Chief Dan George: “It’s not fer eatin’, it’s fer lookin’ through.”
If there’s any mosquitoes in it, do NOT extract their DNA!
Most do not know that during Colonial US times a “rock” was discovered used as a doorstop in 1799 at the first gold mine in the US at Mecklenburg County (present day Charlotte, NC) The first piece of gold found near this mine,by a boy of about twelve years old the son of John Reed the proprietor of the Reed Gold mine. The discovery was accidental: The boy in the company of his brother and sister went fishing in a small stream, called Meadow Creek and saw a yellow substance shining in the water. He went in and picked it up, and found it to be some kind of metal, and carried it home. Mr. Reed examined it but it was an unknown type in this part of the country at the time. Mr. Reed kept the piece for several years on his house floor, as a door stop. In 1802, he went to the market and showed it to a jeweler who immediately told him that it was gold. He asked Mr. Reed to leave it with him and that he would flux it. When Mr. Reed returned he was presented with a large bar of gold about six or eight inches long. The jeweler asked Mr. Reed what he would take for the bar. Not knowing the value he asked $3.50 and sold it. In 1803 Mr. Reed and some partners found the same type of “rock” a gold chunk weighing 26 pounds. It turned out the the entire subsurface of this creek was very rich in gold. Even so the first mint to certify this gold was not the US, but a private firm known for probity and specificity certifying quality. These coins minted are extremely valuable and were preferred for years vs. Union or Confederate gold (bypassing governments who played around with values as was suspected then in mid 1800s).
Fascinating bit of US money history- a gold block used for a doorstop. Stuff of dreams— like this chunk of Amber. Amazing Nature.
How many prehistoric animals’ DNA are trapped in mosquito blood in that rock?
Ping
Richard Feynman described, during the Manhattan Project they were testing different metals to find one with the right neutron properties. At one point they wanted to test gold, so they ordered a 6 inch gold sphere. The powers-that-be pointed out that the sphere would be 80 pounds of gold and would cost a fortune, but they ended up delivering it from Fort Knox. Gold didn’t have the required properties, so the scientists ended up using the sphere as a doorstop for a while.
Well that’s 1/26th of Sunbelt Billy’s buyout.
I never get that *lucky*.
If I picked up a rock, it would just be a rock.
Yabbut, does it have a fly trapped in it?
There’s a rock on the porch of our family homestead that has been there for decades — IIRC, even from when Mom was a kid. It’s transparent green with white things that look like mini marshmallows in it.
My brother inherited the place in April; maybe he’ll check it out. It’s probably manmade, but who knows?