Energy & Environmental Information

Colossiin Egypt, Titanosaur & Rhabdodon dinosaurs (image courtesy of “http://www.nhmmaastricht.nl/nederlands/exposities/tijdelijk/dinosaurs/engl/contentdino2.htm”, Drake's plate.

Archaeology & Paleontology at EETD and Berkeley Lab

Several scientists who were or are in the Environmental Energy Technologies Division have made contributions to research in archaeology and paleontology.

Frank Asaro, Robert Giauque, and the late Fred Stross have, for some 30 years, used neutron activation analysis and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy to study the age and origin of artifacts to help archaeologists and historians better understand the past.

Asaro and Helen Michels worked with Luis Alvarez and George Muller to propose and gather evidence that an asteroid impact caused the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

Here are some readings on these topics.

  • Nuclear Physics Sheds Light on Ancient Archaeological Mysteries
    December 1999
  • Silver Anomalies Found in Jerusalem Pottery Hint at Wealth During Second Temple Period
    September 2006
  • Investigating a Mass Extinction Occurring 65 Million Years Ago
    Fall 1979
  • Does a Companion Star to Sun Cause Periodic Mass Extinctions on Earth?
    Spring 1987