Zark's

Preventing Another Irish Potato Famine

A potato infected with Columbia root-knot nematode (left) and a healthy potato.
Image Credit: Peggy Greb, USDA

Wikipedia reminds us that the Great Famine occurred between 1845 and 1852.  Ireland's population decreased by 20 to 25 percent, half because of starvation, and half due to emigration.

It was similar to one of the Jewish diasporas - where the population is dispersed to the rest of the world, and effectively spreading the culture.  Although the trigger was a bacterium, the fundamental problem was that over half of the Irish farms were not large enough to grow any crops but potatoes. 

As explained in, Scientists Find Weakness of Infamous Blight-Causing Microbe, explains the Phytophthora infestans actually crossed the Atlantic, originating in Mexico. For the two years earlier, potato crops in the U.S. were devastated by the bacterium, but because of the Irish socio-economics, it was much more serious in Ireland.

The Popular Mechanics article tells scientists have identified the bacterium has two separate regions in its genome that permit it to adapt to new environments, permitting it to target a completely different family of plants.  One region changes very slowly - giving the microbe hardiness, but a second region of the genome changes very quickly, increasing its surivability.  Variants of the bacterium are known to attack lima beans, tomatoes, and even flowers such as morning glories.  But now that researchers know they must attack both regions of the genome, they should be able to prevent future famines.

Explaining the Parting of the Red Sea

A sandstorm over Egypt - the Red Sea is the channel in the lower right.  The green channel is the Nile River and the Sinai Peninsula
Image Credit: NASA/MODIS Rapid Response Team

Wikipedia tells the Red Sea is almost 1400 miles long and 220 miles wide at the widest point of the Indian Sea inlet.

The Red Sea is known for most likely being the body of water crossed by the Israelites as they escaped from the Egyptians.  The story appears in the Book of Exodus and tells how the waters parted, leaving a dry bed for the Israelite escape.  Once the Israelites reached the other shore, the wall of water collapsed, drowning the Egyptian army.  Perhaps it occurred as depicted in the 1956 film, the Ten Commandments, starring Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, and Anne Baxter.  Or not.

Students of the Bible and skeptics alike have wondered how Moses could have led the Israelites across the channel that is over 1600 feet deep in the main channel. Parting the Waters: Computer Modeling Applies Physics to Red Sea Escape Route tells that supercomputer modeling has identified a possibility.  The Science Daily article explains there is a bend where an ancient river merged with a Mediterranean coastal lagoon. 

With tropical storm-force winds (63 mph), it could have created a land bridge for the Israelites to escape Egypt.  The researchers identified the possible crossing position as the very north end of the channel in the satellite imagery.  The walls of water produced by the wind would have exposed a crossing 2.5 miles in length and 3 miles wide.

The Ancient Nubians Used Tetracycline

A culture of streptococcus with a strip of graduated dosage azithromycin, and disks of erythromycin and tetracyline.

Image Credit: CDC/Dr. Richard Faklam

The docs at Georgia Tech kept big bottles of blue erythromycin tablets on their desks and it seemed that regardless of your symptoms, they would hand you a little packet of perhaps 20 erythromycin tablets.  Well maybe it wasn't as bad as that, but they did give out a lot of those pills.  The photograph on the left shows that the antibiotic is amazingly effective against streptococcus.

A headline from Archeology Today caught my eye - Ancient Nubians Drank Antibiotic-Laced Beer.  My history was a little wanting today - I had to research the Nubian people who originally inhabited northern Sudan and southern Egypt.  Through the centuries they have gradually migrated to Eastern Africa.  Wikipedia tells the Egyptians were very respectful of the Nubians - they had great wealth, and advanced civilization, and a powerful army.  Anwar El Sadat's mother was a Nubian.

An Emory University anthropologist, George Armelagos, discovered samples of bone from mummies circa 350 - 550 A.D. exhibited tetracycline.  The entire civilization was ingesting not just small amounts, but much larger than doctors prescribe today.  The Discovery News article tells that some investigative work identified the source as grain stored underground.  When fermented into beer, the tetracycline amounts exploded.  Speculation is the Nubians knew there were special properties in the beer, because even skeletons of 2-to-6-year-old children have large amounts of tetracycline.

Tetracycline was first identified as a natural antibiotic in 1948.  Harvard Professor Robert Woodward determined the chemical structure and with a team of scientists at Pfizer, patented the antibiotic.  Mmm.  Who would have thought the ancient Nubians used it centuries earlier?

