Real, live Kryptonite discovered in Serbia! Superman nervous and a little itchy!
Okay, so it’s not really kryptonite; that doesn’t really exist, silly. But a mineral recently discovered inside a Serbian mine is staggeringly similar to the fictional material of The Man of Steel’s nightmares. When mineralogists came across this white, chalky material they were almost positive they’d discovered a new mineral, as they couldn’t find anything in the mineral record matching its molecular composition. Then they checked the old internet and zang! – pay dirt.
British Natural History Museum mineralogist Chris Stanley said:
Towards the end of my research I searched the web using the mineral's
chemical formula - sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide - and was amazed to
discover that same scientific name, written on a case of rock containing
kryptonite stolen by Lex Luther from a museum in the film Superman Returns.
The new mineral does not contain fluorine (which it does in the film)
and is white rather than green but, in all other respects, the chemistry matches
that for the rock containing kryptonite.
Unfortunately pop culture can’t do us a solid and name the new mineral for us; there’s already an element on the periodic table named Krypton, so instead it will be known as Jadarite, named for the region in which it was discovered. New minerals are constantly being discovered, but usually it’s in minuscule amounts, not in the relatively large quantities residing within the Serbian mine.
What did the big guy have to say about this? Just one thing:
That’s right, dear readers, I spent a ridiculous amount of time drawing and coloring that picture just for a tiny little blog that maybe six people will find interesting. I’m delightful.
Sources:
Table of Malcontents – Kryptonite Discovered in Serbian Mine
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