Archeologists strive to extract the historical treasures and make sense of their use in the past. The Earth is full of artifacts, utensils, tools, etc. which link us to the cultures that existed before us.
The new technology nowadays is making the life of the living ever so effortless. But it has been working lately to uncover the mysteries of the dead too. The documentary film Archeology 2.0 – Exploring the past with modern technology, directed by Susanne Brahms is a look into the work of the recent researchers and how they are using innovative methods to study the past. Archeology 2.0 uncovers the secrets and gives us a new way to investigate history.
The piece documents archeologists at Dublin who have found a series of underground tombs whose construction dates back to thousands of years ago. These shrines were detected using an apparatus having highly sensitive magnetic sensors on one end and wheels on the other. This wheeled equipment was strolled along the ground and the magnetic waves produced were recorded. The tool covered a lot of ground with ease. The measurement showed the evidence of life lying deep down in the ground.
Underground shrines were detected using an apparatus having highly sensitive magnetic sensors. Credit: DW
With the dawn of 3D imaging, the experience of gaming has completely changed. This art of virtual reality is not only used in games but to study ancient treasures too. In Berlin, archeologists have teamed up with game designers to form a virtual reality of the antiques buried in the ground. This lets the researchers examine various dimensions, decipher the dead languages, and helps preserve the history in the shape it was found.
The same technology of 3D imaging was utilized to uncover a ship submerged in the Baltic Sea of the 14th-century era. The images were so high in quality that when they were recreated on the surface revealed the shipwrecks and damage to the ship due to pollutants that were not detected by the naked eye.
3D imaging was utilized to uncover a ship submerged in the Baltic Sea of the 14th-century era. Credit: DW
World-famous Alhambra Dome present in Berlin’s Museum remains unnoticed, but luckily the digital world came to the rescue. A group of researchers is taking 3D images of the dome and preserving it in digital form. The site where this dome is placed is not receiving light, so one cannot appreciate its intricacies. One added advantage of this feat is that by 3D imaging, better visualization of this dome is possible. This virtual reality experience can allow people to access this site via the internet as well.
Another form of technology used these days is aerial archaeology. In this technique, drones are used. Lidar scans, laser beams using ground-penetrating radars were utilized. This helped reveal the long-forgotten Celtic Prince’s grave along with his priceless headgear.
Aerial Archeology is a new form of technology. Credit: DW
In this era, the archeologists do not have to rely on conventional methods of digging, using pickaxe, shovels, and dusters. These invasive techniques are also responsible for corrupting the genuine form of the artifacts. In this day and age, archeologists can unlock the mysteries of the past by using state-of-the-art technology.
This documentary film explains some of the few technological advancements. That includes magnetic sensors, virtual gaming technology, 3D imaging, and aerial archaeology, and many more can be used to recreate and preserve historical artifacts in a new and better way. The archeologists can take help from these tools but still has to do fieldwork too.
I recommend watching this documentary as it is enlightening, along with entertaining. It gives us an insight into how modern-day technology is helping to unveil the mysteries of our past.
Bibhu Dev Misra is an independent research investigator and writer on ancient cultures, archaeology, science, and symbolism. An engineer and MBA, he has worked for more than two decades as an Information Technology consultant for large global organizations, including the World Bank and the United Nations. His articles have been published in different journals, magazines, and websites, including the New Dawn, Science to Sage, Graham Hancock Forum, Viewzone, Esamskriti, and others. He can be contacted at bibhumisra@gmail.com, and his work can be found on his personal website, “Ancient Inquiries” (www.bibhudevmisra.com).
Below is his detailed conversation with Scientia’s EIC Saadeqa Khan.
Bibhu Dev Misra at Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan, Mexico
Saadeqa: You have been working as a consultant in the Information Technology industry for a long time. How did you get interested in archaeological research?
Dev Misra: My passion for archaeology and historical research was ignited when I started reading the works of several independent researchers and authors such as Graham Hancock, Walter Cruttenden, Erich Von Daniken, David Hatcher Childress, and others. These writers have pointed out many unexplained mysteries of the past, which have not received the due attention of archaeologists.
Our ancestors have left behind a large body of knowledge in the form of enormous volumes of sacred texts whose true meanings are still obscure. They have built awe-inspiring architecture works using megalithic stone blocks, some of which would be difficult to replicate even with modern-day technologies. Many cryptic symbols and out-of-place artifacts have been found, which beg for an explanation. There are reams of the past’s fantastic stories that tell us of lost kingdoms and advanced technologies, of gods and giants, which have been generally brushed off as myths and fantasies. Still, it is inexplicable why almost all ancient cultures would invent such fantastic tales.
Our ancestors have left behind a large body of knowledge in the form of enormous volumes of sacred texts whose true meanings are still obscure.
