The world’s oldest flowing water has been found in a buried reservoir beneath a copper and zinc mine in Timmins, Ontario in Canada. The numbers are staggering, both for its age and the depth at which it was found.
The water was found by a team of miners drilling into bedrock about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) beneath the surface. It did not start out there, however. Originally it seeped from above ground from primeval oceans. Chemical analyses of the water indicate that it contains high levels of hydrogen as well as methane and xenon gases. The xenon, which is an isotope, was used to estimate the water’s age. The tests revealed that the water is no less than 1.5 billion years old and may be more than 2.6 billion years old. This means that it existed during the time that the first multi-celled life forms were making their appearance on the planet. It also provides insights into the chemical composition of earth’s ancient oceans and atmosphere.
It is the possibility that microbial life forms might be present in this ancient water that excites many scientists. They are testing water samples to see if they can detect life forms. If they do, there may be a chance that some form of life may still exist on Mars, which once contained significant oceans. They may also offer insights into how microbes evolve in isolation. There is a precedent for this theory. Microbes have been found in water with a similar chemistry that was isolated beneath a South African gold mine. These tiny creatures used hydrogen gas as an energy source.
The Canadian water offers scientists an invaluable look at our planet’s evolution. It will be interesting to see what scientists learn as they study this remarkable discovery.
If you’d like more technical information about the water and its implications, go here.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
One of the World’s Oldest Lab Experiments
In 1927 an experiment began at Queensland University. It is still ongoing, making it one of the world’s oldest continuous laboratory experiments. And its total production is so small it’s sort of like watching cold molasses flow.
Actually, it’s not molasses. It’s pitch, which is at least 230 billion times more viscous than water. It’s also the world’s stickiest substance. It’s so slow that no one has actually been around when a small drop falls from the lump.
The experiment itself involves a block of pitch. Pitch is so brittle that it can be smashed with a hammer, but actually behaves like a fluid. So scientists have watched this particular block of pitch for more than 95 years. Recently, however, there’s been a little excitement. Only eight drops have been produced since the experiment began, but now it looks as though a ninth is getting ready to fall. No one knows, of course, when it will actually fall. The last drop fell in 2000.
Professor John Mainstone has run the pitch experiment since the 1960s. He says that no one has actually seen a drop fall. Mainstone missed one when he stepped out for coffee and came back to find the new drop. A webcam failed in 1988 when another drop fell. A watch has been established and cameras are at the ready. Prof. Mainstone plans to share the impending drop with web users hoping to actually see it fall.
For more information, go here
Actually, it’s not molasses. It’s pitch, which is at least 230 billion times more viscous than water. It’s also the world’s stickiest substance. It’s so slow that no one has actually been around when a small drop falls from the lump.
The experiment itself involves a block of pitch. Pitch is so brittle that it can be smashed with a hammer, but actually behaves like a fluid. So scientists have watched this particular block of pitch for more than 95 years. Recently, however, there’s been a little excitement. Only eight drops have been produced since the experiment began, but now it looks as though a ninth is getting ready to fall. No one knows, of course, when it will actually fall. The last drop fell in 2000.
Professor John Mainstone has run the pitch experiment since the 1960s. He says that no one has actually seen a drop fall. Mainstone missed one when he stepped out for coffee and came back to find the new drop. A webcam failed in 1988 when another drop fell. A watch has been established and cameras are at the ready. Prof. Mainstone plans to share the impending drop with web users hoping to actually see it fall.
For more information, go here
Sunday, May 5, 2013
The World’s Oldest Railway Tunnel
British archaeologists have discovered what they believe is the world’s oldest railway tunnel, although there may be some dispute between the newly discovered tunnel and another which up to now was believed to be the oldest. Coincidentally, both tunnels are located in Derbyshire.
The newly discovered tunnel lies on a route known as the Butterley Gangroad. In the beginning the railway was literally powered by horses and was built in 1793. The archaeologist in charge of the project believes that at least parts of the tunnel were built at about the same time the rest of the route was completed. If this is true, its competitor, located on the Peak Forest Tramway and built in 1795, is about two years younger than the Butterley Gangroad tunnel.
The Butterley Gangroad line was originally engineered by Benjamin Outram. In November 1813, legendary Scottish engineer William Brunton tested a steam locomotive built at the Butterley works located in Ripley. (This locomotive was the first steam locomotive to operate in the East Midlands.) The old route was turned into a narrow gauge line during a modernization project in the 1840s and was used by steam engines until it was closed down in 1933. It was used as an air raid shelter during World War II and was finally sealed off in 1980.
