Watching the World

World’s Oldest University?

A team of Polish and Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed the site of the ancient university of Alexandria, Egypt. According to the Los Angeles Times, the team found 13 lecture halls​—all of similar size—​that altogether could have accommodated up to 5,000 students. These halls, says the newspaper, “feature rows of stepped benches running along the walls on three sides of the rooms, sometimes joining at one end to form a ‘U.’” In the middle is an elevated seat, likely for the lecturer. “It is the first time ever that such a complex of lecture halls has been uncovered on any Greco-Roman site in the whole Mediterranean area,” says archaeologist Zahi Hawass, president of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. Hawass defines it as “perhaps the oldest university in the world.”

 Garlic Ice Cream?

Garlic has long been praised for its medicinal properties. Now Mariano Marcos State University in the northern Philippines has developed garlic ice cream for “healthful” reasons, reports the Philippine Star newspaper. It is hoped that the new product may benefit those suffering from ailments that garlic is said to alleviate. Among these are the common cold, fevers, high blood pressure, respiratory conditions, rheumatism, snakebite, toothache, tuberculosis, whooping cough, wounds, and even baldness. So, garlic ice cream, anyone?

The Arctic​—Once Subtropical

An international team of scientists who have been drilling into the floor of the Arctic Ocean between Siberia and Greenland say that the area once enjoyed a subtropical climate. The Arctic Coring Expedition relied on the assistance of three icebreakers during the work and obtained sediment samples from nearly 1,300 feet [400 meters] below the seabed. Tiny fossils of marine plants and animals found in those samples indicate that ocean temperatures were once about 70 degrees Fahrenheit [20 degrees C], instead of the current 30 degrees Fahrenheit [-1.5 degrees C]. According to Professor Jan Backman of Stockholm University, quoted by BBC News, “the early history of the Arctic Basin will be reevaluated based on the scientific results collected on this expedition.”

The Digital Screen Goes to School

In over 21,000 primary-school classrooms in Mexico, the traditional green board, chalk, and eraser are being replaced by an electronic board connected to a computer, reports El Universal of Mexico City. For now the board, which measures six feet wide by three feet high [two meters wide and one meter high], is being used with fifth and sixth graders. Seven digitalized books are available to teach history, science, mathematics, geography, and other subjects. Videos can also be shown on the board. As a result, the pupils in one teacher’s class have “visited the pyramids of Tikal and Palenque, have seen the traditions of the Maya, and have listened to [their] music.” The benefits? “Children pay more attention, learn, and participate more,” says the teacher.

One Million Suicides a Year

Suicide accounts for almost half of all violent deaths worldwide. As many as one million people kill themselves every year, a figure that in 2001 surpassed the total of deaths from murder and war. For each suicide, there are between 10 and 20 failed suicide attempts. The figures were published by the World Health Organization (WHO), based in Geneva, Switzerland. WHO points out that for every death “there are scores of family and friends whose lives are devastated emotionally, socially and economically.” The report notes that factors that protect against suicide include “high self-esteem,” support from friends and family, stable relationships, and religious or spiritual commitment.

Dust-Storm Warnings

The use of four-wheel-drive vehicles in deserts “has contributed to a ten-fold increase in dust storms around the globe and is damaging the environment and human health,” states The Times of London. The vehicles break up the deserts’ fragile surface, allowing dust particles to be blown away. “There are a huge number of these vehicles driving across deserts now,” says Professor Andrew Goudie, of Oxford University. “In the Middle East, nomads who used to ride camels now tend their flocks in 4x4 vehicles.” In addition to whipping up dust from deserts, warns Goudie, “dust storms pump herbicides and pesticides out of agricultural soil and dried-up lake-beds and send them out into the atmosphere.” Airborne particles also carry allergens and spores, which can cause serious health problems. Environmentalists are concerned that parts of Africa could suffer a phenomenon similar to the 1930’s dust bowl, which resulted from overplowing and drought and destroyed prairie lands in the United States.

Mountaineers Pay for Recklessness

Each year hundreds of people die while climbing in the mountains. Some become victims of falling rocks or unforeseen health problems, such as a heart attack. Yet, according to the German newspaper Leipziger Volkszeitung, one of the main causes of death in the mountains is recklessness. The problem is not limited to the young and inexperienced. According to Miggi Biner, president of the Mountain Guides’ Association of Zermatt, Switzerland, “experienced or inexperienced​—often it is a case of overestimating one’s ability or of not paying enough attention to the weather and the conditions.” Some who carry mobile phones feel unduly confident that there will always be a helicopter available to pluck them out of any emergency.

Freak Monster Waves

It is said that an average of two big ships sink somewhere on the globe each week. Even supertankers and container giants more than 650 feet [200 m] in length have been victims of the sea. Many of these disasters are believed to have been caused by rogue waves. Reports of towering ocean waves capable of sinking large ships have long been dismissed as mere seamen’s yarns. However, a European Union research project has given credence to such stories. Satellite radar images of the oceans were scanned for gigantic waves. According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, project leader Wolfgang Rosenthal says: “We have proved that monster waves are more common than anyone thought.” During a three-week period, his team identified at least ten. Such waves are near vertical, can be up to 130 feet [40 m] high, and would break over a vessel, seriously damaging it or even sinking it. Few ships are capable of withstanding them. “Now we have to analyze whether the waves can be forecast,” says Rosenthal.