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☆ ‘Lord of the Rings’ franchise has a new movie coming in 2026
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The Oscar-winning team behind the nearly $6 billion blockbuster “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies is reuniting to produce two new films. The first of the new projects from Sir Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens is tentatively titled “Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” Warner Bros. Walsh and Boyens have been tapped to write the screenplay, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou. Warner Bros. is owned by CNN’s parent company. Jackson made history with “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, becoming the first person to direct three major feature films simultaneously.

Persons: Sir Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Gollum, ” Warner, “, Andy Serkis, Walsh, Boyens, Phoebe Gittins, “ Yesssss, ” Serkis, ”, Peter, Fran, Philippa, ” Jackson, Tolkien’s, Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy, Jackson, King ”, Serkis, Jackson’s Organizations: CNN, ” Warner Bros . Discovery, Warner Bros, Warner Bros . Pictures, Globes

☆ An ultra-rare Magic: The Gathering card just sold for a record $3 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An ultra-rare Magic: The Gathering card just sold for a record $3 million. The new record exceeds Post Malone's $2 million purchase of a one-of-a-kind Magic: The Gathering card last year. AdvertisementAn ultra-rare Magic: The Gathering card just shattered records and sold for $3 million, according to CGC Cards. AdvertisementThe previous record sale for a Magic: The Gathering card took place last year when rapper Post Malone acquired the one-of-a-kind "One Ring" card for $2 million. The buyer of the $3 million Black Lotus card remains unknown.

Persons: —, Adam Cai, Post Malone, Tolkien's, Malone, Christopher Rush Organizations: Service, Post

☆ Opinion | From ‘Dune’ to Decadence (and Back)
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There are three great novels that I read as an early adolescent that I would take to a desert island if I ever needed to be set up for decades of rereading: The “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “Watership Down” and “Dune.” I’ve written more in the past on J.R.R. Tolkien’s work and even on Richard Adams’s great rabbit epic than on Frank Herbert’s magnum opus. So I can’t let the occasion of “Dune: Part Two” and its imperial command of the box office pass without some kind of comment. The first is about the story’s contemporary resonance. What’s getting less attention, and what I want to highlight, is the larger civilizational dynamic that the book sets up, and how it speaks to our own moment.

Persons: Richard Adams’s, Frank Herbert’s, Denis Villeneuve’s, What’s

☆ I was born on a leap day. My birthday was the joke of my classroom as a kid, but now I embrace its uniqueness.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Theo Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I would have to be 64 years old before I could drive because, at 64, I would have had 16 leap birthdays. AdvertisementMy leap day birthday singled me out in a way that was entirely out of my control. I strove to celebrate my leap birthdays by partying in the fashion of my leap age. And so I like to think of leap day babies as problem solvers. After all, without leap day, everything would be just a little off.

Persons: —, Julius Caesar, I've, Conan O'Brien Organizations: Service

☆ Opinion | Could Swifties or Trekkies Decide the Election?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Jessica Grose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Tolkien via social media for political action. But despite the good-natured skepticism, Sundberg said she understands and respects what the Working Families Party is trying to do. Social media is where many young voters live — about a third of adults under 30 regularly get news from TikTok, according to Pew Research. And turning out young voters who are otherwise not particularly politically engaged will be key to winning elections up and down the ballot in November. As Marcela Valdes explained this week for The New York Times Magazine, young voters tend to have low turnout rates.

Persons: Emily Sundberg, ”, Tolkien, What’s, Biden, Sundberg, Marcela Valdes Organizations: Working, Party, Pew Research, House, The New York Times Magazine, Center for Information, Research, Civic, Tufts University Locations: TikTok, Gen

☆ Happy New Year of the Dragon - or Loong?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

This year, it’s the Year of the Dragon, or more accurately, the “Year of the Loong,” says Chinese state media, using its preferred term for the mythical beast. The Chinese “loong” conjures positivity, nobleness and fortune and therefore should be distinguished linguistically from its Western cousin, state media argues. Chinese media has dedicated coverage and airtime to promote the new nomenclature over the past week or so, though both “dragon” and “loong” are being used interchangeably in English-language reports. “Transcribing long into English ‘loong’ would cause more problems and confusion than translating it as ‘dragon’,” he wrote. He noted that “some patriotic and political sources in the Sinosphere” have been peddling the concept that the Western dragon is fearful.

