What Is This? Mysterious Amazon Web Baffles Scientists

[:eek:]

http://www.livescience.com/39410-mysterious-web-structure-amazon.html

 

[KevanG]

Looks like a little fence for Aphids.

 

[webhead9707]

For people who are supposed to be geniuses, it seems like scientists are always getting baffled by something.

 

[Teelie]

More like it baffles the journalists who cannot translate what scientists say and go for headlines mean to convey something more sensational than true.

What is true is there's a lot we don't know about the world and a lot of it is facscinating because literally no one knows it exists hence, it's unknown. That doesn't "baffle" scientists, it makes them look and figure out what they're seeing.

 

[webhead9707]

More like it baffles the journalists who cannot translate what scientists say and go for headlines mean to convey something more sensational than true.

What is true is there's a lot we don't know about the world and a lot of it is facscinating because literally no one knows it exists hence, it's unknown. That doesn't "baffle" scientists, it makes them look and figure out what they're seeing.

Fair point.

 

[Teelie]

I see this a lot in journalism, especially web journalism and quasi-journalism. While it's always been about making money in reporting the news, these days it's unabashedly about getting page hits and views and what better way to do it than use bait words or phrases like "baffles scientists" because we all (well, mostly) see scientists as intelligent, knowledgeable people so when something stumps them, it must be a big deal. So we get reports about baffled, stunned, confused, etc scientists who are seemingly unable to explain what is going on.

It is very cool though, whatever the hell that thing is.

 

[KevanG]

"Scientists baffled by new element!"
It's just Oxygen.
"Scientists quick to dismiss new element"

 

[NickNitro]

Who live on the side of the rock at the bottom of the sea!? WEIRD! THREAD! NET! PANTS!

 

[Teelie]

Wouldn't that be Barnacle Bob?

 

[KevanG]

That reminds me of a story.

"Once, there was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died. The end."

 

[NickNitro]

Wouldn't that be Barnacle Bob?

It can be whatever you want it to be Teelie

 

[Teelie]

Side of a rock, bottom of the sea, sounds like a barnacle to me. Why not call him Bob? Unless it's a she, then it's Bobbi.

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

I have only one rational explanation :

 

[Teelie]

Clearly. It's not a crop, but it's a circle. It's a message to the spiders. Perhaps it's space-spiders declaring their intention to take over the world?

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

You might be onto something here ! It looks like a satellite dish, the spider is calling the Spider Fleet From Outer Space !

 

[Breogan]

That there is a payed grant, gear and extended license to set up shop in the Peruvian jungle chewing coca leaves and taking pictures of a tiny insect's web or fungus for the next few years.

 

[DarkSovereignty]

Clearly. It's not a crop, but it's a circle. It's a message to the spiders. Perhaps it's space-spiders declaring their intention to take over the world?

We've been marked for assimilation.

 

[Anita18]

For people who are supposed to be geniuses, it seems like scientists are always getting baffled by something.

I'm a scientist. We are not geniuses. I find it hilarious that people believe that we are. Doctors are not geniuses either. We all make educated guesses based on what we know. Scientists are allowed to experiment, but doctors are not. That's why you have to think you're a know-it-all to be a doctor. And that's why I never aspired to be one.

We ARE smart, and likely book-smarter than most people in this world, but we're not God or anything.

That looks like a neat little thing. If it does baffle scientists, I believe it's an exciting, "Oooh boy, something we've never seen before!" Because life as a scientist is exciting when you see something you don't expect, and it's immensely boring when everything comes out exactly the way you expect.

 

[Teelie]

That looks like a neat little thing. If it does baffle scientists, I believe it's an exciting, "Oooh boy, something we've never seen before!" Because life as a scientist is exciting when you see something you don't expect, and it's immensely boring when everything comes out exactly the way you expect.

Except space spiders who will turn us all into bug beers to drink after they conquer the planet.

 

[Hotwire]

Mount a camera on a tree and set it to record this thing 24/7 for a couple weeks. Put more cameras in similar locations and see if you catch one being made. Not that hard.

 

[Pink Ranger]

It's a spider MMA octagon. Dana White is really milking this for every penny.

 

[Piper Maru]

Clearly this is the start of some Lovecraftian horror being unleashed.

 

[Teelie]

It always starts small...

 

[Bat-Mite]

Clearly this is the start of some Lovecraftian horror being unleashed.

The real fun will begin when someone finds one of those burrowing its way into their skin.

 

[KevanG]

Like bot flies? We already have things where maggots grow in peoples flesh and turn insects into brain dead zombies. They just aren't super sized yet.