Asteroid's story revealed
On April 22, a fast-moving fireball flew through the sky over Nevada and California and exploded. Some people witnessed the event, others snapped photos, and a security camera near Lake Tahoe caught it on video.
Now, using pictures, videos and rock fragments, 70 scientists from around the world have pieced together the back story. From analyses of dozens of fragments that fell to earth, they report that the fireball was a small asteroid — about ten feet in diameter — belonging to a rare and primitive class of bodies called carbonaceous chondrites, from the inner region of the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars.
The asteroid was going unusually fast when it entered the atmosphere, about 18 miles per second, according to the scientists. "That's twice as fast as many other meteor falls," said Peter Jenniskens, an astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif, and an author of the report, which appears in the journal Science.
"It's the fastest meteor impact we've been able to record."Doppler weather radar picked up falling meteorites, giving clues to where to look for fragments, Jenniskens said. Many of the fragments were found by volunteers. Jenniskens and a colleague held town meetings to teach people how to identify and handle meteorites.
Scans show pharaoh's slit throat
The pharaoh Ramses III, who ruled Egypt in the 12th century BC, had a scheming wife who was intent on murdering him to bring their son to the throne. The plot is documented in an ancient papyrus, but the exact circumstances of Ramses' death have been unclear.
Now, researchers have used CT scans of the pharaoh's mummy to reveal that his throat was slit. Zink, along with colleagues from Egypt, Italy and Germany, have published their findings about Ramses (sometimes spelled Ramesses) in the British medical journal BMJ.
The researchers also discovered an amulet in the king's wound. Called the Eye of Horus, it was supposed to guard against accidents and restore the wearer's strength. The ancient documents that discuss the coup are called the Judicial Papyrus of Turin. They cite the pharaoh's second wife, Tiye, as the schemer.
The researchers also analysed a second mummy called Unknown Man E and found that he was about 18 to 20 at his death and closely related to Ramses III. So he may have been the pharaoh's son Pentawer, the intended beneficiary of the plot. CT scans revealed that the younger mummy did not have his organs or brains removed, as was the standard. He was also covered with goat's skin, which was considered an impure material. "It is obvious this mummy was being punished in some way for his afterlife," Zink said.
On April 22, a fast-moving fireball flew through the sky over Nevada and California and exploded. Some people witnessed the event, others snapped photos, and a security camera near Lake Tahoe caught it on video.
Now, using pictures, videos and rock fragments, 70 scientists from around the world have pieced together the back story. From analyses of dozens of fragments that fell to earth, they report that the fireball was a small asteroid — about ten feet in diameter — belonging to a rare and primitive class of bodies called carbonaceous chondrites, from the inner region of the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars.
The asteroid was going unusually fast when it entered the atmosphere, about 18 miles per second, according to the scientists. "That's twice as fast as many other meteor falls," said Peter Jenniskens, an astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif, and an author of the report, which appears in the journal Science.
"It's the fastest meteor impact we've been able to record."Doppler weather radar picked up falling meteorites, giving clues to where to look for fragments, Jenniskens said. Many of the fragments were found by volunteers. Jenniskens and a colleague held town meetings to teach people how to identify and handle meteorites.
Scans show pharaoh's slit throat
The pharaoh Ramses III, who ruled Egypt in the 12th century BC, had a scheming wife who was intent on murdering him to bring their son to the throne. The plot is documented in an ancient papyrus, but the exact circumstances of Ramses' death have been unclear.
Now, researchers have used CT scans of the pharaoh's mummy to reveal that his throat was slit. Zink, along with colleagues from Egypt, Italy and Germany, have published their findings about Ramses (sometimes spelled Ramesses) in the British medical journal BMJ.
The researchers also discovered an amulet in the king's wound. Called the Eye of Horus, it was supposed to guard against accidents and restore the wearer's strength. The ancient documents that discuss the coup are called the Judicial Papyrus of Turin. They cite the pharaoh's second wife, Tiye, as the schemer.
The researchers also analysed a second mummy called Unknown Man E and found that he was about 18 to 20 at his death and closely related to Ramses III. So he may have been the pharaoh's son Pentawer, the intended beneficiary of the plot. CT scans revealed that the younger mummy did not have his organs or brains removed, as was the standard. He was also covered with goat's skin, which was considered an impure material. "It is obvious this mummy was being punished in some way for his afterlife," Zink said.