Sahelanthropus may be the earliest human ancestor that we know about, but it is mired in controversy. In the 1980s, French paleontologist Michel Brunet and his partner David Pilbeam were searching for hominin fossils in Cameroon, in deposits formed along an ancient shoreline when Lake Chad had been much larger than at present and was surrounded … Continue reading A Closer Look at: Sahelanthropus →

The submarine USS Dolphin was specially built as a test-bed for deep-diving designs. At the outbreak of the Second World War, a typical submarine or u-boat was capable of diving to a maximum depth of round 250 feet. By the time the war ended, advanced models like the American Tench class could reach depths of 450 … Continue reading Submarine USS Dolphin →

The first diary in a series which looks at significant species in the evolution of humans. Humans evolved from apelike ancestors. This idea was first put forth in 1859, when Charles Darwin wrote On the Origin of Species and spelled out his idea of evolution through natural selection. At that time, most people accepted the religious … Continue reading Hominins →

The Star of India is an iron-hulled merchant sailing ship built in England in 1863. On display at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, she is billed as “the world’s oldest active sailing ship”. In 1863, the Gibson, McDonald & Arnold shipbuilding company, on the Isle of Man, began work on a three-masted sailing barque … Continue reading Sailing Ship “Star of India” →