This playable Meccano version of Atari's Lunar Lander is a mechanical marvel.
Andrew Liszewski
Lego may have long ago surpassed the popularity of Meccano but Pete Wood demonstrates why the over 100 year old mechanical building toy still has devoted fans.
Meccano Martian Mission is a recreation of the 1979 Atari game Lunar Lander but without any screens. It's an entirely mechanical creation with levers and dials used to control the thrust of a landing craft trying to safely touch down on a recreation of Mars' rugged terrain scrolling by.
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Forbes
42 minutes ago
- Forbes
The ‘Marie-Thérèse Pink Diamond' Fetches $14 Million At Christie's
The 'Marie-Thérèse Pink Diamond' achieved more than $13.9 million The 10.38-carat 'Marie-Thérèse Pink Diamond,' which may have been once owned by Marie Antoinette achieved more than $13.9 million (including buyer's premium), nearly double its high estimate at Christie's New York Magnificent Jewels auction on Tuesday. Its hammer price was $11.8 million. The fancy purple-pink modified kite brilliant-cut diamond has passed through French, Bavarian and Austrian imperial and royal families. In addition to its royal provenance, the gem was mounted on a ring created by renowned Franco-American jewelry artist, JAR. The pink diamond was believed to be in a group of jewels that Marie Antoinette entrusted to her coiffeur on the eve of her failed escape from Paris in 1791, hoping to one day reclaim them, Christie's said in a previous statement. These jewels were passed down to her only surviving child, Duchess Marie Thérèse de Angoulême, and later to her niece, Duchess Marie Thérèse de Chambord. 'Generations later,' Christie's said, a will identified the diamond's next known owner as Queen Marie Theresa of Bavaria, who referred to it as 'a pink solitaire diamond from Aunt Chambord.' The gem last appeared at auction in Geneva in 1996, offered by a member of a European royal family. Since then, it remained out of public view until this sale. 'The Blue Belle' 392.52-carat Ceylon sapphire sold for more than $11.3 million FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder The number two lot of the sale was the 'The Blue Belle,' a 392.52-carat sapphire that is one of the largest known sapphires in the world. It fetched more than $11.3 million (including buyer's premium). Bidding took nearly 15 minutes. About half that time was spent in near silence as auctioneer Max Fawcett, head of Christie's Geneva jewelry department, coaxed two phone bidders to increase their bids from $8.1 million to the final hammer price of $9.5 million, as seen through Christie's livestream of the sale. Like the pink diamond, The Blue Belle has its own storied history. It was unearthed as rough whose size and shape are unknown in 1926 at Pelmadula, Ratnapura. It had a 'highly prized peacock blue color and excellent clarity,' according to the documentation Christie's uncovered. It was owned by the well-known gem and jewelry dealer, Macan Markar in Colombo. British motor magnate, Lord Nuffield, acquired the gem in 1937. It is believed he planned to give it to Queen Elizabeth (later The Queen Mother) on King George VI's coronation. Instead, the jewel was sold privately and passed through several owners before appearing at Christie's Geneva auction in 2014 where it sold for $17.3 million. The sapphire is the centerpiece of an 18k white gold necklace covered in round and oval shaped diamonds. The 138-lot Christie's New York Magnificent Jewels auction was a 'white glove' sale, meaning all the lots sold, achieving more than $87.7 million, a record for a various-owner jewelry sale at Christie's in the Americas. Also among the top lots were three gem-set necklaces with historic Indian Mughal provenance, all sold well above their high estimates. A Mughal antique carved emerald necklace fetched more than $6.2 million The first is a Mughal carved emerald necklace consisting of three carved Colombian hexagonal and two carved pear-shaped Colombian emeralds with an approximate total weight of 1,150 carats. The largest emerald of approximately 470 carats is inscribed with the name 'Ahmad Shah Durr-I Durran,' founder of the Durrani Empire of Afghanistan and northwest India. It achieved more than $6.2 million, more than double its high estimate. A Mughal antique multi-gem and emerald necklace fetched more than $5.5 million The second is a Mughal multi-gem and emerald necklace featuring four Colombian emeralds weighing nearly 800 carats. The necklace is further adorned with a drop-shaped spinel bead, a baroque ruby bead and baroque natural pearls. It sold for more than $5.5 million, nearly double its high estimate. A Mughal three-strand spinel and natural pearl necklace fetched more than $3 million The third piece is a Mughal three-strand spinel and natural pearl necklace with eight inscribed stones, in the Mughal tradition of memorializing gemstones to record their royal provenance. These spinels bear