Persons: ”, Loong ”, it’s, loong, “ loong, Xi Jinping, Loong, John Lee, Wong Tai, Alex Chan Tsz Yuk, Elliott, Bradford Lee Eden, Eden, Eduardo Leal, ‘, Weibo, Victor Mair, Mair, “ loong ”, ” Eden, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Disney, Xinhua, of Library Services, Valparaiso University ,, Tolkien Research, Getty, University of Pennsylvania, Valparaiso University Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Valparaiso University , Indiana, Macau, Weibo, West

☆ Harvard's president resigning means more drama for other universities
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-03 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's big story, we're looking at the resignation of another Ivy League president and the knock-on effect it'll have on education in the US. The big storyIvy League issuesBrian Snyder/ReutersClaudine Gay's tenure as Harvard president wasn't long, but it won't be forgotten. Alan Garber, Harvard's provost and chief academic officer, will serve as interim president, the school's board announced. Gay is the second Ivy League president to step down in less than a month, following in the footsteps of former Penn president Elizabeth Magill. Harvard president Claudine Gay Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesGay and Magill's departures highlight the tension between businesses and prestigious universities and the former's influence over the latter.

Persons: —, Bob Marley, John Wick, Brian Snyder, Claudine Gay's, wasn't, Gay, Alan Garber, Harvard's, Elizabeth Magill, Magill, Sally Kornbluth, Bill Ackman, Claudine Gay Kevin Dietsch, Business Insider's Paul Squire, Lucas Jackson, Tesla, Goldman, Tyler Le, it's, Warren Buffett, Greta Thunberg, Florence Pugh, Mel Gibson, J.R.R, Tolkien, Eli Manning, Max Willcocks, Dan DeFrancesco, Diamond Naga Siu, Hallam Bullock, Jordan Parker Erb, Hayley Hudson, Lisa Ryan Organizations: Service, Ivy League, Business, Harvard, Ivy, Penn, Gay, MIT, GOP, Big Tech, Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Meta, Boston Consulting Group, Cushman & Wakefield, LinkedIn, SAP, Verizon Consumer Group, EV, Elon, Jiji Press, Japan Airlines, New York Locations: China, Jisoo, New York, San Diego, London, Edinburgh

☆ Now you can visit a real-life ‘Hobbit Hole’ in New Zealand
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Tolkien’s imagination – and therefore sadly off limits to tourists – the Hobbiton Movie Set provides a pretty good substitute. The Hobbit sets – mostly facades built into landscaped hillsides – have operated as a tourist attraction in some capacity since 2002, but until recently most of the Hobbit Holes have been out of bounds to visitors. The Hobbiton Movie Set formed the backdrop to the "Lord of the Rings" movies and the subsequent Hobbit trilogy and is now a tourist attraction. Shaun JeffersNow, two fully decorated Hobbit Holes have opened to the public for the first time. Shaun JeffersExploring the Hobbit Holes is now included as part of the Hobbiton tour experience.

Persons: J.R.R, Peter Jackson, –, Shaun Jeffers, Hobbiton, “, it’s, ”, crouch, Doom, Conor McNish, Lane, Aragorn, Gandalf, King Théoden, Rohan, ’ ”, ” CNN’s Thomas Page Organizations: CNN, Getty, CNN Travel, Mount, Sunday Locations: New Zealand, Matamata, Waikato, “, Auckland, Hobbiton, LOTR, Zealand, South, Ngauruhoe, Ruapehu, London

☆ An Exhibition of Orcs and Elves Has Rome Abuzz, and Bewildered
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Jason Horowitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On the opening night of Rome’s most talked-about new exhibition this week, top government ministers in sharp suits hobnobbed with Roman socialites in fur coats, and eccentric art lovers rubbed shoulders with hard-right youth group members. They all contemplated a drawing of a glam-rock Gandalf in a form-fitting wizard’s cloak, acrylic armies of orcs and other works of fan art displayed in gilded frames. Some were enthusiastic, others bewildered. But if there was any question why Italy’s Culture Ministry had staged a major retrospective dedicated to the life, academic career, and literary works of J.R.R. “I found the exhibition very beautiful,” Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister, said after her personal tour of “Tolkien: Man, Professor, Author.” “As a person who knows the issue pretty well, I found many things I didn’t know.”

Persons: Frodo, Tolkien, “, ”, Giorgia Meloni Organizations: Ministry, National Gallery of Modern Locations: British

☆ Scientists took the first-ever photos of an adorable echidna, named after David Attenborough, that hasn't been seen for over 60 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Sonam Sheth | Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Scientists captured images of an elusive echidna named after David Attenborough for the first time in over 60 years. Attenborough's long-beaked echidna was last recorded in 1961. Attenborough's long-beaked echidna was last recorded in 1961, according to a news release from the University of Oxford. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe echidna — also known as Sir David's long-beaked echidna or the Cyclops long-beaked echidna — inhabits New Guinea and lives in the Cyclops Mountains in Indonesia. Part of the reason may be because the tropical forests surrounding the Cyclops Mountains are under threat from logging and mining, per the Times.

