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'Kryptonite' Discovered in Serbian Mine

Posted by Zonk on from the okay-now-nobody-find-the-red-kryptonite-and-we're-fine dept.

Rubinstien writes "A mineralogist at London's Natural History Museum was contracted to help identify an unknown mineral found in a Serbian mine. While he initially thought the miners had discovered a unique compound, after its crystal structure was analyzed and identified the researcher was shocked to find the material already referenced in literature. Fictional literature. Dr. Chris Stanley, from the BBC article: '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 Luthor from a museum in the film Superman Returns ... I'm afraid it's not green and it doesn't glow either — although it will react to ultraviolet light by fluorescing a pinkish-orange.'"

17 of 272 comments (clear)

  1. The plan is almost complete! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Step 2: Send email to Superman
    Step 3: Build wheelchair ramp ...
    Step 4: Rule the world!

  2. Time to rename the Serbian mine? by Iphtashu+Fitz · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... to the Fortress of Solitude?

  3. Beware! by Billosaur · · Score: 5, Funny

    Instead, it will be formally named Jadarite when it is described in the European Journal of Mineralogy later this year.

    And somewhere on Earth, in an unknown fortress, a stranger from planet Jadar knows fear...

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    GetOuttaMySpace - The Anti-Social Network
  4. "Superman could use it as a paperweight" by iainl · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That's what I didn't get in the story. In DC continuity, Kryptonite is just fine to handle if you're only human. So how have these scientists established that it wouldn't hurt a fictional alien?

    --
    "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
    1. Re:"Superman could use it as a paperweight" by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Until we test it on the fictional alien, I guess we'll never know. Knowing academia, though, and the propensity for grad students (and even older researchers) to engage in silly fads, it wouldn't surprise me if someone did a paper or article on it. As a great scholar once said, you can write your thesis on Gameboy if you can bullshit well enough.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    2. Re:"Superman could use it as a paperweight" by Minwee · · Score: 5, Funny

      Unless of course it is really Red Kryptonite or Blue Kryptonite or even the Pink Kryptonite that has the power to turn Superman gay.

      Then it wouldn't have to glow green.

    3. Re:"Superman could use it as a paperweight" by Stupidfat · · Score: 5, Funny

      Before commenting, please RTFA. I quote:

      "mineral blah blah kryptonite blah blah blah they know it is kryptonite because a GIANT FUCKING SEMITRANSPARENT HEAD APPEARED IN THE CAVE AND TOLD THEM IT WAS"

    4. Re:"Superman could use it as a paperweight" by Kjella · · Score: 5, Informative

      I thought the parent was joking. But no, accoring to wikipedia:
      "Pink Kryptonite
      From an alternate timeline in a 2003 Supergirl storyline by Peter David, this bizarre variety of Kryptonite apparently turned heterosexual Kryptonians temporarily into homosexuals; it was seen in just one panel, with Superman giving flattering compliments to Jimmy Olsen about his wardrobe and decorative sense. It spoofs the more "innocent times" of the Silver Age (Lois Lane is depicted in this story as not understanding what's gotten into Superman)."

      So from the sound of it (there's no orange kryptonite): "although it will react to ultraviolet light by fluorescing a pinkish-orange" they have in fact, found the substance to make superman gay. Then again, the bodysuit is rather gay to begin with... or then again maybe it's just superhero fashion, he's hardly the only one.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
  5. Apparently no one reads..... by SQLGuru · · Score: 5, Informative

    Apparently no one reads the comic.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kryptonite
    Green, Red, Gold, White, Blue, etc.

    White (the color referenced in the article) kills all plant life.
    Pink (since no pinkish-orange is listed) turns people gay.

    Take your pick.

    Layne

  6. Re:So... by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just as long as you don't add "tar" to the formula...

    --
    Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
  7. They need to print a correction, Quickly! by beadfulthings · · Score: 5, Informative

    Everybody knows Superman's arch-nemesis is Lex Luthor--not Lex Luther.

    Yahoo picked up the mistake from Reuters, people on Slashdot are typing it wrong, and now even the BBC has screwed it up.

    What kind of poor excuse for an arch-nemesis would spell his name "Lex Luther?" Sounds like some kind of religious observance.

    --
    "Here's what's happening. You're starting to drive like your Dad..." - Red Green
  8. Re:So... by SixFactor · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh yeah? Well, Chuck Norris can create a thicker oxide layer with a well-placed roundhouse kick. :D

    --
    Science never settles, never rests.
  9. Why does nobody read the article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "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."

    So basically,
    1) it's not green,
    2) it's doesn't cause radiation of any kind,
    3) it's not a crystal
    4) it's not even the same set of elements

    How about "I was dating a girl a while back, I realised she was Cindy Crawford, oh yeah, she's not actually Cindy Crawford, just has some similarities. PS, She's a man."

  10. Re:Excitingly unexciting by QuickFox · · Score: 5, Funny

    superman doesn't exist How do you know? Do you have proof?
    --
    Terrorists can't threaten a country's freedom and democracy. Only lawmakers and voters can do that.
  11. Re:So... by Bloke+down+the+pub · · Score: 5, Funny

    What if you oxidise Sh?

    --
    It's true I tell you, feller at work's next door neighbour read it in the paper.
  12. Re:So... by bheekling · · Score: 5, Funny

    Shi-ite?

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    "..."
  13. Re:Really Kryptonite? by Oktober+Sunset · · Score: 5, Informative

    Well, in the film, they come in and they check them all with that thingy (preusably some radiation detecting widget) and saw that the sample had a chunk of kryptonite hidden inside it so they had idenified the soft creamy outer substance as sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide, but they had not analysed the crunchy centre of tasty kryptonite. Soooo, they haven't found kyrptonite, just some crap that kryptonite was once found in the middle of. Form superman 3, the chemical composition for the Kryptonite that Richard Pryor's computer screen reads is Plutonium: 15.08% Tatalum: 18.06% Xenon: 27.71% Promethium: 24.02% Dialium: 10.62% Mercury: 3.94% Unknown: 0.57%. The 'Unknown' was later worked out by Luthor.

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