the names of some of the most powerful figures in history, including Muhammad ibn Tughluq-Shah, the Sultan of Delhi, the first Mughal emperor, Babur, and emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan. The spinels have an approximate total weight of more than 2,000 carats. The necklace fetched more than $3 million, well above its high estimate. A 66.74-carat unmounted round brilliant-cut diamond sold for 3.8 million Diamonds did well in the auction. The top lot in the group was the number three lot overall: a 66.74-carat unmounted round brilliant-cut diamond with D color, VVS1 clarity and 'excellent cut, polish and symmetry,' according to the reports. The Type IIa diamond sold for $3.8 million. A Harry Winston diamond pendant necklace sold for more than $2.4 million This is followed by a platinum and 18k white gold necklace by Harry Winston featuring a 17.50-carat pear brilliant-cut diamond of D color and VVS1 clarity, 5.01-carat round brilliant-cut diamond D-color and SI1 clarity. The remainder of the necklace is covered with round, pear, emerald and marquise diamonds. The necklace sold for more than $2.4 million, well above its high estimate. It was the number seven lot in the overall sale. A necklace with a 25.45-carat pear brilliant-cut flawless, D-color diamond fetched more than $2.3 ... More million Next is a platinum necklace centered with a 25.45-carat pear brilliant-cut flawless, D-color diamond. It fetched more than $2.3 million, besting its high estimate. It was the number eight lot in the sale. In addition, the New York auction featured a collection of approximately 26 jewels from the estate of Anne Hendricks Bass, including pieces by Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, Cartier and 11 jewels by JAR. Every piece but one sold for more their high estimate. The group of jewels totaled more than $8.8 million, with some pieces fetching more than four times their high estimate. Van Cleef & Arpels diamond pendant earrings fetched nearly $2 million Among the highlights of this portion of the sale is a pair of Van Cleef & Arpels earrings featuring pear brilliant-cut D-color diamonds of 11.93 and 11.83 carats, marquise, pear-shaped and round diamonds, platinum and white gold. It sold for nearly $2 million, besting its high estimate. It was the ninth best lot in the auction. JAR sapphire, emerald and diamond necklace sold for more than $1.5 million Another highlight is a JAR necklace featuring 22 drop briolette emeralds with rows of faceted sapphire beads and round diamonds set in platinum and 18k white gold fetched $1.5 million, five times its high estimate. Van Cleef & Arpels ruby and diamond 'mystery-set' flower brooch fetched $1.5 million Another private collection titled, 'Color and Ingenuity: The Collection of Lucille Coleman,' had 'one of the most significant groups of 'mystery-set' jewels ever to appear at auction,' Christie's said in a statement. The top lot of the collection was a Van Cleef & Arpels ruby and diamond mystery-set brooch that achieved more than $1.5 million, almost three times its high estimate, setting a new world record price for a mystery set jewel sold at auction. This group of jewels totaled $7.4 million, with proceeds benefitting the late collector's philanthropic institutions. A Cartier Art Deco multi-gem and diamond shoulder brooch that sold for $340,200 Signed jewels performed well. For example, a Cartier Art Deco multi-gem and diamond bracelet achieved $831,600, nearly three times its high estimate and a Cartier Art Deco multi-gem and diamond shoulder brooch, sold for $340,200.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
European biotech ecosystem takes aim at changing the funding narrative
'The science is brilliant in Europe, but the translation is what's lacking,' said V-Bio Ventures managing partner Christina Takke on the state of the European funding ecosystem for biotechs at the ongoing BIO International Convention 2025. The discussion on funding for European biotechs comes at a time when federal funding in the US is facing cuts while the European Union and France have pledged €500m to attract researchers to pursue projects in the EU. However, this alone is unlikely to foster the necessary ecosystem required to allow European biotechs to thrive. Historically, US venture capital (VCs) have provided a fillip to early-stage biotechs to build pipelines, influencing how companies operate in the US and Europe. An oft-cited distinction as a result of this is cultural differences between US and European biotechs and their approach to research. The BIO conference is taking place in Boston, where Avante Biocapital CEO Matthew Foy said an environment exists for a two-way dialogue between academics and VCs. The hubs in Europe are relatively more disparate. Even when it comes to telling a story, Hansa Biopharma CEO Renée Aguiar-Lucander said European biotechs are more focused on the science, while talk of products, market opportunity and domination takes place much