In 1926, Francesco Travia was caught dumping parts of a dead woman. The rest of her was in his apartment. The Brooklyn police thought the murder case was open-and-shut.
The New York City medical examiner, Dr Charles Norris himself, was on call the night of the Travia arrest. He followed the policemen up the wooden stairs to Travia's apartment, walked over to inspect the dismembered corpse.
His thick eyebrows drew together. The blood pooled around the half-body was a bright cherry-red. He bent to look closer at the woman's face. It was flushed pink, despite the massive blood loss. As told by a crime writer, Norris walked over to the waiting detectives and announced: "Boys, you can't hold this man for murder."
The Brooklyn police assured him that they could – and would. Unlike the police, Travia's lawyer found the medical evidence compelling.
The case pitted forensic science against police procedures of the day, and science won.
In March 1927, he was acquitted of murder, convicted instead of illegally dismembering a dead body. A life-saving difference: in 1920s New York, it meant that he went to prison instead of Sing Sing prison's infamous electric chair. They celebrated at the city medical examiner, believing that the case had given them new credibility, that they'd also proved that forensic toxicology was a credible, believable tool.
A new theory says that volcanic activity in Europe's past may have contributed to the extinction of Neanderthals. Several volcanos erupted in a short period of time along the Caucasus Mountains about 40,000 years ago. Populations of Neanderthals, who lived mainly in Europe, may have been reduced to the point they couldn't compete with modern humans who lived in several continents. University of Texas, Arlington anthropologist Naomi Cleghorn, a member of the research team, explained what they found.
The researchers examined sediments layer from around 40,000 years ago in Russia's Mezmaiskaya Cave and found that the more volcanic ash a layer had, the less plant pollen it contained.
"We tested all the layers for this volcanic ash signature. The most volcanic-ash-rich layer"—likely corresponding to the so-called Campanian Ignimbrite eruption, which occurred near Naples (map)—"had no [tree] pollen and very little pollen from other types of plants," Cleghorn said. "It's just a sterile layer."
The loss of plants would have led to a decline in plant-eating mammals, which in turn would have affected the Neanderthals, who hunted large mammals for food.
Modern humans would have also been affected, but they had "backup populations" in Africa and Asia. Link
(Image credit: Kenneth Garrett, National Geographic)
This strange video is part story, part showreel, as it was produced, filmed, and performed by stunt doubles Sam Hargrave and Monique Ganderton. -via reddit
A long time ago, in a state far out west, George Lucas created Star Wars.
Striking Back
One of our favorite Star Wars fan sites Spokybug.com (and yes, we have favorites) has this to say about the origins of the trilogy:
"A critic might say, 'Oh, Lucas combined Flash Gordon with Akira Kurosawa ... and sewed it all up with Joseph Campbell's ideas on the structure of myth.' And Lucas did do all those thing, but that can't be the final answer."
OK, it's not the final answer, and we're not trying to denigrate Lucas' achievement - he's the auteur of one of the most successful films of all time, one that many critics consider the world's first "high-concept" film, and also one that happens to be completely awesome. but in terms of literary inspirations, those three sources were big ones; Lucas unquestionably based much of his creative opus on the tales he found in the Flash Gordon TV serials, Akira Kurosawa's epic movies, and Joseph Campbell's mythical archetypes. Let's tackle the three of them with the help of a fan who runs the aforementioned site, Kristen Brennan. (What, you were expecting someone more ... male?)
