On Darwin's 200th, a theory still in controversy

By GREGORY KATZ , Associated Press Writer

Director Bob Bloomfield poses for a portrait by the statue of British naturalist Charles Darwin ahead of an interview with the Associated Press at the Natural History Museum in London, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009. Bloomfield, special projects director at the museum, said Darwin was cautious not only because he didn't want to offend his wife, but also because he understood that the concept of man's evolution from other animals was controversial. He didn't want to present it simply as a hypothesis, but as an explanation buttressed by many observations and facts. The 1859 publication of "On the Origin of Species" changed scientific thought forever _ and generated opposition that continues to this day. It is this elegant explanation of how species evolve through natural selection that makes Darwin's 200th birthday on Feb. 12 such a major event. (AP Photo/Akira Suemori)

(AP) -- It's well known that Charles Darwin's groundbreaking theory of evolution made many people furious because it contradicted the Biblical view of creation. But few know that it also created problems for Darwin at home with his deeply religious wife, Emma.
Darwin held back the book to avoid offending his wife, said Ruth Padel, the naturalist's great-great-granddaughter. "She said he seemed to be putting God further and further off," Padel said in her north London home. "But they talked it through, and she said, "Don't change any of your ideas for fear of hurting me.'"
The 1859 publication of "On the Origin of Species" changed scientific thought forever - and generated opposition that continues to this day. It is this elegant explanation of how species evolve through natural selection that makes Darwin's 200th birthday on Feb. 12 such a major event.
More than 300 birthday celebrations are planned in Britain alone, where Darwin's face graces the 10-pound bill along with that of Queen Elizabeth II. Shrewsbury, the central England town where Darwin was born and raised, is holding a monthlong festival for its most famous son. And a permanent exhibition re-creating some of his most famous experiments is opening at Down House, his former home near London.
Many more events are planned worldwide, including the Second World Summit on evolution in the Galapagos islands in August. In Australia, the Perth Mint is putting out a special commemorative silver coin.
Even Darwin's ideological adversaries concede that he was a towering figure.
"He was clearly extremely important, his thinking changed the world," said Paul Taylor, a spokesman for Answers in Genesis, a prominent group that rejects Darwin's theory of evolution in favor of a literal interpretation of the Bible. "We disagree with his conclusions, with the way he made extrapolations, but he was a very careful observer and we've got a lot to be grateful for."
Bob Bloomfield, special projects director at London's Museum of Natural History, said Darwin was cautious not only because he didn't want to offend his wife, but also because he understood that the concept of man's evolution from other animals was controversial. He didn't want to present it simply as a hypothesis, but as an explanation buttressed by many observations and facts. "He knew he had to make an absolutely iron-cast case for his theory," Bloomfield said. "He was one of the earliest true scientists where everything he was prepared to write about had to be based on evidence."

Second Ancient Sarcophagus Uncovered in Bali

A sarcophagus, or stone coffin, estimated to be up to 2,500 years old has been found in Bali’s Gianyar district, a local archaeologist said on Monday.
Wayan Suantika, the head of the Denpasar Archeology Agency, told the Jakarta Globe that the sarcophagus had been found on Saturday in Keramas village by Muksin Riadi, a brick maker, while he was digging for brick-making material. It was found 1.5 meters below the surface.
Muksin had immediately stopped digging and reported the finding to the Blahbatuh Police.
Wayan said the size of the sarcophagus suggests that it was most likely used to inter a child, and he made a preliminary estimate that it dated back about 2,300 to 2,500 years. Bones and teeth were also found.
The sarcophagus had a width of 60 centimeters and a height of 49 centimeters.
Wayan said he would lead a team of experts to further examine it today.
“We haven’t opened it yet, so we don’t know what is inside of it,” he said.
It was the second discovery of a sarcophagus within a month, after the first was found on Jan. 13 less than 10 meters away.
Now that two had been found, the agency had assumed the location had been a residential area of people from a Mongoloid race.
Wayan said it was likely that the people buried inside the sarcophagi were from important families.
“Not everybody could be buried in a sarcophagus, only important people or a tribe leader,” Wayan said.
He said the agency would secure the sarcophagus if the landowners did not want to take care of it. They had declined an offer to keep last month’s find and it had been removed to the agency’s office.
The latest finding was the thirteenth sarcophagus in the Gianyar district.
Hundreds have been found across Bali Island.
Meanwhile, Agence France-Presse reports that Malaysian archaeologists have announced the discovery of stone tools they believe are more than 1.8 million years old and the earliest evidence of human activity in Southeast Asia.
The stone hand-axes were found at Lenggong in Perak state, in a type of rock formed by meteorites, and were sent to a Japanese lab to be dated.
Team leader Mokhtar Saidin said “this is the earliest evidence of Paleolithic culture in the Southeast Asian region.”
Mokhtar, from Malaysia’s University of Science, said he believed the hand-axes were used by homo erectus, an extinct early human.
He said the previous oldest homo erectus fossil discovered in Southeast Asia was from Java and dated at 1.7 million years.

