Ancient remnants of a long-lost part of the Earth believed to be 120 million years old have been located by experts in Borneo. New discoveries about our planet are continuously being made by experts, from finding continents that have been missing for hundreds of years to discovering vast oceans hidden beneath the Earth’s crust. Now, a new amazing discovery revealed details of the 120-million-year-old tectonic plate, now named Pontus. A prediction of the crust’s existence came when Suzanna van de Lagemaat, a graduate geologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and her supervisor, Douwe van Hinsbergen, analysed geological data from mountains in the Asia-Pacific region. While studying rock formations in northern Borneo, Van de Lagemaat came across some clearcut signs of the ancient Pontus plate, explaining: “We thought we were dealing with relicts of a lost plate that we already knew about.” She continued: “But our magnetic lab research on those rocks indicated that our finds were originally from much farther north, and had to be remnants of a different, previously unknown plate.” Researchers estimate that the Pontus plate, which formed part of the world’s crust before the break up of supercontinent Pangaea, was around a quarter of the size of the Pacific Ocean, based on reconstructions of what it would have looked like 160 million years ago. Pontus sat beneath the vast ocean that separated Eurasia and Australia at the time. As Pangaeo separated, it’s believed the plate was swallowed up by other plates that carried countries such as The Philippines and Borneo to their current day locations. Van de Lagemaat’s research focussed on a complex region of tectonic plate activity known as the Junction Region. It runs between Japan, Borneo, the Philippines, New Guinea, and down to New Zealand. Through her research, she was able to use the data to create a clip reconstructing the tectonic plate movements that have occurred from the time of the dinosaurs up to the present day. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed NEW YORK Investors are piling into bullish options bets on the shares of Rivian

FRIEDBERG, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 1, 2023--

Comcast Corp. Chief Executive Officer Brian Roberts has a penchant for lining up a huge deal around every

The Grimace Shake has taken over TikTok, and now it’s taking over the world of video games too. In case you missed it, the bizarre trend revolves around a limited-edition purple milkshake which was released to celebrate the 52nd birthday of the McDonald’s character. It quickly became the strangest meme on TikTok, which sees users drink it, then pretend to be dead after consuming it. It’s all very weird, and McDonald's workers are seemingly over it completely – but it’s made an impression across pop culture. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Now, the gaming world is waking up to it too and it’s even reached the Skyrim community. The action role-playing video game has been popular for more than a decade, and now it’s received a new mod which adds the Grimace shake into its fantasy setting. Drinking Grimace Shake In Skyrim! www.youtube.com The Grimace Mead mod was uploaded by user MissleMann and can be bought in-game from Belethor’s General Goods in Whiterun. Its description reads: “Go and purchase the one-of-a-kind mead Belethor made to celebrate his good friend’s birthday. He only has one, just for you! So make sure to enjoy it! Happy Birthday Grimace!” While there’s not much in terms of description, there’s a playthrough available to watch on YouTube which offers a flavour of what to expect. There’s definitely a lot more purple for players to take in after consuming the Grimace Meal, while the drink also causes a number of side-effects after being consumed. Who knows where the Grimace Shake will turn up next. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Deep underground within the Pacific ocean, scientists have made a surprising discovery, which could significantly expand our understanding of marine life. Researchers found an entirely new ecosystem when turning over volcanic crust with the aid of an underwater robot, showing that even now, nature has many more secrets to unearth. The Schmidt Ocean Institute led an expedition with a team of international researchers to investigate a known site in the Pacific, according to Science Alert. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Subsurface fluids were found coursing beneath the ground, while scientists also found an ecosystem of worms, snails and chemosynthetic bacteria. The institute’s executive director, Jyotika Virmani, said: “This truly remarkable discovery of a new ecosystem, hidden beneath another ecosystem, provides fresh evidence that life exists in incredible places.” The new life was found beneath hydrothermal vents, which were first discovered in the 1970s spewing hot fluids loaded with minerals. They were in such a deep, dark location that scientists assumed there would be no life. Ecologist Monika Bright from the University of Vienna said: “Vent animals above and below the surface thrive together in unison, depending on vent fluid from below and oxygen in the seawater from above.” Scientists found tubeworms swimming through volcanic fluids, which makes it easier for them to get around and find new locations. The discovery came on the coast of central America, using a remote-controlled robot 2,500 metres below sea level. Wendy Schmidt, president of the Schmidt Ocean Institute, said: “The discovery of new creatures, landscapes, and now, an entirely new ecosystem underscores just how much we have yet to discover about our Ocean – and how important it is to protect what we don’t yet know or understand.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.