Neat linkage.
Poison, not snake, killed Cleopatra, scholar says
Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt, died from drinking a mixture of poisons and not from a snake bite, a German historian said Wednesday…He also deduced that Cleopatra wouldn’t have chosen to die by a snake bite because she was intent on suicide — and a cobra, he said, is not always fatal…Schaefer said he worked with German toxicologist Dietrich Mebs to determine which poisons Cleopatra might have used. They decided it was hemlock, mixed with wolfsbane and opium.
Wreck Of Andrea Doria bell discovered
A group of divers has unexpectedly found the bridge bell of the SS Andrea Doria, an Italian ocean liner that famously sunk off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts in 1956.
The divers, Ernest Rookey and Carl Bayer, came upon the 75-pound bronze bell June 25 at the wreck site some 240 feet (73 meters) below the ocean surface. The pair was about 18 minutes into what was supposed to be a 20-minute dive when Bayer spotted “the very distinctive shape of [the bell] sticking up out of the sand,” said Joel Silverstein, the leader of the diving expedition to the wreck.
‘Sea monster’ whale fossil unearthed
Researchers have discovered the fossilised remains of an ancient whale with huge, fearsome teeth. Writing in the journal Nature, the scientists have dubbed the 12 million-year-old creature “Leviathan”.
It is thought to have been more than 17m long, and might have engaged in fierce battles with other giant sea creatures from the time.
Leviathan was an aggressive predator.
According to Dr Christian de Muizon, director of the Natural History Museum in Paris, Leviathan could have hunted out and fed on large sea creatures such as dolphins, seals and even other whales.
“It was a kind of a sea monster,” he said.
That picture of Cleopatra looks like Tammy. Here is another neat thing from History. When Ferdinand Magellans boat arrived back in Europe they found out they were a day off on their calender. Do you know why?
lord-ruler brain teaser: Answer ~ They did not have clocks accurate enough to observe the variation in the length of the day during the journey. One day was lost because they traveled west during their circumnavigation of the globe, opposite to Earth’s daily rotation. The solar year consists of 365 days and 6 hours, and if one sails West three years – one day will be gained (and vice versa). [This is one of those head-spinners for left-brained dogs like me – obviously didn’t pull this out of the recesses of my memory banks – thankugoogle].
You get the prize. I read “over the edge of the world” about Magellan and they talked about that. It is a very good book.
This whale would consider a Great White a stimulating snack. It would also complicate BP operations.