It is perfectly possible, to legally own such antiquities, certified dealers being available to help out, but the drawbacks really need to be thought through. Money, lots of it, is a must for indulging this idea, because a tyrannosaur skull would set you back at least $100,000, not to mention the possible archeological information denied to the scientific world,  just by your taking possession of such a thing.

Consider, also, that the fossil you buy may well be smuggled, and not come from a legal source at all, because this is a massive international problem these days.  Collectors grow more numerous, so the money incentives, for the smugglers, exponentially increase without the fossils themselves needing to be either big, or really valuable.

In China, at Sihetun, in the early 90’s, thousands of bird fossils appeared, and diggers soon learned that thrush-size, Cofuciusornis fossils, would fit in the palms of thier hands.  Taking two years to earn $1500, the black market price for a single specimen, it was hardly surprising that diggers were tempted.

China now has a tightly controlled Fossil Preservation Zone, but the trade still goes on, with untold thousands of fossil skeletons, all over the world, fascinating all who see them,  and making the black market for illegal selling absolutely enotmous in size and scope. There was even a report, in UK papers, of fossilized footprints actually being removed, from an Isle of Wight beach, to use, unbelievably, in a landscape gardening project! The 1993 release of the film ‘Jurassic Park’, sparking a frenzy of interest in Fossil egg collecting, was disastrous for archeologists.

The main target was China again, the country being among the richest on earth for such remains. Fossil eggs had been part of traditional Chinese medicines and jewellery for millenia, but hardly considered of any value before Jurassic Park fever was highest. Hollywood celebrities were reportedly, at the time willing to hand over $1200, for a small egg, and a nest with ten eggs was auctioned for $78,000.

Christie’s the famous London auction house, sold a French fossil egg for $8,250 in 1993. Bonhams, of Knightsbridge, realized $75,000 for an 18 inch nest.  Even dinosaur dung from Utah was bid for, 23 pieces, in one lot, selling at the time for $5,000.  Things have gone quieter now, Chinese government fines, and stiff jail sentences on those caught stealing fossils, plus the banning of trade for anything but legitimate scientific reasons,making life much more difficult for the thieves, though it will undoubtedly still happen.

An illegal shipment of 100 Chinese eggs, and nests, thought to be worth $400,000 on the black market, were seized in Los Angeles in 1996, but as long as buyers exist, those willing to supply will thrive, one 1997 US fossil show inspection turning up 50 ‘confuciusornis’ eggs, despite Chinese restrictions. An increasing tendency, to steal from Museums and exhibitions, is now prevalent.

Prime targets, like the part skeleton of Archeoptrix, of which only eight examples are known worldwide, was stolen from Langelaltheim, Germany in 1955.  Any collector would pay an astronomical price to own such a piece, but the rest of the world suffered a terrible loss.

Part of our human curiosity, strangely enough, is a fascination with anything truly ancient, stories that these ancient objects could tell needing to be available not only to science, but to the general public as well, but collectors ignore the greater good of public information, because they selfishly seek own ‘Holy Grail’, of  tactile, archeological history.

Be more aware, in choosing that ‘talking-point’, of the implications, should it be a piece of history that, really speaking, belongs to the world as a whole. Borrowing history, as in collecting coins or antiques, is one thing. Stealing history, however, is quite definitely wrong, on every level.

Some of the most important information which supports this idea is the fact that species changing through time is evident in the fossil records. Through extinction events we can see the dynamic nature of a population further supporting the theory of evolution. Vestigial traits – traits which no longer serve a purpose, also support evolution as they show that an ancestor may have been different from the present form of a species.

While many species are different the similarites can be seen in their geographic relationship as many species may be adapted to survive under the same conditions. Homologous traits emphasize that all species may share a common ancestor a key idea in the theory of evolution.

What Kind Of Intelligence Do You Possess?