It slowly began to dawn on me that the mainstream version of history may not necessarily be correct, and we may be simply scratching the surface of the human story. The past mysteries need to be explored with a logical, inquisitive mind, without getting tied down to dogma. So I started to travel to different archaeological sites around the world – in Egypt, Mexico, and India – and tried to get a first-hand understanding of these places. I started my own website, where I began to documents my findings and observations. Many of my articles, since then, have been published in different magazines, newspapers, and websites.
Saadeqa: Which are some of the archaeological sites from around the world that you find the most captivating?
Dev Misra: There are quite a few. Every place has its own charm. Among Mexico’s archaeological sites, one of the most enthralling is Teotihuacan near Mexico City, with its magnificent Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. The term Teotihuacan means “the place where men become gods.” The origins of Teotihuacan is still a mystery. Archaeologists believe that Teotihuacan may have been founded at around 100 BC. Still, it could be far older than that since the vast dimensions, and the grand layout of Teotihuacan is dramatically different from other Mesoamerican sites. Apart from Teotihuacan, I also loved the Mayan site of Palenque with its beautiful Temple of the Inscriptions and other monuments, set in the midst of a dense jungle that gives it an aura of mystery.
In Egypt, the Pyramids of Giza are quite breathtaking because of their sheer size and the massive stone blocks weighing up to 80 tons transported, lifted, and perfectly fitted together to create this engineering marvel. This is in stark contrast to Egypt’s other pyramids, which are much smaller and of significantly lower quality. Most of them, barring a few, have turned into crumbling piles of rocks. Although the Giza Pyramids are named after the 4th dynasty pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, there is no inscriptional evidence that they were commissioned. The Queen’s Chamber and King’s Chamber inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu, which can be reached by an Ascending Passage, is entirely devoid of any inscription or burial remains, very unlike the other royal tombs. So, there is a big mystery around who built the Giza Pyramids, how and for what purpose.
The temple complex of Luxor and Karnak in Thebes (16th century BC) is also visually stunning. It was at Karnak that I noticed several similarities between the Egyptian triad of Amun-Mut-Khonsu and the Indian triad of divinities Krishna-Subhadra-Balaram that led me to compose my first article proposing an ancient connection between these two cultures, both of which venerated the cow as a goddess and the lotus flower as a symbol of creation.
The Sphinx and the Giza Pyramids
Temple of Luxor, Egypt
There are many other archaeological sites around the world I have not yet visited that are high on my bucket list of places to see, such as Petra (Jordan), Baalbek (Lebanon), Gobekli Tepe (Turkey) Cuzco (Peru), Angkor Wat (Cambodia), Borobudur (Indonesia) and more.
In Egypt, the Pyramids of Giza are quite breathtaking because of their sheer size and the massive stone blocks weighing up to 80 tons transported, lifted, and perfectly fitted together to create this engineering marvel.
Saadeqa: You have written many articles on archaeology and ancient cultures. Please tell us about some of your significant research findings.
De Misra: One of the topics that I have explored in detail is the considerable evidence of Trans-Pacific contacts between Asia and America, which went on for thousands of years before Columbus. I found that there are dozens of clay figurines of the Olmecs and the shaft-tomb culture of Western Mexico that depict people performing yoga asanas. The Olmecs also used many elements of Hindu-Buddhist architecture, such as the dwarf ganas that support the horizontal beams of temples, the Kalamukha or “Face of Death” that is depicted above the entrances to temples and cave sanctuaries, Makara heads (Makara is a water dragon) or Makara balustrades that flank the staircases of temples, etc. The elephant-headed Hindu god, Ganesha’s sculptures, have been found in Campeche, Mexico, dating to the 7th century AD. Many Mayan gods can perform hand gestures that at exactly like the Hindu-Buddhist mudras.
Figurines depicting yoga styles
The Kalamukha and Makara motifs in Mesoamerican and Indian sculptures
Scholars such as Mike Xu have noted that the Olmec script has a striking resemblance to the script of the Chinese Shang Dynasty, and there are many overlaps between Asian and Mesoamerican cultures such as the use of jade masks, the ritual use of red vermillion powder, and conch shell trumpets, etc. All of this indicates that Trans-Pacific interactions have been going on for centuries before Columbus. Yet, most American scholars continue to disregard this large body of evidence and propose an in-situ development of Mesoamerican cultures.
An interesting topic of research for me, and one that I intend to study further, are the large number of petroglyphs discovered in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, India, in 2018. These petroglyphs have been etched on the flat, rocky hilltops on the western coast of India. The petroglyphs have been tentatively dated to around 10,000 BCE by the Maharashtra State Archaeology department based on Mesolithic tools found near the sites.
When I looked at these petroglyphs, I found that many of them depict sacred symbols that have been depicted in the art of many ancient cultures. For instance, one of the petroglyphs depicts the Winged Scarab or Khepri that the Egyptians venerated as the “dawn sun.” A few petroglyphs depict a symbolic motif known as the Master of Animals, in which a heroic figure grasps a pair of wild animals by their hind legs. This symbol can be seen on Indus Valley seals in Mesopotamia, Greece, and Egypt. I also spotted petroglyphs that depict the symbols for the zodiac constellations of Aquarius and Pisces.