Persons: David Attenborough, —, Sir David Attenborough, James Kempton, Sir David's, Kempton, hadn't, Iain Kobak Organizations: Service, University of Oxford, New York Times, Expedition, IUCN, Times Locations: British, New Guinea, Indonesia

There are a lot of misconceptions about living in Alaska, and Trevor Barrett has heard them all. One of the best things about living in Alaska is the quiet life, the privacy and the summers." "I was raised with hunting and fishing and hiking and camping and all the specific and unique Alaska things," he says. Trevor Barrett with a replication of Andúril from J.R.R. Trevor Barrett and his family live in Haines, Alaska.

Persons: Trevor Barrett, Trevor, Larissa, Trevor Barrett Trevor, Samuel, Nika, Haines, you've, Alex Stock, Barrett Knives, Barrett, he's Organizations: CNBC, Netflix, YouTube, YouTube Investments, Google, Barrett, Larissa Locations: Alaska, Haines, British Columbia, Anchorage, Connecticut, Alaska One, Kenai, U.S, Larissa, Juneau , Alaska, J.R.R, Haines , Alaska

☆ Little-known life of Moomins creator Tove Jansson explored in new exhibition
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Aurore Laborie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Paris CNN —The Moomin characters may be internationally famous, but a new exhibition in Paris shows a lesser-known side to the Finnish artist who created them. The show takes an intimate look into the life of Tove Jansson, both as a prolific artist and an advocate for female independence. Courtesy The Community and Moomin Characters Ltd. Using illustrations, cartoons, photography, music, writings and letters, the exhibition shows Jansson as a multifaceted character who could — and did — make art out of almost anything. Tove Jansson's Moomin character "Little My" paper doll.

Persons: Tove Jansson, ”, Sini, ” Tove Jansson's, Jansson, “, Thomas Zambra, —, Signe Hammarsten, Viktor Jansson, Tove Jansson’s, Tove Jansson's, Summers, Hitler, Stalin, “ Garm, Lewis Carroll’s, Alice, Tuulikki Pietilä, Tuukka Laurila, Pietilä, Zambra, Tove Jansson ”, Louis Organizations: Paris CNN, CNN, des Beaux Arts, Nature, Espace Mont Locations: Paris, Finnish, Kanto, Tuukka, Stockholm, Scandinavia, Finland, “, Helsinki, Wonderland, Espace

☆ In U.S.-China AI contest, the race is on to deploy killer robots
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +26 min

In this high-tech contest, seizing the upper hand across fields including AI and autonomous weapons, like Ghost Shark, could determine who comes out on top. This could become critical if the United States intervened against an assault by Beijing on Taiwan. Cheap and expendableThe AI military sector is dominated by software, an industry where change comes fast. Still, the available disclosures of spending on AI military research do show that outlays on AI and machine learning grew sharply in the decade from 2010. The Costa-Mesa, California-based company now employs more than 1,800 staff in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Persons: America’s, Shane Arnott, Anduril, ” Arnott, Arnott, ”, “, Mick Ryan, Eric Schmidt, hasn’t, Lloyd Austin, –, Stuart Russell, Russell, Kathleen Hicks, “ We’ll, Palmer Luckey, Luckey, ” Arnott didn’t, Biden, Tsai Ing, Frank Kendall, Datenna, Martijn Rasser, Feng Yanghe, Feng, Palmer, ” Anduril, Arnott wouldn’t, David Lague, Edgar Su, Catherine Tai, Peter Hirschberg Organizations: Australian Navy, Ghost Sharks, Sharks, Reuters, Defense, Australian, Chinese Communist Party, Beijing, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Department of Defense, Pentagon, Australia’s Department of Defence, Australian Defence Force, Technologists, University of California, U.S ., U.S, Teledyne FLIR, Facebook, VR, Military, . Air Force, FH, U.S . Central Intelligence Agency, Department, Statistics, Harvard University, Biden Administration, Special, Command, Ministry of Defense, Veteran Locations: China, Australia, United States, Sydney, Britain, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Europe, Asia, Ukraine, ”, America, U.S, Taiwan, East Asia, Beijing, Russian, Berkeley, Fort Campbell , Tennessee, Kenya, “, Russia, Colorado, Zhuhai, Netherlands, Costa, Mesa , California, United Kingdom, Virginia, Canberra, Washington

☆ Opinion | The Subtlety of J.R.R. Tolkien
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

The devil appears to some people as Lucifer the light-bringer, yes — but his darker visage finds worshipers as well. Ours is no longer the world in which Tolkien grew up, nor even the one in which he spent his last years. Tolkien himself was very careful to note that the Shire is not self-sustaining, dependent as it is on outsiders for security. I obviously endorse this point, but I think the last line undersells how much Tolkien subjected his own pastoral nostalgia to critique. Because Tolkien is a reactionary, the solution to that sickness is the return of a king of ancient lineage.

