[Jawlist] Weekly Science Report 2-26-10

Sat Feb 27 21:17:08 PST 2010

Good Morning Everyone,

Below is this week's edition.  Enjoy!

Steve Detwiler

Weekly Science Report
February 26, 2010

“In the history of the world there have been thousands of kings and emperors who called themselves 'their highnesses,' 'their majesties,' and 'their exalted majesties' and so on. They shone for a brief moment, and as quickly disappeared. But Ashoka shines and shines brightly like a bright star, even unto this day.”
H.G. Wellson Ashoka the Great

News Articles

Paleontology, Evolution and Prehistoric Studies

New species of dinosaur found in eastern Utah rock
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100223/ap_on_re_us/us_dinosaur_discovery

Ancient DNA reveals caribou history linked to volcanic eruption
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-02/w-jbp021910.php

DNA evidence tells 'global story' of human history
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-02/cp-det021610.php

Scientists turn migration theory on its head
http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Scientists+turn+migration+theory+head/2615220/story.html

The Human Family's Earliest Ancestors
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/83814277.html

A New Horned Crocodile from the Plio-Pleistocene Hominid Sites at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0009333

Small dogs originate in Middle East, says gene study
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8530423.stm

Cross-discipline Effort Tracks Evolution of Human Uniqueness and Modern Behavior
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=human-uniqueness-anthropology

Important archaeological finds at Knossos
http://www.ana.gr/anaweb/user/showplain?maindoc=8461334&maindocimg=8460962&service=144

Ancient and General History

Armenian 'genocide' bill likely to pass US House panel vote
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=armenian-8216genocide8217-bill-likely-to-pass-in-us-house-panel-vote-2010-02-19

Mossad's checkered history
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/02/18/israel.mossad/index.html?hpt=Mid

Charlottesville archaeologists uncover local Black stories
http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=121304062461064&ShowArticle_ID=11802202104422406

Pirate's head taken off again
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/pirates-head-taken-off-again/story-e6frg6so-1225833605152

Reshaping history: Palmetto Bluff site might hold early American octagonal house
http://www.islandpacket.com/2010/02/20/1145587/reshaping-history-palmetto-bluff.html

Tombs cast light on nation’s origins
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100220/NATIONAL/702199874/1139

History in the Remaking
http://www.newsweek.com/id/233844

Former guard says Demjanjuk was at Nazi camp
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100224/ap_on_re_eu/eu_germany_demjanjuk

Casanova's steamy memoirs given to French library
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100218/ap_on_en_ot/eu_france_casanova

Original Washington portrait by Gilbert Stuart up for auction
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-02-17-Washington-portrait_N.htm

Roman remains in York are 'elite' African woman 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/north_yorkshire/8538888.stm

Hunt for the Codex Cardona
http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/content?oid=1376596

Pieces of rare biblical manuscript reunited
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ml_israel_reunited_scroll

"Vampire of Venice" Unmasked: Plague Victim & Witch?
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100226-vampires-venice-plague-skull-witches/

Native dancing ban lifted in Alaska village
By RACHEL D'ORO
The Associated Press
Sunday, February 21, 2010; 12:59 PM 

NOORVIK, Alaska -- Bobby Wells has lived all his life in this remote Alaska village, where the Eskimo dancing of his ancestors was banned by Quaker missionaries a century ago as primitive idolatry. 

Now Wells, 53, and other residents of Noorvik have wholeheartedly embraced the ancient practice outlawed in the Inupiat Eskimo settlement, which was established in 1914. 
"This is the way God made us, to express our thankfulness to him with dancing," Wells said. 
The belief of traditional dancing as somehow evil, however, remains deeply ingrained in scores of Native villages around the state. But some communities have broken away from that ideology in recent decades. One by one, they have resurrected the old dances and songs of the long ago past, along with culture camps and language immersion programs. 

Mike Ulroan can't imagine life without dance. It was already revived in the Cup'ik Eskimo village of Chevak when he was born 21 years ago, long after the practice was prohibited by Russian Catholic missionaries. Dancing has always been a constant for Ulroan, even after he left four years ago to attend the University of Alaska Anchorage. In Alaska's largest city, he dances with several groups. 

"It's just a way to make me feel happy," he said. "With the movements we do, we push away bad spirits and keep away sickness." 

Noorvik's decision to lift the ban last fall came after residents learned they would be the first in the nation to be counted in the 2010 U.S. Census. The idea had been kicked around before, but this time locals wanted to make it a reality for a celebration with visiting census representatives and other officials. 

Tribal leaders formally approved the proposal after it received the blessing of the Noorvik Friends Church, despite opposition from a few elders. It's a huge change because dancing had never been done in the current location of Noorvik, which means "a place that is moved to" in Inupiaq. 
"I don't speak for the church, but in my own view we're going to come to a place in the afterlife where we sing and dance to the Lord," said church pastor Aurora Sampson. "While we are on this earth we might as well practice." 

