h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm currently researching another entry which will be the Tourist's Guide to Pre-Celtic Ireland, so I didn't want to go into details of individual locations in this one. But it might be some time before the other entry is written, because I'd like to visit all these places before writing about them.

I've changed the entry very slightly - I've removed the reference to acidic soil. Now it just says that the chemical composition is such that bone is dissolved over thousands of years (which certainly seems to be true), without saying why.

Hi Gnomon, sorry ! I was meant to find out a bit more about this, and I haven't done so yet, so for completeness I will get back to you on it.

Whatever you find, the entry is ready to be picked as it is now. If you find out more, I'll consider putting it into the entry.

I agree, you don't need to change the entry as it is. Its just a titbit of information.

Hi Gnomon,

i had a quick look at this, but it is formidably long and i got put off...

the thread appears to feel it is ready, and you seem to agree, which is good enough for me,

i *will* read it... it's just a question of when... and whether it has already been picked by then, as it looks as though it will move smoothly through PR

cya
spiff

Very interesting stuff...

For some reason I always figured the standing stones were a Celtic thing...

...turns out that was wrong.

Knowledge is good.

Hi Gnomon. Yes, it seems you can split Ireland in two in terms of terrain, and that much of the southern and eastern part has calcareous soils; while acidic, boggy soils predominate in the northern and western parts. There are, of course, exceptions in both parts.

Also, and somewhat ironically, because bogs contain very little oxygen, and therefore very little bacteria, organic preservation can be excellent. Overall there is reckoned to have been 80 finds of preserved bodies in bogs in Ireland over the past 200 years. Very few of these finds still survive, however .

Decomposition of organic materials appears to be a fairly complex thing!

Y'all know why I'm here - so let me know if this baby is ready to roll its way into the Edited Guide.

Yes, Ashley, it is ready to go.

The debate about acid vs alkaline soil has been sidestepped by being deliberately vague in the entry, so it is no longer an issue.

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've therefore moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

Darn it, just once I'd like to get in before that dratted automated message...

Congrats anyway Gnomon

Yay!

Thanks, Whisky! Thanks, everybody, for your comments!