Remote Island Provides Clues on Population Growth, Environmental Degradation

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The entrance to the Tangarutu rock shelter on the Rapa coast: The cave according to radiocarbon dating has been shown to be the oldest site of habitation beginning in about AD 1200. Inside researchers found remnants of sleeping mats and other evidenc ...
The entrance to the Tangarutu rock shelter on the Rapa coast: The cave, according to radiocarbon dating, has been shown to be the oldest site of habitation, beginning in about AD 1200. Inside, researchers found remnants of sleeping mats and other evidence indicating 400 years of usage of the cave. Source: Photo courtesy of Douglas Kennett

Halfway between South America and New Zealand, in the remote South Pacific, is Rapa. This horseshoe-shaped, 13.5 square-mile island of volcanic origin, located essentially in the middle of nowhere, is “a microcosm of the world’s situation,” says a University of Oregon archaeologist.


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All News summaries for August 28, 2006

Arctic 'holds 90bln barrels of oil, mostly offshore'

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Within the Arctic circle there are 90 billion barrels of oil and vast quantities of natural gas waiting to be tapped, most of it offshore, the government-run US Geological Survey said.

Russian scientists begin trial exploration of world's deepest lake

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Russian scientists leading a submarine expedition to probe the world's deepest lake on Thursday carried out test dives ahead of the start of the operation next week, reports said.

Scientists solve 30-year-old aurora borealis mystery

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UCLA space scientists and colleagues have identified the mechanism that triggers substorms in space; wreaks havoc on satellites, power grids and communications systems; and leads to the explosive release of ...

The Quiet Explosion: Object intermediate between normal supernovae and gamma-ray bursts found

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A European-led team of astronomers are providing hints that a recent supernova may not be as normal as initially thought. Instead, the star that exploded is now understood to have collapsed into a black hole, producing a ...

Scientists break record by finding northernmost hydrothermal vent field

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Well inside the Arctic Circle, scientists have found black smoker vents farther north than anyone has ever seen before. The cluster of five vents – one towering nearly four stories in height – are venting ...
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