Scientists are reconsidering new evidence that suggests the explosion of the Thera volcano in the Aegean Sea may have triggered the eventual collapse of Minoan culture, the first major European civilization. Doubts persist, though, that the volcanic eruption was the main cause of the collapse of Minoan society, 150 years after the event. Shown above is Mount Etna, another Mediterranean volcano that threatens the surrounding area with a potentially catastrophic eruption.Oct 28, 2003

PHOTO: AFP