Once more we come to the time for this month’s selection of links to articles you may have missed. As always we start with the heavy science stuff (so feel free to skip it) and gently wind down from there.
Science, Technology, Natural World
WTF? Saturn has an enormous decagon at its south pole – as well as a hexagon at the north pole. How? Why?
Researchers have now mapped every neuron in the brain of a fly (above).
Aedes aegypti, a tropical mosquito the vector for spreading various tropical diseases, has been found breeding in east London.
It’s always been a puzzle how “early birds” got airborne. Scientists have now found the solution.
In Bolivia scientists have discovered an unknown species of small cat (below) – the first in over 100 years. This report from the Guardian an this from Scientific American [££££].
So why does your cat headbutt you? [££££]
Eyes are amazing. They can do many things which even our modern digital cameras can’t.
Here’s Isa Grant on another mystery: What forensic science says about spontaneous human combustion, and does it make sense?
What would happen if the Yellowstone supervolcano erupted? Would it mean the end of life as we know it?
Health, Medicine
Drug chemist Derek Lowe looks a some more (unexpected) positive effects of vaccines.
And from there it’s all the way down to …
History, Archaeology, Anthropology
There is an argument that civilisation is very much older than we think.
But then there is an awful lot we don’t know … like how to decipher the message on this 4000-year old disc (above).
Meanwhile over on Londonist, Matt Brown puts together the relationships between various Anglo-Saxon queens.
So just where is King Harold buried? It may, as is thought, be at Waltham Abbey (below). I like to think it is Waltham Abbey as this is very close to my childhood home. But there is no proof one way or the other.
The medievals suffered from infertility too. So what did they do about it?
Aphra Behn is often overlooked as the first professional female playwright in the 17th-century playwright, but in her day she was a celebrity.
London
Here’s Matt Brown’s latest instalment of colouring John Rocque’s 1746 map of London. This time we’re taken to Rotherhithe.
In much the same breath, Matt Brown takes a look at Soho’s street names …
… and he also takes a trip to the City of London Cemetery.
Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs
Many of us are quietly rebelling against the never-ending rise of constant tracking: an app for this; a login for that. Everything is being tracked and monetised to make business a quick buck.
Shock, Horror, Ha ha ha!
And finally it’s time for this year’s Ig Nobel prizes – awarded for research which first makes people laugh, but then think.
