Showing posts with label Amazonia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amazonia. Show all posts

Friday, February 10, 2012

The amazonian spiders and its giant webs



BRAZIL. Amazonas state. Amazonas state. In the city of Iranduba, metropolitan region of Manaus (state's capital) - the trees are periodically covered by cobwebs of the anelosimus - specie nearby the family of the 'black widows'.

In some cases the entire canopy of a tree is taken by this tissue produced by this spiders. Every three months, the locals clean the trees but the colony begins to produce the webs again.

A researcher at the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), said that the phenomenon is unusual, since spiders tend to live alone. She also said that there is no need to worry about poison because its effects only affect insects.

SOURCE: Aranhas constroem teias gigantes no Amazonas
O Dia, published IN 09/02/2012
[http://odia.ig.com.br/portal/cienciaesaude/aranhas-constroem-teias-gigantes-no-amazonas-1.404869]

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Amazonian Stonehenge


BRAZIL. Amapa state. In Calcolene, a small city located to 390 km of Macapa, capital of the Amapa state - north region of Brazil, on the banks of the igarapé* Rego Grande, a set of strange stones, with no doubt work of human hands is considered the amazonian Stonehenge. The archaeological site has been studied since 2005. The structure that resemble the british cycle is composed by large pieces of worked granite and has around 30 meters of diameter.

* IGARAPÉ: 'arm' ou course of water originated from a river which extends into the earth, like a creek.

According researchers, the place was used by indigenous populations that inhabited the region by 1,100 years ago for the realization of rituals . Some of this cerimonies - were performed in the epoch of the summer solstice, when the position of the stones blocks allowed the observation the course of the sun..

The researcher of the Instituto de Pesquisas Cientificas e Tecnológicas do Amapá (Iepa - Institute of Scientific and Technological Searches), João Saldanha that date was special for natives. He explains: It is a period marked by the rains, changing completely the landscape providing the harvest and collect food in abundance. Saldanha still tells that the place was used like a cemitery too, the last rest for important personalities of the tribes. Other minor monuments that were found there - are tombs of other persons, being these - less importants.

The place stood forgotten for many years. Only in 2005 it returned to attract the interest of the government. Since then, numerous pottery objects - were discovered. Similar objects were found in other nearby places like at the Amapa state (Brazil) and Guiana Francesa (French Guyana). The theory of researchers is that the violence of the European invaders, in century 16, provoked the exit of these tribes in search of refuge in other areas, less accessible to the invaders.

SOURCE: Sítio arqueológico “Stonehenge amazônica” é estudado no Amapá
Portal Amazônia, published in 31/12/2011
[http://www.portalamazonia.com.br/editoria/ciencia-e-tecnologia/sitio-arqueologico-%E2%80%9Cstonehenge-amazonica%E2%80%9D-e-estudado-no-amapa/]


Sunday, January 22, 2012

The secrets of ancient Amazonia


AMAZONIA: ANCIENT TRIBES

18th century engraving shows the different tribes that inhabited South America. Getty Images


AMAZONIA. New archaeological studies about the Amazon has been changing the traditional idea of a virgin forest practically uninhabited in the pre-colombian times. Recent discoveries reveal a region that could been occupied for more than 20 millions of persons; indigenous, it is assumed. They lived in highly populated villages near of rivers Tapajos, Madeira and Solimoes, for example.

However, the scenery was much diferent of the mythological Eldorado of the legends. According the researcher of the Universidade Federal do Amazonas (Amazon Federal University), Helena Lima: What we know, today, is that these populations were numerous and they had technical practices much more advanced than the primitivism that we imagined until recently.


The coordinator of the Central Amazônia project, who works in the Museu de Arqueologia e Antropologia da USP (Archaeologic and Anthropologic Museum, São Paulo University), Eduardo Neves, belives that around 5,5 million of persons lived in certain areas of the pre colombian Amazon where there were a great variation of languages and political organizations in their many villages.

The researcher of the Anthropology Department of at the University of Florida, Michael Heckenberger, studying areas of the Alto Xingu (Upper Xingu) made an estimated that 50,000 indigenous lived in an area of ​​20 square kilometers. He says: This consists of a larger population that we find in many countries of Europe today.

According the studies, the villages of the Alto Xingu was 10 or 15 times majors than that exist actually in the region. They were organized a central and circular square surrounded by tabas (huts). These huts were builded in a perfect ring along the periphery of the square, were surrounded by ditches to 2 km in length. Heckenberger still says that in the Alto Xingu, where today there is a village, there were 12.