This discovery pushes back the date for the beginnings of astrological lore and sacred symbols to around 10,000 BCE when humanity had just emerged from the cataclysms of the Younger Dryas epoch and the end of the Ice Age. It raises important questions about who carved these ancient symbols and if they may be the survivors of an advanced civilization that flourished during the Ice Age.
Large petroglyph at Ratnagiri, India, depicting the Winged Scarab
Ratnagiri Petroglyphs depicting the Master of Animals
I have also written a few articles arguing that some of the images depicted on Indus seals and tablets can be easily interpreted based on tribal legends and customs, particularly those of the Gond tribes of Central India. Linguists have noted that the letters of the Gond script resemble the Late Harappan style of writing, which suggests that the Gonds may have migrated into Central India after the collapse of the Indus civilization at around 1900 BCE.
I have proposed that the well-known Sacrifice Seal (Mohenjo-Daro seal No.430) depicts a Gond legend. Their primary deity Bada Dev appeared in the Saja tree’s trunk after being worshiped by the seven Gond brothers. These seven brothers are shown on the seal decked up horned headdresses with leafy branches, in the same manner as the present-day Gond tribals. Since Bada Dev (whom the Gonds also call Shembhu or Mahadev) is the same deity that the Hindus know as Shiva, it indicates that the Hindu and tribal beliefs have a common origin in Indus Valley.
Several other Indus seals and tablets appear to depict events from Lingo’s life – a warrior-prophet of the Gonds – whose life and exploits show a remarkable similarity with that of the Hindu god Krishna. These research findings indicate that our understanding of the Indus culture will be greatly enhanced once we begin to use tribal lore and customs to interpret the Indus seals and tablets’ images.
These are some of my observations and findings in the area of archaeological research. There are many more articles on my website, covering a range of topics.
Indus Seal depicting the Gond deity Bada Dev in the Saja Tree
Saadeqa: How is modern technology helping in conducting archeological research and discoveries?
Dev Misra: Archaeology has always been an interdisciplinary subject connected to geology, paleontology, anthropology, and other disciplines. Archaeologists are also using a variety of sophisticated technological tools to speed up the discovery of new sites. Satellite imagery such as Google Earth helps to detect new settlement mounds, burials, and stone formations.
LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology uses laser beams directed from an aerial vehicle to create three-dimensional images of the earth’s surface. Since LIDAR can see through dense vegetation, this technique is particularly suitable for detecting ancient sites hidden inside tropical forests. LIDAR has been used extensively to identify hidden cities and monuments in the forests of Cambodia and Mesoamerica. Drones are also being used for aerial surveys.
Archaeologists can analyze soil composition in the field by using a portable technology called Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (pXRF). This helps them determine if there was a human settlement in the area earlier since human activity leaves behind many chemical residues that stay in the soil for a long time. Underwater explorations are being carried out using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) to survey the sea bed using high-resolution 3D photography. This technique has already helped in the discovery of several ancient shipwrecks.
All of these, however, are preliminary survey methods that help in the detection of potential sites. Once they are found, archaeologists still have to perform traditional excavation using picks, shovels, and brushes to find artifacts and accurately date them using radiocarbon, thermoluminescence, and other dating techniques.
Saadeqa: What are your thoughts on the state of archaeology in India and Pakistan?
Dev Misra: The Archaeological Survey of India is a big and well-equipped organization that generally does a good job maintaining the huge number of archaeological sites across the country (around 3650) and conducts many new excavations every year. However, there are no tourist facilities at many sites to speak of, and the level of maintenance can definitely be improved. I am not sure to what extent emerging technologies are being used by ASI to speed up discoveries. It would be great if the ASI focuses on building cross-cultural teams to investigate the interactions between the IVC and the later-day Indian civilization and other cultures.
As for the state of archaeology in Pakistan, my view as an outsider is that there seems to be a general lack of interest and funding in conducting archaeological research. There are dozens of known Indus Valley mounds which not being excavated. In Baluchistan, the Sphinx and nearby structures are lying around in plain sight, and yet not a single official survey has been conducted. I don’t know how well the existing sites in Pakistan are being maintained, but there seems to be a definite lack of interest in conducting new excavations.
Saadeqa: What would you like to suggest to youngsters who are interested in pursuing a career in archaeology?
Dev Misra: These days, there is a great deal of interest worldwide to learn more about the ancient cultures and understand the meanings of the text, monuments, and symbols that our ancestors have left behind. Therefore, this is a good time to become an archaeologist and get armed with the skills needed to make important discoveries.
My advice to the youngsters would be to be fearless in the pursuit of the truth. They should follow the evidence and not get tied down by dogmatic views and peer pressure to conform to a certain ideology. It is a fact that in academia and large organizations, you are expected to “toe the line,” and those who do not conform are not given the best treatment. But I hope that the new generation of archaeologists and scientists will break free of these shackles and chart new courses.