Flash Gordon
Brennan's a genius on this, so we're gonna let her start things off: "George Lucas often said that his original idea for the project that evolved into Star Wars was to remake the Flash Gordon movie serials from the 1930s (a 'serial' is a movie shown in weekly installments of about 10-20 minutes each). [But] the license wasn't available....Despite the plot changes, the Star Wars films are still bursting with with influences from the Flash Gordon movie serials, including the Rebels vs. the Imperial Forces, the 'soft wipes' between scenes, the underwater city with the manta ray-shaped sub and even the famous 'roll up' which begins the movie." We agree; a side-by-side viewing of Flash Gordon and Star Wars stills is downright eerie. We'd also like to throw in a word about Cloud City, which Star Wars fans know as the home of Billy Dee Williams - er, Lando Calrission. Flash Gordon also had a Cloud City, but that doesn't necessarily mean Lucas borrowed it directly. Both "cities" may be made of castles in the air, but they've got solid foundations - in Jonathon swift's famous tales of Gulliver's Travels, which also features airy domains. They, in turn, probably drew from Cloudcuckooland in the famous play The Birds, by Aristophanes (c. 448-380 B.C.E.).
Akira Kurosawa
Although Kurosawa is most famous for the Seven Samurai, that's not the movie that most directly influenced Star Wars. Lucas relied on at least two other films instead; most obviously Kakushi toride no san akunin (The Hidden Fortress, 1958) and Yojimbo (which means "bodyguard", 1961). In The Hidden Fortress, a princess in disguise must make her way through enemy territory, aided (and occasionally hindered) by two bickering peasants who are clearly the inspiration for C3PO and R2D2. As for Yohimbo, check out the scene where some rough types brag about being wanted by the authorities, a confrontation that ends with somebody's arm being cut off - and then take a look at the near-identical scenes from the Cantina in Mos Eisley, that famous "hive of scum and villainy."
Joseph Campbell
In envisioning the archetypal "hero's journey," Joseph Campbell laid out a sort of myth that's mirrored in all great quests. Here's how Campbell explained the journey, and how Star Wars riffs on it (in a fashion that Campbell approved of, by the way - he and Lucas became close friends after the first movie came out):
"The call to adventure" Princess Leia shows up via hologram and does my "you're my only hope routine," necessitating a trip to Alderaan.
"Refusal of the call" Luke says that nah, he really can't go, because he has to help with the harvest.
"Supernatural aid" Obi-Wan rescues Luke from the Sand People.
"The road of trials" Luke attempts to to wield a light saber and ends up looking foolish.
"The meeting with the goddess" Luke meets Leia, who is decked out like an intergalactic vestal virgin.
"Temptation away from the true" Luke is tempted by The Dark Side.
"Atonement with the father" "Luke, I am your father," anyone? (Actually, that's not the real line from the movie, but bear with us.)
"Apotheosis" Luke becomes a Jedi, kicks some serious tail.
We are all familiar with animals that use camouflage, but some take it to an extreme level. Cracked found examples of animals that totally take on a different persona. What kind of creature do think this picture shows?
When they become frightened, they retract their heads backward into themselves, causing that bulge that looks like the head of a snake. The snake "eyes" are just spots on the caterpillar's sides.
Yes, it's a caterpillar. There are several species of caterpillar that can make themselves look like snakes (although small ones). See all nine animal disguises in this post that contains NSFW text. Link -via Interesting Pile
An unnamed millionaire traveled to Australia two years ago and visited the people who run the Wombat Awareness Organisation in Mannum, Australia. Upon his death, he bequeathed the project eight million dollars! Director Brigitte Stevens was in shock when she was notified.
The millionaire, who worked in the horse-racing industry, was captivated by the volunteers' tireless efforts to save what may be becoming an endangered icon.
Ms Stevens - who works to help pay bills, including last year's $70,000 vet fees - wants to buy two properties in the Murraylands and run a 24-hour free vet advice phone clinic.
However, with the bequest being delivered over eight years, and the first $1 million instalment due only next year, she says they still need money.
A 100-year old tree in Belgium is the new star of the internet. The Talking Tree has over 4,000 fans on its Facebook page, over 2,000 following its Twitter feed, and many other people visiting its website.
As you can see in the video below, the tree transmits raw information about particulate matter in the environment and weather conditions to researchers. They analyze what the tree sees and senses, then translate that into updates like "Won't be doing too much photosynthesis in this cloudy weather," and "This ozone concentration makes it difficult to do my job." It also advises people to ride their bikes on days with air pollution.