The current landowners approached the Derbyshire Archaeological Society and requested an investigation of the tunnel. The Society agreed and opened the tunnel. One of the first projects completed after the tunnel was reopened was the creation of a three-dimensional computer model its interior.
The entire investigation is expected to take approximately two years. Once the work is completed the tunnel will be resealed to preserve it.
If you’d like to learn more, visit here
The newly discovered tunnel lies on a route known as the Butterley Gangroad. In the beginning the railway was literally powered by horses and was built in 1793. The archaeologist in charge of the project believes that at least parts of the tunnel were built at about the same time the rest of the route was completed. If this is true, its competitor, located on the Peak Forest Tramway and built in 1795, is about two years younger than the Butterley Gangroad tunnel.
The Butterley Gangroad line was originally engineered by Benjamin Outram. In November 1813, legendary Scottish engineer William Brunton tested a steam locomotive built at the Butterley works located in Ripley. (This locomotive was the first steam locomotive to operate in the East Midlands.) The old route was turned into a narrow gauge line during a modernization project in the 1840s and was used by steam engines until it was closed down in 1933. It was used as an air raid shelter during World War II and was finally sealed off in 1980.
The current landowners approached the Derbyshire Archaeological Society and requested an investigation of the tunnel. The Society agreed and opened the tunnel. One of the first projects completed after the tunnel was reopened was the creation of a three-dimensional computer model its interior.
The entire investigation is expected to take approximately two years. Once the work is completed the tunnel will be resealed to preserve it.
If you’d like to learn more, visit here
Sunday, April 28, 2013
World’s Oldest Viable Seeds
Until recently, the oldest regenerated ancient plans were date palms grown from seeds found at the famous Masada fortress. That record was not only eclipsed, it was shattered when Russian scientists managed to grow plants from seeds buried by squirrels more than 30,000 years ago.
The seeds were those of a fruit-bearing plant known as Silene stenophylla. The seeds were found in a permafrost layer in Siberia and carefully carbon dated. They were found to be 31,800 years old plus or minus 300 years.
Silene stenophylla never became extinct and is still found on the Siberian tundra, giving scientists a chance to study differences and similarities between the modern plants and their ancient ancestors. It also suggests that other plant materials stored in permafrost could also be brought back, including some extinct species.
Technically, the plants were grown not from the actual seeds themselves, but from the tissues in the fruit to which the seeds were attached. Nevertheless, it is a remarkable achievement for the team led by cryologists Svetlana Yashina and David Gilichinsky of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is likely that once these plants have bloomed, viable seeds can be recovered.
This remarkable achievement began with the discovery of about 70 squirrel hibernation burrows found along the banks of the lower Kolyma River in northeastern Siberia. These burrows were found to contain hundreds of thousands of seed samples from a number of different plants. They were 65 to 130 feet (20 to 40 meters) below the present day surface of the river bank. These layers also contained bones of such Late Pleistocene-age animals as wooly rhinoceros, bison, deer, horse, and mammoth. Apparently, the burrows were quickly covered with ice and remained frozen continuously until they were discovered. Could these frozen burrows yield clues to the event that produced Siberia’s flash-frozen mammoths?
There’s more information about these ancient plants here:
The seeds were those of a fruit-bearing plant known as Silene stenophylla. The seeds were found in a permafrost layer in Siberia and carefully carbon dated. They were found to be 31,800 years old plus or minus 300 years.
Silene stenophylla never became extinct and is still found on the Siberian tundra, giving scientists a chance to study differences and similarities between the modern plants and their ancient ancestors. It also suggests that other plant materials stored in permafrost could also be brought back, including some extinct species.
Technically, the plants were grown not from the actual seeds themselves, but from the tissues in the fruit to which the seeds were attached. Nevertheless, it is a remarkable achievement for the team led by cryologists Svetlana Yashina and David Gilichinsky of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is likely that once these plants have bloomed, viable seeds can be recovered.
This remarkable achievement began with the discovery of about 70 squirrel hibernation burrows found along the banks of the lower Kolyma River in northeastern Siberia. These burrows were found to contain hundreds of thousands of seed samples from a number of different plants. They were 65 to 130 feet (20 to 40 meters) below the present day surface of the river bank. These layers also contained bones of such Late Pleistocene-age animals as wooly rhinoceros, bison, deer, horse, and mammoth. Apparently, the burrows were quickly covered with ice and remained frozen continuously until they were discovered. Could these frozen burrows yield clues to the event that produced Siberia’s flash-frozen mammoths?
There’s more information about these ancient plants here:
Friday, April 19, 2013
The Oldest Condom Still in Existence?