A lot of what we used to believe in the past is crumbling away. Nothing is set in stone anymore. The discovery of Gobekli Tepe showed that people were constructing megalithic temples at around 9000 BC, soon after we emerged from the cataclysms of the last Ice Age. The petroglyphs at Ratnagiri have pushed the date back for the origins of sacred symbolism to around 10,000 BC. Scientists have found agriculture dating back to 10,500 BC, while recently, an 11,000-year-old underwater mine was discovered in Mexico. So, the dates for the origins of human civilization are continuously pushed back. It may be a matter of time before realizing that our civilization is a legacy of a lost civilization that flourished during the Ice Age. Much of what we consider as myths and folklores are actually ancient historical narratives.
Therefore, the new generation of archaeologists should keep an open mind and allow the evidence to speak for itself, without getting sidetracked by dogma and preconceived notions.
Pakistan possesses a rich cultural heritage and has been a cradle of ancient civilization and culture. Our country represents a proud legacy of stone-age culture, Indus Civilization, Gandhara Civilization, and Muslim Civilization. The presence of the relics from these periods makes the country unique. Pakistan has been the custodian of some very sacred Buddhist, Hindu, and Sikh heritage sites that attract tourists from all over the world. But unfortunately, these places have suffered badly at the hands of natural disasters and human vandalism.
Therefore, it is essential to draw attention to the Hindu heritage in Pakistan, which is crumbling with passing time and is likely to disappear very soon. Hindu remains in Pakistan are part of the culture and heritage that we share with our eastern neighbor India. Since these sites are in our possession, it is our responsibility to look after them and keep them from further deterioration.
The word “Hindu” is derived from the word “Sindhu” (Indus River), which was used for the first time by the Persians for “the land of River Indus.” The region was named Al-Hind by the Arabs, and the inhabitants of this region were mentioned as Hindus. Hence the term “Hindu” actually signified the people living in the land of river Indus, and the religion that they followed came to be called Hinduism by the orientalists in the 19th century.
Hinduism is one of the world’s ancient religions, and its origin can be tracked down to the Bronze Age (2500-2200 BCE) during the mature phase of Indus Valley Civilization. It is the blend of several beliefs and practices, lifestyles, and thinking connected by a cultural continuity and unified force that characterize Indian Civilization. Swastika, Pashupati (Lord of Animals), and proto-Siva symbols relate this civilization to the Hindu symbolism, which took a final form of a religious belief during the Vedic times. It is believed that Rig Veda, the earliest text of Hinduism, was composed in the northwestern region of the Indian Subcontinent (Pakistan).
A Temple in Tilla Jogian Complex, Jhelum, Punjab (photo by the author)
Temple is themost typical artistic expression of Hinduism,focusing on the spiritual and social life of the Hindu community. The temple indicates the values and way of life of those who erected it and for whom it was built to maintain a relation between man and gods. The divine becomes visibly manifest in the Hindu temple and reachable to man. Hindu temple is considered as the house of god serving as a representation of ultimate enlightenment. Temples have been built throughout Asia during different periods and continue to be built in Hindu dominant regions.
Hindus are a religious minority in Pakistan, and they form 1.6% of the total population of the country. The percentage has fallen from 14.6% that was before partition. The shrinkage in the Hindu population in due course has led to the neglect of Hindu sacred architecture. At present, Pakistan has negligible Hindu inhabitants, and hence their holy spaces are generally abandoned and are in bad condition. This is not the only cause; numerous other factors are responsible for the present state of Hindu’s sacred buildings in Pakistan. Most of the temples had been prey to vandalism as a reaction to the Babri Masjid incident in Ayodhya, Indian, on 6th December 1992. Many were set to fire; others were damaged by the enraged vandals as a reaction. This incident had profound aftereffects on the overall conditions of Hindus in Pakistan and their sacred buildings. The subsequent wave of vandalism of Hindu remains caught a deadly blow during a recent surge of extremism, which, regrettably, transformed the temples into schools, stables, or trash houses. Nearly all, if yet not affected by the above reasons, are prone to the effects of various kinds of environmental pollution.
Satghara Temples at Katas Raj Temple Complex (photo by the author)
Pakistan embraces a reputation of owning some famous temples that are renowned due to many reasons. A few are acknowledged for their mythological association like those present in Katas Raj Complex in Chakwal district, Hinglaj Mata temple in Lasbela district of Balochistan, and Sri Punchmukhi Hanuman Temple in Karachi. Several owe their fame to their affiliation with significant personalities or specific activities like Tilla Jogian in Jhelum district and Gorakhnath temple in Gorkhatri, Peshawar, both dedicated to Guru Gorakhnath, while others like Mallot temple in Chakwal, Amb temple in Khushab, and Shawala Teja Temple in Sialkot, etc., have attracted the attention of the tourists and art lovers due to their distinct styles of art and architecture. Almost all of them are in a dilapidated state, and if not protected, will disappear in the coming years.