(Naturalistic Intelligence)

By: Chelsea Arsenal

     People who are nature smart or those who are naturalists love outdoors and they can easily identify and/or classify plants and animals. They care for plants, trees, flowers and animals. You may also observe these characteristics in those who love collecting seashells and rocks. The naturalist type love pet keeping and they are also engrossed with the study of fossils or anything pertaining to nature.

List of people who possess naturalistic intelligence:

Steve Irwin

PETA

Zookeepers

Zoologists

Animal trainers

Grooming specialists

Veterinarians

Farmers

Breeders

Paleontologists

Botanists

Horticulturists

Marine Biologists

Herpetologists

Ornithologists

How to enhance naturalistic intelligence:

Initiate tree planting activities in the community or school.

Go camping.

Go on trips to the forest to be familiar with plants.

Go to a petting zoo.

Visit botanical gardens.

Grow plants in your own garden.

Learn the art of landscaping.

Explore nature such as going on mountain climbing, trekking and even cave exploring activities.

Dive, snorkel or go to underwater museums.

Participate in biological studies or research.

Decrease your carbon footprint.

So, how do we find out about our ancient past?  Sure, one way is certainly through written or oral means but to really see what happened, we have to do some digging in the literal sense.  Archaeology as a science has truly given us the means to understand and analyze our ancient past but has at times also given us some mysterious and strange discoveries too.  While almost all discoveries over the past 150 years or so (modern archaeology) have resulted in a clear time line and understanding of our recent human history, there have been certain discoveries that do not fit in this pattern. Of course, there are still mysteries surrounding the pyramids and other ancient structures but for the most part, these sites actually fit into our understanding of the past.  What does not fit are the items and locations listed below which seem to defy what we know about our history. 

1.)    Radioactive human remains found in two Ancient Indian/Pakistan Cities.  The two cities are Harrapa and Mohenjo-Daro. Strange as this sounds but the radioactive level of dozens of bodies and melting, fusing and crystallizing of bricks and surrounding materials actually indicate a nuclear bomb or some kind of blast explosion.  Today, scientists know of no other ways this damage could have been caused by other than a nuclear weapon.

2.)  Cocaine and Tobacco residues found in Egyptian Mummies.  Of course, this is impossible if you subscribe to the idea that there was no transoceanic contact between Africa and South America in ancient times.  South America is where the cocoa plant is only grown and tobacco while grown elsewhere is found here too.

3.)    Antikythera Mechanism.  Dated from about 100 years before Christ, this mechanism resembles a computer and was used to calculate astronomical positions.  Nothing as complex as this would be developed again until the middle ages.  It is truly remarkable with its complex gears and detail.  

4.)    Baghdad Battery.  Several of these batteries have been found in and around the country of Iraq and date from anywhere to 200 to 500AD.  These seem to suggest that our ancient ancestors knew a little about electricity before Ben Franklin’s discoveries.  Most modern scientists see it as a means to electroplate jewelry but this is uncertain.

5.)    Strata from the Earth depicting fossils of both dinosaur and human footprints.  While most of these have been proven over time to be hoaxes, there are still a small number of samples that continue to raise questions.

6.)    Ancient plumbing and piping in China.  Located in a inhospitable location for humans to live on Mt Baigong, China, there have been found hundreds of pipe that reach from caves to the lake below and also more pipes in the lake itself.  Nobody has any idea how or why these were made. 

7.)    Crystal Skulls.  These have been in controversy since their first discovery.  While there have been several fakes now known to exist, there still remains several that appear in all respects to be ancient but show no tool marks and are not known how they were created or why. 

8.)    Giant Balls of Costa Rica.  Scientists have no ideas on who, how or why these were made but the spherical precision is incredible.  Unfortunately, many have either been destroyed or the smaller ones stolen and sold illegally so only a small handful remain.

9.)    China’s First Emporer’s Pyramid.  This is one mystery that very well might be solved in the next few years.  Stories tell of a river of mercury and a mini version of an ancient city with shells on the ceiling mimicking the constellations inside of the first emporer’s tomb. While this was mostly dismissed before as myth, the discovery of the Terra Cotta army (also in the story) and heightened levels of mercury in the soil at the front of the pyramid add credence to this “story”.  Hopefully we will see this opened in our lifetime to really see what is inside the final resting place of China’s first emperor.

