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The cluster of thousands of stars lies 20,000 light years from Earth in the Carina spiral arm of our galaxy. It is embedded in a star-forming nebula called NGC 3603, a cloud of gas and dust with enough material to form 400,000 stars like the Sun.Previous measurements by Hubble and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile had come to the same conclusion for two of these star systems, indicating that the heaviest star involved is as massive as 114 Suns, which is at the borderline of what some theoretical models allow.
Very cool and interesting.
A Ugandan walked up to a christian missionary and asked: "If I didn't know about God, sin and Hell, would I go there?"
"Well, no, you couldn't", replied the missionary.
"Then why did you tell me about them?" asked the Ugandan.
Annie Dillard.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27240370/
World's first dog lived 31,700 years ago, ate big
Discovery could push back the date for the earliest dog by 17,700 years
Ancient, 26,000-year-old footprints made by a child and a dog at Chauvet Cave, France, support the pet notion. Torch wipes accompanying the prints indicate the child held a torch while navigating the dark corridors accompanied by a dog.
And a related blog entry that asks whether Neanderthal extinction may have been related to a lack of dog-empathy.
http://sensuouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/why-are-the-neanderthals-extinct/
Why Are the Neanderthals Extinct?
"This brings us to where we started this article — dogs! Our idea is that while humans formed an early and mutually beneficial relationship with dogs, the Neanderthals never did; and that is what made all the difference." -The Sensuous Curmudgeon
As a dog lover, of course I'm biased toward agreeing with this hypothesis. I won't say I do so without evidence, but it is certainly a charming notion (apart from the more squeamish thoughts of mutual survivability in times of starvation). I'm going to have to watch this Curmudgeon for a while. Maybe add him to my 'reader' list.
Hee!