For the last few years, the Government of Pakistan is working for the protection of some important temples in the country. Steps have been taken for the functioning of some temples too, which is indeed very encouraging. Many temples across Pakistan have already faded during the past few years. They were investigated and documented a few years back, but now they have vanished completely.
Pakistan was established for a group of people with a common religious belief who were discriminated against and kept deprived of equal rights. Their sacred places were not safe, and their mosques suffered from vandalism at the hands of Hindus and Sikhs. Pakistan, a country founded in the name of Islam, which is the religion of peace and harmony, was never supposed to repeat the same mistakes. This Pak (pure) land is meant for all its citizens, whether Muslims or non-Muslims, and it is the responsibility of all of us to protect and take care of the religious buildings present in every nook and corner of our country as if it is our own sacred space.
Temple at Attock Khurd, Punjab (photo by the author)
Undoubtedly, there is a genuine need for their protection and preservation for the best utilization of memorable Hindus Architecture. The authorities should take steps for the protection, preservation, and conservation of this shared heritage, which represents our past rich culture, to pass it to our generations on which they could be proud of. Their preservation is obligatory not only for their survival for our future generation but also for imparting a strong message to the world that Pakistan does not support extremism at any cost, and Pakistanis care for the sacred structures of every religion.
A few suggestions and recommendations to the authorities are that the significant temples of the country should be protected through conservation, after which measures should be adopted for a safe environment (fencing, etc.), master planning, environmental development (shelter). Restoration of the temples which are structurally collapsed is promptly needed. Establishing the open-air museum is recommended for the safety of temples which are rich in architecture.
Hindu temples in Pakistan are rich in architecture, and these present an intriguing view to the tourists as well as to the devotees. The management and restoration of them could lead to the development of religious and cultural tourism in the region. Their restoration and preservation will attract Hindu pilgrims from all over the world, which would not only develop tourist activities in the region but also nurture interfaith harmony in the country. Tourist activities in the region will result in economic growth and also create a soft image of Pakistan.
Archeology and history are basically the search for human past and ancient civilizations. The historians often use written resources committed to dates, while archeologists concentrate on physical remains and shreds of evidence, basically linked to the spatial origin.
Archeological investigations are a leading source of knowledge of prehistoric, ancient, and extinct cultures/ civilizations. The primary aim of archeology is to enrich our present by knowledge of our predecessors’ experiences and achievements. According to experienced researchers worldwide, the most direct archeology findings bear in the history of arts and technology. But by inference, it also provides historical data for ancient civilizations’ social, religious, and economic aspects. In the past few decades, archeological discoveries bring to light and interpret many previously unknown written documents that eventually provide more certain evidence about our past.
The new era in the systematic and controlled archeological research started with the Frencharcheologist Auguste Mariette, who also founded the Egyptian Museum of Cairo. The British archeologist Flinders Patriedeveloped excavating principles and summarized other methods for archeological discoveries and their aims.
More often than not, archeologists use artifacts like ancient tools, clothing, artwork, decorations, features like pyramids or sculptures, etc. to learn how people lived in a specific time in a particular part of the world. Most ancient cultures left written records that archeologists study and research; surprisingly, some of the most valuable written records found so far were shopping lists, tax forms, and other everyday stuff. But many ancient civilizations have had a complicated writing style that archeologists stretch their heads for a long time to understand and decipher with the help of linguists.
For instance, the Mayan language remained a mystery to scholars for centuries; language experts thought that Maya script was merely symbolic and didn’t represent a language at all. They have been trying unlocking the symbols on discovered monuments, pottery, and statues to learn more about this powerful civilization. Still, there is a long way to fully decode the ancient script, and around 15 percent of the script is still unknown. Thanks to the internet era, researchers and linguists can now share their work with each other easily, and when they unlock the final pieces of this puzzle entirely, it will be a huge step forward for expanding our understanding of the social and historical aspects of the Mayan civilization.
This bi-monthly issue of Scientia Pakistan magazine aims to examine matters of interest for public archeology internationally and mainly in Pakistan. We hope that this issue lays out at least some of the definitive questions that archeological research and activities have the potential to interact with the public. We aim to involve the public in archeological studies, specifically our youth. In the past, it has been observed that Science magazines and research articles on archeology help to enhance the public’s interest; for instance, the campaign involving Viking Dublin in the late 1970s and early 1980s received a large number of public’s involvement with archeology at its height that resulted in thousands of Dubliners taking to the city street ostensibly to protect the city’s archeological assets.
Similarly, in Pakistan, we need to preserve our great archeological heritage in the province of Baluchistan, which has been neglected long ago and many of its historical sites like Makran coast, Dera Bugti, and Sibi brought to light and researchers notice after the completion of Makran Coastal highway in 2004, that linked Gawader to Karachi. Perhaps many such sites in Pakistan are still hidden from the world due to insufficient resources and the entire lack of Government’s interest in preserving archeological heritage. Scientia Pakistan specifically covers these sites and presents compelling stories on the Sphinx of Baluchistan, Baluchitherium, Hingol National Park, Taxila, and other places of archeological importance in Pakistan. Have an excellent read. CHEERS!
