links for 2010-08-20

"Despite billions of years of churning and melting beneath the tectonic plates, a pocket of deep mantle rock that formed just as Earth was first solidifying may have survived intact."

In a mood to be awed by the age, size, and power of nature.

"But NGC 4696 has sprouted something never seen on another galaxy: a huge swirl of dust that stretches for tens of thousands of light-years and whips back around like a question mark. … And views in x-ray light (not shown) reveal super-powerful jets of matter squirting from the galaxy's central black hole at nearly the speed of light. Together, these features show that NGC 4696 is a galaxy like no other."

Such size and power. This is what magic truly is.

"Approximately 260 million years ago, a volcanic province known as the Emeishan Traps burst forth in what is now Southwest China. In the geologic blink of an eye—half a million years—500,000 cubic kilometers of lava poured into the ocean and threw billions of tons of toxic sulfur dioxide into the air. More than half of the marine species on Earth disappeared."

And we're bitching about climate change due to pollution from the last 150 years (0.00015 M years)? What hubris.

"Great Danes stretch more than a meter from paw to shoulder and can easily weigh more than 90 kilograms. A Chihuahua fits snugly inside a purse. Domestic dog breeds are more varied in body size and shape—not to mention coat color and fur length—than any other land-based mammal. Yet, according to a new study, a mere two to six regions in doggy DNA account for most of this diversity."