23 years ago, an amateur fossil hunter discovered something in a fossil pit near Whocares, Germany. For reasons unknown (my guess is he's a jerk), he kept it a secret until three years ago when he decided he wanted some money (probably bet against the Steelers). He sold the object via a third party to a Norwegian paleontologist for an undisclosed, less-than-one-million-dollars amount. The object was kept a secret so it could be studied closely.
Until yesterday.
The object:
Darwinius masillae, or "Ida."
The Internet:
crapping its pants.
Seems like
guy-with-line-through-the-o-in-his-name wanted to earn back some of that undisclosed, less-than-one-million-dollars amount, because the scientific paper on Ida was released in tandem with an enormous publicity campaign including
a jazzy website and some ridiculous quotes.
Hurum says,
"It is the scientific equivalent of the Holy Grail. This fossil will probably be the one that will be pictured in all textbooks for the next 100 years."He also compared the future museum display to the Mona Lisa (which, of course, it will remain for the
next 100 years). Even the
guy who narrates Planet Earth needs a change of underwear.
Point: This is a great discovery. The hyperbolic reaction just needs some abating.
That said, I look forward to learning more about my
great Aunt Ida
and the continued webwide
reaction to her discovery.
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