Persons: Tolkien, Soviet Union didn’t, Adolf Hitler’s, Joseph Stalin, Hitler, Lucifer, unrealism —, Tolkien’s, Philip Larkin, “, King Charles III’s, Niall Gooch, Hobbitism, Bilbo, It’s, Gondor, Anárion, that’s Organizations: Gorgoroth, Jackson Locations: Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, England, Tolkien’s, Isengard, Shire, Britain

☆ Post Malone Buys the One-Of-A-Kind ‘One Ring’ Trading Card
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A unique trading card that spawned a frenzied search and multiple seven-figure offers has been sold to pop singer and rapper Post Malone. The sale—of a one-of-a-kind card from the “Magic: The Gathering” game depicting the enchanted “One Ring” from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” epic—concludes a saga that began in earnest when the set containing the card was released in June. A New York card shop had offered $1 million to whoever found it; the owner of a store in Spain bid about twice that.

Persons: Post Malone, Tolkien’s Organizations: New Locations: J.R.R, New York, Spain

☆ Bearer of rare 'One Ring' card from 'Lord of the Rings' lore could fetch $2 million and face hefty tax bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

And the ring bearer — if they choose to sell the "precious" — may owe a hefty tax bill on the profits. Marta Iwanek | Toronto Star | Getty ImagesThe Canadian who acquired The One Ring card would most likely pay tax on half their profits. If The One Ring card were sold for 2 million euros — which appears to be the current top bid — then 1 million euros (about CA$1.46 million) would be taxable. Total Canadian tax bill is 'subjective'But what's Canada's tax rate on the profits? (In reality, the effective tax rate would be slightly lower since Canada's income tax system is progressive, as in the U.S., experts said.

Persons: Elijah Wood, Frodo, Misty, Sauron, Mount Doom, —, Roger Perzan, Marta Iwanek, Plaskett, Howard Gleckman, it's, Scott Plaskett, John Oakey, Oakey, Sir Ian McKellen, Gandalf Organizations: Coast LLC, Canadian, Toronto Star, Getty, Urban, Brookings Tax Policy Center, Total Canadian, Chartered Professional Accountants Canada, Canada Revenue Agency Locations: Rivendell, Toronto, Canada, U.S, Ontario, Scott Plaskett Toronto

☆ Someone has found what could be the first Magic: The Gathering card worth 7 figures
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An incredibly rare Magic: The Gathering card from a new expansion was found on Friday. Instead, it's all to do with Hasbro's trading card game, Magic: The Gathering, which released an expansion this month that crosses over with JRR Tolkien's beloved fantasy series. —Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) June 30, 2023While the search is over, the card's ownership may not be settled. The breakneck pace and high costs of new releases has also been an issue for local game shops that sell Magic: The Gathering cards. In April though, the bank upgraded the stock to "neutral" after earnings showed revenue from the card game surged in the first quarter.

Persons: —, JRR, Francisco Rubio, Adam Martin, Dave, Eric LaGaccia Organizations: Service, Wall Street, Gremio de Dragones, Hasbro, City Comics, Bank of America Locations: Valencia, Spain, Buffalo , New York, Brooklyn

☆ The Coveted ‘One Ring’ Card Has Been Found
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The card, a depiction of J.R.R. Tolkien's "One Ring" from the Hasbro tabletop game "Magic: The Gathering," has been authenticated, receiving the second-highest available rating for its condition, "Mint 9," according to grading company PSA . "We are thrilled to hear tale of a new Ring-bearer in possession of the serialized 1:1 The One Ring!" tweeted the account for Magic Friday morning. The person who found the card for now prefers to remain anonymous, according to PSA.

