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Belize's "Blue Hole" Reveals Clues To Maya's Demise

An anonymous reader writes The collapse of the Mayan civilization has been a mystery for decades, but now new research suggests that the blue hole of Belize could provide an answer. Studying minerals from Belize's famous underwater cave, researchers have discovered that an extreme drought occurred between AD 800 and AD 900, which is when the Mayan civilization collapsed. From the article: "Although the findings aren't the first to tie a drought to the Mayan culture's demise, the new results strengthen the case that dry periods were indeed the culprit. That's because the data come from several spots in a region central to the Mayan heartland, said study co-author André Droxler, an Earth scientist at Rice University."

7 of 80 comments (clear)

  1. Global warming! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    You do realize that current leading theories of the cause of the drought in question was mass deforestation caused by the Mayan Civilization?

  2. Re:megadrought theory old by rubycodez · · Score: 3, Informative

    there was evidence for it, so more than hypothesis

  3. Well, be chafed. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Nobody "discovers" anything.

    That is patently ridiculous. Definition of "discover":

    to see, find, or become aware of (something) for the first time
    to show the presence of (something hidden or difficult to see) : to make (something) known
    to learn or find out (something surprising or unexpected)

    The "finding of evidence" sounds exactly like what is defined here. Evidence itself is discovered. If the just-discovered evidence is sufficiently compelling to accept a conclusion, then as a matter of linguistic convenience we can say that the conclusion was also "discovered."

    People discover things all the time. Your strange understanding of the word's meaning is not shared by the rest of the world, so you can count on people continuing to chafe you into the future.

  4. Re:megadrought theory old by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 3, Informative

    Also remember that American history hide the realities of the American Indians. They had HUGE cities that were as large as some european cities.

    Which "American history" hides this? What I had in HS 30 years ago mentioned Aztec, Maya, Inca cities quite clearly. As well as the droughts and smallpox that seems to have done them in.

    Or were you trying to suggest that the Indians north of the Rio Grande also had huge cities? If so, then, to put it politely, you were mistaken....

    --

    "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
  5. Re:megadrought theory old by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Or were you trying to suggest that the Indians north of the Rio Grande also had huge cities? If so, then, to put it politely, you were mistaken....

    Depends on your definition of 'huge' but 100,000 people seems reasonably large.

  6. Re:megadrought theory old by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Which has precisely nothing to do with the Mayans, since no Europeans visited any diseases upon them.

    I am mayan, and there are plenty of mayans in mexico, belize and guatemala. I hate that people think we died long ago. We got visited plenty by the europeans. And still continue to this day be visited by europeans.

  7. Re:megadrought theory old by Delwin · · Score: 4, Informative

    Jehovah's Witness != Mormon.

    Two different religions who knock on your door. Please don't confuse them.