Category Archives: history

amusements, history

March Quiz Answers

Here are the answers to this month’s five quiz questions. If in doubt, all should be able to be easily verified online.

March Quiz Questions: British History

  1. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was the first woman in the UK to qualify and work as what? Doctor
  2. Which monastery in Canterbury was founded in 598? St Augustine’s Abbey
  3. In what year was British Rail nationalised? 1948
  4. Who was murdered on 29 December 1170? Thomas Becket
  5. Mary, Queen of Scots was executed on 7 February 1587. Where did this take Place? Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire

Answers were correct when questions were compiled in late 2022.

amusements, history

March Quiz Questions

Again this year we’re beginning each month with five pub quiz style questions, with a different subject each month. They’re not difficult, but it is unlikely everyone will know all the answers, so hopefully you’ll learn something new, as well as have a bit of fun.

March Quiz Questions: British History

  1. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was the first woman in the UK to qualify and work as what?
  2. Which monastery in Canterbury was founded in 598?
  3. In what year was British Rail nationalised?
  4. Who was murdered on 29 December 1170?
  5. Mary, Queen of Scots was executed on 7 February 1587. Where did this take Place?

Answers will be posted in 2 weeks time.

history, medical, science

Monthly Links

Here’s this month’s collection of links to items you may have missed. But oh dear, there are a lot of long reads.

Science, Technology, Natural World

We were recently buzzed by an unannounced asteroid.

Quaoar, a dwarf planet out in the Kuiper Belt, is host to a dust ring which really shouldn’t be there.

Confounding things a bit further, astronomers think they’ve spotted the Universe’s first stars. [LONG READ]

Meanwhile cosmologists are wondering if they can untangle the universe’s most elusive mysteries. [LONG READ]

Not to be left out the SETI alien hunters are beginning to use AI to analyse signals. [LONG READ]

Back on terra firma there’s been a recount which has doubled the number of Japan’s islands.

Archaeologists are also using new LIDAR technology to scan huge areas from the air; with years of fieldwork possible in an afternoon!

A fossil “crocodile” found on the Jurassic Coast at Charmouth, Dorset turns out to be a new genus of ancient croc-like animal.

Researchers have finally been able to work out how fingerprints form, and it follows a model proposed in 1950s by mathematician Alan Turing.

Health, Medicine

Misophonia, otherwise known as “sound rage”, is a markedly decreased tolerance to certain sounds and it can be truly debilitating.

Scientists have discovered albicidin, a plant toxin which uses a previously unknown method to kill bacteria, and so could be a route to new antibiotics.

Leprosy is an ancient disease, but one which scientists still don’t properly understand.

And here’s another puzzle: the anti-TB vaccine BCG is 100 years old; the puzzle is that it can also be active against a number of other diseases including some cancers and even Covid.

So, really, how does caffeine affect our bodies? [LONG READ]

It is being increasingly recognised that depression is not caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, but the jury is still out on the actual cause. [LONG READ]

Is it possible for our brains to be taken over, turning us into zombies?

Sexuality

We all look for that elusive spark, but what really does ignite a long-lasting relationship? [LONG READ]

Research into intimacy challenges popular notions about sexual fulfilment and a great sex life.

Environment

Planting more trees in cities could cut deaths from summer heat.

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

Palaeontologists have discovered apparently 3 million year old stone tools in Kenya. But who made them?

Fast forward to ancient Egypt and a gold-covered mummy found in newly discovered tombs at Saqqara.

Also at Saqqara scientists have analysed the residue in various pots to thrown more light on Egyptian embalming techniques.

Roll forward a bit more in time and across to Britain where archaeologists have found a trove of lost jewellery in a Roman bathhouse drain near Hadrian’s Wall.

And so to Spain, where a lost medieval synagogue has been revealed in a former Andalusian bar.

Back in Britain, a metal detectorist has unearthed a stunning gold pendant and chain associated With Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon.

There’s a shipwreck just off the south coast of England, near Eastbourne, which turns out to be an important 17th-century Dutch warship.

London

London has a surprising number of abandoned tube stations; here are the stories behind eleven of them.

Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs

Dowsing has long been controversial, but one journalist is brave enough to try it out.

Calmness is important, so here are a few ways in which we can try to achieve it.

And that goes hand-in-hand with meditation without meditating!

Having mastered that here are ten rules of philosophy to live by. [LONG READ]

And finally three items on one of my pet subjects: naturism.
First, how can we normalise naturism in modern society? [LONG READ]
Having done that let’s indulge in Work Naked Day.
Then we can use conscious nudity for enchantment and reconnection with the earth. [LONG READ]

amusements, environment, history, links, medical, natural history, science

Monthly Links

Welcome to this the first of our 2023 round-ups of links to items you my have missed the first time. There’s plenty here, with a lot of long reads, so let’s get going!

Science, Technology, Natural World

Last year London’s Natural History Museum officially named 351 new species, and surprisingly a quarter of them are wasps.

Still at London’s NHM, Anna Turns in the Guardian visits their secret vault of whale skeletons.

Somewhat differently, palaeontologists have been working out the details of sex with Neanderthals. [LONG READ]

And here’s an interview with Nobel laureate Svante Pääbo on understanding Neanderthals.

Turns out there are human only genes which increase brain size. We need to be very careful with them.

On the improvement of synthetic routes to recreational drugs.

It’s the hidden properties of many rare earth elements which have enabled our modern technology. [LONG READ]

Roman concrete was much different from our modern version, and its self-healing properties could benefit modern construction.

