View from the North 40: Will the Proterozoic past be our variant future?

I have been on tenterhooks for a month now, not just about the excitement of having a practical use for a juicy, old-timey word like tenterhooks, but also, and mostly, about science and specifically whether a salt crystal will prove to be Pandora’s box, Spiderman’s arachnid or, like, a dud firecracker where you’re anticipating drama and excitement but get pffft.

NPR reported May 24 that large crystals of salt were found in central Australia, and the crystals show signs they have water encapsulated within them. Scientists at West Virginia University see “shapes that are consistent w...