Mortimer Wheeler once said, “In a simple direct sense, archaeology is a science that must be lived must be “seasoned with humanity.” Dead archaeology is the driest dust that blows.”
Time Machine: An abstract concept most of us have heard of, and each one of us has conceptualized a somewhat different version of it. The literal meaning behind this term is tedious to get hold of. The mere thought to travel in the past or future seems quite impossible, right? However, the trends of evolution accompanied by predictions about upcoming events can be made using fossils: Fossils when used as a time machine.
Paleontology is the scientific study and assessment of plant and animal fossils (remains of organisms in the rock layer of earth), their shapes, structures, evolutionary history, taxonomic relationships, and their interaction with the environment. For example, while studying fish fossils, a scientist can discover the life span of a particular fish. If favorable conditions persisted, the pattern of growth and development of the organism could be predicted.
Fossils can be used to see back in time.
Similarly, in unfavorable circumstances, the factors affecting the overall biological processes of the organism that lead to its existing form can be hypothesized. These details can then be compared to those found in present-day organisms of similar kind and hence provide an insight into the trend of evolution of organisms. The pool of information acquired from the fossil study can then help us understand and link our research to past events and getter a better understanding of life before us. Fossils to a paleontologist are like diamonds for a jeweler: Each one being extremely important and precious.
Charles Darwin, a biologist, known for his great work in science evolution, suggested that organisms of a particular species evolve via natural selection, which ultimately leads to the survival of the fittest. An aspect to be noted here is that paleontology predicts patterns of evolution only. It does not explain the diversity of organisms or the effects of physiological advancements in organisms. Fossil study can help understand the process of evolution by the construction of evolutionary trees after an in-depth study, analysis, and observation of fossils found. An evolutionary tree depicts the relationship that exists between organisms, and each branch in the tree indicates the formation of a new species via the process of speciation.
Similarly, some fossils tell us about how an organism lived. For example, Amber is a solidified tree resin. Occasionally, some resin trips down a tree trunk, trapping air bubbles along with small insects and small animals. Paleontologists study this fossil resin to observe those specimens. The animals trapped in resin are taken a closer look at, and the diet of those organisms and their eating styles can be recognized. Furthermore, any trapped air bubbles are valuable sources for finding out any volcanic activity or atmospheric changes by studying air chemistry.
Amber is a solidified tree resin. Credit: Pinterest
Moreover, the behavior of animals can be predicted from their fossils. For instance, paleontologist hypothesized that whales evolved from land animals. They suggested that hadrosaurs, a type of dinosaur, lived in large groups. This observation is made after gathering evidence of the social behavior of almost 10000 skeletons from a specific site. Similarly, many more theories and logics are used to trace the links between ancestral organisms and those found in the present-day just by taking a closer look at their fossils.
Hysterical laughter: Scott Wing
Scott Wing: A paleobotanist, whose interest lies in the study of responses of the prehistoric plants to climate change, particularly global warming, came across an unexplored hill. His exploration there led him to a Rhus like leaf fossil, something he had never seen before. “As soon as I saw fossils, I knew. They did not look like anything before or after. It was so striking it seemed absolutely hilarious.” Wing stated. Wing’s eagerness to find the pattern of global warming over the years is another pivotal use of plant fossils. An exponential rise in global warming has posed a great threat to present and future generations over recent years. According to Wing, the information gathered by plant fossils can give us a better degree of understanding about how global climate systems are connected and hence determine the effects of carbon emissions in the atmosphere.
Let us think for a minute: What will future paleontologists discover millions of years from now? Probably remains of the present-day organisms, maybe ours. The effect of current climatic changes, pollution, and carbon emissions could be observed in the time ahead. Though not all the organisms will end up as fossils, the majority of those near water bodies may. This is due to the ease of burial at such sites. The study and analysis of fossils in the future will aid in revealing the existence of organisms found in the present day. Knowledge gained from those fossils in the future will enable scientists to discover the anatomy of organisms and track down the events which resulted in the survival of the modified form of species millions of years ahead of now.
Fossils are considered a good source to track down the evolutionary history of organisms
As astonishing as it may sound, fossil study can help predict patterns of future events, primarily the consequences of climate change on lives ahead. Marine ecosystems are highly prone to damaging consequences of climate change. Seawater organisms are already threatened by water acidification, marine pollution, algal blooms formation, lack of oxygen, all due to drastic climatic shifts. By comprehending information acquired after studying fossils, paleontologists can make perceptions about future climate shifts or study about the past ones, hence aiding in grasping a clearer concept of the evolutionary processes and effect of natural factors on the environment.