The primary dancers are students, who quickly honed their newfound skills to put on a rousing performance at the census festivities in January, complete with Native singing and drums. 
"I like it. It's fun," said 16-year-old Tori Newlin. "It's something to do." 

To learn the long forgotten moves, village leaders hired dancers from other villages for a week of intense lessons that led to frequent practice sessions at the Noorvik school. One of the instructors is 19-year-old Richard Atoruk, from the nearby hub town of Kotzebue. He has since moved to Noorvik to continue teaching and to enroll at the school as a senior. 

For Atoruk, dancing is a way to tell stories for all occasions, weddings, funerals, birthdays, the subsistence lifestyles of people who live off the land as Noorvik residents do. Motions and songs represent the movements of fishing, ice hopping, even traveling by snowmobile. And as far as Atoruk is concerned, shamanism is an important part of his people's spiritual culture, not a satanic tool. 

"I think we lost a lot of our history because the missionaries came," he said. "Now it's coming back." 

But too many villages continue to cling to the oppressive legacy left by Western missionaries, according to Theresa Arevgaq John, a Yup'ik Eskimo and Native studies professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Indigenous people saw the destruction of their sacred traditions, including shamans, who were revered as spiritual leaders empowered by the creator with skills and tools to communicate with the spirit world to ensure the welfare of communities. Dancing had nothing to do with devil worship, John said. 

"It was our only way of prayer," she said. "Can you imagine someone coming in and saying your way is wrong?" 

France made errors over Rwanda genocide: Sarkozy
By Hereward Holland
Reuters
Thursday, February 25, 2010; 10:51 AM 

KIGALI (Reuters) - France made serious errors of judgment over the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and wants to ensure all those responsible for the slaughter are caught and punished, President Nicolas Sarkozy said Thursday. 

Sarkozy was visiting his counterpart Paul Kagame in the central African country to cement improved diplomatic relations following years of acrimony, recriminations and diplomatic standoffs over events surrounding the genocide. 

The French president stopped short of an official apology for his country's role during the killing of 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus in less than 100 days. 

"There was a serious error of judgment, a sort of blindness when we didn't foresee the genocidal dimensions of the government," he told reporters at a news conference with Kagame. 

"Errors of assessment and political mistakes were made here, and they led to absolutely tragic consequences," Sarkozy said. 

The two countries broke off diplomatic ties in 2006 after a Paris judge accused Kagame and nine aides of shooting down former President Juvenal Habyarimana's plane in April 1994 -- the catalyst for the massacre. 

The central African country rejected the charges and accused the administration of former President Francois Mitterrand of having trained and armed the Hutu militias behind the killing. 

Archaeology

Archaeologist sees proof for Bible in ancient wall
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ml_israel_ancient_wall

Circular Aztec temple found in Mexico
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=588&art_id=nw20100223061404613C268400

Newly Discovered Archaeological Sites In India Reveals Ancient Life
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=477252

After 3 years of Pequot War research, it's time to dig
http://www.theday.com/article/20100222/NWS01/302229945/-1/NWS

Victoria suburb yields 850 BC archeological site
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/science/victoria-suburb-yields-850-bc-archeological-site/article25475/

Human remains found on 18th century Royal Navy wreck
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/feb/26/shipwreck-navy

Roman urn contains human ashes
http://www.middevonstar.co.uk/news/5026610.Roman_urn_contains_human_ashes/

Ring fort may have held Bronze Age sports arena
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0225/1224265140601.html

1,800-year-old Roman marble carving of the god Jupiter found at Fountains Abbey
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/features/history/5027517.1_800_year_old_Roman_marble_carving_of_the_god_Jupiter_found_at_Fountains_Abbey/

Researchers hold breath as they lift lid on history in quest for Archbishop Wichmann
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article7040113.ece

Microbes Leave Gold on Corpses, May Complicate Forensics
http://www.livescience.com/history/gold-corpse-hair-100225.html

Tyrannical English king 'buried in Scotland'
http://news.scotsman.com/politics/Tyrannical-English-king-39buried-in.6102361.jp

Unearthing colonial New York: South Ferry project yields 65K artifacts
http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/unearthing-colonial-new-york-south-ferry-project-yields-65k-artifacts-1.1779218

Prince's Palace Found in Volcanic Crater
http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/prince-palace-rome.html

West Bank shrines on Israeli heritage list
By IAN DEITCH
The Associated Press
Sunday, February 21, 2010; 4:04 PM 

JERUSALEM -- Israel is adding two key West Bank holy shrines to its list of national heritage sites, the prime minister said Sunday, staking a claim that angered Palestinians, who want Israel out of the West Bank. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing a session of his Cabinet at a heritage site in the Israeli Galilee, said the two sites were late additions to the list, reflecting pressure from settlers and other nationalists to widen the heritage category to include Old Testament sites in the West Bank. 

