likely encountered in the New World in the early 1600s.

The tablet was found a few feet down in what may be the first well at James Fort, dug in early 1609 by Capt. John Smith, Jamestown's best known leader, said Bill Kelso, director of archaeology at the site. If the well is confirmed as Smith's, it could help offer important insights into Jamestown's difficult early years.

Records indicate that by 1611, the water in Smith's well had become foul and the well was then used as a trash pit. Archaeologists discovered the slate among other objects thrown into the well by the colonists. Read More ~~

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Five End of the World Scenarios

Several years ago I was sitting in my Geology class and my professor was telling a tale of the world’s end. The basic scenarios consisted of a large tidal wave swallowing Florida; the earth bursting into flames; and polarity reversal which would leave the earth open to solar flares. Well, none of these stories were making me feel any better, but the truth it, these stories do exist, and predictions for these events exist as well. Are they true? I believe the stories exist to give scientists a answer for certain environmental events that have occurred and need some sort of explanation.

One of the most famous individuals in history to predict these happenings was Nostradamus. Nostradamus was said to decode the Bible, introducing prophecies that have outlined major world events, including the end of the world. He would use trance and meditation to arrive at certain predictions hidden in the words of the Bible.

However, since historians believe that the Bible is 6000 years old, and NASA and Astrophysicists date the earth to billions of years old, I hardly believe that the predictions made by Nostradamus about the Bible could be completely true.

Knowing

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The latest blockbuster natural disaster movie called “Knowing” is about solar flares that will penetrate the earth, destroying every life form in existence, except for the children that are transported to another planet by aliens that warned earthlings 50 years prior through a telepathic child named Ursala. Well, at least the solar flares are true.

Global Warming

Global warming is the same sort of scenario, yet humans are only 10% of the problem and what’s been done can not be changed. The glaciers, ice burgs, and caps will melt, and the depth of the ocean will rise causing flooding worldwide. In this event, will humans be able to survive an even warmer world?

Polarity Reversal

Every 200,000 years, the earth goes through a shift of polarity. If you pick up a compass at the time that this is happening, it will no longer point North. The idea behind this is, the magnetic shield around the earth is weakening when polarity reversal is taking place, leaving us open to the harsh solar winds and other strong atmospheric pressure and particles from space.

Mega Wave

Geologists have been studying models of previous eruptions and have come to an alarming discovery. If part of the mass structure of the volcano slides into the ocean, it will create a Mega-tsunami close to 900 m. high, moving 500 miles an hour, and measuring 1000 ft waves.

A Massive Meteor

This scenario is of no surprise considering it came from previous historical events of dinosaur extinction. People believe that it’s the will of the earth to start over, wiping out all species to create a new life form that will inherit the earth. It sounds bizarre I know, but if you follow the history of the earth, which is dated over 2 billion years old, you will see that catastrophic events have reshaped the planet overtime.

And so the theories of the end will remain unanswered, but one thing is certain. Life has evolved over time, and if it is the will of the earth to start over, there will be no way to stop it.

Ultra-Rare Shark Found, Eaten

National Geographic introduces us to a rare find that made its way into the tummy instead of an aquarium.

The odd specimen was brought in by fishermen and given to local project manager Elson Aca of WWF, an international conservation nonprofit.

Aca immediately identified it as a megamouth shark and encouraged the fishers not to eat it. But the draw of the delicacy was too great: The  1,102-pound (500-kilogram) shark was butchered for a shark-meat dish called kinuout.

While it is sad that this rare mega mouth shark was ultimately lost, the discovery highlights the incredible biodiversity found in the Donsol area and the relatively good health of the ecosystem.

Ultra-Rare Shark Found, Eaten

National Geographic Presents: April Fools' Day Facts: Behind the Laughs

The origins of April Fools' Day are shrouded in mystery.

The most popular theory is that France changed its calendar in the 1500s so that the New Year would begin in January to match the Roman calendar instead of the start of spring in late March or early April."

However word of the change traveled slowly, and many people in rural areas continued to celebrate the New Year in the spring. These country dwellers became known as "April fools."

Read More: April Fools' Day Facts: Behind the Laughs