The UnMuseum Newsletter for October 2006

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

*Telepathy Between Friends? - A scientist claims he has evidence that people
can telepathically predict who is calling them before their phone actually
rings. Rupert Sheldrake of Trinity College, Cambridge ran an experiment in
which friends and relatives of a subject would randomly be asked to call the
subject. The subject had to identify who the call was coming from before
they picked up the phone. The subjects were successful 45% of the time, well
above the 25% that might be expected by chance. Sheldrake reported similar
results with an experiment involving email. Critics his study point out that
the small sample size (only 63 for phone experiment and 50 for email) may be
affecting his results. Sheldrake, who believes in telepathy within an
interconnected social group, plans to do a similar study for text messaging.

*Chimps Use "Crossing Guards" - Scientists report that wild chimps use
"crossing guards" when a band of them transverses a busy human road. The
research, published last month in Current Biology, analyzes 19 cases where a
group of chimpanzees crossed two roads in their territory near Bossou,
Guinea, West Africa. Video tapes show the "alpha" male scanning the highway
both left and right before signaling the group to cross in an orderly line.
An adult male would also wait at the end of the line to assist younger
chimps in making the crossing. The results of these studies are surprising
given the studies of chimpanzees in laboratory situations where they seem to
be indifferent to the welfare of others in their group. Scientists say this
underscores the need to study the behaviors of animals in their natural
habitat, not in a deprived laboratory environment.

*"Hot Jupiter" May Help "Earths" Form - A computer study suggests that
earth-like, habitable planets may be able to form in planetary systems were
a large gas giant planet is in close orbit around a star. Scientists had
speculated that such systems with "hot Jupiters," which are so much unlike
our own solar system where gas giants located farther out, might not spawn
places hospitable to life. This new study indicates gas giants may not only
help rocky planets form close to the suns, but also may help pull in icy
bodies, like comets, that deliver water to them. If so, this may increase
the chances of life as we know it in other solar systems.

*Find is Oldest American Writing - An ancient slab covered with symbols that
was found in Mexico has been identified as the oldest known example of
writing in the Western Hemisphere. Scientists think that the ancient Olmec
civilization probably produced the stone around 900 B.C.. That would make it
three centuries older than any other previous example of writing in the
Americas. According to an article in the journal Science, the symbols on the
slab show all the signs of being part of a true language, including syntax
and language-specific word order. Experts hold out little hope of being able
to decipher the meaning of the 2,900 year-old lost text, however. Villagers
in the Mexican state of Veracruz found the slab in the 1990's, while digging
for road-building material. Scientists only heard about it recently and
traveled to the site to examine the find earlier this year.

*Last Refuge of Neanderthals Found - According to article on the website of
the journal Science, scientists think they have found one of the last known
sites in the world occupied by Neanderthals. Neanderthals were stocky,
muscular humans who first appeared about 200,000 years ago. The article
claims radiocarbon dating of charcoal found with Neanderthal remains at a
massive cave near the southern tip of Spain, show that Neanderthals were
living there as recently as 25,000 years ago. This occupation would be would
be 5,000 years more recent than any other known location. Other researchers
dispute this, saying the evidence may actually show that the site was
occupied 30,000 ago, contemporary with other places. They acknowledge,
however, that even if this is true, the location is still significant was as
one of the final refuges for this vanishing group. Scientists have long been
fascinated by Neanderthals because they lived at the same time as modern
humans. Researchers wonder if the two groups had any contact and, if so, did
this contact lead to the demise of the Neanderthals.


