406:
iridium, he believed they had done the analysis incorrectly. He and Michel repeated the tests many times before bringing their results to
Alvarez. Walter Alvarez has written, "Frank hunts down potential mistakes with the ruthlessness of a counterspy, triple checks everything, and then checks it again .... We know today what killed the dinosaurs because of Frank Asaro's ability to make these remarkable measurements." The results were soon confirmed, not only for the samples provided by Alvarez, but independently by other groups around the world. That discovery resulted in the group, led by Luis Alvarez, to propose that an asteroid collided with the Earth and caused the mass extinctions. Although the theory is sometimes referred to as the
455:
archive was provided to the scientific community via the
Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR). The knowledge and experiences gained through working with these records has been used to recommend best practices to modern laboratories producing similar data to ensure that they remain useful into the future.
454:
with the request that they transcribe these data and share them with the scientific community. After more than a decade, a (nearly) comprehensive archive of the work of Asaro, Perlman, and Michel on the geochemistry of archaeological and geological samples was produced by
Matthew T. Boulanger. This
405:
Asaro told the
Alvarezes that the amount of iridium present in such samples of the Earth would almost certainly be too small to detect. However, he was interested in the project and agreed to perform the analysis, working with colleague Helen Michel. When they discovered remarkably high levels of
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landed there in 1579. However, in 1977, Asaro and his colleague Helen Michel used neutron activation analysis to determine that the zinc content in the composition of the plate was too high and the impurity levels too low to come from techniques of sixteenth century
English for working with brass.
324:
and was transported overland to the final site, a remarkable feat of engineering for that time. Using neutron activation analysis, Asaro and his co-workers showed that the stone from Aswan was only used to repair the upper half of the northern statue, which had been knocked over in an earthquake
231:
that has become a standard for determining the origin of ancient artifacts, in particular pottery. Asaro initially agreed to work on the project for a few months. He writes, "How good was
Perlman at choosing new fields? I thought I would take three months off to do this. I made that decision in
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The theory was initially met with skepticism, but over the years has become accepted as the primary explanation of the mass extinctions that took place sixty-five million years ago. Asaro himself felt that while mass extinction of many species was well-supported by plentiful fossil records, the
28:
269:. Thrown on a fast wheel and painted with animals and birds, the unusual pottery appeared to be the work of a new painter or school of painting. The Berkeley group showed that in fact the chemical composition of the pieces matched that of pottery made in
667:
Heizer, R. F.; Stross, F.; Hester, T. R.; Albee, A.; Perlman, Isadore; Asaro, Frank; Bowman, H. (21 December 1973). "The
Colossi of Memnon Revisited: Recent research has established the source of the stone of the two 720-ton statues at Thebes".
297:
and his research group in the
Department of Anthropology and Archaeological Research at the University of California, Berkeley, the Asaro group analyzed the stone used to construct the statues. Erected in the early fourteenth century
312:) formed by quartz particles cemented with iron oxide. Archeologists had once believed that all the stone used to create the statues came from a quarry about 100 mi (160 km) away from the temple site, near
226:
on alpha decay processes in nuclear chemistry. Asaro and
Perlman collaborated over the next fourteen years on studies of nuclear structure. It was during this time that they developed a high-precision technique of
401:
periods. Their purpose was to discover if the composition of the boundary layer that represented the transition between those two periods could provide insight into how many years the layer represented.
420:, an international panel of experts in geology, paleontology and related fields published the results of their exhaustive review of the data, ruling in favor of the asteroid theory.
201:
farmer and barber Nicolo Asaro and
Antonina (Annie) Asaro. He married Lucille Marie Lavezo and settled in the California Bay Area. They had four children, Frank, Antonina,
825:
273:, which meant it had later been exported to Palestine and other sites, a result that had extensive ramifications on the archaeology of the eastern Mediterranean.
428:
Work by Asaro and other scientists who study archeological artifacts has become trendy in recent years with the popularity of science fiction shows such as
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1030:
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smaller number of dinosaur fossils available worldwide made pinpointing cause of their extinction more difficult. In the March 5, 2010, edition of
1111:
598:
728:
451:
520:
185:, which postulates that an asteroid hit the Earth sixty-five million years ago and caused mass extinction during the age of the dinosaurs.
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572:
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182:
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to explain the mass extinctions, including the demise of the dinosaurs, that occurred at the end of the geological era known as the
218:
Asaro went to college at age sixteen during World War II and earned both his undergraduate and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry from the
1069:
987:
880:
759:
552:
410:, the seminal paper published in the literature was authored by Luis Alvarez, his son Walter, Frank Asaro, and Helen Michel.
