ARTWORK - Somewhat better than the huge ants in "Them," but perhaps not as good as the CGI in Antman. Now a museum exhibit in Sussex, the artwork is based on an Australian Bulldog ant.

Despite all good intentions during UN conferences and the like, global world leaders had failed to address climate change in sufficient time to prevent the oceans from boiling. As a result, the ice caps at the North and South Poles melt, revealing Antarctica as never seen before by man, in a semi-prehistoric state. While most of the evidence of life is fossilized, there are some insects and fish that have adapted to resist extremely cold conditions, to preserve Life on Earth. Where nature will always find a way.

It is thus, theoretically possible for giant insects to have evolved and adapted, so that as the weather patterns changed from volcanic to freezing snow and ice, that only the creatures that had adapted their blood chemistry to be resistant to the cold, would outlive warm blooded dinosaurs, after the cataclysmic extinction event that saw the earth endure a nuclear winter, about 65 million years ago; wiping out the dinosaurs, about which cause, there is much speculation.

Some insects have cryoprotectants in their blood to prevent freezing. Cryoprotectants are substances that protect biological tissue from freezing damage by lowering the freezing point of the body fluids or by preventing ice crystals from forming. Some examples of cryoprotectants are sugars, alcohols, and proteins.

Arctic and Antarctic insects, fish, amphibians and reptiles create cryoprotectants (antifreeze compounds and antifreeze proteins) in their bodies to minimize freezing damage during cold winter periods. Insects most often use sugars as cryoprotectants, such as glycerol, sorbitol, mannitol, ribitol, erythritol, threitol, and trehalose. Some insects also produce antifreeze proteins, which bind to ice crystals and inhibit their growth. These proteins allow insects to remain in suspended animation until their bodies warm enough for them to resume activity in springtime.

Several animals have an anti-freeze protein in their blood. This includes arctic and antarctic fish, arthopods, octopuses, painted turtle hatchlings, wood frogs, arctic ground squirrels (the only mammal), some beetles, moths, bacteria, and the champions- tardigrades or water bears . They have handled lab temps from -278°C (-458°F) up to 150°C (300°F). Some tardigrades frozen in 1983 were thawed out 30 yrs later and not only survived, but could reproduce. It’s been estimated that they can withstand being dried out and will rehydrate and do okay after about 100 yrs. They have also gone into space and tolerated lack of oxygen and radiation.

Taken by surprise, and a knee jerk reaction, John goes to attack the Sectasaur, before realising they have a rapport. The clever creature jumped ship, to end up in the United Kngdom, as the first port of call

The artwork is also suitable for use in "Jimmy Watson's Magic Dinobot." A proposed network TV serialization, about boy who saves his paper round money to buy himself a robot for Christmas. Then, when assembled, it come to life, to become his friend.

Is there any basis of truth in the "Sectasaur" Antarctic John Storm adventure?

The “Sectasaur” Antarctic John Storm adventure is a work of fiction, but it is based on some scientific facts and speculations. For example, the story involves the discovery of a giant prehistoric insect, resembling a giant ant, that was frozen in the Antarctic ice for millions of years. This is inspired by the real fossil genus Titanomyrma, which was a group of giant ants that lived during the Eocene epoch, about 50 million years ago. Some of these ants were as big as hummingbirds, and had wingspans of up to 15 cm. They are known from fossils found in Germany, England, Wyoming, and British Columbia123. The story also explores the possibility of cross-Arctic dispersal of thermophilic insects, which means that these ants could have migrated from Europe to North America via a land bridge that existed across the Arctic when the climate was warmer. This is a hypothesis that has been proposed by some paleontologists to explain the distribution of Titanomyrma and other ancient organisms12. However, there is no evidence that Titanomyrma or any other giant insect ever existed in Antarctica, or that they could survive the freezing temperatures there. The story also involves the use of DNA technology to recreate and enhance extinct species, which is a controversial and hypothetical topic that has ethical and ecological implications. The story is meant to be an entertaining and imaginative adventure, not a realistic or accurate depiction of paleontology or biology.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanomyrma
2. https://interestingengineering.com/science/giant-ant-fossil-life-50-million

3. https://www.livescience.com/14008-giant-ant-fossil.html

Who are the cast in the Antarctic "Sectasaur" short story?

The Antarctic “Sectasaur” short story is a fictional adventure that involves the discovery of giant prehistoric ants in Antarctica. The story has several characters, some of whom are based on real people or celebrities. Here are some of the main cast members:

- Cathy Carter: She is the leader of an international group of scientists who are exploring the Antarctic tunnels. She is also a covert CIA agent who has a secret mission to prevent the Chinese and Swedish teams from gaining any advantage over the US. She is based on the actress Scarlett Johansson [1].

- Lin Po Chang: He is the leader of the Chinese team, which is secretly funded by the Triads. He is a child genius and a martial arts champion who has a keen interest in paleontology. He is based on the actor Jet Li [2].
 
- Bjorn Atlas: He is the leader of the Swedish team, which is sponsored by a wealthy entrepreneur. He is a headstrong and ambitious explorer who wants to claim the archaeological prize for himself. He is based on the actor Alexander Skarsgård [2].

- Sven Johansson: He is the navigator of the Swedish team and the loyal friend of Bjorn. He is a skilled pilot and a former military officer. He is based on the actor Joel Kinnaman [2].

- Jimmy Watson: He is a member of Cathy’s team and a former journalist. He is the one who leaked the information about the tunnel complex to the media. He is based on the actor Tom Holland [2].

- Dr. Alice Jones: She is a member of Cathy’s team and a renowned paleontologist. She is the one who identified the fossilized jaw of the giant ant. She is based on the actress Emma Watson [2].

- Dr. Sam Smith: He is a member of Cathy’s team and a geneticist. He is the one who extracted the DNA from the fossil and recreated the giant ant. He is based on the actor Benedict Cumberbatch [2].

John Storm, the rugged ocean adventurer is also an amateur Paleo Anthropologist, near obsessed with his DNA collection called 'The Ark,' that is safely embedded in his trusty ship, the Elizabeth Swann, protected by the ever watchful Hal. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanomyrma
https://interestingengineering.com/science/giant-ant-fossil-life-50-million
https://www.livescience.com/14008-giant-ant-fossil.html

RETURN TO  BASECAMP OR EXPLORE OUR PREHISTORIC A-Z