Spin The Globe Classrooms: History - Upcoming stories

Digging for Ancient DNA.

Amarildo — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:10:18 GMT

In the movie Jurassic Park, scientists discover fossilized insects that had eaten dinosaur blood just before they died. The dino blood is full of DNA—the instruction manual of life—and the scientists use some of those tiny molecules to bring dinosaurs back to life. One of the reasons this could never really happen is that DNA is incredibly fragile. Every speck of dino DNA has probably broken down during the 65 million years since the giant reptiles disappeared.

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A Human Migration Fueled by Dung?

Amarildo — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:10:18 GMT

If you think traveling to Alaska in the winter sounds cold today, imagine what it was like thousands of years ago. Before the invention of central heating and hot cocoa, it would have been too cold for people to migrate to North America through the frigid tundra—without trees or firewood. Or so scientists thought.

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The Taming of the Cat.

Amarildo — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:10:18 GMT

There are black cats, spotted cats, fat cats, and scaredy cats. Now, scientists have found what may be one of the first pet cats ever.

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Rudd says sorry

alex_c — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:10:18 GMT

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd this morning delivered a historic formal apology to Australia's indigenous peoples for past wrongs.

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Gladiator Myths.

Amarildo — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:10:18 GMT

For most people, the word "gladiator" brings to mind either Russell Crowe as Maximus, or Kirk Douglas as Spartacus. So most of us believe that gladiators were prisoners-of-war or criminals, who were on the road continuously fighting in wild free-for-all melees. And most of us think that all gladiator bouts finished with at least one of them dying. These beliefs have (like all successful myths) some nuggets of truth, but they are basically wrong.

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