Egypt unveils ancient mummy, part of new discovery

An Egyptian worker holds a torch by one of eight revealed sarcophagi found inside a 26th Dynasty limestone sarcophagus along with other mummies at the ancient necropolis of Saqqara, south of Cairo. Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass has unveiled a completely preserved mummy inside a limestone sarcophagus sealed 2,600 years ago during pharaonic times. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Illuminated only by torches and camera lights, Egyptian laborers used crowbars and picks Wednesday to lift the lid off a 2,600-year-old limestone sarcophagus, exposing - for the first time since it was sealed in antiquity - a perfectly preserved mummy.
The mummy, wrapped in dark-stained canvas, is part of Egypt's latest archaeological discovery of a burial chamber 36 feet (11 meters) below ground at the ancient necropolis of Saqqara. The find, made three weeks ago, was publicly announced Monday and shown to reporters for the first time Wednesday.
Egypt's archaeology chief Zahi Hawass has dubbed it a "storeroom for mummies," because it houses eight wooden and limestone sarcophagi as well as at least two dozen mummies.
Hawass led a group of international media Wednesday into the burial chamber, supervising as one person at a time was lowered into the shaft, holding on to a rope-pulled winch turned by workers above ground.
"It's moments like these, seeing something for the first time, that hold all the passion of archaeology," Hawass said after the mummy was unveiled.
The find dates back to 640 B.C., or the 26th Dynasty - Egypt's last independent kingdom before a succession of foreign conquerors.
Hawass said the discovery was important because it shows much of the sprawling site at Saqqara, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of Cairo, has yet to be unearthed. Rulers of ancient Memphis, the capital of Egypt's Old Kingdom, were buried at Saqqara.
Inside the chamber, 22 mummies lay covered only by sand in four niches dug into the chamber's walls. Most were badly decomposed, showing only skulls and parts of skeletons, with decayed mummy wrappings. The sarcophagi were placed throughout the room.
A dog's mummy - possibly of a pet - was also found along with mummies of children, prompting speculation the chamber holds the remains of a large family, with the richer, more prominent members, buried in the sarcophagi.
"Only the rich could afford to have sarcophagi made of limestone from Thebes," said Hawass. Thebes is an ancient city on the west bank of the Nile, hundreds of miles to the south in what is today's Luxor. "The owner of the dog could have asked that his faithful companion be mummified and accompany him into the afterlife." Hawass said he believes the mummy in the limestone sarcophagus belonged to a nobleman, but so far the mummies' identities remain a mystery.

Pagan cult mosaic found under cathedral

Unusual scenes display several naked figures in mythological scenes

By Rossella Lorenzi

A Roman mosaic floor filled with scenes depicting pagan rites and oriental gods has emerged from the ground of a Catholic church in Italy, archaeologists announced.
The mosaic pavement, which measures 140 square feet and dates to the fourth century A.D., was unearthed at a depth of about 13 feet below the the ground's surface during archaeological investigations in the crypt of the Cathedral of Reggio Emilia, in central-northern Italy.
"The size and design of the mosaic pavement suggest that it formed the floor of a huge room. We believe this was the residence of a wealthy Roman," Renata Curina, the archaeologist in charge of the dig, told Discovery News.
The fact that depictions of pagan gods had lain for hundreds of years just a few meters under the cathedral doesn't come too much as a surprise, according to the archaeologist.
"The church was built on top of preexisting building structures. This is rather normal in Reggio Emilia. We can see that little care was taken of the mosaic floor, since pillars are built on top of it," Curina said.
Made up of small tesserae — tiny tiles — of different materials, which include colored stones, glass cameos and golden leaves, the intricate mosaic floor features geometric designs of circles and squares with little figures of dancers, flowers and birds such as magpies and peacocks.
What makes the mosaic unique, however, are three large mythological scenes.
"So far all scenes show naked figures. We are still trying to figure out their meaning. I believe that more clues might come to light as we continue to dig," Curina said.
The scenes are rather unusual. One shows a naked man falling into someone's arms, another displays two naked figures — a man and a woman — wearing jewels. The woman holds a just caught fish, while the man holds two live ducks.
Another extraordinary scene shows a naked man wearing an ivy crown and holding a lotus flower in his right hand.
In his left hand, the mysterious character holds a lituus. This is a crooked cane which in ancient Rome was used by the augurs as a cult instrument. The cane was regarded as a symbol of a priestly group.
The augurs were religious officials who observed natural signs, such as the flight of birds, in order to interpret them as indications of divine approval or disapproval.
"Symbols such as the lotus flower and the ivy crown might hint that this was a private room dedicated to the cult of oriental gods," Curina said.
According to Luigi Malnati, superintendent of archaeological heritage in Emilia Romagna, such pagan scenes must have been pieced together before 380 A.D., the year when the emperor Theodosius proclaimed Christianity the state religion. Indeed, a series of decrees in 391-392 A.D. banned and punished pagan cult practices within the empire.

