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'Lost' Charles Darwin fossils rediscovered
KEYWORTH, England, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- A collection of fossils lost for 165 years, including some collected by Charles Darwin, have been rediscovered in a British vault, scientists said.
The fossils were found by chance in the vaults of the British Geological Survey headquarters near Keyworth by a paleontologist.
Howard Falcon-Lang of the University of London said he spotted some drawers in a cabinet marked "unregistered fossil plants."
"Inside the drawer were hundreds of beautiful glass slides made by polishing fossil plants into thin translucent sheets," Falcon-Lang told the BBC. "This process allows them to be studied under the microscope. Almost the first slide I picked up was labeled 'C. Darwin Esq.'"
On the slide was a piece of fossil wood collected by Darwin during his famous voyage on HMS the Beagle in 1834, during which he first started to develop his theory of evolution.
After their return to Britain the fossils became "lost" because of a failure to have them numbered in a formal specimen register, and the collection was moved several times and eventually forgotten, scientists said.
"This is quite a remarkable discovery," John Ludden, executive director of the Geological Survey, said. "It really makes one wonder what else might be hiding in our collections."
New image of iconic galaxy released
PARIS, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency has released a new picture of a star-forming region of the universe featured in one of the 20th century's most iconic images.
The Hubble Space Telescope captured an image of the Eagle Nebula in 1995 that was dubbed the "Pillars of Creation," showing giant pillars of dust and gas thought to contain new stars being formed. However, Hubble's visible light picture was unable to see inside and prove that young stars were indeed being born there.
Now two ESA orbiting observatories and ground telescopes have combined to create an image using visible light, infrared light and X-rays, allowing astronomers to see inside the pillars and observe the young stars inside, a release from ESA's Paris headquarters said Tuesday.
Charles Darwin Impact Society - News
17 (UPI) -- A collection of fossils lost for 165 years, including some collected by Charles Darwin, have been rediscovered in a British vault, scientists said. The fossils were found by chance in the vaults of the British Geological Survey headquarters
For the past nine years, the Darwin Day Committee has been honoring and celebrating the work of Charles Darwin by hosting Darwin Days. In the past Darwin Days has included lectures, films, plays, a showcases at Booth Library and for the past six years
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