Sotheby's auction: Mars rock fetches $5.3M, young dinosaur skeleton sells for over $30M
New York: Sotheby’s auction this week featured two incredible relics, one from the vast reaches of space and the other from the distant past of Earth, that captivated bidders and set new records.
A Martian meteorite, NWA 16788, weighing 54 pounds and ejected from Mars by an ancient asteroid impact, sold for an astounding $5.3 million. It was reportedly discovered in Niger’s Sahara Desert in 2023 by a meteorite hunter, after having been blown off the surface of Mars by a huge asteroid strike and traveling 140 million miles to Earth.
The bidding for this rare piece of Mars was fierce, with a 15-minute back-and-forth between online and phone bidders before it was secured by an anonymous buyer.
However, the real drama unfolded over a juvenile ceratosaurus nasicornis skeleton, one of just four known specimens of the species and the only known young specimen. Initially valued at $4-6 million, the bidding for this dinosaur skeleton took off dramatically. The bids surged in rapid succession, with offers increasing by $500,000 and later by $1 million each time, reflecting the skeleton's rarity and significance.
After a heated back-and-forth, the bidding ended at $26 million, but the final sale price, including fees, reached a jaw-dropping $30.5 million, setting a new record for the sale of a dinosaur skeleton. Parts of the skeleton were reportedly found in 1996 near Laramie, Wyoming, at Bone Cabin Quarry, a gold mine for dinosaur bones.
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Pak, Afghan forces trade fire along Chaman border: Report
Islamabad (PTI): A heavy exchange of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces was reported from the key Chaman border, according to a media report on Saturday.
Injuries were reported from the district hospital, but no fatalities occurred, the Dawn newspaper reported.
Officials from both sides accused each other of instigating the flare-up late on Friday night across the border in the Balochistan province.
While Pakistani officials said that Afghan forces had fired mortar shells on the Badani area, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed it was Pakistan that launched an attack on Spin Boldak, alleging that their forces were responding.
Pakistan's official sources told Dawn that Pakistani forces retaliated against the Afghan aggression and returned fire.
There were also reports of fighting on the Chaman-Kandahar highway, but these could not be immediately verified.
A senior official in Quetta confirmed on condition of anonymity that the exchange of fire started around 10 pm and continued until late at night.
The medical superintendent of Chaman district hospital said that three injured, including a woman, were brought to the medical facility.
There was neither any official word from the Inter-Services Public Relations -- Pakistan Army's media wing -- nor from the Foreign Office.
The Chaman border crossing, also known as Friendship Gate, connects Balochistan province to Afghanistan’s Kandahar.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated amidst regular allegations by Pakistan regarding the failure of the Afghan regime to deny safe havens to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorists.
The two countries had agreed on a ceasefire following tensions last month, but the Foreign Office said last month that technically there was no truce as it was contingent on the Afghan Taliban stopping terrorist attacks in Pakistan, which they had failed to do.
