October 19: This week on earth, an Chiense long horned beetle
has made the papers. Two years ago, Anoplophora glabripennis (I'd give
a dollar to hear a person pronouce that) came to the US on a shipment
of sewer pipes, and has promptly infested the trees in the New York
and Illiones area. The humogous bug attackslive hardwood tree such as
maples, willows, poplars, and aspens. Concindently, a billion dollar
market is invested in maple trees in New England, so you can see why
ecomoy is worried about it.
(Source:Washington Post)
November 27: A 142 year old flower was found in northeast China latly.
It is more like a twig with pods on it, but rember, this is before
beauty evolved into flowers. "It would have been a very differtent
world" says David Dilcher,"if early flowerings plants like this one had
not been successful." The anicent fossiel was found in a formation of
limestone and volocanic ash, about 250 miles northeast of Beijing. The
rocks in which they were found used to be at the bottom of a lake, that
was covered with volanic ash. Life at the bottom was fossilized. A
wide varitiy of life had been found, such as dinos, birds, and plants.
But never before a flowering plant. (Source: Washington Post)
© 1997 payton@erols.com
Get your own Free Home Page