Staggering Cache Of Picassos Turns Up In France

A retired electrician in southern France who once worked for painter Pablo Picasso says he has hundreds of previously unknown works by the artist — a treasure trove of 271 pieces said to be worth about $80 million.

Pierre Le Guennec and his wife for years squirreled away the staggering cache — which is believed to be authentic, but whose origin is unclear — in their garage on the French Riviera, said Picasso Administration lawyer Jean-Jacques Neuer.

The works, dating from 1900 to 1932, include lithographs, portraits, watercolors and sketches — plus nine Cubist collages said to be worth euro40 million alone, according to French daily Liberation, which reported the discovery Monday.

Le Guennec, 71, says Picasso gave him the works as gifts. The electrician installed burglar alarm systems at Picasso's numerous houses in France during the three years before the artist died in 1973. More at the LINK

Mystery creature lurking on ocean floor near Tokyo

What shall we name this odd undersea creature? How about P. areidolia?

Cameras aboard JAMSTEC's Hyper-Dolphin ROV have captured footage of something strange lurking on the floor of Sagami Bay, southwest of Tokyo.
Video: Mystery creature in Sagami Bay, Via Boingboing, Via: Youtube

Howie Mandel - BOBBY

"Howie Would-BOBBY" LINK


"Howie Mandel Stand Up Bobby's World Voice" LINK


"Bobby on Deal or No Deal" LINK

Newly-discovered pea-sized froggie lives inside carnivorous pitcher plants

Researchers have found and identified a new species of frog, the size of a pea: Microhyla nepenthicola. For the past century, this critter was previously thought to be the infant form of another frog species. It resides inside carnivorous pitcher plants in Borneo. And, occasionally, on the tips of the endangered Blackwing Pencil.

Here is the National Geographic News story, and photo gallery.

[Submitterated by chriscombs], Via: Boingboing

Yet Another Secret of Mona Lisa Revealed

Not believing that Dan Brown has unlocked the ultimate secret of the Mona Lisa, French researchers used X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy to study the famous painting and discovered something amazing:

Da Vinci used a renaissance painting technique called "sfumato," mixing thin layers of pigment, glaze and oil intricately to yield the appearance of lifelike shadows and light. The technique is well known and has been employed by other artists over the years. But only now have scientists been able to analyze just how intricate da Vinci’s layers are.

They believe da Vinci used up to 30 layers of paint on his works. But altogether they only add up to a thickness of less than 40 micrometers of paint — about half the width of a human hair.

Link, Via: Neatorama

MUSIC OF THE SUN

“The sun has been the inspiration for hundreds of songs, but now scientists have discovered that the star at the center of our solar system produces its own music. Astronomers at the University of Sheffield have managed to record for the first time the eerie musical harmonies produced by the magnetic field in the outer atmosphere of the sun. They found that huge magnetic loops that have been observed coiling away from the outer layer of the sun’s atmosphere, known as coronal loops, vibrate like strings on a musical instrument. In other cases they behave more like soundwaves as they travel through a wind instrument.” Video LINK

Mystery Beast Found In Canada

Fishermen have been frantically dragging a lake in Canada where the corpse of a bizarre looking animal was discovered. But days of search party expeditions in Kitchenuhmaykoosib, northern Ontario, have so far proved fruitless with local residents failing to unearth the body of the mystery creature.

The strange animal has generated worldwide interest after local authorities last week released a series of photos of it taken by the two nurses who made the find. LINK: The Presurfer

1929 Car, In Storage for Nearly 50 Years, Cranks on First Attempt

A rare 1929 Austin 12/4, kept in storage since 1961, was found in the personal effects of its late owner:

Mr Bulled, 63, said he discovered the old car whilst going through his father’s possessions shortly after his death in 2008.

He was too frightened to start the engine up fully in case it ruined the car, but is now putting it up for sale to allow an expert to restore it fully and hopefully get it onto the road.

He said: “I pumped up the tyres and they stayed up. The rubber is cracked but the inner tubes are obviously still intact, which is remarkable really.

“And the engine turned over when we tried it with the starter handle, but I didn’t try to start her up in case I did any damage but I’m sure it would go.

