Making Science More Better For You on 05/12/08

Headlines of the day
3 accused of using corpse head to smoke pot (Houston Chronicle)

We know it’s a creepy story, but it is the inspiration for what we think is the best-est name for a heavy metal band ever—Skull Bong

94-year-old mom on ATV kills son in farm accident (Detroit free press)
Make that “almost all terrain” vehicle.


We figure they looked like a cross between Porter Wagoner in a Nudie suit and the Gabor sisters on holiday.

Ancient sea creatures 'dressed up' in diamonds

A glimpse into prehistoric fashion has revealed that ancient sea creatures liked to doll themselves up with diamonds imported from outer space.

CNN reports that scientists have discovered that the organisms coated themselves with tiny diamonds made from carbon brought to Earth on the asteroid which may have wiped out dinosaurs.

Fossils of the single-celled creatures were discovered in the Umbria-Marche basin of eastern Italy.

The amoeba-like creatures made their own armour by sticking together sediment grains from the ocean floor.

Researchers collected the fossils from rock samples just above and below the sediment layer created by the massive asteroid impact 65 million years ago.

When the asteroid smashed into the Earth off the coast of Mexico the extreme pressure and temperatures generated manufactured diamonds.

Some of the tiny jewels were formed by crushing and heating Earthly graphite rock. But others were truly extraterrestrial, being made from carbon carried in the asteroid. The scientists found evidence of these microscopic diamonds in the fossils.

Other grains present were unusually rich in metals such as nickel and cobalt, indicating an extraterrestrial origin.

The organisms, known as agglutinated foraminifera, are thought to have selected the diamonds for their density.

Lead researcher Michael Kaminski, from University College London, told New Scientist magazine: "The foraminifera were deliberately using extraterrestrial diamonds in their shells."

Scientists still do not know how the creatures were able to pick out the densest grains, an ability they share with their modern descendants.

"Dude, even amoeba-like creatures like shinny things."