Thousands of tons of cosmic dust are estimated to reach the Earth's surface every year, with most grains having a mass between 10−16 kg (0.1 pg) and 10−4 kg (0.1 g). The density of the dust cloud through which the Earth is traveling is approximately 10−6 dust grains/m3.
The best spots to look for and find the extra-terrestrial dust particles are surfaces with little vegetation and erosion, where, once landed, they remain collectable for a long time: for example on ice surfaces in the Antarctic or on the seabed. Researchers from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and the Freie Universität Berlin now want to tap a new source of the scientifically very valuable material. They are counting on the active support of Berlin citizens.
Cosmic crumbs
“We want to collect micrometeorites, they are usually less than one millimetre in size, from Berlin roofs,” says project manager Lutz Hecht. The idea has already proven successful: The researchers extracted 63 micrometeorites from many kilogrammes of dust from a roof area of around 5000 square metres. They are now identifying further roofs, which could be good places to find more due to their location and nature.
At the selected locations, the material is swept together and the particles from 0.1 to 0.8 millimetres in size are sifted out. Magnetically reacting particles are then extracted from these. The yield is washed, light particles discarded and the remaining material is dried and examined under microscopes. “This is a very time-consuming task that requires the help of volunteers who help us picking out the interesting objects,” says Hecht.
Whether the interesting objects actually are micrometeorites will be checked with an electron microscope. The museum’ geochemical and microanalytical laboratories are equipped for analysis
This is like imagination training session and it is so cool! To imagine how many prehistoric species we'll never even learn about existing because i.e. they were too soft to leave a fossil. To imagine how bizarre and monstrous we would see animals of today if we only judged by their skeletons as we do with dinosaurs. And to imagine triceratops' mating dance😉
for the record my official paleontologist review of Paleo Pines is
it's gorgeous
it's so cute
it's super fun
it takes too long to get into it, the start is just... slow. too slow.
it needs more tutorials/explanations of things in the game, I had to look up waaaaay too much stuff online just to understand certain things
I am once again begging game devs to hire me as a "taxon balancer" because why did we need four dromaeosaurs and not a single alvarezsaur or small running ornithopod/neornithischian thing? why are there no sauropodomorphs at all when plenty would be smaller than the ornithischians and theropods??? why is Wuerhosaurus in the Game at all when it's just Stegosaurus but Later???
I can accept Postosuchus and Desmatosuchus being there (barely, like I love Triassic Weirdos but like... idk, don't call everything a dinosaur then) but Dimetrodon????? Permia isn't even one of the seasons!!! come on!!!
a farming/ranching game without romance??? I don't have to have a pansexual crisis??? hooray!
how dare the number of dinosaurs you can keep happy on your ranch be finite based on dreamstones and not space
I *love* the flavor system and it took me way too long to figure out that favorite treats are based on each individual animal's specific favorite secondary flavor
I want more dinosaurs and more regions
you should be able to befriend animals without necessarily bringing them home (and yes, I know, you can send them to the wilds, but they look so OFFENDED, like... why can't I just make friends)
I'm addicted to this game, send help, I am hopelessly behind on Fossil Novembirb posts and I want to turn in a grant proposal this week
I'm glad I waited till after my big conference to play because of the aforementioned addiction
anyways I finished work for today, off to play some more la la la