10.) Buildings with interlocking segments Puma Punku.  Engineers and scientists are still awe-struck and completely baffled by the construction of these blocks that have interlocking segments.  Modern engineers have said they would not be able to duplicate these today with such accuracy as these were done. 

11.) The Voynich Manuscript.  Although this manuscript has been proven to be authentic from the middle ages, nobody has ever been able to decipher it.  Pictures of herbs on the pages in the manuscript have led some to believe that it is perhaps a medical book but no one really knows for sure until it is finally decoded.  

12.) Small Ancient Flying Machines.  There have been several of these small metal objects found that seem to show modern aircraft in striking similarity.  Explanations have been offered from children’s toys, someone’s imagination, a flying fish, or actual ancient flying machines either made by the local population or seen in the sky by them. 

So, what is your opinion on these strange and mysterious discoveries from archaeology that science cannot explain (at least not yet) ?  It is certainly mind blowing to consider some of the implications of what these discoveries could make to our understanding of history.  Unfortunately, most of these mysteries might just remain a mystery for long periods of time but we can always hope for more discoveries explaining these odd finds or even giving us more items to consider…….

More fossil beds were so identified at a depth of 20 to 30 meters below the surface, which included femurs size of bowling balls, animal fangs and pelvic bones.

Maya, Central American civilization, considered the openings of the earth – caves or stretches of water – portals to the world from below the Xibalbei. And because today’s scientists know this, people were expected to be cleared Maya offerings to mesh water in search offerings which, for the sake of science, and have ventured.

Although not found anything after the first dive, archaeologists discovered subsequently broken pottery in a lagoon near the remains of Mayan buildings, built approximately 1,200 years ago. Scientists believe that this region was not necessarily inhabited, but soon, a place of pilgrimage for the Maya traveled hundreds of miles away.

Fossils found were removed from their place, only small fragments were taken to check if it’s bone on fossil material. Because, in lagoons, and one was found about 70 meters deep, filled with tree roots and silt, more sophisticated equipment will be necessary for the exploration of the future, what will be done soon.

<a href=http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/02/titanoboa_-_thirteen_metres_one_tonne_largest_snake_ever.php>Image link</a>

The titanoboa

The progenitors of serpentkind, the titanoboa was pronounced the largest snake ever to have slithered across a prehistoric world 58 to 60 million years ago, long after the extinction of the dinosaurs. Its fossils were discovered in an open coal mine in Colombia, along with others belonging to creatures of incomprehensibly massive proportions, namely ‘the largest freshwater turtle ever known’ (probably the Stupendemys) and mega-sized crocodiles, both of which, as opined by scientists, constituted snacks for the titanoboa.

Anyway, back to those titanoboas. Its discovery led to the notion that it was probably warmer in the tropics, where the creature’s population once burgeoned, than now, a factor that consented the growth of these cold-blooded fiends to larger, out-of-this-world sizes.

Approximately 43 feet long, the snake equaled the largest known Tyrannosaurus rex, though weighing only one sixth as much as it (1140 kg). That’s a number for a small car on a weighing machine, and a number five times the weight of an adult anaconda (about 227 kg). Clearly enough, primordial genetic instability wins over inordinate Hollywood special effects by a knockout. With everyone of us emaciated by evolution, courtesy from God (if He exists)… however shall we fend for ourselves should someone bring about the resurrection of these horror-inspiring creatures back to Earth?

Related articles: <a href=http://scienceray.com/earth-sciences/paleontology/prehistoric-underwater-behemoths-the-leviathan/>Prehistoric Underwater Behemoths: The Leviathan</a>

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Exactly what do people mean when they say they believe in God? Do they mean a supernatural power that lays down laws about sex and human behavior, punishes violators with fire and brimstone, and raise people from the dead? Do they believe only those of their religion will be saved from hell? Do they believe God is a stern parent who whips his followers into shape with punishment and rewards them with good fortune? According to research done by Baylor University about half of those who say they are religious do believe that. Half of those who say they are religious say God is not punishing and they believe in eternal life for those of other faiths.

