LtCmdr Jovenan – If you have pockets full of eggs, cheese and dirt, you’re either a toddler or a respectable scientist
Jovenan
((Science Lab 2, Deck 9, USS Artemis))
The figures ran across the screen as Jovenan scrolled through the PADD to find the relevant data. The curious rock looked like a fossilised egg, but Jovenan want to see what was the cause of the unusual appearance. Richards had allowed her to keep studying her samples, so while respecting not overstepping her boundaries into someone else’s projects, she was taking the advantage of getting to look at cool rocks.
Jovenan: Looks like there’ve been two different methods of permineralisation. The exterior has largely undergone silicification. Judging by the structure of the exterior, the silica has replaced an outer shell. Meanwhile, the interior is partly silicified, partly pyritized.
Richards: That’s interesting… ::Putting her hand on her hip:: It’s not uncommon for that to happen, but the conditions had to be pretty particular to get that way.
The two scientists both leaned in closer to the holographic representation of the small object on the table. The silicification was easy to explain by the groundwater seeping in and replacing the organic tissue with silica. The pyritization was not much different: the organic matter releases sulphur when decaying, which interacts with the iron in the surrounding water, forming pyrite. Except, of course, it appeared unlikely both processes could happen without overlapping more than that, unless some other factor was playing a part here.
Jovenan: The iron must have come from the egg itself, otherwise the outside would have more pyrite as well. Do you see anything that could have been a layer or chunk of iron in there? It’s all dissolved, but might have left a mark.
Richards nodded and initiated a scan. The results arrived quickly, and she altered the holodisplay to colour some parts of it with red. Even without the pyrite, an iron compound, there were red areas inside the rock elsewhere. An egg or something else, it had organic matter and a non-insignificant amount of iron in it. Most animals had iron in their blood to facilitate oxygen transportation – including humans and the Edo, but not, for example, the Vulcans – but those were miniscule amounts compared to this.
Richards: Looks like it did in fact leave a mark. It doesn’t look like there’s much left, but some.
Jovenan: Fascinating. ::looks back to the PADD:: Well, the radiometric dating places the fossil at about 70-75 million years old. Which raises the question, what was it doing at a riverbed, on or near the surface?
Richards had taken the rock from the table and studied it in her hand. Jovenan didn’t know how often the other planetary scientist ran into tens of millions of years old biological samples, but given that there were dinosaurs that long ago in her homeworld at that time, Jovenan supposed it was not infrequently. At least, the Academy field study expeditions always made it seem like there were fossils everywhere on Earth. Did the children on Earth go around looking for ammonites in rocks, or was it the Academy trainers who knew where to go look for them? She’d ask that some other day.
Richards: Well, the spot I picked this up from had been fairly close to the Grunden Basecamp. We could assume after their heavy machinery went over that area so many times the ground wore down enough to bring it to the surface levels. It’s hard to say for sure.
Jovenan: Ah, well, that explains it. I suppose they don’t have the time to look at cool rocks in the middle of a war.
Richards: I’m really glad you were here to see all of this with me. ::smiling:: Thank you.
Smiling, Jovenan gave her a nod. That probably marked the end of the joint investigation, and it was Jovenan’s time to give her some space to work on her own.
Jovenan: Of course, thank you for letting me in with your discovery. I’ll leave you to it now.
Richards: Did the results by chance show any signs of DNA or anything that could give us an idea of whatever this creature should have been?
Jovenan looked at the PADD for the last time before handing it back to Richards.
Jovenan: There are what seem like fossilised DNA or RNA fragments to me. I’m not sure if that’s enough to figure out much about the species, but you might be able to run a comparison with the known, current Galaris species if there are matches.
Richards: Response?
Jovenan: Who knows, perhaps it’s an ancestor of both the Grunden and the Kobyar. ::shrugs:: Or perhaps not, but that would be something.
Would it? Familiar ties were hadn’t prevented wars before, and finding an enemy was a cousin might not be enough to end a bloody war that had lasted for so long. Thinking otherwise was wishful, Jovenan knew that, but a sense of commonality among the attempts to bring the planet to peace was not a bad thing.
Richards: Response?
Jovenan: I’ll be looking forwards to your report. And when you bring in that, take some of those… cheezy puffs with you. I want to verify that they’re worth ruining a few soil samples.
She winked before waving goodbye and turning to make way for the exit.
Richards: Response?
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Lieutenant Commander Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11