The Russian Rock From Outer Space

Leonardo Vintiñi

An Oopart (Out Of Place ARTifact) is a term applied to dozens of prehistoric objects found in various places around the world that, given their level of technology, are completely at odds with their determined age based on physical, chemical, and/or geological evidence. Ooparts often are frustrating to conventional scientists and a delight to adventurous investigators and individuals interested in alternative scientific theories. Just a few years ago, a strange stone was found in a suburb of Moscow. It has been examined by investigators from various disciplines, but since it exhibits such unusual characteristics, it seems to defy adequate classification. It might even contradict our current understanding of the distant past. While investigations found the specimen to date several millennia before the emergence of man, it appears to hold two screw-like objects. Curiously, several researchers agree that these objects don’t appear to be naturally occurring features but instead display characteristics of manufactured materials. On Aug. 13, 2003, the Russian newspaper Life published an article about the specimen. The report said that the rock was determined to be several million years old, but it contained what some researchers insist can only be the product of an advanced technology. The report describes the objects, resembling a nut and a bolt, found embedded in the stone. As if this remarkable specimen weren’t strange enough, further evidence finds that the rock might not be of Earthly origin at all, but a product of outer space.

More Prehistoric Stone Puzzles
Not long ago, another rock with similar features was found in Russia. Much like the stone described above, this discovery found in the country’s Galus Province also contained an unexpected surprise. When the specimen underwent X-ray analysis, it revealed the shocking image of eight screws held within it.
Another discovery of this type was found a few years back in China’s Mazong Mountain area. While on a research expedition, stone collector Zhilin Wang uncovered a pear-shaped black stone that also contained what looks remarkably like a metal screw. Geologists and collectors from all over the world instantly became intrigued with Wang’s find. News of the discovery brought together more than 10 geologists and global physicists from various research institutions throughout China to examine the mysterious specimen. This extraordinary black rock reveals a screw-threaded metal bar that looks undoubtedly manmade. Yet this metal rod seems to have been naturally encased in the ancient rock, suggesting it is millions of years old. All scientists who have examined the stone agree that this specimen is one of the most valuable archeological finds recently uncovered in China. As all these objects were found embedded within stone, it indicates that they should have already existed before the formation of the rock encasing them. Yet the surrounding rock dates back in some cases to the Paleozoic Era, when creatures such as dinosaurs and trilobites inhabited this planet.While these fantastic objects are certainly unusual, they are by no means rare. Found throughout the world over the last century, numerous discoveries suggesting the remnants of an advanced culture from a distant age have been found frozen in stone. Each find is jarring to the scientific community mainly for the “impossibility” of their existence. In most cases, these examples are given little consideration; they are often written off as technological anomalies or natural oddities because the current anthropological assumptions contradict the evidence obtained. Do these rocks offer real evidence to challenge the currently accepted notion of when mankind first originated? Or are they simply unusually magnificent natural features preserved in prehistoric rock? If we entertain another possibility, as some researchers have theorized, are these odd specimens even native to this planet at all? If so, does it suggest that there were technologically advanced beings inhabiting the far reaches of space millions of years ago? Are these beings still out there, and how did material from their planet reach our world? As more specimens of this type continue to be found and given careful and fair examination, perhaps a new picture of our ancient history will emerge—a history that might seem unfathomable today, given our current limited understanding.

