BLAGgers, there has been a shit ton of amazing science happening lately and I’m so excited I can’t even be bothered to separate it into multiple posts. Therefore this will be a general link post of sorts with hopefully some discussion in the comments!
Via good.is: Antarctic Glacier Has Five-Story Blood-Red Waterfall of Primoridial Ooze! I saw this and got immediately excited. Located in the McMurdo valleys, what basically happened is that a super bloom of microbes got trapped under the ice, and, unlike just about every living thing ever, it kept living. The lack of sunlight and oxygen has transformed them into something the Ninja Turtles could only dream of finding the secrets of, and every so often when the surface ice cracks and melts a tiny bit, it starts gooshing out. And yes, that’s a quite technical term. The best part? You can absolutely visit this oozefest, albeit only in Antarctic summer.
Via Salon.com: Deadly quakes are coincidence, scientists say. This one is something that I’ve been looking into a little bit, but honestly don’t know where to begin. A bunch of unnamed scientists say that the recent devastating earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, and now Turkey are completely unrelated. This also in, Pat Robertson is still an asshole.
One of the things I’ve been worried about is that the same day as the Chile earthquake, there was a smaller magnitude but still relatively severe earthquake in Salta, Argentina – a 6.4 on the Richter. We all know how much I love Argentina, and one of my friends from field camp lives in Salta. Unfortunately, nobody has any contact information for him – but luckily the USGS reported that there were no casualties. My fingers are crossed for you and your family, Nestor.
In entirely unrelated news, there have been two small earthquakes in my home county here in New Jersey: 2 Earthquakes Shake Somerset County; Second Time in Two Weeks (courtesy mycentraljersey.com). I am deeply saddened as I have not felt either of these, though they were at max 2.3 on the Richter scale. Is something afoot under central Jersey?
Via the HuffPo: World’s First Commercial Jetpack To Be Sold For $75,000. Some lucky bastards with lots of money will soon be able to purchase a really sweet jetpack produced by the Martin Aircraft Company. It carries a fairly hefty $75K price tag, but can travel up to 63mph, meets all FAA regulations, and can run for about half an hour. The best part? You won’t need a pilot’s license to fly one. Now this is something I can see wasting money on…providing I can find a nice supply of jet fuel.
What do you say, BLAGgers? Any more science you’d like me to know about? Leave a comment, or drop me a line via e-mail!
Side note…would you guys like to see a return of Random Sunday Night?
I was recently approached by the fine folks at 
This year, I was evicted from my little box and moved into a bigger, larger office! With computers! And windows! (Not to mention some of the best people I’ve ever met.)
What has me the most nervous, though, is that I’ve never done any geologic work of this caliber before. The most I’ve ever mapped is a tiny square on campus, not anywhere near this large. Also, the fact that I’ll be away for nearly a month and don’t know much about how I’ll be able to be in touch with my family and friends is a big worry. What if something happens at home? A dear friend recently took a European vacation, and the day she landed she found out that her father passed away. Third biggest worry? I’m one of three girls going. There are thirteen guys. That’s more than a little unbalanced…I just hope I get along with them.
Kabuto are the Pokémon equivalent of my favorite little prehistoric sea creatures, trilobites! Unlike the real thing, these can be reanimated and can be your little in game pixel friends.
