Posts Tagged lost and found

FOUND: Kryptonite in Serbia. Orphaned Babies Nowhere Closeby

Posted by mistergroonk in Comics, Marketing, Science on April 25, 2007

kryptonitejadarnite.jpg Researchers from mining group Rio Tinto discovered the unusual mineral and enlisted the help of Dr Stanley when they could not match it with anything known previously to science.

Once the London expert had unravelled the mineral’s chemical make-up, he was shocked to discover this formula was already referenced in literature – albeit fictional literature.

“Towards the end of my research I searched the web using the mineral’s chemical formula – sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide – and was amazed to discover that same scientific name, written on a case of rock containing kryptonite stolen by Lex Luther from a museum in the film Superman Returns.

“The new mineral does not contain fluorine (which it does in the film) and is white rather than green but, in all other respects, the chemistry matches that for the rock containing kryptonite.”

DC’s PR team wasted no time in commenting:

“The universe is full of mysteries, and some have been foreshadowed by comics,” said Paul Levitz, DC Comics President and Publisher. “We look forward to scientists figuring this one out.”

The real world version of “kryptonite” – which according to media reports will be officially named “jadarite,” after the place where it was discovered and because it does not contain the element krypton – is white, does not glow and is reportedly harmless to humans and/or natives of the planet Krypton.

Wait a tick…Goldilocks is orbiting a red dwarf(that’s a tiny red sun to you and me). Then real life kryptonite is found in Serbia. Where is the Ubermensch? The Nietzschean ideal can’t be far away. All the signs are there. Show yourself!

As long as you still “fight for truth, justice and the American way,” that is.

(via bbc and the beat)

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FOUND: Super Earth, ‘Goldilocks,’ is Better than Porridge

Posted by mistergroonk in Just Freaking Neat, Science, Space on April 25, 2007

She has a possiblity of holding Earth-like atmosphere. Which means water and all those good things. And she has a red dwarf star to boot.

For the first time, astronomers have spotted a cosy alien planet that might be hospitable to life. The planet is not much bigger than the Earth, and it enjoys balmy temperatures of about 20° C (68° F) as well as spectacular scarlet sunsets.

“It’s the smallest, lightest planet known at this time,” says Stéphane Udry from the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland. “And it’s just at the right distance from its star for liquid water to possibly exist on its surface.”

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“If you take an average value for the amount of starlight heating the planet, you get something like 20° C,” Udry told New Scientist. That’s similar to the average temperature in New York City, US, in June.

Astronomers have discovered “super-Earths” slightly larger than this one before. However, they are either too hot or too cold for liquid water to exist. The smallest world circling Gliese 581 is a “Goldilocks” planet with the conditions just right for potential life.

Whether DEADLY SPACE BEARS are present is not yet known.

(via new scientist)

(horrible SPACE BEAR movie via Sci Fi Channel)

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Found: City of Caer Caradoc at Mynydd y Gaer, Glamorgan

Posted by mistergroonk in History on August 25, 2006

Caer Caradoc at Mynydd y Gaer, Glamorgan, is one of the most important locations in all of ancient British history. It is the fabled fortress city of King Caradoc 1, son of Arch, who fought the Romans from 42-51AD.

And now, a small team of dedicated researchers working with historians Alan Wilson and Baram Blackett, say they have been able to pinpoint the location of this site. “It is great news for the local, regional and national economy,” said Alan Wilson today. “We have been making these discoveries for many years and with the Electrum Cross discovered at nearby St. Peter’s in 1990, it looks like a boost for jobs is likely.”

[…]

“What we have is a clearly-defined walled city in exactly the place the records tell us it should be. The Welsh manuscripts and supporting records are always precise and allow us to make major progress in terms of identifying royal burial mounds, tombs, artefacts and more,” said Wilson.

Aerial photographs obtained by the research team via Google Earth are available for viewing on the Internet via, realhistoryradio.blogspot.com

A Caer is a fortress and Caers were major fortress cities and towns for example: Caer Lllundain (London), Caerdydd (Cardiff) Caergrant (Cambridge) and Caer Loyw (Gloucester).

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A third reference is that of the “Uthyr Pendragon” , King Meurig/Maurice, who lies buried at the giant circle at Caer Caradoc. There is, at this location, a gigantic ditch and mound shaped like a boat, next to St. Peter’s Church ruin. In this 180 yards by 70 yards wide earth mound and ditch feature there is the huge grave mound of Meurig.

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FOUND: Old snake fossil with legs and hips

Posted by mistergroonk in Animals on April 19, 2006

leggedsnake.jpgSebastian Apesteguia at the Argentine Museum of Natural History and his team found the snake fossil in a terrestrial deposit in the Rio Negro province of north Patagonia, Argentina, in 2003. Unlike a handful of legged fossils found in marine deposits and identified as snakes over the past decade, the new fossil, named Najash rionegrina, has a well-defined sacrum supporting a pelvis and functional hind legs outside of its ribcage.

The creature’s skeletal structure suggests it was evolutionarily closer to its four-legged ancestor than previous fossils. And since the scientists found it in a terrestrial deposit, it is near certain that the animal lived on land.

“This snake is an important addition because it is the first snake with a sacrum. This represents an intermediate morphology that has never before been seen,” says Hussam Zaher, curator of herpetology at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, and part of the research team.

The fossil was found in a deposit from the late Cretaceous period and Zaher says the snake is at least 90 million years old. “This fills an important morphological gap of information regarding the early evolution of snakes,” he says.

(via new scientist)

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