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What's New at the Museum:

*The Witches of Salem: The Events of 1692 - The word spread quickly through
the tiny community of Salem Village: "There are witches among us."
(http://www.unmuseum.org/salemwitch1.htm)

*20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (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/tlus.pdf)

*From The Curator's Office: The Witches of Fifth Grade - Double, double toil
and trouble; Cauldron burn, and fire bubble!
(http://www.unmuseum.org/notescurator/witches.htm


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Ask the Curator:

*Where Have All the Mustangs Gone? - Why do all the horses in the old
photographs I saw at the museums and on the history web sites look nothing
at all like the horses on TV shows or movies about Cowboys Indians and
Mountain Man Explorers? Are they all new breed horses just playing the real
old western horses? Is the breed that they really used back then extinct
now? If so - how sad is that? My granddad says the horses back then were
half as big and twice as tough as any of the ones we have now. The closest
we have today is mustangs but now even they are now just modern breed
runaways, throwaways and calls. He said that if we still had those horses we
would have the genes that could save the big modern horses from diseases
someday. There are groups saving the chickens and cows and even the pigs we
had back then. Why didn't they save those horses too?! - Ann E.

The history of horse breeding is complex to say the least and I can't say
that I'm an expert on the subject. However, with some research and some
information from some authorities I hope I can answer your question.

No horse in North America today is technically a "wild" horse. All wild
horses died off at the end of the last Ice Age, possibly due to climate
change or hunting by native peoples. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived
in the 1500's they brought horses with them that escaped or were released
into the wild (which makes them "feral" animals, not wild). This is the root
of the mustang population in North America today. The mustangs of the west
quickly grew to be tough animals as they had to survive on limited
vegetation and water in a hot climate. This seems to have favored a smaller
horse, perhaps because their smaller bodies needed less water and food to
survive.

When the Europeans arrived in the west they found that some of the breeds of
horses they brought with them were not suited to the harsh climate. They
either switched to catching and using the smaller mustangs, or crossbred the
horses they brought with them to the mustangs to create new line that had
some of the features of each. This means that when you see the smaller
horses in the old pictures, you may be looking at tamed mustangs, or a cross
between the two lines that resulted in a smaller horse.

Today with less limited resources, people who own horses are able use breeds
that have traits which suit the purpose for which the horse is to be used
and are not so concerned about how it would survive in the wild. This may be
part of the trend to larger horses. Some of the increases in horse size may
also be due to the increase in rider size: people are taller and heavier
than they were a century ago.

Your Granddad may be right about modern horses being more susceptible to
certain illnesses. Whenever a population is heavily inbred, genetic
weaknesses can occur.

Mustangs are currently protected under U.S. law. There are a number of
separate herds each with unique genetic traits. Many of the herds show a
mixed background that includes the original Spanish breeding and later
imports from other locations. However, there are a few small herds, such as
the Kiger and Cerat, in very isolated locations which have been shown in DNA
testing to be almost directly descended from the horses that came over with
the Conquistadors. Steps have been taken to preserve these bloodlines as
apart of our unique American Heritage.


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In History:

*Lightning Strikes Again - On October 8th, 1919, the Monthly Weather Review
reported that a ball of fire as large as a "washtub" floated into a downtown
intersection of Salina in Kansas. It struck a building, tearing out bricks
and destroying a second story window. It then exploded with a bang and send
smaller fire balls off in all directions and causing a power failure. This
was probably the work of that most startling of all anomalies, ball
lightning.


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In the Sky:

*Earthlight - At trip outside in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday October
18th will yield an interesting and beautiful sight. At first it will appear
that the moon's face is merely a crescent lit by the sun. A closer look will
show you that rest of the disc illuminated by earthlight (the reflection of
the light off the Earth).


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Observed:

*Couple Sees "Loch Ness-Type" Monster in British Lake - A couple claim they
observed a "Loch Ness-type" monster in Lake Windermere, in Britain according
to Ichuddersfield.icnetwork.co.uk. "It was like a giant eel. I was
absolutely flabbergasted. I just stood there and couldn't believe what I was
looking at" said Steve Burnip, after he and his wife observed the creature
which appeared to be between 15 to 20 feet in length. Ian Winfield, a fish
ecologist at Lancaster University, believes the Burnips may have seen a Wels
catfish. This giant fish, which was introduced into Britain from mainland
Europe, can grow up over 15 feet long.


