[Unmuseum_newsletter] UnMuseum Newsletter for August 2006

Mon Jul 31 20:14:15 EDT 2006

The UnMuseum Newsletter for August 2006

Science Over the Edge

A Roundup of Strange Science for the Month
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In the News:

*Mammoths: Blond, Brunette or Redhead? - Researchers have extracted DNA from 
a 43,000-year-old bone that leads them to believe that mammoths may have 
come in various hair colors, including red and blond. The gene, "Mc1r", 
codes for a protein that affects hair color in mammals. Reduced activity of 
that gene produces red hair in humans and yellow hair in such animals as 
mice, horses and dogs. The research was lead by Holger Roempler of the 
University of Leipzig in Germany

*Cosmic Close Call - Early in July a half-mile wide asteroid zipped by the 
planet Earth, missing it by about the distance of the moon. While this might 
seem a huge margin to some, scientists note that it astronomical terms the 
asteroid, designated 2004 XP14, was the largest object to pass this close to 
the our planet in the last few years. The space rock was visible as a small 
moving dot to amateur astronomers with telescopes in North America. 2004XP14 
will have other encounters with Earth this century, but according to 
scientists, none will be a threat for collision. Estimates show that a 
typical asteroid of this size would create a fireball six miles wide and a 
crater 7 miles in diameter from a 100,000 megaton explosion if it hit earth.

*Carnivorous Kangaroos Surprise Scientists - Kangaroos are usually thought 
of as cute, pleasant and somewhat unusual animals, that lope across the 
Australian outback. That wasn't the case in prehistoric times. 
Paleontologists have found the remains of a much more scary meat eating 
version of kangaroo that lived between 10 and 20 million years ago. The 
animal had fangs similar to those of a modern wolf. The species found at the 
excavation had "well muscled-in teeth, not for grazing. These things had 
slicing crests that could have crunched through bone and sliced off flesh", 
said vertebrate paleontologist Sue Hand, a member of the research team. The 
scientists also found a large duck-like bird that may also have been 
carnivorous. The scientists jokingly refer this specimen by the name of the 
"demon duck of doom."

*Inflatable Space Station Test Successful - Last month a private commercial 
space company managed to put an experimental satellite, named Genesis I, 
into orbit to test the possibility of building a space station using 
inflatable modules. Real estate magnate Robert Bigelow is bankrolling the 
project. Bigelow has committed $500 million toward building the station and 
so far, $75 million has been spent. The object of this recent flight was to 
see if the test module could successfully inflate in orbit and indications 
are that the test was a success. Unlike the rigid aluminum construction of 
the international space station, the test module consists of a flexible 
outer shell built with such tough materials such as kevlar, which is found 
in bulletproof vests.

*Bacteria has Midas Touch - Scientists have identified a bacteria that seems 
to be able to create solid gold. Ralstonia metallidurans has been found on 
gold nuggets in widely separate locations and scientists think that this 
bacteria takes gold in its dissolved form and converts it into less toxic, 
solid form. Since heavy metals are toxic to most microorganisms, being able 
to detoxify its immediate environment gives Ralstonia metallidurans a 
metabolic advantage. This research is the strongest evidence so far that 
bacteria could play an important role in creating solid gold, although how 
this actually works is not yet known.

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What's New at the Museum:

*Comet Halley: Harbinger of Death?: Man has always found comets a bit scary, 
so when Comet Halley flew past the earth in 1910 leaving a trail of 
poisonous gas, people got just a little nervous... > 
(http://www.unmuseum.org/halleycomet.htm)

*The Lost World (Remix) - Our graphic novel version formatted as a book so 
you can can download and print it out at home.> 
(http://www.unmuseum.org/graphicclassic/lostw/lostworld.pdf)

*From The Curator's Office: The LAN Party - Pour in eight teenage boys, mix 
with a room full of powerful computers and let bake all night... > 
(http://www.unmuseum.org/notescurator/lanparty.htm)

