Page 9 (1/2)

Notes from the Historical Record

Every schoolchild knows the name of Thomas Jefferson, the architect and scribe of the Declaration of Independence, the man who helped establish a nation out of a scatter of colonies in the New World Volumes have been written about theFathers of America, he remains to this day wrapped in mystery and contradictions

For instance, it was only in 2007 that a coded letter, buried in his papers, was finally cracked and deciphered It was sent to Jefferson in 1801 by his colleague at the American Philosophical Society—a colonial-era think tank proroup was especially interested in two topics: developing unbreakable codes and investigatingthe native tribes who populated the New World

Jefferson was fascinated to the point of fixation with Native American culture and history At his hoether a collection of tribal artifacts that was said to rival those held in museums of the day (a collection that mysteriously disappeared after his death) Many of these Indian relics were sent to hi their famed expedition across America But what e to Congress in 1803 concerning Lewis and Clark’s expedition It revealed the true hidden purpose behind the journey across the West

Within these pages, you’ll learn that purpose For there is a secret history to the founding of A to do with Freehts Tes boldly in the Rotunda of the US Capitol Within that noble hall hangs the fa by John Turnbull, Declaration of Independence (a work overseen by Jefferson) It depicts each ned that famous document—but what few ever note is that Turnbull painted five extra ned the Declaration of Independence Why? And ere they?

For answers, keep reading

Notes from the Scientific Record

In this newleap in scientific research and industry can be suy In a nutshell, itat the atomic level, at a level of one billionth of aso small, look at the period at the end of this sentence Scientists at Nanotechorg have succeeded in building test tubes so tiny that 300 billion of them would fit within that one period

And that nanotechnology industry is exploding It is estimated that this year alone 70 billion worth of nanotech products will be sold in the United States Nano-goods are found everywhere: toothpaste, sunscreen, cake icing, teething rings, running socks, cosmetics, medicines, even Olympic bobsleds Currently close to ten thousand products contain nanoparticles

What’s the downside of such a growth industry? These nanoparticles can cause illness, even death UCLA scientists have found that nano-titanium oxide (found in children’s sunscreens and enetic level Carbon nanotubes (found in thousands of everyday products, including children’s safety hels and brains of rats Also, weird and unexpected things happen at this sh and convenient for wrapping up leftovers, but break it down into nanoparticles, and it becomes explosive

It’s a new and wild frontier There is presently no requireoods, nor are there required safety studies of products containing nanoparticles But there’s an even darker side to this industry This technology has a history that goes back further than the twentieth century—an and to discover the dark roots of this “new” science

Keep reading

Autumn 1779

Kentucky Territory