I was thinking of starting up “Science Fridays” here on SM.  Let’s face it, there are a lot of science geeks and engineers that read SM on a daily basis who aren’t being catered to.  I think our long term growth strategy should include reaching out to this key demographic.  Why Friday?  Two reasons.  First, the two most prestigious peer-reviewed journals Science and Nature are reported on in the media on Fridays (though they usually come out on Thursday).  More importantly however I usually have more time to blog on Fridays (the rest of the week I am busy doing science-geek things).   This being SM I will of course look for the desi connection in science stories.  So without further pomp here we go.  This week’s theme will be Cryptozoology.  The first story I bring you is a tip from SM reader Marvin Thomas who writes to us about something that washed up on a beach in Tamil Nadu recently because it was supposedly dislodged by the Tsunami from months ago.  First watch the following clip [via Giantology]:

If you remember, Vinod blogged about ancient ruins that were uncovered as a result of the Tsunami.  This creature was supposedly buried close by.  But according to the “reporter” Rupa Sridharam in this “news clip” the bones of this creature just washed up/was unburied now.  Luckily SM has a paleontologist on staff to definitively tell you that this is a hoax.  Even if you can’t see the fake special effects it’s obvious that whoever filmed this doesn’t know the first thing about science.  First off they sent in archeologists to do a paleontologist’s job.  I HATE it when people mess stuff like this up.  Remember Top Gun?  Kelly McGillis’s character was described as a “civilian astrophysics instructor.”  Why the hell would someone that specialized in stars and globular structures be sent in to teach test pilots?  That’s just stupid.

Currently Snopes.com has this case (hoax or not) categorized as “undetermined.”

It’s probably safe to say that the clip itself is not a genuine news report, as no other news outlets have reported on this amazing find. We don’t yet know the source of the video — it could be something taken from a television or film drama, a viral promo for some type of upcoming entertainment offering (such as a video game), or just something created for the sake of perpetrating an amusing hoax.

Our next story is about the “hobbits” of Indonesia.  This is the REAL deal folks.  CBS’s 60 Minutes did a must-see-TV story about the “Hobbits” earlier this year:

New species of plants and animals are discovered every day. But unless you’re a specialist, you’ll never hear about it and never care.

But a new species of a human? That’s rare. And we do care, particularly because we Homo sapiens have been the only guys on the block for such a long time. Or so we thought.

Last year, a team of Australian and Indonesian archaeologists announced in Nature magazine they had dug up the bones of a brand new, previously unknown humanoid species which they nicknamed “The Hobbit,” because it was rather small.

Now here’s the revolutionary part. Homo sapiens got here 200,000 years ago. And by 30,000 years ago, all the other guys — the Neanderthal man, with his bad posture, and Homo erectus, who was big but not very bright - had disappeared. There was just us.

But the Hobbit lived 18,000 years ago, and perhaps far more recently, which means that for quite some time on this planet, and not all that long ago, we were not alone.

Earlier this week more evidence was announced that these things are for real (although the evidence is still controversial).   The best part is that they may still be ALIVE!  Older generation witnesses tell a tale:

In the hamlets under the volcano, villagers talk in a matter-of-fact way about very little people their grandparents told them about. They wore no clothes, had long arms, and lived in caves high up on the volcano. The village chief told 60 Minutes that the volcano is called Abu Lobo, and the little people were called Abu Gogo, which, literally translated, means “grandma who eats everything.”

In other words, the Abu Lobo is very big and the Abu Gogo is very small…

What do the Abu Gogo look like?

“They were very hairy and short, only about 3-feet high. The women have very long breasts, which they used to throw over their shoulders. They also had very wide mouths,” says one team member. “If we think about them, they are not nice people at all. Abu Gogo means ‘very greedy.’ They used to eat everything.”

Until now, we have never seen them.

Legend? Or memory? Hard to say. But archaeologists are by no means dismissing the stories. Right now, though, they’re dealing with other questions concerning the 18,000-year-old lady from Flores. Digging her up was not the end of her journey. It was just the beginning. [Link]

I hope you guys have enjoyed the first Science Friday