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Ask the Curator:

*Thai Water Elephant - I saw this being talked about on the web and wondered 
if you knew anything about this "legend" and cryptid. Have you ever heard of 
it? I've read volumes of stuff on Cryptozoology, but I've never heard of 
this one. It is supposedly a "Thai Water Elephant" - Anonymous

I have to admit that this was so obscure I couldn't find anything about it 
in any of my regular cryptozoological resources. However, snooping around 
the web I seem to have found out that this creature falls into the same 
category as the "jackolope:" a quite normal creature in life that has been 
altered by taxidermy to be something quite unusual in death. In the case of 
the jackolope, a deceased rabbit is altered by giving it the antlers of a 
deer.

In the case of the "Thai Water Elephant" it sounds like the perpetrators 
have started with a shrew. A shrew is a small mouse-like mammal with a long 
pointed snout, making it already vaguely elephant shaped. The taxidermist 
does his work removing and adding bones and flesh in different places (for 
example, apparently the front legs bones below the knees are removed and 
shaped into the tusks). In the end the hoaxer has something that looks like 
a tiny elephant. These can then be sold in the tourist trade as novelties. 
Although several have shown up on Ebay with prices running in the thousands, 
apparently they can be acquired from street vendors in Burma for a 
reasonable price.

The story of the water elephant goes back at least to the 1800's. It is said 
that they spend their lives in the water and that their tusks carry venom 
that can kill a man (this part of the story might have some basis in fact as 
the shrew is one of the few mammal that are poisonous). Only experienced 
hunters are able to capture them, which is why they are so rare and 
expensive (at least that is how the story is told by the curiosity shop 
owner that wishes to sell you one). It is not clear whether the story of a 
water elephant has any place in traditional folklore, or if it was simply 
invented after the first hoaxer discovered he could turn a dead, worthless 
shrew into a rare, valuable water elephant and need a story to go along with 
it.

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In History:

*Moon Hoax - In August of 1835 The New York Sun newspaper published a series 
of stories reporting that astronomers had observed creatures on the moon 
that were four feet in height, covered with glossy copper-colored hair, and 
had wings on their backs. Though the articles were supposed to be a reprint 
from the Edinburgh Journal of Science (which was nonexistent) the material 
was actually written by Sun reporter Richard Adams Locke. The series became 
known as the "Moon Hoax." Locke said his motives for writing the story were 
satirical as he wanted to poke fun at the idea there could be life on other 
planets. The "Moon Hoax" remains one of the best examples of 18th century 
hoax journalism (http://www.unmuseum.org/jourhoax.htm), a widespread 
practice at that time.

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In the Sky:

*Perseid Meteor Shower - The peak of this shower will occur on August 12th 
between midnight and first light. Look for the shooting stars to appear 
anywhere in the sky, but traveling from the direction of the constellation 
of Cassiopeia. These meteors are dust left by the comet Swift-Tuttle. As the 
earth moves though the comet's path these tiny particles hit our atmosphere 
and make spectacular streaks across the night sky as they burn up.

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Observed:

*Bigfoot Dispute Hits Court - According to a story in the Mercury News, a 
lawsuit has broken out between C. Thomas Biscardi, a self described Bigfoot 
expert, and Carole Rubin and Robert Shorey, president and vice president of 
the Great American Bigfoot Research Organization. According to Biscardi's 
lawyer, Biscardi was hired by the group for $250,000 to act as a consultant 
and guide for expeditions. As a part of the deal Biscardi would also allow 
the group to use his library which includes plaster footprints, films, 
photos and sound recordings of the beast. Biscardi's lawyer says the group 
only paid him $65,000 and will not return his collection. Biscardi's lawyer 
says he is willing to drop the suit if the Organization will return his 
library collection.

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On the Tube:

Currently we are only able to give accurate times and dates for these 
programs in the United States. Check local listings in other locations.