Link | Photo: BBC, Via: Neatorama

Kangaroos On the Loose in America

Read about four different sightings of wild kangaroos in the United States. Not surprisingly, some people believe that the mystery animals of North America are paranormal manifestations of some kind. But that might be jumping to conclusions.

Various theories have been put forward in an attempt to explain the bizarre phenomenon, but to date no satisfactory answers have been found. Some commentators suggest that kangaroos in the United States are the shy descendants of animals that, on some unknown occasion in the past, escaped from a circus or zoo. One rational explanation is that they are native marsupials not yet officially discovered or classified; however, the only evolutionary ancestors come from South, not North, America.

Link, Via: Neatorama

From the Upcoming Queue, submitted by MrGhaz.

Queen Eadgyth's Remains Discovered in Germany

The oldest remains yet of a member of English royalty are thought to have been found in Germany. Queen Eadgyth (pronounced Edith) was the sister of King Athelstan and married the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I in 929 AD. She died in 946. The bone fragments from a lead coffin in Magdeburg will be analyzed by a team of forensic specialists.

Professor Mark Horton of the Bristol University’s Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, who is coordinating this side of the research, explained the strategy: “We know that Saxon royalty moved around quite a lot, and we hope to match the isotope results with known locations around Wessex and Mercia, where she could have spent her childhood. If we can prove this truly is Eadgyth, this will be one of the most exciting historical discoveries in recent years.”

Eadgyth is likely to be the oldest member of the English royal family whose remains have survived. Her brother, King Athelstan is generally considered to have been the first King of England after he unified the various Saxon and Celtic kingdoms following the battle of Brunanburgh in 937. His tomb survives in Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, but is most likely empty. Eadgyth’s sister Adiva – also offered to Otto as wife, but he choose Eadgyth instead – was also married to an unknown European ruler, but her tomb is not located.

Link, -Via: Fark, Via: Neatorama

(image credit: Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt, Juraj Liptak)

Dark Matter Discovered

Physicists have detected a particle of dark matter for the first time in human history, a number of U.S laboratories announced yesterday. Should the findings be confirmed it will have an Earth-shattering effect on our understanding of how galaxies form.

Dark matter is believed to make up 90 per cent of the mass of the Universe. We can't see it but scientists think it is there due to the gravitational force it exerts. LINK: The Presurfer

New da Vinci Discovered Thanks to Hunch and A Fingerprint

This painting, which was sold in auction as "German, Early 19th Century" has gone from being worth $19,000 to millions overnight. The new owner who won it decided to give the painting a thorough checkup, whereupon a fingerprint was found. It matched another found on a confirmed da Vinci portrait.

Peter Silverman, the Canadian-born owner, thought there was more to it and decided to get the drawing checked out after buying it in 2007.

His hunch appears to have paid off.

A Paris laboratory discovered that a fingerprint from the tip of an index or middle-finger, found on the top left of the picture, was "highly comparable" to one found on da Vinci's work St Jerome, which he painted early in his career when he did not have assistants, according to the Antiques Trade Gazette.

Link, Via: Neatorama

Glowing 'Bomber Worms' Discovered

A group of glowing worms has been found dwelling in the deep ocean, some of which release body parts as tiny 'bombs' to ward off predators. The creatures, which the scientists say could be widespread in the deep sea, indicate the extent of biodiversity yet to be discovered in the oceans.

The team found them whilst exploring the waters just above the sea-bed off the west coast of the US. Lead author Karen Osborn, from the University of California San Diego, said that she and her colleagues found the worms accidentally, whilst exploring the deep oceans with remotely operated submersible vehicles. LINK

Strangest Beasts to Ever Die

A collection of strange animals whose fossils have been discovered.

More than 99 percent of all species that have lived on Earth are now extinct. Sometimes extinctions actually accelerate the evolution of life on Earth. As some forms of life weaken and die off, they create opportunity for other species to grow and flourish. Take a look at these creatures and imagine what life would be like if they had survived!

Shown is the 11-foot-long armor-plated shark-eating Dunkleosteus. Link, Via: Neatorama