It is claimed that 13 ancient crystal skulls have been found with mysterious properties.
The Mitchell-Hedges family loaned the skull to Hewlett-Packard Laboratories for extensive study in 1970. Art restorer Frank Dorland oversaw the testing at the Santa Clara, California, computer equipment manufacturer, a leading facility for crystal research. The HP examinations yielded some startling results.
Researchers found that the skull had been carved against the natural axis of the crystal. Modern crystal sculptors always take into account the axis, or orientation of the crystal's molecular symmetry, because if they carve "against the grain," the piece is bound to shatter -- even with the use of lasers and other high-tech cutting methods.
To compound the strangeness, HP could find no microscopic scratches on the crystal which would indicate it had been carved with metal instruments. Dorland's best hypothesis for the skull's construction is that it was roughly hewn out with diamonds, and then the detail work was meticulously done with a gentle solution of silicon sand and water. The exhausting job -- assuming it could possibly be done in this way -- would have required man-hours adding up to 300 years to complete.
Note: 5/08, crystal skulls find themselves in the lates Indiana Jones movie!
Beluga whales are at the top of the food chain. A nice distinction, but it also means they acquire the sum total of toxins acquired by organisms all the way down the chain because these toxins such as PCB and heavy metal poisoning don't break down. Belugas, in fact, are so full of contaminants, when they are found beached they qualify as a toxic biohazard.
Beluga whales are at the top of the food chain. A nice distinction, however, it also means they acquire the sum total of toxins in the organisms in that chain. Since PCBs and heavy metals don't break down in any organism they accumulate instead.
So when a Beluga eats a salmon that ate a crustacean that grubbed on some plant, all the PCBs and heavy metals that these organisms absorbed end up in the beluga.
Belugas, in fact, are so full of contaminants, when they are found beached they qualify as a toxic biohazard.
Paul Revere’s metals company once supplied the Mint with rolled copper for the production of early cents. Impressively, the company is still in business today making top quality aluminum siding.
There are currently three types of batteries commonly used to run people's laptops:
1) Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries were the standard technology for years, but are now out of date.
2) Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) batteries are a cadmium-free replacement for Nickel Cadmium.
3) Lithium Ion (Li-ion) is the battery you want for your laptop and is the current standard for portable power.
Gutenberg adapted the screw press, which was already used to squeeze grapes for wine and olives for oil, and paired it with a new oil-based ink that stuck to metal type.