154:
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purportedly left on the coast of what is now Marin County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, after his ship the
316:. Asaro's group determined that the original rock used to build the statues actually came from quarries 420 miles away in
253:
in 1927–1931. Among the many results of those studies was the work done with Michal Artzy, a then graduate student at
219:
158:
126:
88:
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496:"Frank Asaro, Nuclear Chemist Who Contributed to Dinosaur Extinction Theory and Archaeological Studies, Passes Away"
205:, and Marianna. Asaro's mother, one of the oldest known residents of Escondido, lived until almost 106 years old.
285:, two statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III that have stood for 3400 years in the Theban necropolis, across the River
969:
472:
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One of the first projects Asaro tackled with Perlman was a study of ancient pottery from Cyprus, known as
776:
228:
440:, where storylines involve archeological artifacts imbued with magical, scientific, or mystical powers.
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Instead, the plate was mostly likely manufactured in the first half of the nineteenth century or later.
1106:
606:
353:
257:. Up until that time, a distinctive type pottery called "Bichrome Ware", first found in Tel Ajjul in
250:
1008:"Salvage Archaeometry: Lessons Learned from the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Archaeometric Archives"
950:
736:
951:"Alvarez Theory on Dinosaur Die-Out Upheld: Experts Find Asteroid Guilty of Killing the Dinosaurs"
1049:
495:
397:, asked Asaro to look for iridium in samples of earth from the layer between the Cretaceous and
69:
153:(born Francesco Asaro, July 31, 1927 – June 10, 2014) was an Emeritus Senior Scientist at the
265:, was believed to originate in Palestine after which it was exported to sites in the eastern
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1050:"Recycling Data: Working with Published and Unpublished Ceramic Compositional Data"
1031:"Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Nuclear Archaeology Program Archives"
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633:
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133:
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99:
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521:"IN PERSON:105-year-old birthday girl reveals longevity's secret: blackjack"
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382:
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309:
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308:, the two 50-foot monoliths consist of a quartzose sandstone rock (
577:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Nuclear Archaeology Database
579:. University of Missouri-Columbia Research Center. Archived from
198:
599:"Nuclear Physics Sheds Light on Ancient Archeological Mysteries"
243:, they obtained 1,200 pottery sherds from the second millennium
826:"Extraterrestrial Cause for the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction"
270:
373:
Asaro is best known as the nuclear chemist who discovered the
27:
493:
321:
317:
313:
290:
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In 1973, Asaro and his colleagues embarked on a study of the
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period in Earth's history. His part in the work began when
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286:
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Boulanger, Matthew (8 December 2016), Hunt, Alice (ed.),
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624:(1973). "The Origin of the "Palestinian" Bichrome Ware".
752:
Scientific Investigation of Copies, Fakes and Forgeries
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573:"Introduction to the LBNL Nuclear Archaeology Database"
450:
In 2006, Asaro transferred archives of his work to the
1054:
The Oxford Handbook of Archaeological Ceramic Analysis
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1967, and I'm still doing this work 32 years later."
161:. He is best known as the chemist who discovered the
554:Isadore Perlman: 1915–1991 – A Biographical Memoir
1028:
971:(4531) Asaro In: Dictionary of Minor Planet Names
619:
494:Allan Chen; David Adan-Bayewitz (June 16, 2014).
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824:; Asaro, Frank; Michel, Helen V. (6 June 1980).
775:Michel, Helen V.; Asaro, Frank (February 1979).
592:
590:
570:
929:University of California Museum of Paleontology
925:"The Great Mystery: What Killed the Dinosaurs?"
896:
222:. For his doctorate, he worked with Professor
903:. Princeton University Press. pp. 67–68.
452:University of Missouri Research Reactor Center
749:
587:
518:
368:
812:
810:
632:(4). University of Michigan Press: 446–461.
1056:, Oxford University Press, pp. 72–84,
948:
774:
213:
1117:University of California, Berkeley faculty
729:"Drake's Plate -- the end of the mystery?"
726:
596:
26:
1047:
1005:
807:
560:, Washington DC: National Academies Press
543:
541:
1035:The Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR)
626:Journal of the American Oriental Society
276:
1112:UC Berkeley College of Chemistry alumni
356:, is an artifact that English explorer
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777:"Chemical Study of the Plate of Brass"
538:
1001:
999:
347:
239:. Aided by the Swedish archaeologist
155:Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
1062:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199681532.013.6
159:University of California at Berkeley
377:that led to the development of the
331:and reconstructed by Roman emperor
13:
996:
793:10.1111/j.1475-4754.1979.tb00237.x
571:Archaeometry Lab (10 March 2008).
