Interesting. Of course, this YouTube clip is only a segment of a longer documentary. I'd like to know if there are any other indications that the people who built this model "knew" about aerodynamics (other models, mathematical notes, etc), or is this model all there is? The explanation is obvious: there were time travelers or aliens who brought the technology back! </sarc>
Again, this is interesting, but is it possible that any Bernoulli effect of the wing design was coincidental—that the tear-drop profile is reflected in other jewelry and art? While statistics can tell us how unlikely something is, most people forget that coincidences
do happen. (Some people, however, do not believe in coincidence; everything has a reason and a fateful purpose. Prove it.) Is there any possibility of this item being a hoax? (After Piltdown Man and
Boban's crystal skulls, don't imagine that hoaxes are not possible in science.)
Assuming the artifact is authentic, it is doubtful that pre-Columbian artisans had an engine to make it work. Jim Woodman has suggested that the ancient Nazcas of Peru had balloon flight, while others disagree with his thesis. There are fantastic stories from throughout history, like Archimedes' "death ray," which may be exaggerations, or geniuses ahead of their time and the prior art needed to support their ideas.
(I'm reminded of a dream sequence from one
Gilligan's Island episode. The castaways are depicted as cave people in prehistoric times. Gilligan comes upon the Professor putting the finishing touches on his new invention, the wheel. The Professor then tests it by pushing the disc over on its side. Flop! He grumbles dejectedly, "Wheel not work!")