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On the other side of the coin, evolutionist say fossil evidence for evolution is solid. It would be entirely secure even if a single corpse had never fossilized. We don’t need fossils. The case for evolution is airtight without them. Not a single fossil has ever been found before it could have evolved. Evolution has passed every test. A gap in the fossil record called “the missing link” a confused meaning implied that the Darwinian theory was missing a link between humans and other primates. We do have a supply of fossils linking modern humans to the common ancestor we share with chimpanzees. In a large number of fossils, every one of them is an intermediate between something and something else.

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A major evolutionary change doesn’t happen over night. It’s a process of millions of years. Nobody can say monkeys are descended from frogs. Although monkeys and frogs do share a common ancestor. You can say the same about all animals. Every one of millions of species share a common ancient ancestor. Just as we share a common ancestor with monkeys. No modern species is descended from another modern species. No animal gives birth to an instant new species.

So is either party right, or will our scientists learn some day far in the future an answer we humans have never suspected. Will it be so far beyond our imagination that our poor minds cannot even comprehend the wonder of it?

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Behistun Rock

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Cuneiform writings, the form of writings of the Sumerians, were discovered in a small village in Behistun. It was called Behistun Rock. According to historians, the said writings were ordered by King Darius the Great for everybody to see the punishment for people who rebel against him so that others will not follow. It was written in the language of Old Persians, Elamite and Babylonian. The Behistun Rock in Persian language was discovered by the Italian Pietro della Valle and was deciphered by the English, Henry Creawicke Rawlinson in 1846. It became the basis of succeeding scholars in reading the two other languages written on it.

Rosetta Stone

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Rosetta Stone was instrumental in advancing modern understanding of hieroglyphic writing. Hieroglyphic writings left by the Egyptians were puzzles to modern scholars because no one knows how to read them. But in 1798, a piece of stone was found by a leader of the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte in Rosetta, near the Nile Delta area. Three kinds of writings were engraved on it- hieroglyphic, demotic and Greek. The text of the Rosetta Stone is a decree from Ptolemy V, a Greek who reigned in Egypt in 196 BCE, describing the repealing of various taxes and instructions to erect statues in temples.

It was deciphered by a French scholar named Jean Francois Champollion. He started researching by reading Greek writings, a language he already knew. He based here what was written on the Rosetta stone, and through this, he was able to successfully read hieroglyphics.

Dead Sea Scroll

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One of the greatest finds with great historical and Biblical significant is the Dead Sea Scrolls. It consist more or less 1,000 documents, including texts from the Hebrew Bible., These scrolls were discovered between 1947 and 1979 in eleven caves in and around the Wadi Qumran (near the ruins of the ancient settlement of Khirbet Qumran, on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea) in the West bank. The texts are of great religious and historical significance, as they include practically the only known surviving copies of Biblical documents made before 100 AD, and preserve evidence of considerable diversity of belief and practice within late Second Temple Judaism. They are written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, mostly on parchment, but with some written on papyrus.

These archeological finds are three of the most important findings that have provided mankind a better knowledge and understanding of the past. Lots of things about the past could have remained mystery if these things were not discovered.

For more articles in History see

Top Ten Most Famous and Historically Significant Tombs in the World

Modern-day Heroes

11 Historic Events That Created the World’s Largest and Most Spectacular Mushroom Clouds

15 Notable Crucifixions in History

Historic Trees From Around the World

The Month of June: History, Holidays and Personalities

Peculiar Marriage Rites From Around the World in the Past

Unique Traditional Greetings in the World

The Suez and Panama Canals: Two Shipping Canals of Great Importance

10 Dynasties That Reigned the Longest in History

Unusual Amendments to the US Constitution

Why is Greenland Just an Island Not a Continent?

Philippine Events with Great Impact and Significance in World History