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Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/7395-Solving-mysteries-of-the-past.html
Mystery: December 30, 2015 Issue [#7395]

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Mystery


 This week: Solving mysteries of the past
  Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Quote for the week:
"In ancient times they had no statistics so they had to fall back on lies."

~ Stephen Leacock



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Letter from the editor

Police detectives and private investigators are not the only people who solve mysteries. Archaeologists and paleontologists are like detectives who search for clues to events that happened many years in the past.

Archaeology is the study of the ancient and recent human past through material remains. It is a branch of anthropology, which is the study of humanity and human societies. Archaeologists study anything from our primitive human ancestors more than a million years old to more modern settlements built in the last 100 years. Archaeologists use items such as bones and the remains of tools and clothing to determine how past societies lived. Those who investigate societies that had written language are assisted by written or oral records. Those who investigate more primitive sites, or those for which written records have been lost, need to make inferences based on items they find alone. Even well studied sites like Stonehenge are not completely understood. Theories about primitive people often change as further evidence is developed.

Paleontology is the study of the history of life on Earth as based on fossils. Fossils are the remains of plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and single-celled living things that have been replaced by rock material or impressions of organisms preserved in rock. Using fossils to understand extinct plants or animals is challenging, because fossilized life forms are seldom complete. Fossils of prehistoric birds were mistaken for small dinosaurs (their ancestors) until one skeleton was found that had feather imprints preserved in the rock around the bones. Skin and soft tissues are seldom preserved. Skeletons are often found scattered with bones missing, due to scavengers or running water. We can guess at the colors of skin, fur, and feathers of extinct animals, but none are really known for sure.

Here are some examples of ways that archaeology or paleontology might fit in to a mystery story:

*NoteB* Show alternate scenes of an event that happened in the past and the scientists who discover evidence of it in the present.

*NoteR* Investigators use archaeological evidence to find a treasure.

*NoteG* A character has a reason to keep others from finding out the truth about an event in the past.

*NoteV* Fossils are found that appear to be those of a creature thought to be a myth, such as a dragon or unicorn.

Something to try: Write a mystery story in which a main character is an archaeologist or paleontologist.


Editor's Picks

 
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Deadly Melody Open in new Window. (E)
Mysterious music initiates a federal investigation
#2050390 by Oldwarrior Author IconMail Icon


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BOOK
DNA Open in new Window. (18+)
I stood, looking down at my own head on a metal slab, very much alive.
#2047094 by Shaye Author IconMail Icon


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This item number is not valid.
#1812576 by Not Available.


Evil Wind Open in new Window. (13+)
The Goldman Series I: A day of disaster and decision, Jack first senses his lifelong enemy
#1053523 by Jack Goldman Author IconMail Icon


Dead End Open in new Window. (ASR)
The investigator for defense has amorous hopes concerning the pretty defendant.
#504839 by Joy Author IconMail Icon

 
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Ask & Answer

Question for next time: Can you think of people in other occupations besides police and detectives who routinely solve mysteries?

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