Seismic Activity, Mummies, & Oddities
Investigative reporter Linda Moulton Howe shared reports on Yellowstone
seismic activity, Honey bee deaths, the invasion of Lionfish and its
effect on the marine eco-system, as well as Celtic looking mummies
buried in China. Regarding the swarm of small earthquakes felt around
Yellowstone in the last few weeks, Linda interviewed Jacob Lowenstern
who is a vulcanologist in charge of monitoring the volcanic activity in
and around the area. He said that, while this increase in seismic
activity may sound worrisome, it is actually a good sign because they
help to relieve the pressure that has been increasing beneath the
caldera. More here.
Providing an update on the ongoing crisis
surrounding mysterious bee deaths, Linda played an interview with Jerry
Hayes of the Florida Department of Agriculture. Hayes detailed how the
California almond industry has been particularly hard hit by the
decreasing bee population, as farmers are now paying nearly double the
price when importing bees to pollinate their crops. Meanwhile,
beekeepers faced with crippling losses are beginning to leave the
profession. "If you are a small business person and you lose 30% of your
business every year, that's not a good business model," Hayes mused.
View the full Earthfiles report.
On the other end of the
spectrum, Linda reported on the epidemic of Lionfish invading the waters
of Florida, Bermuda, and the Bahamas. The voracious fish eats anything
it can swallow and lays an astonishing 30,000 eggs every 4 to 7 days.
She shared an interview with Lad Atkin, special projects director of the
Reef Environmental Education Foundation. Atkin noted that the Lionfish
is no small concern for the island communities, since it is not just
feasting on a few types of fish but a vast selection of "ecologically,
economically and recreationally important marine species." More info.
In
her final report of the evening, Linda discussed Caucasian mummies
found in China which will be exhibited at the Bowers Museum in Santa
Ana, California later this year. She spoke with Victor Mair, a professor
of Chinese Literature and Language, who stumbled upon the mummies
inside of a museum in China and originally believed they were a hoax.
What makes the mummies particularly mysterious is that they are fair
skinned, fair haired, and, in some cases, are found adorned in plaids
and tartans, leading to the misconception that they are Celtic. Mair
explained that DNA testing has shown the ancestry of the mummies is from
Europe on the male side and China on the female side. More on the
story, including images of the mummies, can be found at Earthfiles.com.
Biography:
Linda
Moulton Howe is a graduate of Stanford University with a Masters Degree
in Communication. She has devoted her documentary film, television,
radio, writing and reporting career to productions concerning science,
medicine and the environment. Ms. Howe has received local, national and
international awards, including three regional Emmys, a national Emmy
nomination and a Station Peabody award for medical programming. Linda's
documentaries have included A Strange Harvest and Strange Harvests 1993,
which explored the worldwide animal mutilation mystery. Another film, A
Prairie Dawn, focused on astronaut training in Denver. She has also
produced documentaries in Ethiopia and Mexico for UNICEF about child
survival efforts and for Turner Broadcasting in Atlanta about
environmental challenges.
In addition to television, Linda
produces, reports and edits the award-winning science, environment and
earth mysteries news website, Earthfiles.com. In 2003, Earthfiles
received an Award for Standard of Excellence presented by the Internet's
WebAward Association. Earthfiles also received the 2001 Encyclopaedia
Britannica Award for Journalistic Excellence. Linda also reports
science, environment and earth mysteries news for Clear Channel's
Premiere Radio Networks and Unknowncountry.com. In 2005, she traveled to
Amsterdam, Hawaii, and several other U. S. conferences to speak about
her investigative journalism.
In 2004, Linda was on-camera TV
reporter for The History Channel's documentary investigation of an
unusual August 2004 cow death in Farnam, Nebraska. In November 2009,
Linda was videotaped in Roswell, New Mexico, to provide document
research background for a 1940s American policy of denial in the
interest of national security about spacecraft and non-human body
retrievals for a 2010 History Channel TV series, Ancient Aliens.
In
2010, Linda was honored with the 2010 Courage In Journalism Award at
the National Press Club in Washington, D. C., by the Paradigm Research
Group's X Conference. She has traveled in Venezuela, Peru, Brazil,
England, Norway, France, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Yugoslavia,
Turkey, Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt, Australia, Japan, Canada, Mexico, the
Yucatan and Puerto Rico for research and productions.
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