Sign in / up

back to article Antarctic meteorite yields exotic new mineral

NASA has announced the discovery of a new mineral inside a "historically significant"* meteorite recovered from Antarctica in December 1969. The exotic blend of sulphur and titanium was spotted in the 4.5bn-year-old Yamato 691 enstatite chondrite, which may have once formed part of an asteroid orbiting between Jupiter and Mars …

COMMENTS

House rules Send corrections
This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Anonymous Coward
    Megaphone

    hmmmm....

    Gee that looks like something in that puc.... :O

    2 1
  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    uh oh...

    i'd say superman is crapping his pants about now.

    7 0
  3. No, I will not fix your computer
    Welcome

    I for one....

    Invasion of the body snatchers, evolution, day of the triffids etc....

    2 0

  4. This post has been deleted by its author

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Alien

    Wassonite... more like Alienite!

    Read about this stuff before, recovered from the 2nd (yes 2nd!) roswell saucer crash not recovered until '49. The one they did manage to cover-up properly!

    2 4
  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Do they mean

    WhatsOnTonite ?

    0 0
    1. Sir Runcible Spoon
      Reply Icon

      Sir

      Or more aptly...Wassatite?

      3 0
  7. Tom_
    Happy

    but...

    If it's 50x450nm, how do they know there aren't bits of it lying around all over the place? Who'd notice?

    5 0
  8. karl 15
    Happy

    Porn

    This story makes a mockery of the UK porn laws lol

    0 0
  9. lglethal Silver badge
    Joke

    Your joking with the name right?

    Whats-On-It? pronounced in a yobbish (scouser perhaps?) accent - Wass-on-it?

    I can imagine how that conversation went - presentation to the big boss...

    Scientist 1: "and this is the meterotie results shown here."

    Scientist 2: "Wass on it there?"

    Scientist 1: "Ahhh....... Thats the new mineral we just discovered, were calling it... "Wassonite", after.... ummm.... John... John Wasson that meteorite guy from UC."

    Boss: "Brilliant. What does it do?"

    Scientist 1: "Well, we will need more funding to work that out..."

    ;)

    0 0
  10. Gordon 10

    Clungeite

    As above

    1 0
  11. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    Wassonite?

    Seriously? So they have a bunch of UK A-level students working in NASA naming dept now, who were having a see who could come up with the most stupid name AND get it agreed competition?!

    Why not just go full pelt and call it LickMyMarmiteCoveredBallsANite!!!!

    0 1
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Happy

      New keyboard please

      Must have new keyboard.

      0 0
    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Welcome to mineralogy 101

      Where, rather than trying to remember cleavage patterns* you spend your time looking up rude mineral names in the index.

      Also includes arsenolite, welshite, fukalite, kinoshitolite and my all-time favourite, fornacite.

      * so much less interesting than you might think.

      3 0
  12. Graham Marsden
    Coat

    Does the number...

    ... 601 ring any bells...?

    1 0
  13. Disco-Legend-Zeke
    Pint

    Titanium Sulphur Alloy...

    ...stronger than steel, but it stinks.

    5 0
    1. Sillyfellow
      Reply Icon

      nice one

      that's the funniest thing i've read all week. thanks for that. 10 points for hilarity.

      0 0
  14. Sillyfellow
    Thumb Up

    physical properties?

    the interesting question would be: what are it's physical properties, and what effects does it have interacting or reacting with other substances? but i guess it'll take more than a few enshrined tiny grains to work that lot out.

    PS. very funny discussion. hehe.

    0 0
  15. FozzyBear
    Go

    Well They couldn't Call it

    Unobtainium now could they, that would be just too weird.

    0 0
  16. Shane Orahilly
    Coat

    Unobtainium, huh?

    Nope, I don't get it.

    2 0
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Stop

      Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

      I'm having flashbacks about "The Core"! "The Earth core has stopped spinning", "OOOh, a geode", Lightning that only hits major landmarks... Noooooooooooooooooooooo

      All those years of counselling wasted....

      1 0
  17. mhenriday
    Headmaster

    Lexicological confusion ?

    «... Wassonite has been recognised by the International Mineralogical Association and added to its list of 4,500 officially-approved minerals.» Officially approved ? Perhaps Mr Haines means «officially recognised» (without the hyphen) ?...

    Henri

    0 0
  18. Andy Livingstone

    Nothing new in this world - or out of it.

    Typed it into Amazon.co.uk and got two items offered. Now that's service.

    4 0
  19. Gusty O'Windflap

    don't mention the core!

    how could they make a film about journeying to the centre of the earth without Doug McClure in it?!?!?!

    still not enough present to bond with my skeleton

    0 0
  20. steward
    Stop

    So Wassonite...

    with a size of 50x450 nanometers is big enough to be an official mineral, but Pluto's too small to be a planet. Huh?

    0 2
  21. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    So its not enough for a countertop....

    But how long until Richard Branson is seen ostentatiously cleaning his teeth with a Wassonite toothpick?

    And make sure you process that Wassonite in either an acidic or base environment. I dont want an Andromeda breakout before I've had my shots!!

    0 0
  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ah yes BUT...

    this is nowhere near as good as the material that can withstand the force of 75 Hiroshimas. THAT is a new material worth knowing about. If anyone can tell me the name of the material (I know it) then you get a prize !. The inventor is a retired hairdresser.

    0 0
  23. Dick Emery
    Alien

    Uhoh!

    Andromeda Strain anyone?

    0 0
  24. Gannon (J.) Dick
    Pint

    Act inconspicious ...

    Are they ever going to be embarrassed when they find out it's "Processed Cheese Food" ...

    No smell, right ?

    Tastes like a foil wrapped 4.5b year old 3 minute egg ?

    It's Velveta you fools, organometallic Cheese Wiz !

    0 0
  25. Ronny Cook

    C&C is real!!

    I'm expecting GDI and the Brotherhood of NOD to start duking it out ANY MINUTE NOW.

    0 0
This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like