Professor at University of Florida, Colombian researcher Augusto Oyuela-Caycedo, adds that in other regions of the Amazon, the settings were different, with linears villages, in front of the rivers. Regarding the organization, the communities were not exactly as tribes. They were more like societies in its infancy. Archaeological evidence indicates a state of expansion.


Handling of soil

One of the proofs of the existence of these bigger villages and their development on the first steps of a civilization process is the black soil. Oyuela explains: For many years it was thought that the black soil was the result of natural phenomena such as volcanic ash. The resistance to the idea that the black earth was resulted by human work came from a theory that the Amazon was largely an inhospitable place to the development of complex societies with large villages.

But the new discoveries have shown that there was the use of organic matter and coal burned at high temperatures to improve the quality of the Amazonian soil. The plantations were made in small amounts of land - spaces that were opened in the middle by large tracts of forests. Oyuela found black soil in the Alto Amazon (Upper Amazon), in 2005, near the city of Iquitos. The region, called Quistococha was a large village which occupied up to 20 hectares dated around the years 900 AD.

In regions such as the high river Madeira is found black soil dated from four thousand years. In the middle Amazon River were found pottery and evidence of agricultural occupations with over two thousand years and traces of nomadic culture of eight thousand years ago.

SOURCE: Nova teoria afirma que Amazônia pré-colombiana foi populosa.
IN Ultimo Segundo/IG, published in 20/09/2011
[http://ultimosegundo.ig.com.br/ciencia/nova+teoria+afirma+que+amazonia+precolombiana+foi+populosa/n1237780376244.html]


Friday, December 17, 2010

Treasures of Peruvian Amazon



The artefact appears to be a silver shield or pectoral plate.
Photo: Agência Andina/Divulgação.

Peruvian Amazon In the district of Cajaruro, department of the Amazonas (state), Peru – objects made of stell and stone were found for forest guards. Among these, a shield of silver ornated with stylized forms. The artefact is in a good state of conservation.

The finding shows that in the Peruvian Amazon, cultures developed themselves for beyond of the neolithic stage. These peoples knew and worked using industry techniques for produce utilities of metal and jewelry. At the same region was found a city of the Incas. However, the constructions, are covered by vegetation and it's necessary a acurate exam by the archeologists.


SOURCE: Achado na Amazônia peruana indica que índios conheciam ourivesaria
IN Globo Amazônia published in 12/16/2010
http://www.globoamazonia.com/Amazonia/0,,MUL1635812-16052,00-ACHADO+NA+AMAZONIA+PERUANA+INDICA+QUE+INDIOS+CONHECIAM+OURIVESARIA.html

Friday, November 26, 2010

Extravagancies of nature: The mangos of the Hells



RONDÔNIA – At Pimenta Bueno city, hinterland of Rondonia state, north region of Brazil, the harvest of mangos in which fruits sprouted with fancy shapes has been calling the atention of the inhabitants.

They appeared at the backyard of a house. Evoking something of evil, the mangos have developed a kind of horn. The most of the fruits has a only one horn but some mangos have two diabolical horns. They are perfect objects to adorn the tables anti-Christmas of the Hells.


SOURCE: Mangas com 'chifres' viram atração em município no interior de Rondônia
IN Globo Amazônia – published in 11/24/2010
[http://www.globoamazonia.com/Amazonia/0,,MUL1631802-16052,00-MANGAS+COM+CHIFRES+VIRAM+ATRACAO+EM+MUNICIPIO+NO+INTERIOR+DE+RONDONIA.html]



Friday, August 6, 2010

Poisoned water



AMAZÔNIA – At Rolim Moura city, in the rivers Bambu and São Pedro, the waters stand empoisoned. Since early July (2010) thousands of fish have been found dead. And the fishes are not the only victims. Other animals are suffering of the mysterious evil. Capivaras (or capybara, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), jacarés (Alligatoridae), oxes and other species have been also found dead.

Environmental authorities believe that this is a case of pollution by pesticides. Analyses will be made to determine the cause of the disaster. The population was warned not to use the waters of those rivers. Even baths and other hygienic practices can be dangerous to health.

According to technicians from IBAMA (Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e Recursos Naturais) the mere contact with the water of these rivers can cause skin changes. Many fish were found still alive but the bodies structures stood necrosed. The poison acts slowly decomposing body mass of animals.

SOURCE: Mortandade ainda é mistério.
IN DIARIO DA AMAZÔNIA published in 07/30/2010
[http://www.diariodaamazonia.com.br/diariodaamazonia/index2.php?sec=News&id=4522]