Weird World
Thursday, 26 Apr 2007 09:17
Lex Luther inspects the nasty stuff
Superheroes are everywhere this week as arrests, arch-nemesis minerals and innovative technological creations come to the fore.
Kryptonite, the sneaky green mineral that can turn Superman into a quivering wreck, has been discovered by geologists in Serbia.
Although it's clearly dark news for Clark Kent, Dr Chris Stanley from London's Natural History Museum was "amazed" to discover that the scientific name for the new mineral - sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide - was the same one that appeared on a box stolen by Lex Luthor in Superman Returns.
The one bonus for any Kryptonian emigres is that the newly found Kryptonite doesn't glow green and has no effect on humans. It also can't be called Kryptonite as it has no relation to the element krypton. It is instead known as Jaradite and will be on display in the museum soon.
One superhero who has landed in hot water is Captain America, although obviously not the actual fictional hero who retired recently, but a man dressed as Captain America with a burrito down his tights.
Raymond Adamcik, 54, dressed as Captain America with a burrito, was arrested in Florida for disorderly conduct at a bar. He then got himself into even deeper trouble when he was charged with drug possession, reports the New York Post.
The 'real' Captain America was tragically written out of the comic book future quite recently, although one of America's most loved superheroes could one day return in another medium.
Where Captain America relies on strength, Batman relies on gadgets and one man has created the perfect bat accompaniment to a typical tube journey.
Eelko Moorer designed a pair of boots which allow a tube traveller to travel upside down from the hand rails on the trains.
He received a "mixed reaction" to from other tube travellers varying from surprise and approval to condemnation.
A London Underground spokesman told Sky News that the act was dangerous and could have led to "serious injury to not only the individual concerned but also other passengers".