Oh, and hifi 
Not first by a long way, that was fifty million years earlier. They were much smaller than the reconstructions, too. This species was actually first discovered near Oxford in Kirtlington Quarry, though the Skye material is much more complete - unusual for early mammals.
All of early mammal evolution until the Triassic to the Late Cretaceous is best described as âbuild a better shrewâ! Aside from dental morphology and a reduction in the number of bones forming the mandible and skull, they really are all remarkably alike, chiefly because they were doing pretty much what modern shrews do - hunting insects and small vertebrates in the undergrowth - and kept on doing it for ~100 million years while gradually developing better teeth (hardened with iron in true shrews), and more efficient metabolism.
Had the Chicxulub bolide not hit, theyâd prolly still be doing the same thing, and the big flightless âbirdsâ like T. rex would still be doing their thing⌠As it is we still have shrews (albeit true shrews/Soiricidae are as recent as Late Cretaceous in origin!), and we still have birdsâŚ
As mascots go the shrew being mostly mardy, thick skinned, set in itâs ways and mildly cuntish might be a good fit for AA. I know weâve discussed the joys of the irrepressible Honey Badger previously but itâs nice to know thereâs something closer to home that can serve as âspirit animalââŚ
2 Likes
We are many things, but rather rarely shrewdâŚ
1 Like
The antithesis is delicious
1 Like
Mercurycould have a layer of diamonds 10 miles thick beneath the crust.
Well thats the arse of precious stones fallen away, look nice as a substitute gravel for the driveway though and all those stylus tips.
2 Likes
We already have more diamonds than we strictly need on this planet, not least because we can synthesise as much as we want. Even the naturally-occurring stuff is in oversupply.
For example, thirty-something years ago I worked with a colleague on a private contract on behalf of a large diamond producer to try to find the most economical way for them to rid themselves of excess diamond production in order to preserve the otherwise wholly unjustified price premium. They wanted a technique which would ensure said diamonds could not possibly ever re-enter the market. They approached countless different experts in countless fields of expertise with this same remit to try to find the securest and most cost-effective (pick any one) means. Iâd love to know what others came up with.
We suggested encasing them in vitreous radioactive waste and dumping them into a deep ocean trench at an actively subducting tectonic plate margin - thus solving two problems in one go.
I have no idea what, if any solution was chosen, but I am reasonably confident it wasnât ours! 
3 Likes
Today I learned that Tesco stocks Tim Tams. This may be of interest to @MGOwner too.
1 Like
Thatâs how Lex Luthor tried to kill Superman.
Didnât work.
Which is fortuitous, as Superman could melt all the diamonds with his eyes.
Youâre welcome.
1 Like
Thatâs probably the method they went with, then 
Probably.
Or put the diamonds in a big box and get Superman to blast them into the depths of space. No need to clear up any melted ones that way.
Is that how they all ended up on Mercury?
Almost certainly.
1 Like
Thought so
If theyâre prepared to wait for ever then theyâll be fine. Diamond is not the most stable room temperature allotrope of carbon. Graphite is. âDiamonds are for everâ they say. Theyâre wrong. Given long enough* theyâll all turn into graphite.
*It might be rather a long time.
3 Likes
Theyâre the Oz version of Penguins, arenât they?
âŚdoubt they will fly off the shelves. 
5 Likes
Depends on the marketing strategy.
(Image shamelessly nicked from another thread)
Theyâll need some of this first:
1 Like
SOME Tesco, but ALL Waitrose 
1 Like