Inverse - 🦕 Sorry, Nessie-heads

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July 28 2022

Do you want to believe? Some fans of the Loch Ness Monster are so desperate for proof that a new study using the word “plausible” has caught fire online — despite the fact that the only thing it proves is small dinosaurs used to live in rivers over 66 million years ago. Sorry Nessie-heads, this does not mean there’s a giant water-based cryptid in Scotland today.

Meanwhile, in actual, somewhat terrifying news, Russia announced this week that it will end its partnership with the International Space Station in 2024 by essentially taking its toys and going home. Is Putin bluffing or is the ISS in trouble? All that and more in today’s edition of Inverse Daily.

What's New

Monsters

Science

Sorry, this newly discovered fossil doesn’t make the Loch Ness Monster 'plausible'

In the center of Scotland, a 22-mile-long, 1.6-mile-wide lake has captured the imagination of several generations of cryptozoology enthusiasts, with tales of a giant lake creature, one that has allegedly mauled boatmen in ancient times, and periodically makes “appearances” in modern times.

Last week, Cretaceous Research, whose name to dinosaur fans is self-explanatory, published a paper on a new fossil find: a freshwater plesiosaur. Plesiosaurs were a class of ancient marine reptile that looked a bit like a brachiosaurus if it had a carnivorous seal relative: long necks, flippers, and sharp teeth. In other words, it was a real nightmare of a creature.

The University of Bath, about 550 miles south of Loch Ness, said in a press release, “But what does this all mean for the Loch Ness Monster? On one level, it’s plausible.”

Inverse Interview

Movies

Honor Among Thieves won't "alienate" D&D newcomers, filmmakers promise

At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Paramount Pictures rolled for initiative as it opened the first Comic-Con of the Covid-19 era with a preview of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, a big-budget film based on the popular fantasy role-playing game.

Set in the official campaign setting of the Forgotten Realms, the film follows an all-star cast of Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, and Sophia Lillis. After accidentally unleashing an evil menace, this ragtag group must steal an ancient relic to set things right.

In a conversation with Inverse, producer Jeremy Latcham and co-writers and directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley reveal how they landed on the right story in a game full of endless opportunity.

Read the interview

Grand Theft Auto

Gaming

New Grand Theft Auto details emerge

Grand Theft Auto 6 might be the most anticipated game in the world. And thanks to a new report from Bloomberg, a host of details about the mysterious project have just come to light.

In addition to confirming long-circulating rumors, such as the project codename “Project Americas,” journalist Jason Schreier has revealed that GTA 6 will feature the franchise's first female protagonist in what is being described as a Bonnie and Clyde influenced story.

Space

Science

Russia announces its exit from the ISS

The news spread after the Kremlin published a transcript meant to represent a dialogue between new Russian space chief Yuri Borisov and President Vladimir Putin.

“Mr. Putin, you know that we are working within the framework of international cooperation on the International Space Station,” Borisov says in the transcript. “Of course, we will fulfill all our obligations to our partners, but the decision to leave this station after 2024 has been made.”

Russia will continue its presence in space, Borisov tells Putin. The country plans to establish its own space station in low-Earth orbit.

Learn More

Whoa	Explosions

This distant galaxy hosted the most powerful explosion since the Big Bang

The small, dim, red dot in the center of a newly-released image of a distant galaxy shows it endured one of the most powerful explosions since the Big Bang.

Imagine an explosion releasing as much energy as our Sun will produce in 10 billion years – compressed into a burst of less than two seconds.

Astronomer Brendan O’Connor and his colleagues recently discovered this still-unnamed galaxy 9 billion light years away in data from the Gemini North Telescope in Hawai’i, and they say it’s the source of a brief, brilliant flare of gamma radiation that dazzled NASA’s Swift Observatory in late 2015.

Take a closer look

Meanwhile...

Astronomers plan to track more potential “planet killer” asteroids near Earth

The ultimate status symbol for Danish Vikings? Beaver fur

New 'She-Hulk' footage finally fixes her bizarre origin story

32 years ago, this Mario spinoff changed Nintendo forever

Today in history: The first feature-length zombie film, White Zombie, was released in New York City on July 28, 1932.

Song of the day: "Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang," by Silver

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Inverse - 🦕 Sorry, Nessie-heads

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