earlier with US companies. Nonetheless, it is often not the company's management team, but the board and how these companies were built by those investors who previously operated in a market without later-stage capital, that can hold back a European company, said Foy. Against the backdrop of the threat of Asian biotechs, it might be difficult to compete in a global setting with cultural touchpoints like wanting to work fewer hours in Europe, said Lucander. However, there is no reason to reinvent the wheel. It can be cheaper to develop something in Europe than in Boston's Kendall Square, so it is important to combine the approaches that work best, said Takke. On that point of efficiency—or the ability to do more with less, Aguiar-Lucander said European biotechs are already used to being cost efficient, so they may not be impacted as much as US companies when compared to Chinese biotechs. European biotech has come a long way in the last 10–15 years in terms of the sophistication of VCs, management teams, quality of science, and more, said Foy. European VC companies such as Sofinnova, Forbion, which recently funded RNA editing company AIRNA, and sleep apnoea therapeutic-focused Mosanna, have raised billions of dollars in 2025. Finding a silver lining in the conversation on biotech funding that has recently been fraught with challenges, Foy said these VC raises show there is fresh capital to fund and accelerate development. While the sector deals with geopolitical issues, raising money without a syndicate is 'nearly impossible', he said, highlighting the importance of early efforts to build a network. Nonetheless, much larger, later-stage funds are emerging in Europe, which can fund companies further, he said. VIB managing director Jérôme Van Biervliet said there is capital, but 'the problem is how much of it is being deployed in either venture capital stock market at some point; that's where we're short'. Van Biervliet was optimistic that with ongoing efforts that invite new talent and management styles, now is the time to push forward for the European funding ecosystem. Alternate funding models have often been suggested as an antidote to biotechs to counter some of the early funding challenges in Europe. VIB is a non-profit research institute with an emphasis on entrepreneurship and has bio-incubators for startups across Belgium. In the beginning, the institute collaborated with big pharma, but has prioritised small biotechs more recently, said Van Biervliet. He cited the example of VIB's work with Belgian biotech argenx to develop an asthma treatment, ARGX-118, which argenx will now further develop. Having a long-term partner, who can help build an ecosystem for the long term help, and this has been well documented in the US, he added. But much larger, later-stage funds are emerging in Europe, which can fund companies further. "European biotech ecosystem takes aim at changing the funding narrative" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
This hilarious musical theater meme is flooding our timelines with shirtless men
A limited run of Evita opened this week on the West End, and the musical theater corners of social media have been all abuzz with thoughts on everything from Rachel Zegler's performance to the controversial use of a video feed within the staging. But there's one aspect of this revival that's getting the full-on meme treatment — the costuming. Director Jamie Lloyd is known for minimalism within his productions, and one of the main departments affected by that decision is wardrobe. Even before audiences got their first look at his take on Evita, the theater crowd was already primed with jokes anticipating the aesthetic. — (@) And they weren't wrong. Zegler's looks in the show definitely skewed towards understated. — (@) Evita also features another staple of Lloyd's that goes hand-in-hand with the expected minimalism — scantily clad men. — (@) Whether you love it or hate it, with quite a few productions under his belt at this point, Lloyd's style is pretty firmly established. — (@) — (@) And apparently enough people have caught on that the looks of Evita launched him straight into meme territory as theater lovers began joking about what Lloyd's creative interpretations of other famous musicals might look like. All we have to say about this is: Enjoy! — (@) "jamie lloyd's falsettos" — (@) "Jamie Lloyd's Dear Evan Hansen" — (@) "Jamie Lloyd's 12 Angry Men" — (@) "I'm so sorry about this but Jamie Lloyd's Sunday in the Park with George" — (@) "Jamie Lloyd's Titanic" — (@) "Jamie Lloyd's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" — (@) "Jamie Lloyd's Grease" — (@) "jamie lloyd's beetlejuice" — (@) "but what if it's Jamie Lloyd's 25th annual Putnam county spelling bee" — (@) "jamie lloyd's next to normal" — (@) "Jamie Lloyd's Avenue Q" — (@) "jamie lloyd's into the woods" — (@) "misinformation. jamie lloyd would never allow props onstage" — (@) "Jamie Lloyd's Sweeney Todd" — (@) "Jamie Lloyd's CATS"
