Tag Archives: shipwreck

Robot sea turtle will map shipwrecks that humans can’t reach (video)

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U-CAT robot sea turtle

Some shipwrecks are too costly or dangerous for humans to explore, but many underwater robots are too disruptive and unwieldy to serve as substitutes. The Tallinn Institute of Technology's new U-CAT mapping robot solves that dilemma by imitating one of the ocean's more graceful creatures: the sea turtle. The small machine uses flippers to get around instead of propellers, preventing it from kicking up silt (which would obscure its camera) and letting it turn on a dime. It's also autonomous, which helps it venture deep into a wreck without worrying about cables. It's sure to have a big impact on underwater archaeology, and you can see it in person if you swing by the London Science Museum between November 28th and December 1st. However, It will eventually map shipwrecks in the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas as part of the EU's ARROWS Project, providing more detail than any diver could manage.

[Image credit: Tallin University of Technology, Flickr]

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Via: Gizmag

Source: Tallinn University of Technology, ARROWS Project

Shipwreck with Gold Found off South Carolina Coast

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The intact remains of a ship that is two centuries old were discovered right off the coast of South Carolina by a treasure finder named E. Spence. Among the spoils that the ship was laden with were...
    


Scientists Have the Technology to Recreate 170-Year-Old Beer

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Science never ceases to amaze me. We can clone all sorts of things today from sheep to pets and we can even grow disgusting human ears on the back of bald mice. Perhaps the best use for science ever is to re-create a 170-year-old variety of beer. The old bottle of beer seen in this picture was recovered from a shipwreck discovered in 2010.

old beer

The wreck is believed to have sunk in the 1840s, and has already given up its bountiful booty including the world’s oldest bottle of champagne considered drinkable. That champagne was auctioned off and now scientists have turned their tech to a bottle of beer discovered in the wreck.

According to the researchers, the beer they analyzed had not stood the test of time well, but did retain its pale golden color. The scientists believe the beer originally had hints of rose, almond, and cloves. The researchers say that with their chemical analysis and the help of a master brewer it’s possible to re-create the beer so beer fans can have a taste of what sailors drank 170 years ago.

[via Reuters]