About Pyramids of Bosnia

From: Walter Cruttenden

(Binary Research Institute)

A geologist friend of mine, Robert Schoch, visited Bosnia, did a thorough investigation, and gave a report at the last CPAK (Conference on Precession and Ancient Knowledge http://www.cpakonline.com/) at the University of California in San Diego. He is a big proponent of ancient civilizations and famed for redating the Sphinx to a much older period but he had to report that the Bosnian site is not a pyramid, it is a natural mountain that just resembles a pyramid. There are some old Roman ruins (about 2000 years old) and a few excavations but there is no sign of any large super structure. Carbon dating of wood could be related to old campfires or temporary structures but without a pyramid they do not indicate any large civilization or advanced knowledge. There are many sites that exceed the dating limits applied by academia but we should forget Bosnia before it gives all of us in the alternative history camp a black eye.
Unlike Bosnia, Gobekli Tepe Turkey is an old site and has been verified by a number of well respected archaeologists.
Cheers
Walter

From: Armando & Nico

To: Walter Cruttenden

Robert Schoch is one of the most famous geologist in the world. We read his considerations about the Bosnian pyramids. However, we wish to know more about this site so may be we will be there in May for a private visit. We are awaiting for Semir Osmanagich confirmation.
Gobekli Tepe is a very interesting site. We have never been there, but this site seems similar to Stonehenge.
We have some questions:
Do you really think Gobekli Tepe was a temple?
Do you agree with dating (11,500/8,000 BC)?
Looking forward
Armando & Nico

STONE BLOCKS FROM THE BOSNIAN PYRAMIDS ANALIZED; RESULT - ANCIENT CONCRETE!

The Institute for materials from the University in Zenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina, published the first results of archaeological samples taken from a number of locations in the Bosnian Valley of Pyramids, reported the "The Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation" that gathered samples and sent them for analysis.

"The builders of the Bosnian pyramids manufactured building materials and built them into the construction of various architectural forms. For this material they used various sized grains of gravel that was available in quantities at the time. They knew the binding properties of natural materials, especially clay, its elasticity, hygroscopicity, and that poorly baked clay crushed with water possesses binding properties", concluded professor Muhamed Pasic from the Institute for materials.

They also used a lime hydrate in order to bind the grains of gravel. They knew about the production of calcite and dolomite lime. The building material of ancient cultures was a gravel-like mix that was made at the site from gravel, binding materials and water, and then the made material would be poured into the slabs at the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun.

The gravel-like material that they made the pyramid from is reminiscent of today's cement concrete from a gravel machine, but highly surpasses its hardness with over 100 Mpa.

This hard material with the hardness of over 100 Mpa have better properties than any other industrial concrete which is made today in Bosnia. Such concrete is made only at special request.

From these adhesive materials (poorly baked clay and dolomit/calcit carbonate) tools were made in special molds and later used to cut and shape sandstone plates found on Bosnian Pyramids of the Sun and Moon.

Mille anni fa 1/A tazza cioccolato

Lo afferma studio su reperti del Nuovo Messico (Usa)

Tracce di teobromina, una sostanza del cioccolato, sono state trovate in tazze che risalgono a 1000 anni fa rinvenute in Nuovo Messico (Usa). A consumare cacao, non erano solo i Maya, la bevanda si era diffusa a nord molto tempo prima di quanto finora ipotizzato. La ricerca, guidato dall'archeologa Patricia Crown dell'Universita' del Nuovo Messico, conferma, inoltre, che il commercio tra Messico e Nord America avveniva gia' in epoca pre-coloniale su 2000 chilometri di strada.

Malaysian scientists find stone tools 'oldest in Southeast Asia'

Malaysian archaeologists have announced the discovery of stone tools they believe are more than 1.8 million years old and the earliest evidence of human ancestors in Southeast Asia.

The stone hand-axes were discovered last year in the historical site of Lenggong in northern Perak state, embedded in a type of rock formed by meteorites which was sent to a Japanese lab to be dated.
"We received news from Japan two weeks ago which said it is 1.83 million years old, so this find shows the existence of human beings there 1.83 million years ago," archaeology team leader Mokhtar Saidin told AFP.
"This is the earliest evidence of Paleolithic culture in the Southeast Asian region," said Mokhtar from Malaysia's University of Science, who said he believed the hand-axes were used by homo erectus, an extinct early human.
The archaeologist said that the oldest homo erectus fossil discovered in the region is from Java in Indonesia, and dated at 1.7 million years old.
Internationally, the two oldest fossils are from Georgia (1.8 million years old) and China (between 1.7 and 1.8 million years), he said.
"This new find in Malaysia is actually older than those in Georgia and China, but the difference is that what we found was the tool, and we have to continue to look for the human bones," he said.
The oldest human skeleton ever found in Malaysia is the 11,000-year old Perak man, discovered in 1991.