Elephants at Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon will wash your car for just $20, but be warned that the guarantee states they will not get it clean! However, the elephants have fun spraying water everywhere, and the money goes to support the zoo. See a video of the elephants in action.
This baby elephant at Phuket Island in Thailand enchants tourists with her dancing skills and harmonica music! She's not the only harmonica-playing pachyderm. An elephant named Five at West Midlands Safari Park in England plays the harmonica every chance she gets, and an African elephant named Bubbles plays harmonica at Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina.
A billboard bragging about the schools in South Bend, Indiana was erected without anyone noticing a certain misspelled word, until Lee MacMillan took a picture and posted it on Facebook.
Responsibility for the spelling error has been claimed by the Blue Waters Group. The company does work for the city of South Bend's redevelopment commission to promote the city.
"I feel terrible. It's a mistake we made and we're guilty of it, and responsible for it. and we take full responsibility for the error," said Patrick Strickler, president of the Blue Waters Group.
"Four people looked at it, eyeballed it and didn't see the mistake, and those people all work for me,” Strickler explained. “We take responsibility for it. We simply blew it. We did not see the missing "L."
The billboard has since been taken down. http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20100920/News01/100929951/-1/XML -via The Daily What
Have you ever noticed how much a curled-up cat looks like a croissant? The best cats look like fresh, flaky, buttery croissants. The kind that would make a wonderful snack tight now. -via Laughing Squid
Suzanne Thi Hien Hook was born in Vietnam in 1969. Abandoned at birth, she was housed in an orphanage where she was underfed because of her mixed race heritage. A British organization arranged for her adoption by a Middlesex couple in 1972. Hook grew up to be a successful businesswoman with a fancy house and all the trapping of a good life. In 2007, she returned to Vietnam for a year of volunteer teaching and came home with a mission.
Suzanne, whose Vietnamese name is Thi Hien, has now sold her £500,000 home in Buckinghamshire, Mercedes sports car and collection of 300 shoes.
She has also sold off all of her clothes and furniture to achieve her dream of setting up an orphanage for abandoned children in Vietnam.
Suzanne, who is abandoning her English life to run the Allambie Orphanage, in Ho Chi Minh City, admitted her ”whole life is up for sale”.
She said: ”I’m practically selling everything. My whole life is up for sale.
Hook's Allambie orphanage is scheduled to open in November. Link to story. Link to orphanage website. -via Arbroath
Sightings by locals in the Himalayan nation of Bhutan led researchers to look for tigers in higher elevations than they've ever been known to reside. Dr. Alan Rabinowitz of Panthera, a big cat conservation organization, and BBC wildlife photographer Gordon Buchanan went up in the mountains and set camera traps above 3,000 meters of elevation. They left the cameras for three months, then found that among many other species, tigers indeed came to have their pictures taken.
This is the only place on earth known to have tigers, leopard and snow leopards all sharing the same valley.
It is remarkable to have these three big cats sharing their range.
Most extraordinarily, the cameras took footage of two wild tigers, one male and one female, a discovery that moved Mr Buchanan to tears.
The next step is to create a preserve that would protect the tigers and other animals. See several videos at BBC News. Link -via the Presurfer
Is your iPad a toy? You betcha! Make it even more fun with a clever case that makes it look like the Etch A Sketch you used as a child. Oh, yeah, it also protects your iPad from scratches and dings. Link-Thanks, Dan!
Here are two maps of the state of Kansas. Each map is filled with spots.
In figure 1, each spot marks a county in which the spotted sandpiper has been spotted.
In figure 4, each spot marks a county in which the spotted towhee has been spotted.
Both maps were prepared by the Kansas County Checklist Project. Their work, they say, “is intended to reflect the current records of bird sightings on file, somewhere, for each county. It is hoped that birders will print out these lists, use them in their birdwatching trips and report bird sightings not on the list to the appropriate individuals/organizations.” Much of project’s data is available on the web at Kansas Bird Species County Maps.
