[yeukhon]

I just search a bit about Jack Hills. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Hills The last modified was last December. The actual paper http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo20... was received last July but published on Fed 23, 2014. So it took a while to confirm and accept by the reviewers using the new technique.

And Jack Hills seems to have caught a lot of attention as early as 2006. http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Zircon/ and in this article, 4.4B crystal was mentioned. So the actual paper we are reading today is really about using the new technique to confirm the age of the crystal.

"Among the first important discoveries, says Watson, came out in 2001."

Just think about an art from 10, 50, 100, 1000, 5000 and 10,000 years ago. Then think about this 4.4B years ago. It isn't mind-blown; it's scary to think about time. It takes millions of years for rocks to crush into each other and make a planet. What is it like to see things from 4.4B ago? Then think about the galaxy out there. People, the universe is an awesome and scary place.

Here is another article with an image explaining the idea of 4.4B with a personal phone interview from the primary investigator.

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/gem-found-on-austr...

[s0rce]

Correct, this paper demonstrated that the Pb doesn't move around too far that it would invalidate the previous measurements. This was done using atom probe tomography.

Source: I know John and also do atom probe work.

Also, It was accepted at the end of last year and took a bit to publish, not unusual.

[jofer]

On a side note, JV is one of the most universally respected scientists I've seen. (JV --> John Valley, for various reasons everyone at Wisconsin calls him "JV".)

He's an absolutely huge name in the field, and actually treats his students/postdocs very well. He expects a lot in return, but he really does look out for people.

[teddyh]

The almost incomprehensible age of the Earth was famously summarized thus:

“The reſult, therefore, of our preſent enquiry is, that we find no veſtige of a beginning,–no proſpect of an end.”

— Theory of the Earth, James Hutton, 1788

[evincarofautumn]

On a ſide note, we ſhould bring back the long S.

[teddyh]

Yea, and alſo þe þorn! More seriously; it’s a text from 1788 – I’d think I was allowed to keep its spelling and not translate or transliterate when I’m actually quoting it verbatim.

[evincarofautumn]

It’s fine, I understood what you were up to. In earnest, though, I’d rather see thorn and eth come back than long S.

[joe_inferno]

yes, that was annoying