87 Million Year old Praying Mantis Tops Fossil and Dinosaur Find of 2008

According to National Geographic’s Top 10 Fossil and Dinosaur finds of 2008, Number 1 on the list is this 87 million year old Praying Mantis.

Photo: Ancient Praying Mantis Found in Amber

A praying mantis trapped in amber that was found in Japan in January 2008 dates back 87 million years, to the late Cretaceous period.

Researchers say the mantis, one of only seven in the world from this geologic period, displays unique features that may mean it is a “missing link” between the ancient insects and their modern counterparts.

What legacy will humans leave in the rocks - Ego Alert

I am just full of attacks on your ego today at DaddyHogwash.com.  The following excerpt is from the book, ‘The Earth After Us; What Legacy Will Humans Leave in the Rocks,’ which I just added to my list of books to read or have read.  The author is Jan Zalasiewicz.

Some of you may have seen the History Channel special called ‘Life after People‘ which covers a very similar topic.  What made it interesting is that it worked on a time-line by showing what would the world be like the next day after people, 10 years after people, 100 years after people, etc.  It followed this trend all the way until after there is essentially no trace left of human existence on Earth.

It is after all traces of human existence have disappeared that this book appears to pick up.  I am looking forward to it.  (Not the end of human existence.  I mean the book.)

“The surface of the Earth is no place to preserve deep history. This is in spite of – and in large part because of – the many events that have taken place on it. The surface of the future Earth, one hundred million years now, will not have preserved evidence of contemporary human activity,” Zalasiewicz writes. “One can be quite categorical about this. Whatever arrangement of oceans and continents, or whatever state of cool or warmth will exist then, the Earth’s surface will have been wiped clean of human traces.”

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• After humans have gone

The end of the world, and the Legacy of One Family in Pompeii - The Discovery Channel

The Discovery Channel has put together this awesome and eerie slide-show of one family’s last day in Pompeii.  Polybius was an important public figure on Pompeii and archeologists have uncovered his home, along with thirteen preserved skeletal bodies.  With all of the well-preserved architecture, furniture, and bodies, experts have been able to reconstruct the final nineteen hours or so of this families life.

More proof that the “End of the World” comes about 155,000 times a day around the world in 2008.  Maybe that is what is meant when we hear in theology that the “End of the world is near!”

The Legacy of One Family in Pompeii.

115 million year old flying reptile fossil found in Brazil

No, the fossil was not found flying, it was found in a dig.  Regardless, that is not what is special about it.  Considering that most of human recorded history has happened only over the last couple to few thousand years, it is hard to imagine anything flying in our skies one million years ago, let alone 115 million years ago.

When the numbers get in to the millions and billions, I think it is easy for people to lose perspective on just how long ago that actually is.

Fossil of Giant Flying Reptile Found - Science & Health news | Newser: Know More. Search Less.

(Newser) – Scientists have uncovered a new species of gigantic reptile that flew the skies over Brazil 115 million years ago, the BBC reports. The reptile, by far the largest of its kind ever found, had a wing span of over 16 feet. Lacusovagus—meaning lake wanderer—had a huge jaw, suggesting it tackled especially large prey. It dwarfs similar species found in China.

Ancient “Cloud People of Peru” civilization found

I bet this is a little bit like people in 1000 years finding the lost city of Stockholm.

Ancient city discovered in Amazonian rainforest linked to the legendary white-skinned Cloud People of Peru | Mail Online

It is thought this settlement may finally help historians unlock the secrets of the ‘white warriors of the clouds’.

The tribe had white skin and blonde hair - features which intrigue historians, as there is no known European ancestry in the region, where most inhabitants are darker skinned.

The citadel is tucked away in one of the most far-flung areas of the Amazon. It sits at the edge of a chasm which the tribe may have used as a lookout to spy on enemies.