We tend to think of condoms as modern devices designed to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. But its history goes back many thousands of years. Now the oldest existing condoms have been found in Lund, Sweden and Birmingham, England, which shows that the use of condoms to protect wearers against sexually transmitted diseases was common during the early 1600's.
The Swedish condom is made of pig intestine, and believed to have been made and used around 1640 AD. It is completely intact and was found with a user’s manual written in Latin. Among other things, the manual instructs its wearer to soak it in warm milk to prevent diseases. The moistening probably made it more comfortable for its wearer, too.
Actually, this condom is a relative latecomer, although it’s one of the oldest examples we have. Other condoms of a similar age were found by archaeologists exploring the foundations of Dudley Castle near Birmingham, England. The English condoms were made of animal and fish intestines and may have been used during the war between Cromwell and King Charles I.
There is evidence that condoms were used by Egyptians as far back as 1,000 BC. Cave paintings at Combarelles in France are believed to show condom use and are approximately 2,000 years old. Condoms made of dried sheep intestines were used by Roman soldiers to protect themselves during long campaigns away from home.
While it appears that most condoms were made from animal intestines, some accounts describe prophylactics made of linen. Literature suggests that the men had long recognized that condoms prevented unwanted pregnancies. In fact, Casanova, the legendary 19th century womanizer, was said to have used linen condoms regularly. He referred to them as "Redingote Anglaise," meaning ‘English Riding Coat."
Today’s condoms are generally made of rubber and plastic, but the basic shape and uses of these devices are really no different than those of their ancient ancestors. Sometimes, it seems, it’s hard to improve on a good basic idea.
You probably know more about condoms than you care to. But in case you’re interested in finding out more, go here.
The Swedish condom is made of pig intestine, and believed to have been made and used around 1640 AD. It is completely intact and was found with a user’s manual written in Latin. Among other things, the manual instructs its wearer to soak it in warm milk to prevent diseases. The moistening probably made it more comfortable for its wearer, too.
Actually, this condom is a relative latecomer, although it’s one of the oldest examples we have. Other condoms of a similar age were found by archaeologists exploring the foundations of Dudley Castle near Birmingham, England. The English condoms were made of animal and fish intestines and may have been used during the war between Cromwell and King Charles I.
There is evidence that condoms were used by Egyptians as far back as 1,000 BC. Cave paintings at Combarelles in France are believed to show condom use and are approximately 2,000 years old. Condoms made of dried sheep intestines were used by Roman soldiers to protect themselves during long campaigns away from home.
While it appears that most condoms were made from animal intestines, some accounts describe prophylactics made of linen. Literature suggests that the men had long recognized that condoms prevented unwanted pregnancies. In fact, Casanova, the legendary 19th century womanizer, was said to have used linen condoms regularly. He referred to them as "Redingote Anglaise," meaning ‘English Riding Coat."
Today’s condoms are generally made of rubber and plastic, but the basic shape and uses of these devices are really no different than those of their ancient ancestors. Sometimes, it seems, it’s hard to improve on a good basic idea.
You probably know more about condoms than you care to. But in case you’re interested in finding out more, go here.
Friday, April 12, 2013
The Oldest Cave Paintings in Malaga, Spain Made by Neanderthals
Score another one for my Neanderthals. I have long believed that Neanderthals were far more accomplished than many experts were willing to acknowledge. Now there is more proof.
The paintings, found in the Nerja cave near Malaga, may in fact be the oldest found to date, and the first to have been created by Neanderthals. Charcoal found beside six of the paintings indicate that the images were created between 43,500 and 42,300 years ago. This makes these paintings far older than those found at Grotte Chauvet cave in southeast France. The Chauvet paintings are currently thought to be the earliest paintings by Homo sapiens and are believed to have been created around 30,000 years ago.
José Luis Sanchidrián of the University of Cordoba says the images depict seals which were hunted by the local Neanderthals. The images are heavily stylized and the interpretation may prove to be incorrect. Some observers say that the images resemble a double helix.
Homo sapiens is believed to have entered eastern Europe some time around 40,000 to 42,000 years ago. Although it is not impossible, it is highly unlikely that they would have migrated to Spain at such an early stage.
Plans are underway to date the paint pigments themselves with testing expected to begin sometime after 2013. In the meantime the extensive Nerja cave system, discovered in 1959, is still being explored.
It is interesting that cave paintings, among other ancient artifacts, have traditionally been attributed to Homo sapiens partly because Neanderthals were believed to be incapable of producing "art." Recently, though, this belief has been challenged by the discovery of large numbers of decorated shell and stone objects in areas known to have been inhabited exclusively by Neanderthals. Some experts, more or less grudgingly, are now crediting Neanderthals with the potential to create art.