Although fossils are considered a good source to track down the evolutionary history of organisms, many loopholes remain. For instance, in 2014, researchers suggested that the fossils of a 55-million-year-old Dormaalocyon, a carnivore, resembles the of modern-day tiger and lions. This hypothesis was formulated after studying the teeth shape of Dormaalocyon. However, this is not complete evidence to fully confirm the link between both types of organisms as both groups of animals is rather different species. The main reason behind this uncertainty is the variation that occurs between fossils of the same species even. These transitions act as a hurdle to confirm the linkage between ancestral and modern species of similar organisms.
Despite some loopholes, fossils continue to be and will be a strong contender for playing its role as a time machine. We need to harness maximum information we can from the fossils present, discover for more, and expand our pool of knowledge for finding out about life before us and life after us.
Only in a matter of days, SpaceX and NASA’s Crew-1 will blast off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida onboard Dragon Spacecraft named “Resilience “on Falcon-9 rocket to the International Space Station (ISS). This will mark the first operational mission of Dragon spacecraft, following the success of the Crew Demo-2 test flight last May 2020 carrying astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station and back, and bringing launching services of crewed missions back to the United States after 9 years!
The Resilience will be commanded by Astronaut Michael Hopkins, who has previously flown in 2013’s Expedition 65 aboard Russian Soyuz Spacecraft. His pilot will be Victor Glover, a US Navy Commander who is set to make the record of being the longest African-American in Space. Sharon Walker, American Physicist will aid as Mission Specialist, further assisted by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Astronaut Soiche Noguchi, a veteran of two spaceflights in 2003 and 2009.
The crew arrived at the Kennedy Space Centre on Sunday, 8th November 2020, where they were greeted by NASA’S administrator, Jim Bridenstine, Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard, Center Director Bob Cabana, and manager of JAXA’s International Space Station program, Junichi Sakai. The astronauts have been kept in quarantine till the day of launch to ensure that they travel virus-free en route to the ISS.
NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, and Mike Hopkins, and astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency – who constitute the crew of NASA’s Crew-1 mission – inside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. Credits: SpaceX
Following the lift-off at 7:49 pm EST on Sunday, November 14, 2020, Dragon will commence docking sequence with ISS on November 15, 2020, followed by the opening of the hatch on the same day. Press Conference with the current astronauts aboard ISS- Kate Rubins of NASA, Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of Roscosmos- has been arranged on November 16, 2020.
This six-months long science mission has been delayed considerable times since September 2020 due to faults occurring in the schedule of Crew rotations and Cargo supply mission’s alignment, and the concerns raised by the technicians on the issues of Resilience’s engines.
Dragon is expected to ‘splash down’ back on Earth in the early summers of 2021. The conclusion of this mission will pave its way for the lift-off of Crew-2 members which is slated for May 2021.
A recent research conducted by the researchers at Cambridge demonstrates that you make poor decisions because you overlook the total value of an event or experience and over-emphasize its end.
What shapes how you remember an event/experience is how your brain values it.
Your last negative experience is the determining factor that decides whether or not you would like for an event to happen again and how you would remember it. These negative experiences blur the early positive memories of an event. This phenomenon is related to the inter-working mechanism of your brain.
The research published in the Journal of Neuroscience shows that concentrating on the ending of an event may result from how your brain encodes the value and temporal profile of that experience/event. Your brain has the ability to keep track of experiences and their meanings as well as how these meanings evolve with time; over-emphasizing, particularly on the ending, will result in poor decision-making.
A computational model developed by the researcher duo Martin Vestergaard and Wolfram Schultz clarified functional MRI recordings. The sample included 27 males. They were given the task of choosing between two streams of coins. The coins varied in size; the bigger the coin, the bigger its value. The model uncovered a disparity between the genuine value of the experience. Members despised when the coins diminished in size, regardless of whether the stream was generally worth more coins. This resulted in participants making wrong decisions.
The results of the study show that the amygdala was responsible for accurately encoding the overall value of an experience. In contrast, the anterior insula of your brain marks down the overall value of an experience if the experience includes a series of negative events.
For those who seek, skies always have something to offer. Last week, the Orionid meteor shower peaked but don’t worry if you missed it for its going to go on for a while. The forecasts by the American Meteor Society shows that a few meteors per hour will be visible.
When Earth passes through the debris of the famous Comet Halley, an Orionid meteor shower is produced. This happens every year around this specific time, as the cosmic shingles go through the upper atmosphere of our planet and burn up, giving us sights to enjoy and marvel at. Shooting stars and fireballs also pop up every now and then. The shower is considered to be a major one as the amount during the active period, i.e. first week of October to the first week of November, is high.
The Orionids enter our atmosphere with a speeding velocity of 66 kilometers per second (147,000 miles per hour). A lot of the meteors last for just a few seconds and some show fantastic displays. To be able to enjoy it, stargazers are advised to find places where there is less or preferably no light pollution and open sky is visible. Focus on specific regions of the sky is not needed. Though, the name ‘Orionids’ is given because their trails come from the same area where constellation Orion is located.
The best time to view them would be early morning hours and given their extended peek, one should be able to catch them through the weekends and early days of November.
