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| Meet the mammoths |
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| Wednesday, 16 April 2008 | |
Hazel Francis previews a must-see exhibition for all ages  In May 2007, the carcass of a six-month-old baby mammoth was discovered preserved in a block of ice near the Yuribei River in Russia where it had been buried for nearly 40,000 years. Now natural history fans can actually come face to face with one, as ‘Au temps des mammouths’ comes to Bordeaux. The exhibition, which takes a look at these prehistoric animals throughout the ages, is currently on show in the CAP science exhibition centre. It is estimated that mammoths appeared some five million years ago with the last of them dying out only 4,000 years ago. They were first described by German scientist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach as ‘Elephas primigenius’ in 1799. Both he and Baron Georges Cuvier of France later, independently, concluded that the bones belonged to a separate extinct species, that of the woolly mammoth, and so renamed the large creature ‘Mammuthusprimigenius’. Life-size reconstructions of mammoths and the huts made from their remains have been built specially and real examples of their remains are on display, as well as facts, quotes and photos of the digs and discoveries of mammoths. One of the most interesting features is a work of art showing prehistoric man’s impression of the huge creature, some of which came from our own Aquitaine region. Children are invited to make drawings of them, which are then put on display. So far, it has been a big success: as well as moving on to other French towns like Capelle-la-Grande and Chambéry, the exhibition will be travelling across the world to New Zealand and Australia. With Bordeaux extending the dates of the exhibition until August it has become something of a must-see event. All in all, it is the perfect way to spend an afternoon in Bordeaux for both children and adults. Cap Sciences Hangar 20 Quai de Bacalan 05 56 01 07 07 www.cap-sciences.net |
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| Drive to help women boost their UK state pensions |
| Further to recent articles in French News about women's pensions, the UK Department of Work and Pensions has issued a press release explaining that "women pensioners could boost their state pension or even be in line for a windfall payment under special terms. | |
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