Dru Posted October 9, 2002 Posted October 9, 2002 Cash plea for space impact study By Dr David Whitehouse BBC News Online science editor Scientists investigating what is believed to be a "significant" fresh meteoroid impact crater in a remote part of Siberia are begging for funds to mount an expedition. A British meteorite expert has called on the international community to help Russian researchers get to the impact site, which may be of major scientific importance. It is imperative that US and UK funding bodies to support our Russian colleagues in their investigation of the Siberian impact Benny Peiser, John Moores University, Liverpool Hunters in the region say they have seen a large crater surrounded by burned forest. Vladimir Polyakov, of the Institute of Solar and Terrestrial Physics in Moscow, said: Specialists have no doubt that it is a meteorite that fell into the taiga on Thursday." Middle-power Earthquake Polyakov says there were more than 100 eyewitnesses to the event. He added that scientists believed them. He said instruments rarely recorded the impacts of meteoroids and so eyewitnesses were practically the only source of information for such events. Kirill Levi, vice-director of the Earth Crust Institute in Siberia, said: "The seismic monitoring station located near the event site recorded the moment of impact recording seismic waves comparable to a middle-power earthquake." Vladimir Polyakov added that it was impossible to send a state-funded expedition to the site, which lies in Bodaibo district, Irkutsk region, without approval from the Meteorite Studies Center in Moscow. Bodaibo residents say they witnessed the fall of a very large, luminous body, which looked like a huge boulder. No funds Scientists in Irkutsk have sent a report to Moscow along with a request for funds to mount an expedition but have had no reply. Benny Peiser, of Liverpool John Moores University, UK, said: "We appear to be dealing with a significant impact event." He told BBC News Online: "It is imperative that US and UK funding bodies support our Russian colleagues in their investigation of the Siberian impact. "The resources required for sending a scientific expedition to the epicentre of the event would be very moderate but could yield vital information about the impact threat that concerns every citizen of the world." Quote
Greg_W Posted October 9, 2002 Posted October 9, 2002 Did you miss the companion story about vodka poisoning affecting eyesight and the explosive dangers of homemade stills? Quote
Beck Posted October 9, 2002 Posted October 9, 2002 There are recurring cases of this type of poisoning out in Darrington; may have something to do with that town's rather stilted nature. Good thing the state keeps the Darrington liquor store open or things could be a lot worse! Quote
Dru Posted October 17, 2002 Author Posted October 17, 2002 20:17 2002-10-15 Killer Russian Bears Knock Off People with Rock Slides Bears push rocks down from mountains to kill people The road between the two Russian resort cities Adler and Krasnaya Polyana is becoming more and more dangerous for drivers and passengers. Piles of rocks tumble down upon people’s heads. Dozens of people have already suffered, and several of them died. Law-enforcement bodies blame road services for this. Twenty-four-year-old resident of the city of Perm, Oleg Sadardinov, took his young wife on a honeymoon to the resort city of Sochi. Oleg’s friend suggested a car ride in the mountains. Driving to the town of Krasnaya Polyana, they suddenly heard a crashing sound. The driver stopped the car, but it was not possible to avoid the falling rocks. Oleg died in a local hospital. Alexander Sergiyenko, the prosecutor of the Adler region, stated that it was one of the latest tragedies along the road. A girl named Maya Nemudraya was the first victim of rocks last year. When the tragedy happened, everyone thought that it was an accident. A similar accident happened less than a month later. The police decided to carry out special measures to prevent any further deaths. The rock slides stopped. Another tragic incident happened a couple of months later. Criminal proceedings were instituted in connection with Oleg Sadardinov’s death. The road was blocked for a while, but all restrictions were lifted within five days. Rocks killed a man on the very same day that the road was opened. Police are trying to find the reason why, but the rock slides continued. Vladimir Tkach, a hunter with 30 years of experience, said this is being caused by wild animals. “I am talking about the dreaded Caucasian bear. I have heard a lot of stories about how it kills cows. A bear sits somewhere in the mountains. As soon as it sees a cow, it starts pushing rocks down. This is the way it kills people. I once saw such a bear with my binoculars. It was there in the mountains, some 300 meters high. We were going to drive several trucks along the road. When our trucks were traveling underneath the place where the bear was, the animal pushed some big rocks down and damaged several trucks. The bears probably do this for their own entertainment. Hunting them is prohibited, and they can find lots of food. I would advise hiring good specialists to shoot these killer bears. There is simply no other way out.” Express Gazeta Translated by Dmitry Sudakov Quote
Beck Posted October 17, 2002 Posted October 17, 2002 best not let the snafflehounds get wind of this one! Quote
Dru Posted October 17, 2002 Author Posted October 17, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Beck: best not let the snafflehounds get wind of this one! Teodor Ruxpinov Quote
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