S.O.S. ACE PROJECT September 2012 Anthony Sullivan Alvarez Family S.O.S. ACE PROJECT September 2012

Found at 34°N, 120°W

Last seen-The Straits of Magellan

Clue #1 1.) Bottle Analysis- Small specks of dark gray sand from a beach was found in the bottle. We also found pieces of black lava. These pieces do not appear to be very old. This means that the lava may be from an active volcano. 2.) Our CSI laboratory analysis was able to decipher the washed-away writing on the message enclosed in the bottle. The pressure used when writing the note left some letter indentations that gave us some clues to the missing sections. Here is what we deciphered so far: “ The beaches here are a dark gray, not like at home. We can see mountains in the distance. One is a volcano! We can see the smoke.”

Clue #2 1.) Bottle Analysis- Pollen from the tree daisy(scalesia) was found in the bottle. There were also spines from several cacti. The brachycereus, prickly pear, and candelabra cacti. There were also some orchid petals in the bottle. 2.) Recovered Text- “We have fruit to eat. And there are beautiful flowers here. I think some are orchids.” “It has been cool and dry lately, but six months ago it was warm with afternoon showers.” 3.) Letter Analysis- Our team also noted there was a subtle stain on the note that turned out to be guava juice.

Clue #3 1.) Bottle Analysis- There was a piece of claw from either a marine iguana or a land iguana in the bottle. Two small feathers were found, too. After DNA sampling, we determined that the feathers were from a tropical water penguin and a Darwin’s finch. 2.) Recovered Text - “ There are some very interesting animals here. We have seen huge tortoises and some large fishing birds. Their bodies are sometimes white and sometimes brown, but their feet are bright red! I drew a picture below.” After intense investigation, we were able to bring back the images of a possible red footed booby. 3.) Letter Analysis- Our CSI laboratory analysis has also found a stain on the note was a hairy-tailed bat.

Clue #4 1.) Recovered Text- “Using a crude sundial, we were able to figure our approximate latitude. We should be nearly on the equator!” “Please find us soon!”

CSI News Flash Species unique to your area have been discovered. A giant tortoise’s scale was in the bottle. A hawk feather was also found. The type of hawk is calculated to weigh 1.5-3.5 pounds. A male sea lion’s urine was also found on the letter. The mammal belongs to the eared seal family. We hope this new information helps you, and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Clue #1 Beaches and Volcanic Mountains Gray sand beach with volcanic mountain range in the background.

Clue#2 Trees and Plants Tree Daisy (Scalesia) Lava Cactus (Brachycereus) Prickly Pear (Opuntia) Candelebra Cactus Orchids

Clue #3 Animals Iguanas Tropical Darwin’s Finches Penguins Red Footed Booby

Located in The Galapagos Islands