Carbon dating of seaweed samples once used as food and medicine indicates that Chile’s Monte Verde site is about 14,000 years old. These dates support the idea that people entered the New World by crossing the Bering land bridge 16,000 years ago, and then traveled along the coasts to reach South America.

Here are two more articles on the Florida court battle between Spain and the salvage company Odyssey Marine Explorations. Odyssey denies allegations by the Spanish government that the 500,000 coins retrieved from the Atlantic last year are from the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes. But Spain claims that the coins, ship fittings, and other materials from the wreck site have been documented to have been on board the Mercedes when she was sunk in 1804.  

A sediment core taken from the bottom of Chad’s Lake Yoa reveals the gradual change in northern Africa from savannah to Sahara some 6,000 years ago. Such a shift in climate may have led to the rise of Egyptian civilization.

A crumbling chimney standing in Colorado’s Pike National Forest was defaced with a painting of cartoon character Spongebob Squarepants. (You’d think only the evil Plankton would stoop so low.) The cabin had been built by the Forest Service in 1914. “For whatever reason, we’re seeing an increase in graffiti and tagging activity,” said Tom Healy, Forest Service law enforcement officer.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Friday, May 9, 2008. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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