M.J. Rose

Our imaginations soared when we read this line: “What it begins to suggest is that we’re looking at a ‘Lord of the Rings’-type world”…

Ancient Humans Bred with Completely Unknown Species (Ancient Origins)

“A new study presented to the Royal Society meeting on ancient DNA in London last week has revealed a dramatic finding – the genome of one of our ancient ancestors, the Denisovans, contains a segment of DNA that seems to have come from another species that is currently unknown to science. The discovery suggests that there was rampant interbreeding between ancient human species in Europe and Asia more than 30,000 years ago. But, far more significant was the finding that they also mated with a mystery species from Asia – one that is neither human nor Neanderthal.

Scientists launched into a flurry of discussion and debate upon hearing the study results and immediately began speculating about what this unknown species could be. Some have suggested that a group may have branched off to Asia from the Homo heidelbernensis, who resided in Africa about half a million years ago. They are believed to be the ancestors of Europe’s Neanderthals.

However others, such as Chris Stringer, a paleoanthropologist at the London Natural History Museum, admitted that they “don’t have the faintest idea” what the mystery species could be…”

See more here.

An eerie and wonderful animation from 1917 – feast your eyes!

A fairy brings two dolls to life, part of a short lived stop-motion puppet series by animator Howard S. Moss, adapted from a series of books entitled Motoys in Life published by Toyland Publishing Company. Origin of American animation 1900-1921 describes the film as “Alice in Wonderland meets the Garden of Eden… [a] surreal fable of a drunk rabbit, bowling dwarfs, and the two bewildered girls of the title.” (The Public Domain Review)

…The best little slide show we’ve seen in a while.

Here’s How People 100 Years Ago Thought We’d Be Living Today

By Greg Miller (Wired)

“In 100 years, there will be flying taxis and people will travel to the moon routinely. Knowledge will be instilled into students through wires attached to their heads. These may sound like the predictions of modern-day futurists, but they’re how people a century ago saw the future–otherwise known to you and me as the present.

These vintage European postcards illustrate a view of the 21st century that is remarkably prescient in some ways and hilariously wrong in others, says Ed Fries, who selected them from his private collection…”

Click here for the rest, and click the image below to see the pictures.

With the propeller churning and the spotlight on their destination, a group of travelers returns from the moon in the year 2012. Sure, we actually went to the moon in 1969, but this image suggests that lunar travel would become routine, Fries says. “Just another weekend trip.”
Courtesy of Ed Fries