The mystery of Stonehenge … solved?

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Research project yields new clues to origins of megalithic circle

Stonehenge may have been built as monument to the unification of civilization in Britain. Photo courtesy Gareth Wiscombe via Wikipedia and the Creative Common.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A 10-year research project into the origins of Stonehenge has concluded that the famous array of stones was built as a monument to mark the growing unification of culture in Britain at the end of the Stone Age.

The stones may have symbolized the ancestors of different groups of earliest farming communities in Britain, with some stones coming from southern England and others from west Wales.

Previous theories have suggested the great stone circle was used as a prehistoric observatory, a sun temple, a place of healing, or a temple of the ancient druids. But research teams from the universities of Sheffield, Manchester, Southampton, Bournemouth and University College London — collectively called the Stonehenge Riverside Project — rejected those theories after studying not just the stones themselves, but also the wider social and economic context of the monument’s main stages of construction around 3,000 BC and 2,500 BC. (more…)

Filed under: Archaeology, world news | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

British butterfly thrives with global warming

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

A brown argus butterfly in Lincolnshire, UK. Photo via Wikipedia and the GNU Free Documentation License.

Brown argus finds new food and expands range, showing how climate change will have winners and losers

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A butterfly once thought to be threatened by global warming has changed its diet and increased its range, showing how some species may be able to adapt to a changing climate.

“There will be winners and losers from climate change,” said University of York professor Jane Hill, one of the co-authors of the study published this week in Science. “It is important that we begin to understand how the complex interactions between species affect their ability to adapt to climate change so we can identify those that might be at risk and where to focus conservation efforts.”

The researchers found that warmer summers have allowed the brown argus butterfly to complete its life cycle by eating wild Geranium plants. Because the Geraniums are widespread in the British countryside, this change in diet has allowed the butterfly to expand its range in Britain at a surprisingly rapid rate. Over the past 20 years, the Brown Argus has spread northwards by around 79 kilometres and has become common in the countryside in much of southern England. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, climate and weather, endangered species, Environment, global warming | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

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