In the news this week, we learn that scientists are preparing to awaken the mollivirus, a super-virus discovered in 30,000 year old Permafrost in Siberia.
Apparently they will first check that it will not affect humans or animals.
So that's alright, then.
Seriously though - if that's the case, why bother waking it up anyway?
Have they never heard the phrase 'Let Sleeping Dogs Lie?'
Not that it's a dog...
...except further conjecture is that some of the complex super-virus genus might conceivably be lifeforms in stasis. Or gestating...haven't they seen 'The Thing' ?
I remove my protective but highly - sensitive tin-foil helmet...
Meanwhile, back on Ceres
Well, strictly speaking, above Ceres...
The image above is a view of the 'Occator' crater, alias 'spot 2'. The crater walls are some two miles high, and very steep.
The latest images from the Dawn mission, taken from a height of 915 miles, also show detail of a crater with the ubiqitous 'reflective' material on the crater walls.
This lends weight to the idea that it is some form of highly reflective material, possibly a form of salt crystal / magnesium sulfate?
It appears to be a very recent crater, and further imaging indicates some form of ongoing modification happening.
That's right, the dwarf planet is self-repairing !
Although, I'm sure there are better, more accurate, scientific terms available...
I'm just highly excited!
It's all happening!
After a fallow period, we're getting images thick and fast from the solar system!
Pluto with better resolution |
There's even a fine 3-d anaglyph, for those with red / blue viewing specs.
I'm not going to waste time with conjecture, I'll just create links to the sites with the best images.
All I will say is this (dons tin-foil helmet);
although the latest images of the Occator and Haulani craters on Ceres (the craters with the most reflective 'lights') are taken from a much closer point , we still don't see clear definition.
There are images which clearly show light coloured ejecta around craters, which seems to indicate that this is subsurface material which has been displaced.
However, we have to wait until December for the final, closest, yet probably still ambiguous images...
A new Ceres crater with light streaks on the wall... |