One problem I have with all these new discoveries is that I am constantly having to update the information in my upcoming book on Neanderthal life and culture as new information becomes available. But for me, that’s a good thing. Neanderthals deserve more credit than they are currently getting.
Here’s an interesting article on these cave paintings
The paintings, found in the Nerja cave near Malaga, may in fact be the oldest found to date, and the first to have been created by Neanderthals. Charcoal found beside six of the paintings indicate that the images were created between 43,500 and 42,300 years ago. This makes these paintings far older than those found at Grotte Chauvet cave in southeast France. The Chauvet paintings are currently thought to be the earliest paintings by Homo sapiens and are believed to have been created around 30,000 years ago.
José Luis Sanchidrián of the University of Cordoba says the images depict seals which were hunted by the local Neanderthals. The images are heavily stylized and the interpretation may prove to be incorrect. Some observers say that the images resemble a double helix.
Homo sapiens is believed to have entered eastern Europe some time around 40,000 to 42,000 years ago. Although it is not impossible, it is highly unlikely that they would have migrated to Spain at such an early stage.
Plans are underway to date the paint pigments themselves with testing expected to begin sometime after 2013. In the meantime the extensive Nerja cave system, discovered in 1959, is still being explored.
It is interesting that cave paintings, among other ancient artifacts, have traditionally been attributed to Homo sapiens partly because Neanderthals were believed to be incapable of producing "art." Recently, though, this belief has been challenged by the discovery of large numbers of decorated shell and stone objects in areas known to have been inhabited exclusively by Neanderthals. Some experts, more or less grudgingly, are now crediting Neanderthals with the potential to create art.
One problem I have with all these new discoveries is that I am constantly having to update the information in my upcoming book on Neanderthal life and culture as new information becomes available. But for me, that’s a good thing. Neanderthals deserve more credit than they are currently getting.
Here’s an interesting article on these cave paintings
Sunday, April 7, 2013
The World’s Oldest Written Valentines
You would probably not recognize a Medieval-age Valentine. Until about 1400 AD, lovers either sang or spoke Valentine poems and verses to the object of their affection. Some of these verses were likely written down, but if any have survived they are probably in private family collections. But there is one collection of written "Valentine" verses that are generally considered to be the first modern day valentines.
Charles, Duke of Orleans was captured following the Battle of Agincourt, and imprisoned in the Tower of London leaving his beloved wife in France. Lonely and far from home, the Duke began composing romantic verses to his second wife, Bonne of Armagnac.
The English King Henry V had left instructions that Charles was not to be ransomed, so the Duke remained in prison for 24 years. While he was not free to return to his home in France, nevertheless he was allowed to live in some luxury. He was moved from one English castle to another, and spent much of his time writing poetry.
Charles was finally released and returned to France in 1440. Unfortunately, Bonne had passed away before his release. Charles married Marie of Cleves soon after his return and the couple had three children, one of whom became King Louis XII of France.
Charles was perhaps best known for his own poetry and for his support of other poets and writers. He wrote literally hundreds of pieces, many of which survive in libraries and museums throughout Europe. His poems appear in a number of collections, and many are available on-line. About sixty of Charles’ "Valentine" poems remain. They are currently housed among the royal papers in London’s British Museum.
Did Charles become a great poet because of his imprisonment or in spite of it? Many of his themes are directly connected to the conditions of his imprisonment, but others, like his Valentines, are filled with expressions of love and hope. In any case, he left a legacy of beauty despite the tragedy of his own life.
Charles, Duke of Orleans was captured following the Battle of Agincourt, and imprisoned in the Tower of London leaving his beloved wife in France. Lonely and far from home, the Duke began composing romantic verses to his second wife, Bonne of Armagnac.
The English King Henry V had left instructions that Charles was not to be ransomed, so the Duke remained in prison for 24 years. While he was not free to return to his home in France, nevertheless he was allowed to live in some luxury. He was moved from one English castle to another, and spent much of his time writing poetry.
Charles was finally released and returned to France in 1440. Unfortunately, Bonne had passed away before his release. Charles married Marie of Cleves soon after his return and the couple had three children, one of whom became King Louis XII of France.
Charles was perhaps best known for his own poetry and for his support of other poets and writers. He wrote literally hundreds of pieces, many of which survive in libraries and museums throughout Europe. His poems appear in a number of collections, and many are available on-line. About sixty of Charles’ "Valentine" poems remain. They are currently housed among the royal papers in London’s British Museum.
Did Charles become a great poet because of his imprisonment or in spite of it? Many of his themes are directly connected to the conditions of his imprisonment, but others, like his Valentines, are filled with expressions of love and hope. In any case, he left a legacy of beauty despite the tragedy of his own life.
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