*NOVA - Who Killed the Red Baron? - Forensic experts investigate the most 
famous aviation mystery of World War I. On the PBS: August 22 at 8 pm ET/PT

*Europa: Mystery of the Ice Moon - Does life exist on one of Jupiter's 
moons? Europa, the planet's fourth largest moon, may hold the answer. 
Scientists have found evidence that water exists there, and they are probing 
to see if Europa's oceans could, or did at one time sustain life. On the 
Science Channel: AUG 01 2006 @ 10:00 PM; AUG 02 2006 @ 01:00 AM; AUG 02 2006 
@ 05:00 AM; AUG 02 2006 @ 11:00 AM; AUG 02 2006 @ 03:00 PM; AUG 06 2006 @ 
06:00 PM; ET/PT

*Prophets Of Science Fiction - Examine the strange lives of the visionaries 
of science fiction. The secrets of their uncanny ability to foretell the 
future are revealed. On the Science Channel: AUG 06 2006 @ 10:00 PM, AUG 07 
2006 @ 01:00 AM, AUG 07 2006 @ 05:00 AM, AUG 07 2006 @ 11:00 AM, AUG 07 2006 
@ 03:00 PM, AUG 13 2006 @ 09:00 AM; ET/PT

*The Mystery of the Jurassic - A remote plateau in Patagonia, Argentina 
reveals an incredible dinosaur graveyard that scientists believe could be 
the most significant find ever. This area reveals fossils from the Middle 
Jurassic, the most mysterious period in dinosaur history. On The Science 
Channel: AUG 21 2006 @ 08:00 PM, AUG 21 2006 @ 11:00 PM, AUG 22 2006 @ 03:00 
AM, AUG 22 2006 @ 09:00 AM, AUG 22 2006 @ 01:00 PM, AUG 26 2006 @ 04:00 PM; 
ET/PT.

*Shark Week! - Discovery Channel does their annual Shark Week starting 
August 1st. Some featured shows will be Sharks: Are They Hunting Us? AUG 02 
2006 @ 09:00 PM, AUG 03 2006 @ 01:00 AM, AUG 05 2006 @ 04:00 PM; Shark 
Rebellion AUG 03 2006 @ 09:00 PM, AUG 04 2006 @ 01:00 AM, AUG 05 2006 @ 
05:00 PM; and MythBusters - Jaws Special AUG 02 2006 @ 10:00 PM. On The 
Discovery Channel.

*Triassic Giant - Ichthyosaurs were swimming, air breathing creatures that 
resembled whales and dolphins. A team excavates the giant fossil from a 
riverbank in British Columbia that is believed to be the largest Triassic 
ichthyosaur ever found. On The Discovery Channel: AUG 05 2006 @ 09:00 PM, 
AUG 06 2006 @ 01:00 AM ; ET/PT.

*The Real Tomb Hunters: Snakes, Curses, and Booby Traps - Fighting Nazis; 
grabbing golden treasure; fleeing angry natives; dodging pitfalls in a 
booby-trapped temple--we all know how fictional explorers and archaeologists 
spend their days. But does real life compare? We follow some of the most 
daring archaeologists and take on the dangers they face--Egyptian 
archaeologist Zahi Hawass steps into a booby-trapped tomb; American Arthur 
Demarest fights looters in the jungles of Cancuen; and in Chiapas, angry 
villagers kidnap Australian-born Peter Mathews. We also examine stories of 
past explorers who helped shape the "Indiana Jones" 
stereotype--paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews battled venomous snakes and 
Mongol bandits in the Gobi Desert; John Pendlebury, the British 
archaeologist, fought Nazis on Crete; and Sylvanus Morley, who was the first 
American archaeologist/spy. There are no special effects, no stuntmen, and 
no retakes...and for these real-life archaeologists, no guarantee they'll 
survive for a sequel.On History Channel: August 5 @ 5pm ET/PT

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*LGM: Check out the antics of Meep and Zeep as they try to find their flying 
saucer! (http://www.unmuseum.org/soearch/over.htm#lgm)