[HN Gopher] 'Glacier mice' baffle scientists ___________________________________________________________________ 'Glacier mice' baffle scientists Author : janandonly Score : 77 points Date : 2023-12-11 16:53 UTC (6 hours ago) (HTM) web link (www.atlasobscura.com) (TXT) w3m dump (www.atlasobscura.com) | AlbertoGP wrote: | > In 1950, Icelandic researcher Jon Eythorsson came across a | gathering of fuzzy green puff balls, the size of small gerbils, | scattered across Hrutarjokull Glacier in the southeast of the | country. Curiously, the mossy balls weren't attached to the | ground, and many were green on all sides, indicating they must | slowly turn so that the entire exterior sees the sun at some | point, theorized Eythorsson. That fall, he wrote a letter to the | editor of the Journal of Glaciology. "I call these mossy balls | Jokla-mys, literally 'glacier mice,'" he wrote, "and you will | have noted, Sir, that rolling stones can gather moss." | | > [...] | | > Glacier moss balls can grow up to about eight inches long | before they fall apart, and can live at least six years. The one | on the right was tagged with beads by researchers. | JoshTko wrote: | Tumblemoss | _a_a_a_ wrote: | That's rather nice. | nimish wrote: | Frozen marimo? | bacon_waffle wrote: | Yukimarimo are a thing: | | https://weaknuclearforce.wordpress.com/2014/03/20/yukimarimo... | antiquark wrote: | Rolling moss gathers no stones. | vlachen wrote: | Even better, rolling moss removes its stones. Surely there's a | life-lesson in there, ready to be ejected like dust from a | glacier mouse. | MPSimmons wrote: | This gives Racetrack Playa vibes - | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racetrack_Playa | | They eventually discovered that the playa would occasionally | flood, then freeze at night, trapping the rocks in the ice, and | wind would then push the ice sheets with the rocks embedded, | which would cause the tracks that gave the area its name. | m463 wrote: | I was thinking the same thing: | | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_stones | abledon wrote: | You think they'd put a youtube video in the article..... to | show.. ya know.. the movement | Sharlin wrote: | Today in nominative determinism: Glaciologist Tim Bartholo _maus_ | studies glacier _mice_. | etothepii wrote: | I don't know why but this article felt like a LLM hallucination. | nerpderp82 wrote: | Like a glacial tumbleweed made of moss. This is wonderful! | deadbabe wrote: | Moss is one of those things that is tricky to eat, but very | rewarding if you find the right species and know what you're | doing! Fluffy goodness | yieldcrv wrote: | reminds me of Scavenger's Reign | jldugger wrote: | Is this any different than the sailing stones of death valley? ___________________________________________________________________ (page generated 2023-12-11 23:00 UTC)