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Tag: discovery

  • Career Profile: Archaeologist

    Career Profile: Archaeologist

    When you go to museums, you learn a lot about the past. Some museums have information about the relatively recent past, but others give information about people who lived many centuries ago in countries around the world. How do people in the twenty-first century know about the ancient Romans or even the settlers who came to North America two hundred years ago? Much of what people know about the past comes through the work of archaeologists who try to understand other cultures and people through what they left behind.

    Suppose that you wanted to find out about your great-grandmother’s life. You might ask your parents and grandparents for information, and you might also look at old diaries and maybe some of the things she owned. Archaeology is a lot like that kind of search. The main difference is that archaeologists are usually searching for information on whole communities and cultures instead of just one person. They often work far away from home, trying to learn about ancient people and to understand how they lived.

    Part of what archaeologists do is to look for objects that show what life was like in the era they are studying. Some objects might be made of gold or silver, but archaeologists can still learn a lot from even the tiniest beads or other things that the people used. Archaeologists also look for whatever written records they can find, whether they are written on paper, stone, or anything else. Digging for ancient objects, or artifacts, can be slow and difficult work, but it can be very rewarding.

    Before archaeologists get to the point of digging for artifacts, they need to study and learn about what other archaeologists have discovered. They need to learn about ancient civilizations and practice the skills they need for recognizing and preserving artifacts. This process usually involves getting at least a Master’s degree and sometimes a Ph.D. in archaeology at a university. Through this type of program, students learn about fossils, ancient art, museums, and many other topics. They might learn to read Latin and other ancient languages like Egyptian hieroglyphics and find out what people in the past used for medicine and what they ate. A wide range of knowledge can help archaeologists know how to look for artifacts.

    Being able to analyze and interpret what they find is also important for archaeologists. Only a part of their work is digging for artifacts. They also have to analyze and organize what they find, research the history and the objects, and then write about what they discover. For all of this work, they might receive between $55,000 and $60,000 per year, working for a private company, a university, or possibly the government. Working hours can be long when they are out digging, but otherwise, archaeologists usually keep regular office hours. Jobs in the area are limited, but flexibility and a wide range of knowledge can help.

    Do you love history and learning about the past? Why not consider working as an archaeologist?

  • The World’s Newest Snake

    The World’s Newest Snake

    Suppose that you saw a long, thin brown rope hanging from a tree and that the rope suddenly started to move. What would you think it was? If you were in the Chocoan forests in the South American country of Ecuador, you might realize that what looked like a rope was really the blunt-headed vine snake, which has only recently been discovered. For scientists and other snake enthusiasts, the discovery is exciting and will likely prompt years of exploration and study.

    Blunt-headed vine snakes are the seventh known species in a group called Imantodes chocoensis. These snakes live mainly in Mexico and in Central and South America. Blunt-headed vine snakes are long, thin, and normally brown or cream-coloured. They hunt for frogs, lizards, and other small animals at night, hanging from the trees where they live and grabbing animals that pass by the tree. Although they have some poison in their fangs, they are unlikely to do much harm to people with their venom.

    The most unusual thing about blunt-headed vine snakes is their appearance. They have long, thin bodies with thin necks which then bulge out to a large head. Sometimes, the head can even be about eight centimetres wide, making it seem very large on such a long, thin body. They have large, bulging eyes which take up more than 25% of their heads. Their stomachs and other internal organs are near the ends of their bodies, close to the tail. Their closest relatives live on the other side of the Andes Mountains in South America.

    Although most people have probably never heard of the blunt-headed vine snake, some scientists have known about it for a few years. The snake’s discovery came in April 2007, when a group of zoologists (people who study animals) led by a scientist, Omar Torres-Carvajal from the zoological museum, first found it. After looking closely at it and comparing it with other snakes, they realized that it was a species that no one had identified before. Now they will try to find out how to preserve the snake’s home and to keep it from disappearing.

    Finding an unknown snake in Ecuador was an exciting discovery, but possibly not entirely unexpected. Ecuador is known for its many types of animals and the many species that live there. The Amazon River region is home to many different species of plants and animals. The place where researchers found the snake is part of a region called Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena, which has an area of 274,597 square kilometres. With so much space, there could be many more animals in the area that scientists have not yet discovered.

    For some zoologists, it might seem as if all of the world’s species of animals are already known and that there is nothing new to learn. However, the discovery of the blunt-headed vine snake in northwestern Ecuador could give people new enthusiasm to explore the world’s animals. They could also find new ways to keep the snakes safe from threats and to help them to thrive.