Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Fossick fossick fossick

MUSEUM TOMORROW!!!
I'm excited... again... :D

More fossils to fossick through!

Note to self...
If I ever go to QLD, I'm going to Richmond's "Kronosaurus Korner"

Monday, June 21, 2010

Top 5 Fossil Discoveries (IMO)


-1- Materpiscis "Mother fish"
Ancient fish from Australia's Kimberley region, c.380 million years ago. Oldest known fossil displaying viviparous characteristics (live birthing) in the fossil record.

-2- Gogonasus
Ancient fish from the primitive tropical Australian reef 380 million years ago. Its breathing structure on its head, and forearm lobe-fin joints were precursors to the middle ear and limbs (radius and ulna). Gogonasus now replaces Quebec's Eusthenopteron (the original "missing link" in terms of early tetrapod development) in the tetrapod relationship. Since it's so ancient, this pushes the first appearance of these features further back in the fossil record.

-3- Darwinius masillae "Ida"
The most complete skeleton of the earliest stage of human - the key "missing link". Small, lemur-like fossil believed to be the earliest stage of human evolution. Not related to lemurs due to the lack of dew claw on the forelimbs and there is not a fused tooth comb (both characteristics are primary features of lemur).

-4- Homo floresiensis "Flores Man" aka: Hobbit
Potential to rewrite human history. Believed to be a separate species of homonid from humans, but appeared to exist around the same time as early H. sapiens (hobbits were founds on the Idon Flores while humans inhabited the rest of the world). Possible disease and/or rare genetic disorder caused their shorter stature.

-5- Megalosaurus bucklandii "Giant lizard"
The first dinosaur (besides birds) to be scientifically described and subsequently named. It came upon the unfortunate name "Scrotum humanum" by Richard Brookes in 1763 due to its identification by Reverend Plot as the femur of a giant human (as described in the Bible). Its appearance was believed to be a long limbed, quadrupedal dog-like crocodile before coming to its more correct form.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

My cat is Lucifer in fuzzy-form

So... I had a rather large jigsaw puzzle (with exquisitely painted Cape Hunting dogs) out on the 8 seater dining room table and it took up half that. I only needed to do a touch up so I could frame it (its a Charlotte Firbank-King edition hence the framing) since the majority of it was done some year back as a past time for my Grandma. Well...

That puzzle I was working on most of the evening and well into the night... and finally had 5 pieces left before completely finishing (I mean, seriously, who paints a massive leafless tree in the background with so many branches and patched of plain sky??). The 10 month old kitten, who is affectionately known as "Demon Child" Lily, launches herself from the dividing wall I was facing, landing directly on the puzzle and sliding across the table only to bump heads with me. The puzzle had folded in on itself and the rest cascaded onto my lap, scattering EVERYWHERE.

I cried, I yelled, I cried some more, I got angry... then I laughed... that kind of hysterical psychotic laughter someone makes while crying with anger and considering murder. Safe to say, her look of absolute fear at the moment of sliding from one end of the table to the other on a jigsaw puzzle was enough justice for me. That and I've cut her kitten milk rations... and taken all the cat nip toys away.

Cat: 1 Me: 2

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Nairobi; the little-known South African capital


James Bond 007: Diamonds Are Forever (1971)...
Apparently, by Bond's world map, our geography is way off if we've missed


A transforming woman in the circus side show was captured in the jungles of
"Nairobi, South Africa"


ONLY IN KENYA, Mr. Bond!!