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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: The Viking Deception - Is the Vinland map a priceless depiction of
the New World made before Columbus's voyage or a 20th-century fake? On PBS:
October 10 at 8 pm; ET/PT

*KAPOW! Superhero Science - Celebrate the science behind the superpowers and
gadgetry of comic book super heroes and heroines. Investigate real-life
cases of super-strength, x-ray vision and speed, and discover the scientific
feasibility of high-tech superpowers. On the Science Channel: OCT 04 2006 @
08:00 PM; OCT 04 2006 @ 11:00 PM; OCT 05 2006 @ 03:00 AM; OCT 05 2006 @
09:00 AM; OCT 05 2006 @ 01:00 PM; OCT 08 2006 @ 01:00 PM; ET/PT

*Egypt's New Tomb Revealed - A new tomb was found in Egypt's Valley of the
Kings, with 28 jars and seven coffins. Discover what is sealed inside the
jars and what connection the mummies in the coffins may have to King Tut's
tomb. On The Science Channel: OCT 09 2006 @ 09:00 PM; OCT 10 2006 @ 12:00
AM; OCT 10 2006 @ 04:00 AM; OCT 10 2006 @ 10:00 AM; OCT 10 2006 @ 02:00 PM;
OCT 14 2006 @ 05:00 PM; ET/PT.

*The Riddle of Pompeii - Explore life and society in Ancient Rome through
recent archaeological excavations and cutting edge science. Discover what
really happened during the eruption in AD 79 that destroyed the Roman towns
of Pompeii and Herculaneum. On The Science Channel: OCT 16 2006 @ 09:00 PM;
OCT 17 2006 @ 12:00 AM; OCT 17 2006 @ 04:00 AM; OCT 17 2006 @ 10:00 AM; OCT
17 2006 @ 02:00 PM; OCT 21 2006 @ 05:00 PM ; ET/PT.

*MythBusters: Mind Control - Adam and Jamie attempt to blow open a home
improvement myth with dynamite. The 3 Mythkateers tackle mind control by
manipulating someone's mind remotely. On The Discovery Channel: OCT 04 2006
@ 09:00 PM; OCT 05 2006 @ 01:00 AM; ET/PT.

*Lost Worlds: The Pagans - In the late Stone Age, the pagan people of the
British Isles constructed some of the greatest monuments of the ancient
world. Fabulous constructions of wood, earth, and stone arose. In this hour,
we enter the world of their builders. We travel from the ancient stone
villages of the Orkney Islands, off the north coast of Scotland, to
Stonehenge, in Southern England. We reveal a startling new theory about the
role this extraordinary structure played in the lives of the pagans. With
computer animation, we reconstruct the monument as it appeared to them. We
then trace a forgotten ancient pathway to Stonehenge's lost twin--Woodhenge,
explore the secrets of Silbury Hill, the world's largest man-made mound, and
visit Maiden Castle, a fortress that witnessed the pagan world's end. On
History Channel: October 1st @ 10pm ET/PT.

*Digging For The Truth: Giants of Patagonia - Many explorers throughout the
centuries, including the great Ferdinand Magellan, visited the region in
South America now known as Patagonia and reported sighting giants. From
these accounts we get the name "Patagonia"--Land of the Big Feet. But what
exactly did these explorers see? Now, some experts suggest that the giant,
upright-walking ground sloth, once widespread throughout Patagonia, could
have been the source of these stories. Josh Bernstein accompanies
paleontologists, naturalists, and crypto-zoologists on a search to determine
whether the ground sloth could have lived into the era of human habitation.
He treks across the glaciers of Patagonia, descends deep in the mountain
caves, accompanies a band of gauchos on horseback, and joins a modern-day
paleontology dig to try to discover evidence that the ground sloth still
exists today. On History Channel: October 2nd @ 10pm ET/PT.