Looking for Arthur and Merlin

Numerous well-known landmarks appear in this detailed view of London taken from the International Space Station on April 5, 2005. The most striking visual features are green open spaces such as Regent’s Park, Hyde Park and St. James’s Park east of Buckingham Palace. Many smaller parks indicate why Londoners are proud of being able to walk miles through the city mainly on grass. The River Thames -- with its bridges and barges -- is the axis upon which the city was founded in Roman times.

Text and Photo Credit: NASA

Camelot is an enduring story.  Most of us know know of King Arthur and Merlin from the musical, based upon T.H. White's The Once and Future King.  As the story opens, nothing could be better - even the snows are controlled.  Then, gradually, much like Merlin, the good begins to fade as evil and self destroy Arthur's kingdom.  (Recall that Merlin lives his life backward, from future to history.)

One of the myths of King Arthur of course, was the Round Table.  Arguably more important than the real Magna Carta, the Round Table has long been a sensible solution for an important problem - how to convey equal status upon everyone.

King Arthur's Round Table 'found' - except it's not a table, but a Roman amphitheatre in Chester tells of a new theory.  The Telegraph's article explains that Arthur would have fortified the abandoned amphitheatre instead of building a new Camelot complex.  The 'table' was then an open space inside the amphitheatre where all of the nobles could have access to their servants, seated in the round.  See the new documentary trailer at heritage-key.  An interesting blog of the subject is here.

Discovering Vespasian's Summer Residence

Wiki reminds us that Vespasian was Roman Emperor from 69-79 AD.  He came from a military family and became famous for squelching the Jewish rebellion of 66.  The root of the conflict was Greeks sacrificing birds in front of a synagogue in Caesarea.  Because the Roman garrison did not interfere, escalating attacks upon Romans citizens and their supporters began, resulting in King Agrippa II and Berenice fleeing to Galilee.  A Roman legion and auxiliary were defeated, resulting in Emperor Nero appointing Vespasian to end the rebellion.

Nero of course, was rapidly losing his sanity, and was finally declared an enemy of Rome by the Senate.  He fled, and to a villa outside of Rome where he committed suicide.  A civil war ensued, where Rome had four emperors in a single year.  After successfully regaining control of Judea, in 69 AD, he returned to Rome, leaving his son Titus to complete the assault and siege of Jerusalem.  Supported by the Roman military, he was declared Emperor by the Senate in 69 AD, at the age of 60.

Roman Emperor Vespasian's Villa Found tells that the emperor's summer residence has been discovered near the town of Cittareale (click for the Google Earth view), northeast of Rome.  The Discovery Channel's article adds that Vespasian was born in nearby Falacrinae, and may have built the 161,459 square foot villa to impress former friends and family.  Perhaps not, because Vespasian was a builder - during his rule, several major structures such as the Colosseum were constructed.

It was in his summer villa that he died in 79 AD.  Wiki notes that Vespasian was bright and good-natured.  In response to a philosopher who repeatedly slandered him, he said, "I will not kill a dog that barks at me." 

Ventotene - A History Lesson

Ventotene is a volcanic island off the western coast of Italy.  (About 2/3 down down the peninsula, before the instep of Italy's geographical 'boot'.)  The satellite imagery from Google Earth is uncharacteristically of very poor quality, but Bing has some nice imagery.  The island does look like a weathered-down ancient volcano.  Some of the coastline has sheer rocky cliffs, and other regions like, well, a platform of rock.  It is scenic and gorgeous, but Florida is it not.

Wiki tells that ancient Rome used the island to banish nobles, notably females.  It was here the emperor Augustus banished his daughter Julia for her adultery.  Tiberius banished a grand-niece similarly, and several other caesars also practiced sending relatives who they disfavored to the island.  Most of the women perished from starvation.  Looking at the satellite imagery, you can understand why - there is not much vegetation on this small island, although it now has 700 permanent residents.  During World War II, Mussolini established a prison on the island and later, a garrison of German soldiers operated a radar station on the island. 

Archaeology tells that Roman shipwrecks have been recently discovered off the coast of Ventotene.  Ancient Roman shipwrecks found off Italy coast provides some some pictures of the cargo carried by five shipwrecks ranging from first century BC to fourth century AD.  Archaeologists find graveyard of sunken Roman ships speculates that the ships had been attempting to find safe anchorage during stormy weather, and did not quite make the island's natural harbor. 

Aurora provides details of the five individual sites.  The first four sites are from first century BC and exhibit cargos of Rome-produced goods such as wine.  Site 5 from 4th century AD shows that Rome has begun importing goods that it once exported.  The Reuters' article also discusses the pattern of trade exhibited by the wrecks - first producing and then importing.

What is old is new again.  Perhaps the recent trade pattern developed by western countries over the past 20-50 years is the same phenomena that Rome developed in the latter years of the empire.