Seismic Activity, Mummies, & Oddities

Investigative reporter Linda Moulton Howe shared reports on Yellowstone seismic activity, Honey bee deaths, the invasion of Lionfish and its effect on the marine eco-system, as well as Celtic looking mummies buried in China. Regarding the swarm of small earthquakes felt around Yellowstone in the last few weeks, Linda interviewed Jacob Lowenstern who is a vulcanologist in charge of monitoring the volcanic activity in and around the area. He said that, while this increase in seismic activity may sound worrisome, it is actually a good sign because they help to relieve the pressure that has been increasing beneath the caldera. More here.

Providing an update on the ongoing crisis surrounding mysterious bee deaths, Linda played an interview with Jerry Hayes of the Florida Department of Agriculture. Hayes detailed how the California almond industry has been particularly hard hit by the decreasing bee population, as farmers are now paying nearly double the price when importing bees to pollinate their crops. Meanwhile, beekeepers faced with crippling losses are beginning to leave the profession. “If you are a small business person and you lose 30% of your business every year, that’s not a good business model,” Hayes mused. View the full Earthfiles report.

On the other end of the spectrum, Linda reported on the epidemic of Lionfish invading the waters of Florida, Bermuda, and the Bahamas. The voracious fish eats anything it can swallow and lays an astonishing 30,000 eggs every 4 to 7 days. She shared an interview with Lad Atkin, special projects director of the Reef Environmental Education Foundation. Atkin noted that the Lionfish is no small concern for the island communities, since it is not just feasting on a few types of fish but a vast selection of “ecologically, economically and recreationally important marine species.” More info.

In her final report of the evening, Linda discussed Caucasian mummies found in China which will be exhibited at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California later this year. She spoke with Victor Mair, a professor of Chinese Literature and Language, who stumbled upon the mummies inside of a museum in China and originally believed they were a hoax. What makes the mummies particularly mysterious is that they are fair skinned, fair haired, and, in some cases, are found adorned in plaids and tartans, leading to the misconception that they are Celtic. Mair explained that DNA testing has shown the ancestry of the mummies is from Europe on the male side and China on the female side. More on the story, including images of the mummies, can be found at Earthfiles.com.

Biography:

Linda Moulton Howe is a graduate of Stanford University with a Masters Degree in Communication. She has devoted her documentary film, television, radio, writing and reporting career to productions concerning science, medicine and the environment. Ms. Howe has received local, national and international awards, including three regional Emmys, a national Emmy nomination and a Station Peabody award for medical programming. Linda’s documentaries have included A Strange Harvest and Strange Harvests 1993, which explored the worldwide animal mutilation mystery. Another film, A Prairie Dawn, focused on astronaut training in Denver. She has also produced documentaries in Ethiopia and Mexico for UNICEF about child survival efforts and for Turner Broadcasting in Atlanta about environmental challenges.

In addition to television, Linda produces, reports and edits the award-winning science, environment and earth mysteries news website, Earthfiles.com. In 2003, Earthfiles received an Award for Standard of Excellence presented by the Internet’s WebAward Association. Earthfiles also received the 2001 Encyclopaedia Britannica Award for Journalistic Excellence. Linda also reports science, environment and earth mysteries news for Clear Channel’s Premiere Radio Networks and Unknowncountry.com. In 2005, she traveled to Amsterdam, Hawaii, and several other U. S. conferences to speak about her investigative journalism.

In 2004, Linda was on-camera TV reporter for The History Channel’s documentary investigation of an unusual August 2004 cow death in Farnam, Nebraska. In November 2009, Linda was videotaped in Roswell, New Mexico, to provide document research background for a 1940s American policy of denial in the interest of national security about spacecraft and non-human body retrievals for a 2010 History Channel TV series, Ancient Aliens.

In 2010, Linda was honored with the 2010 Courage In Journalism Award at the National Press Club in Washington, D. C., by the Paradigm Research Group’s X Conference. She has traveled in Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, England, Norway, France, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Yugoslavia, Turkey, Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt, Australia, Japan, Canada, Mexico, the Yucatan and Puerto Rico for research and productions.