One of the sites, in the city of Hebron, has been a flashpoint for decades. Jews call it the Cave of the Patriarchs, where the Bible says the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were buried along with three of their wives. 

Muslims call it the al-Ibrahimi mosque, reflecting the fact that Abraham is considered the father of both Judaism and Islam. 

Hebron is a focus of violence because it is the only place in the West Bank where Jews live among Palestinians. About 500 Israeli settlers, some of them extremists, live in enclaves near the disputed holy site, guarded by Israeli soldiers who control part of the city where about 170,000 Palestinians live. 

The other new heritage site is the traditional tomb of the biblical Rachel on the outskirts of Bethlehem, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) north of Hebron. Israel's West Bank separation barrier juts into Bethlehem to put the site under Israeli control. The 30-foot (8-meter) high concrete wall is a constant irritant to Palestinians there, who reject Israel's claims that the barrier is meant to keep out attackers and consider it a land grab. 

Altogether, about 150 sites are on the national heritage list. Netanyahu convened his Cabinet at Tel Hai, location of a legendary 1920 battle between early Jewish settlers and Arab attackers. 
The prime minister, who angered settlers by agreeing under U.S. pressure to slow settlement construction, said the two West Bank sites must be preserved because they show Israel's ancient ties to the land. 

"Our existence here doesn't just depend on the might of the military or our economic and technological strength," Netanyahu said. "It is anchored first and foremost in our national and emotional legacy." 

Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan Khatib condemned the decision and warned it could take the Israel-Palestinian conflict in a dangerous direction. 

"We believe that this particular violation is very dangerous because it might add to the religious nature of the conflict," Khatib said. Palestinians claim the West Bank as part of their future state. 
Netanyahu spokesman Mark Regev said the list was not meant to draw borders. "The purpose of the list ... is to single out sites that are of great importance to the Jewish people," he said. 
Israeli settlers and their backers, who oppose giving up control of any of the West Bank, were pleased with the move and said they would press for additional biblical sites to be added to the list.

Arieh Eldad, a lawmaker from the hardline National Union party, toured the Hebron site Sunday. 
"There is no Israeli heritage without the Bible, there is no Zionism without the Bible," Eldad told Israel Radio. "This is the real birthplace of the Jewish people, here it all began." 
Also in the West Bank, about 50 Jewish settlers stormed into the town of Jericho in the Jordan River valley late Sunday, heading for an ancient synagogue. The military said Israeli soldiers were sent to the area, though it is under Palestinian control, and removed the settlers. 

China, Kenya to search for ancient Chinese wrecks
The Associated Press
Friday, February 26, 2010; 5:34 AM 

BEIJING -- China and Kenya plan to search for ancient Chinese ships wrecked almost 600 years ago off Africa's east coast. 

An agreement was signed for a three-year project funded by China's Commerce Ministry to explore waters near the popular tourist towns of Malindi and Lamu, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday. 

Exploration work will be conducted for up to three months each year, with the first group of Chinese archaeologists due to arrive as early as July, Xinhua said. 

The sunken ships are believed to have been part of a massive fleet led by Ming dynasty admiral Zheng He that reached Malindi in 1418. Kenyan lore has long told of shipwrecked Chinese sailors settling in the region and marrying local women. 

Between 1405 and 1433, Zheng He - whose name is also spelled Cheng Ho - led armadas with scores of junks and thousands of sailors on voyages to promote trade and recognition of the new dynasty, which had taken power in 1368. 

Zheng's seven voyages marked a high point in Chinese power. But imperial rulers soon lost interest in the outside world and canceled further exploration more than a half century before Columbus reached the New World. 

Zheng's story has been heavily promoted by China's government in recent years as evidence of China's tradition of nonaggression abroad, although historical records show the treasure fleets carried significant firepower and participated in at least three major military actions. 

Egyptology

Three Decades of Discovery
http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=8812

U.S. to Return 3,000-Year-Old Pharaonic Sarcophagus to Egypt
http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/us-to-return-3000-year-old-pharaonic-sarcophagus-to-egypt.html

King Tut’s Many Curses
http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/king-tuts-many-curses.html

General Science

Futuristic kitchen needs no pots and pans
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35549884/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/

The Present and Future of Unmanned Drone Aircraft: An Illustrated Field Guide
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-02/field-guide-flying-robots

Lasers lift dirt of ages from artworks 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8534969.stm

Video: A Silent Rotor Blade Paves the Way for Super-Stealth Choppers
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-02/video-eurocopter-introduces-silent-rotor-blade-stealth-choppers