Organizations: Hasbro, PSA

☆ ChatGPT Secret Training Data: the Top 50 Books AI Bots Are Reading
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

To figure out what GPT-4 has read, they quizzed it on its knowledge of various books, as if it were a high-school English student. One way to answer the question is to look for information that could have come from only one place. Genre — sci-fi, mystery, romance, horror — is, broadly speaking, more interesting, partially because these books have plots where things actually happen. Bamman's GPT-4 list is a Borgesian library of episodic connections, cliffhangers, third-act complications, and characters taking arms against seas of troubles (and whales). See what a bot makes of Gene Wolfe's "The Book of the New Sun," maybe, or Sheri Tepper's "Grass."

☆ Opinion | My Fantasy Bookshelf
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

After filing last week’s newsletter comparing “Succession” to a work of “Game of Thrones”-style fantasy, I recorded a podcast episode with Razib Khan in which we talked about our shared affection for actual fantasy novels, our experience as early George R.R. It was a wide-ranging conversation, but one that stayed mostly with the big names of the genre — Martin, J.R.R. To be clear, this isn’t a list of my all-time favorites or even a list of “fantasy novels that should be adapted for TV instead of making more seasons of ‘The Rings of Power.’” It’s just me turning a glance at my bookshelf into a newsletter. You can think of this list of novels, maybe, as various inspirations for that imagined perfection. Hobb’s hero, Fitz, is one of the most successful examples of character-building and compelling interiority in recent fantasy.

☆ Amazon, Embracer strike deal to make 'Lord of the Rings' video game
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The Hobbiton Movie Set, a location for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogy, is pictured in Matamata, New Zealand, December 27, 2020. REUTERS/Praveen MenonMay 15 (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and Swedish game developer Embracer Group have agreed to develop and publish a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game based on fantasy series "The Lord of the Rings", the companies said on Monday. The game, which is in the early stages of development, will be set in Middle-earth, featuring stories of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" literary trilogy written by J.R.R. Video game publisher Electronic Arts also launched its mobile game "The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth" earlier this month. Earlier in 2021, Amazon had canceled an online role-playing game based on "The Lord of the Rings", which was announced in 2019.

☆ Butterfly group named after 'Lord of the Rings' villain
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The “distinctive fused orange rings” that encircle black-and-white eyespots on the hindwings of this group led the researchers to name the genus Saurona, according to a recent study published in the journal Systematic Entomology. The Eye of Sauron glows in the 2001 film "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." … It’s a very fine scientific paper.”Distinguishing a special groupThe researchers documented two new species in the Saurona genus, named Saurona triangula and Saurona aurigera. Female saurona butterflies have slightly more rounded wings than males, but are otherwise similar in pattern, the authors found. Giving newly described genera or species names drawn from pop culture can draw attention to underappreciated species, Huertas said.

☆ A researcher said she named a new butterfly species after the 'Lord of the Rings' villain partly because spending 10 years on the study felt like the eye of Sauron looking at her
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Two newly-discovered butterfly species were named after Sauron, the "The Lord of the Rings" villain. Tolkien's magical "The Lord of the Rings" universe includes hobbits, elves, wizards, and now, a new genus of butterflies called Saurona after the dark lord Sauron. But in an article from The Washington Post, Huertas drew other connections to "The Lord of the Rings" that suggest there may be additional reasons behind the butterfly's name. "Ten years dealing with this study is a lot of strain looking at me like Sauron," she told the Post. The world needs an "army" of people to "get involved in getting worried about nature," she told the Post.

☆ Butterfly Group With Fiery Eyes on Wings Is Named After ‘Lord of the Rings’ Villain
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The genus Saurona includes two species, though there may be more to discover. Photo: B. Huertas/Trustees Natural History MuseumScientists discovered a new genus of butterflies with dark spots on their orange wings that look like eyes. Tolkien ’s “Lord of the Rings,” who is symbolized by a fiery eye. The genus Saurona includes two species—Saurona triangula and Saurona aurigera—though there are likely more to discover, according to the Natural History Museum in London. The new genus is among several identified by an international group of scientists in a study published recently in the journal Systematic Entomology.

☆ New Butterflies Are Named for Sauron, ‘Lord of the Rings’ Villain
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Chris Stanford | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A new genus of butterfly, with dark, eye-like spots on its distinctive orange wings, has been named after Sauron, the arch-villain of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic “The Lord of the Rings,” whose gaze lingers malevolently over the lands of Middle-earth. An international team of scientists identified two species in the new genus — Saurona triangula and Saurona aurigera — but said there were most likely more, the Natural History Museum in London announced on Sunday. The practice of naming new species after celebrities, fictional characters and others has a long history, and “giving these butterflies an unusual name helps to draw attention to this underappreciated group,” Dr. Blanca said. “It shows that, even among a group of very similar-looking species, you can find beauty among the dullness.”

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