Archive for Discovery
The world won’t end in 2012: newfound Mayan calendar goes way past Dec. 21
Posted by: | Comments
In a striking find, archaeologists in Guatemala report the discovery of a small building whose walls display not only a stunningly preserved mural of a brightly adorned Mayan king, but also calendars that destroy any notion that the Mayans predicted the end of the world in 2012.
The painted figure of a man through the doorway of an ancient dwelling in the Maya city Zultun in northeastern Guatemala. Archaeologists have found the small room where royal scribes apparently used walls like a blackboard to keep track of astronomical records and the society’s intricate calendar some 1,200 years ago.
Did an optical illusion doom the Titanic?
Posted by: | CommentsThe Titanic may have struck an iceberg and sank helplessly because of a strange atmosphere-caused optical illusion, a new book argues. British historian Tim Maltin says super refraction, an extraordinary bending of light that causes mirages, prevented the Titanic’s crew from seeing the fateful iceberg.
It also may have prevented nearby ships from seeing the doomed Titanic, Maltin argues. His theory is the subject of a new book and a documentary airing next month in time for the 100th anniversary of the accident.
Dwarf bullfighters perform In Colombia
Posted by: | Comments
Popular in many parts of Latin America, dwarf bullfights pit small people against calves, rather than the fully-grown beasts. A job in one of the troupes is highly competitive, and that along with bullfights, most groups also put on variety shows. But the fights aren’t just about entertainment, one fighter claims.
The dead sea scrolls are now available for your online perusal
Posted by: | Comments
Google, in partnership with the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, has photographed the Dead Sea Scrolls for the first time since the 1950s, and made them available online for those who can’t make the trek to see them in person.