Physics, Earth and Space Sciences

'Tuned' images from Esa's Smos water mission 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8533265.stm

Alien star clusters fill our galaxy
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35548802/ns/technology_and_science-space/

Space junk mess getting messier in orbit
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35546562/ns/technology_and_science-space/

Can Life Exist in Alternate Universes?
http://news.discovery.com/space/can-life-exist-in-alternate-universes.html

Mining Mars? Where's the Ore?
http://news.discovery.com/space/mars-prospecting-ores-gold.html

Brown physicist discovers odd, fluctuating magnetic waves
http://www.physorg.com/news186168291.html

Cassini Finds Plethora of Plumes, Hotspots at Enceladus
http://www.physorg.com/news186165121.html

Optical system promises to revolutionize undersea communications
http://www.physorg.com/news186164138.html

For NASA no easy answer for next space destination
http://www.physorg.com/news186161411.html

CERN on trial: could a lawsuit shut the LHC down?
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527485.700-cern-on-trial-could-a-lawsuit-shut-the-lhc-down.html

NASA sets sights on inflatable space stations
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18566-nasa-sets-sights-on-inflatable-space-stations.html

New Space Engines May Trade Fuel For Photons
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/4346578.html

Space Station 98% Complete with 4 Shuttle Flights Remaining
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/space-shuttle-station-complete-100222.html

Ocean robot 'plans experiments' 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8535335.stm

Spacecraft-Collected Comet Dust Reveals Surprises From the Solar System’s Boondocks
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/02/26/study-wild2-comet-was-exiled-from-inner-solar-system-to-the-boondocks/

Scientist eyes 39-day voyage to Mars
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.85b9e2174ee33f025b89dd95cee83b08.101&show_article=1

Pin-pointing water in space
http://www.physorg.com/news186410389.html

Senators to NASA chief: Go somewhere specific
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100225/ap_on_sc/us_sci_nasa_hearing

Trial by ice – what it takes to be an Arctic explorer
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/26/catlin-arctic-survey-north-pole

Sizing up the space races
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/02/26/2213866.aspx

Environment, Climate Change and Alternative Energy Sources

Bloom Energy Teases Its Power-Plant-in-a-Box; Many Doubts Remain
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/02/22/bloom-energy-teases-its-power-plant-in-a-box-many-doubts-remain/

Roasting biomass may be key process in bioenergy economy
http://www.physorg.com/news186157583.html

World's coral reefs could disintegrate by 2100
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/23/worlds-coral-reefs-disintegrate-2100

Biggest Solar-Powered Boat Unveiled
http://news.discovery.com/tech/biggest-solar-powered-boat.html

German wind power firm to withdraw from Taiwan
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100226/bs_afp/taiwangermanyenergywindpower_20100226074728

Trash power? U.S. communities use landfills to produce energy
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/02/trash-power-us-communities-use-landfills-to-produce-energy/1

Biological, Genetics and Medical Sciences

Genetics Study: Will IVF Babies Face Health Problems Later in Life?
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/02/22/genetics-study-will-ivf-babies-face-health-problems-later-in-life/

DNA sequencing unlocks relationships among flowering plants
http://www.physorg.com/news186167119.html

Sight savers: New weapons trained on blindness
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527481.500-sight-savers-new-weapons-trained-on-blindness.html

Good vibrations aid mind-controlled steering
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527485.600-good-vibrations-aid-mindcontrolled-steering.html

Brain has areas devoted to learning nouns, verbs
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Brain-has-areas-devoted-to-learning-nouns-verbs/articleshow/5622006.cms

Other

Are we missing E.T.'s call?
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/02/23/2210069.aspx

A Stone Age Subculture Takes Shape in the US
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,677121,00.html

Britain releases new UFO files
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/02/17/ufo.files/index.html?hpt=C1

Disaster! BBC to re-create the sinking of Atlantis a la 300
http://scifiwire.com/2010/02/disaster-bbc-to-re-create.php

2012's follow-up TV show is dead in the water
http://scifiwire.com/2010/02/2012s-follow-up-tv-show-i.php

Additional Informational

Karnak Dig Diary
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/community/blogosphere/bloggers/tag/digdiary2010

Pictures: Shipwreck Discovery Yields Ancient Treasure
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/photogalleries/100224-shipwreck-bronze-age-treasure-salcombe-britain-pictures/#025919_600x450.jpg

The 6 Coolest Science Experiments in Antarctica- Photo Gallery
http://discovermagazine.com/photos/25-the-6-coolest-science-experiments-in-antarctica/

Is Antarctica Home of the Next Miracle Drug?: BIG PICS
http://news.discovery.com/earth/antarctica-medicine-man.html

The Clarks: An American story of wealth, scandal and mystery- Photo Gallery
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35266269/ns/business-picture_stories/displaymode/1247/?beginSlide=1

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