More paleo' news, then I'm outta here.

A couple of cool ones from today.

First, Turiasaurus riodevensis, a truly gigantic new sauropod dinosaur has been described from remains discovered in eastern Spain. To date, Turiasaurus is the largest dinosaur found in Europe and perhaps one of the largest sauropods ever, reaching an estimated length of 30-37 metres.



Teeth of Turiasaurus riodevensis


For those who — inexplicably — prefer things mammalian, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (vol 103, p 19419) this week included a report describing the remains of a 16-million-year-old mammal, including "fossilised parts of a jaw and a leg from the mammal, unearthed in sediment from the St Bathans lake bed in the South Island. It represents an evolutionary stage that pre-dates the split between pouched marsupials and placental mammals." But what's so exciting about this tiny beast is that according to what we thought we knew about paleobiogeography, it shouldn't have been there. This indicates New Zealand's diverse avifauna did not necessarily evolve in the absence of mammalian predators/competitors. That is, when New Zealand split off Gondwana in the Cretaceous, maybe some mammals went along after all.

It's one of those things that makes science so wonderful. It's not so much what you think you know today, as much as it's how you might learn tomorrow or the day after that you were wrong and have a whole new puzzle to solve.



A tiny furball among the big birds (skull fragments)

Okay. Spooky has informed me that, despite the icky weather and the late hour, we are about to steal away for a belated Solstice thing. So, gotta run. Merry Cephalopodmas!

Merry frelling Cephalopodmas!

Eight hours sleep last night, and nothing was stolen, and nothing exploded, and we were not visited by a second deluge. So, I guess things are looking up. The basement lake sat there all night, and some guy in a white van showed up this ayem to pump it out. I was just sort of getting fond of having my own lagoon.

I keep finding new reasons to hate MySpace. For example, there's this little drop-down menu thingy that lets you categorize your entries. There's something like 27 categories to choose from, including such very important subjects as "Fashion, Style, Shopping" "Parties and Nightlife," "Goals, Hopes, Plans," and "Automotive." Heck, there's even "Religion and Philosophy" and "Writing and Poetry," which does seem to indicate that MySpace has not entirely discounted intellectual pursuits. However, out of all these categories, there's no "Science" or "Science and Nature." Which, I think, says a lot about public attitudes towards science in America. Anyway, TypePad is looking like a much better mirror, so I may soon abandon the blight of MySpace completely. What a relief it will be to never again have to look upon the oddly shiny faces of drunken college students posing for pix with drinks in hand, and I can stop getting spammed with "friend" requests from hookers and indie bands. No, it's true. I really do hate MySpace.

I'm going to try to begin a new story today, something that will likely appear in Sirenia Digest 14 in January. I'd intended to spend the entire day in bed, observing Global Orgasm Day in a manner most befitting. But, then, I'd not counted on losing yesterday. So, the orgasms will just have to wait a while longer. By the way, Global Orgasm Day has been organised by the Global Consciousness Project, which I think is actually based out of Princeton U. (at least, their website is anchored there), in hopes of measuring "changes in randomness during global events." The "science" here is, to say the least, highly questionable in its validity. But I just can't resist something called Global Orgasm Day, even if it is a front for bad science hoping "to effect positive change in the energy field of the Earth through input of the largest possible surge of human energy a Synchronized Global Orgasm. There are two more US fleets heading for the Persian Gulf with anti-submarine equipment that can only be for use against Iran, so the time to change Earth’s energy is NOW!" Er...right. I suppose this gets filed under "Noble Yet Idiotic." Still, any excuse for an orgasm or five, and maybe we'll get lucky and the "surge of human energy" will at last awaken Cthulhu, who will promptly destroy the whole silly world by Xmas.

Don't forget that the current eBay auctions end later today, this evening, including a hand-corrected galley for Daughter of Hounds and an ARC of the same. So, have a look. Bid if you've a mind to do so. Oh, and I never did congratulate kiaduran for snagging the green-haired boy doll and lettered copy of Alabaster the other day. She's the same kind soul who gave Snapdragon a good home. Oh, wait, only the galley auction ends today. The ARC ends on Xmas Eve. Thank you, Spooky.

And if you have not pre-ordered already, the platypus assures me that Cephalopodmas is the best day of all, after Samhain, for pre-ordering Daughter of Hounds

We did, belatedly, get in a little something nice for Solstice last night. Despite the drizzle, the cold, and the cloud cover, we walked over to Freedom Park sometime after midnight. It was deserted, and we sat under the oaks and pecan trees at the top of the hill, shivering and damp, but happy for the sky and the solitude.

And now, as my Cephalopodmas gift to you, this exquisite photo of the hooked suckers of one of my favourite teuthids, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, the Colossal Squid. If this doesn't a) put you in the holiday spirit and b) get you ready for the sychronised global orgasm, well, I don't know what possibly ever would.