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☆ New species of piranha relative is named after Sauron from ‘The Lord of the Rings’
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Thousands of fish species — about 2,500 of them named — call the Amazon River home, but scientists estimate nearly half of the marine creatures lurking in the massive stretch of water remain undiscovered. The marks inspired the fish’s name, Myloplus sauron, according to a study published Monday in the journal Neotropical Ichthyology. The confusion around pacusBesides Myloplus sauron, the researchers also discovered the species Myloplus aylan, which they described as having a slightly thicker black bar on its flank. The Myloplus genus falls within the Serrasalmidae fish family, which is made up of piranha and pacu species. Researchers hope to study Myloplus sauron and Myloplus aylan further to learn more about their evolution and relation to other species, Pereira said.

Persons: Sauron, Tolkien’s “, ”, Victória Pereira, Pereira, sauron, Myloplus, Myloplus aylan, pacus, ’ ”, Matthew Kolmann, ” Kolmann, Kolmann, “ Organizations: CNN, University of Paulista, Amazon, University of Louisville Locations: São Paulo, Brazil, piranhas, Kentucky

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

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

☆ 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

☆ 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.

☆ Hobbit houses spring up in Bosnia hills
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Daria Sito-Sucic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KRESEVO, Bosnia, May 11 (Reuters) - Four sisters are building the first Hobbit-style village in southeast Europe in the green hills of central Bosnia, hoping to attract fans of "The Lord of the Rings" books and movies as well as sharing their childhood memories. Last year Marija, a 28-year-old geology engineer, proposed to her sisters Milijana, Vedrana and Valentina that they build house in the style of the Hobbit homes in J.R.R. The sisters decided that their houses must include characteristics of the area where they live and that each sister would decorate one dwelling as she likes. [1/5] Milijana Milicevic stands in front of the hobbit house named "Lipa", in the Bosnian Hobbiton village, Rakova Noga, Bosnia and Herzegovina, May 9, 2023. The other three houses, which should be completed soon, will also be named after local attractions.

☆ 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.”

☆ Scientists named a fungicide after Keanu Reeves because it's extremely effective at killing — just like his characters
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scientists discovered a compound in pseudomonas bacteria that can effectively kill certain fungi. The fungus killer was named after actor Keanu Reeves by German researchers. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute in Germany found certain bacteria naturally contained compounds effective at killing fungi that affect plants and humans. The scientists named them keanumycins A, B, and C — after actor Keanu Reeves. The keanumycins were most effective at killing Botrytis cinerea — a fungus that produces gray mold rot.

☆ New spy series 'Citadel' is Amazon Studios' most ambitious — and riskiest — bet ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"Citadel," Amazon Studios' ambitious spy series, is on track to be one of the costliest series ever made. Amazon Studios early on was known for prestige shows like "Transparent" and "Maisel" as well as action hits like "Jack Ryan." Amazon Studios' Head of Global Television, Vernon Sanders, told Insider that "Citadel" is new territory for the company. Inside and outside of Amazon Studios, there are concerns about a lack of clear creative direction as well as the division's future role in the larger Amazon ecosystem. Insider spoke to 21 current and recently departed Amazon Studios executives, Hollywood agents, and other industry insiders about the opportunities and challenges.

☆ J. R. R. Tolkien now shares his name with a mystical stream frog found in Ecuador — a country in the literal middle of the earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

One researcher told Insider that he could imagine the frog living in Fangorn forest. "The encounter of this frog was very surprising," Sánchez-Nivicela told Insider in an email interview. Because only one Hyloscirtus tolkieni has been discovered thus far, there is still much to learn about how many exist and in what regions they live. Habitat of Hyloscirtus tolkieni (red arrow pointing to collection site); and at the collection site inside the forest (below). The stream frog will take its place among other amphibians that could exist in Middle Earth — including a stubby, wood-loving frog named after Bilbo Baggins that lives on the other side of the Atlantic.

☆ New ‘Lord of the Rings’ Movies Are in the Works, Warner Bros. Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Gareth Vipers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ian McKellen, left, as Gandalf and Elijah Wood as Frodo in the Peter Jackson directed “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.”Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. is doubling down on Middle-Earth, announcing that a new raft of “Lord of the Rings” movies are in the works. The company has brokered a deal to make “multiple” films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” books, chief executive David Zaslav said in an earnings call Thursday.

☆ New 'Lord of the Rings' films in the works at Warner Bros
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LOS ANGELES, Feb 23 (Reuters) - The Warner Bros movie studio is developing new installments in the blockbuster "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" franchises based on the J.R.R. Warner Bros, owned by Warner Bros Discovery , said it had reached a multi-year agreement to collaborate on new films with Middle-earth Enterprises, a unit of Embracer Group AB (EMBRACb.ST). "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy, which began in 2001, won 17 Oscars. Three "Hobbit" films were released starting in 2012. Tolkien remains largely unexplored on film," Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-chairs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy said in a statement.

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