475:. Contra Costa Times. 18 June 2014
473:"Francesco "Frank" Asaro Obituary"
352:The Plate of Brass, also known as
220:University of California, Berkeley
127:University of California, Berkeley
89:University of California, Berkeley
14:
1133:
1122:People from Escondido, California
754:. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
293:. Collaborating with Professor
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1022:
974:. Springer. 2003. p. 390.
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942:
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1006:Boulanger, Matthew T. (2013).
980:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_4469
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512:
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1:
1012:The SAA Archaeological Record
900:T. Rex and the Crater of Doom
845:10.1126/science.208.4448.1095
682:10.1126/science.182.4118.1219
620:Artzy, Michal; Asaro, Frank;
458:
167:Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary
949:Lynn Yarris (9 March 2010).
787:(1). Wiley Blackwell: 3–19.
597:Allen Chen (December 1999).
519:Tom Pfingsten (2010-12-08).
188:
7:
1037:. Arizona State University.
750:Paul Craddock, ed. (2009).
727:Allen Chen (4 April 2003).
229:neutron activation analysis
208:
169:layer that led the team of
10:
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1029:Matthew Boulanger (2018).
369:The Asteroid Impact Theory
897:Alvarez, Walter (2008) .
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251:Swedish Cyprus Expedition
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527:. The North County Times
289:from the modern city of
214:The Early Berkeley Years
525:San Diego Union-Tribune
447:is named in his honor.
393:and his son, geologist
551:; Frank Asaro (1998),
379:asteroid impact theory
183:Asteroid-Impact Theory
70:El Cerrito, California
277:The Colossi of Memnon
261:by the archaeologist
237:Cypriot Bichrome ware
195:Escondido, California
52:San Diego, California
304:as guardians of the
157:associated with the
839:(4448): 1095–1108.
676:(4118): 1219–1225.
609:on 19 October 2000.
389:–winning physicist
263:Sir Flinders Petrie
177:, Frank Asaro, and
408:Alvarez hypothesis
348:The Plate of Brass
1107:American chemists
1071:978-0-19-968153-2
989:978-3-540-29925-7
761:978-0-7506-4205-7
333:Septimius Severus
283:Colossi of Memnon
249:excavated by the
193:Asaro grew up in
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117:Nuclear Chemistry
107:Scientific career
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931:. DinoBuzz. 1995
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818:Alvarez, Luis W.
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739:on 15 June 2006.
735:. Archived from
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622:Perlman, Isadore
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181:to propose the
163:iridium anomaly
139:Isadore Perlman
100:Catherine Asaro
85:Alma mater
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395:Walter Alvarez
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62:June 10, 2014
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48:July 31, 1927
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1075:, retrieved
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955:Berkeley Lab
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933:. Retrieved
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781:Archaeometry
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737:the original
733:Berkeley Lab
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607:the original
603:Berkeley Lab
602:
581:the original
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529:. Retrieved
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503:. Retrieved
500:Berkeley Lab
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489:
477:. Retrieved
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449:
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431:Warehouse 13
429:
427:
415:
412:
404:
391:Luis Alvarez
372:
362:Golden Hinde
351:
280:
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179:Helen Michel
171:Luis Alvarez
150:
149:
123:Institutions
106:
64:(2014-06-10)
1102:2014 deaths
1097:1927 births
1018:(1): 14–19.
387:Nobel Prize
151:Frank Asaro
77:Nationality
32:Frank Asaro
20:Frank Asaro
1091:Categories
1077:2022-10-07
935:2023-01-02
531:2023-01-02
505:2023-01-02
459:References
445:4531 Asaro
383:Cretaceous
44:1927-07-31
853:0036-8075
801:0003-813X
690:0036-8075
646:0003-0279
399:Paleogene
325:about 27
310:quartzite
259:Palestine
203:Catherine
189:Biography
877:16017767
869:17783054
714:39052980
706:17811309
437:Stargate
255:Brandeis
209:Research
95:Children
80:American
861:1683699
833:Science
698:1737557
670:Science
417:Science
199:avocado
165:in the
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654:600164
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479:8 June
424:Legacy
335:about
271:Cyprus
113:Fields
884:(PDF)
873:S2CID
857:JSTOR
829:(PDF)
710:S2CID
694:JSTOR
650:JSTOR
558:(PDF)
322:Egypt
318:Cairo
314:Aswan
291:Luxor
1066:ISBN
984:ISBN
905:ISBN
865:PMID
849:ISSN
797:ISSN
756:ISBN
702:PMID
686:ISSN
642:ISSN
481:2015
434:and
337:197
287:Nile
59:Died
38:Born
1058:doi
976:doi
841:doi
837:208
789:doi
678:doi
674:182
634:doi
328:BCE
301:BCE
246:BCE
1093::
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998:^
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340:CE
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
