And so at the end of another month we come to our regular collection of links to items you may have missed …
Science, Technology, Natural World
Extraterrestrials. What is believable, and how would we know? [£££££]
Meanwhile on this earth we have Vespa mandarinia, the Asian Giant Hornet, aka. the “Murder Hornet”. But just how dangerous is it? TL;DR: Very if you’re a honeybee.
I never cease to like the (small) variety of wasps in this country and what they get up to.
Still with the hymenoptera, the humble bumblebee has a clever trick to get plants to flower.
Health, Medicine
When is a llama not a llama? When it’s a unicorn!
So why is it that clinical trials of (new) drugs are so complicated and expensive? [LONG READ]
For a long, long time sunshine has been seen as having healing powers.
Researchers, almost accidentally, have found a microbe which completely stops the malaria parasite.
[TRIGGER WARNING] Having had four miscarriages, journalist Jennie Agg wanted to understand why it happened and why it is never talked about. [LONG READ]
Sexuality
Dr Eleanor Janega has some sexual fun over on Going Medieval. Here she is on:
• No Nut November [LONG READ]
• Dildos and Penance
• “Alpha Men” and poorly disguised misogyny
Social Sciences, Business, Law
Have you ever wondered how the heights on Low Bridge signs are calculated? Diamond Geezer investigates.
Art, Literature, Language
Dutch researchers have been trying to extract the secrets from Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring”
History, Archaeology, Anthropology
Mexico has too many mammoths – or at least bits of mammoths.
OK, so here’s another series from Going Medieval:
• On chronicles versus journalism, and ruling versus governing.
• On the King’s two bodies and modern myth making.
• On the Lusty Month of May.
London
Diamond Geezer (again) discovers the interesting history of his local Tesco supermarket. What’s the history of your local supermarket’s site? Three near me: the iconic Hoover building, an old cinema and the site of a former gasworks!
And one more from Diamond Geezer … this time he’s been finding out the correct names for the different parts of a London bus stop.
Food, Drink
Apparently coconut oil isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Colour me surprised! [£££££]
Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs
And finally … Pity the poor curators who are having to spend lockdown in places like Hampton Court Palace!