Coming up: Leonids Meteor Shower
If you happen to miss the October meteor shower, worry not, as the month of November will also bring another shower with it. From November 16 to 17, the Leonids Meteor Shower will grace the skies. There will be an estimated 15 shooting stars per hour.
Nasa spacecraft Osiris-Rex has successfully landed on an asteroid, dodging boulders the size of buildings, to collect a handful of cosmic rubble and dust samples for analysis back on Earth.
NASA’s team behind the Osiris-Rex project issued a statement that the preliminary data showed the sample collection went as pre-planned and the spacecraft had now lifted off the surface of asteroid Bennu.
The scientific and space enthusiasts have been long-awaited this event and #ToBennuAndBack remains the top hashtag for more than three days on Twitter.
The back-away burn is complete 🛑✅ I'm now moving to a safe distance away from Bennu. pic.twitter.com/bXk2ufSneS
Today, the Osiris-Rex spacecraft sent back confirmation of its brief contact with asteroid Bennu more than 200m miles (322m km) away, drawing cheers from the mission team. But it will take a week or so before scientists know how much, if anything, is grabbed, or nothing at all and another try will be needed. According to NASA’s officials, If successful, Osiris-Rex will return the samples in 2023.
The asteroid Bennu
The asteroid Bennu is just 1,670 feet across, and its gravity was too low for Osiris-Rex to land, which forced the spacecraft had to reach out with its 3.4-meter robot arm and attempt to grab at least 2 ounces (60 grams) of Bennu.
Therefore, on Bennu, the Osiris-Rex spacecraft took around four-and-a-half hours to successfully landed down from its tight orbit to the surface, following the commands sent well by ground controllers located near Denver.
🔥 Checkpoint burn completed. "Okay, we're heading down towards the asteroid surface at this point." Our @OSIRISREx spacecraft is making its descent toward asteroid Bennu for sample collection. #ToBennuAndBackpic.twitter.com/VVCQuhyt7F
According to the resources, this US mission follows one run by Japan’s Hayabusa2, which is due to return to Earth in December 2020 and is bearing samples collected from the 4.5bn-year-old asteroid Ryugu back in May 2019. When it lands in the Australian desert as planned, it will be the first ever sub-surface asteroid sample to return to Earth.
In the first week of October, after a half-century for his work, Penrose just has won the long-awaited, deserving “Nobel Prize in the Physics for 2020”, while in a rush to celebrate his 90th Birthday next year. Today, Penrose still serves as the Professor Emeritus Rose Ball Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and continues to open and inspire the minds of young scientists and enthusiasts globally with the same energy he had decades ago when he produced visionaries such as the Late Stephen Hawking.
In an interview, Penrose once said, “I was always plodding, I was good at mathematics, yes, but I didn’t necessarily do very well in my tests.” “But, my teacher realized if he gave me enough time, I would do well. I basically had to do everything by working it out from first principles.” The above statements show the much foundational curiosity and depths of the eminent physicist to engage and pursue problems, eventually shining with creativity and intellect in the end, what every scientist should have and can practice for. None could have thought that Sir Roger would later go on and become such an influence and founder of the new field of “Black Holes” in Cosmology.
A young Penrose. Credits: University of Leicester
Sir Roger was a Topology Mathematician; the field of mathematics where you can explain the geometry of twisted and weirdly stretched objects; then he, later on, proved the possibility of “This extremely dense zones of space, where matter collapses on itself, where gravity is superficial and not even the escape of light is possible, what we know today as the Black Hole.” As predicted in Dr. Albert Einstein’s ‘Field Equations,’ the existence of singularities calling for the robust explanation of possible space-time curvatures to infinity, forming a Black Hole.
In 1965, 55 years ago, “Sir Roger Penrose,” the Legendary Mathematical Physicist and Philosopher of Science wrote a paper precisely “Proving the possibility of Black Holes mathematically as a manifestation of General Theory of Relativity” when it was regarded as a radical, rebellious, yet an intrepid idea in cosmology. The year 1965 was crucial for the history of General Theory of Relativity, a decade of revival since the discovery of “Cosmic Background Radiation,” Penrose’s “Modern Singularity Theorem” was published.
Incredibly from the perspective of discovering, Sir Penrose was one of the first ingenious to show the that the “core of a star can collapse itself, which is about to die in a supernova, can produce such objects” he also suggested that the “Big Bang” could have happened due to a singularity on such a massive, universal scale, or what we believe is the creation of our own universe.
Nobel Prize in Physics 2020 winners.
Summary of Penrose’s work showing details about the black hole formation.
They discovered that an invisible and cumbersome object governs the orbits of stars at the center of our Galaxy. A supermassive black hole is the only currently known explanation.
Dr.Ghez and Genzel have measured the orbits of stars around the massive object in the center of our Galaxy for decades through international collaborations of different teams; this fundamental scientific discovery is an eventual result of the seed planted by Roger Penrose in 55 years ago, in 1965.