Meanwhile, a volcanic eruption in the wrong place could cause havoc for world trade, much worse than a ship stuck in the Suez Canal ever could. [LONG READ]

So what actually happens when a huge ship sinks? How are the worst effects of a disaster averted? [LONG READ]

From lost ships to lost nuclear weapons which no-one can find. [LONG READ]

Which brings us conveniently to a look at the discovery, properties and politics of uranium. [LONG READ]

There’s long been talk of an undiscovered Planet Nine in our solar system, but if it is there why hasn’t it been seen? [LONG READ]

And finally in this section, one for those who like their brain strained … quantum reality is impossible to measure, so how can we possibly understand it? [£££]

Health, Medicine

All is not always what it seems … it appears there is a mystery virus which confers protection against monkeypox. [LONG READ]

In complete contrast, here’s a brief history of the clitoris.

Environment

Fewer and fewer migrant birds are visiting our shores as the climate crisis takes its toll.

Art, Literature, Language, Music

On the peculiarity of American copyright law.

Against which here are five lesbian expressions from the 19th century to remember when watching Gentleman Jack.

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

What do we know about the lives of Neanderthal women? [LONG READ]

Egyptian researchers have used high-tech digital scanning to to look at a 2300 year old mummified boy.

Archaeologists reckon to have found the world’s oldest runestone in Norway.

It seems there was a medieval habit of dividing the night into “two sleeps“. [LONG READ]

A medieval pendant unearthed in Germany has had its secrets unveiled by neutron imaging.

Here’s our favourite medievalist on the gossiping of the female. [LONG READ]

And again we have said medievalist, this time on medieval standards of beauty. [LONG READ]

There were many medieval manuals which taught sword-fighting, but modern experts are unable to decode all the tricks. [LONG READ]

Twenty years ago the remains of a medieval trading ship were discovered in Newport, South Wales. The remains have now been preserved and its custodians now have a huge 2500 piece jigsaw.

Here’s a look at the dilemmas in dating old buildings. [LONG READ]

The blog A London Inheritance goes back 300 years and looks at the London events of 1723. [LONG READ]

Coming almost up to date, the Dutch have released a WWII map purporting to show where a hoard of Nazi treasure is hidden.

Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs

Tom Lamont in the Guardian takes a look at some of the UK’s more ribald placenames.

According to the 2021 census, the fastest growing religion in England & Wales is shamanism. But what is it?

The idea of “love languages” – or how we feel nourished by our partners – has been around for 30 years and does seems to help people.

So this is what the experts suggest about how to be the best possible parent, lover, friend, citizen or tourist.

A look at why the right to protest and dissent is so important.

People

Christina Bowen Bravery on becoming a world champion stone skimmer.

Shock, Horror, Humour, Wow!

One young art student discovers that her pubic hair is a capitalist.

And finally, some incredible images of the eerie shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea.

food+drink, history, links, medical, people, science

Monthly Links

And so to the final 2022 edition of my monthly links to items you may have missed.

Science, Technology, Natural World

There are quite a few scientific discoveries this month, so let’s start at the bottom and work up …

Scientists have discovered what they think is the world’s longest animal off Western Australia: a 45-metre-long deep-sea siphonophore.

Also found in the deep off Madagascar, scientists have named two new species of rare six-gill sawsharks.

Female sexual anatomy is generally poorly studied in all species, and snakes are no exception. So it’s only now that scientists have discovered that female snakes have a clitoris, or two. Two articles: one from Science News, the other from The Scientist.

So what do you find in a museum cupboard? In this case the thought lost pelt and skeleton of the last Thylacine (aka. Tasmanian Tiger).

Still in Australia, a group of female cowgirls, sorry graziers, have discovered the first intact fossilised skull, and most of the body, of a 100m-year-old plesiosaur.

And still going up, scientists have now found that the Tonga volcano eruption last January was larger and more interesting than previously thought.

Finally for this section, the Guardian had a long article on the epic task of shutting down and cleaning up the Sellafield nuclear facility. [LONG READ]

Health, Medicine

Scientists are beginning to rethink their ideas about what actually causes Alzheimer’s Disease. [VERY LONG READ]

Careful scientific analysis shows that Covid vaccines can temporarily disrupt the menstrual cycle – although Covid itself doesn’t. [£££]

There’s been a huge rise in the number of girls questioning their gender identity, and the professionals don’t really understand why. [LONG READ]

Art, Literature, Language, Music

There’s now brouhaha surrounding the artist and sexual abuser Eric Gill, as Ditchling’s museum effectively chooses to totally ignore their most famous artist. (Just don’t get me started! None of this is new, his abuse has been known about for at least 50 years.)

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

The area around Stonehenge continues to throw up important archaeology. Experts have now figured out that some Neolithic stone axes were much later used as part of a goldsmith’s toolkit.

A group of researchers have discovered over 100 previously unknown designs in Peru’s ancient Nazca plain.

Archaeologists in Rutland have uncovered a barn which was converted into a Roman bathing suite (complete with steam room) for use by the house’s owners.

Yet more archaeologists, this time in Northamptonshire, have uncovered an early medieval burial with a stunning necklace. Two reports from the BBC and The Conversation.

London

The Houses of Parliament are probably hiding a medieval river wall.

Food, Drink

Are sweeteners as harmless as we thought? The jury is still out but it looks doubtful. [LONG READ]

Don’t despise the humble Brussels sprout; they contain as much vitamin C as oranges plus many other health benefits.

And while we’re on healthy food, here are six reasons why, despite popular myth, potatoes are good for you.

So microbiologists have found the ancestor of modern brewing yeast, and then discovered it living under their noses in Ireland.

Finally on food, Ali Ahmed Aslam, the inventor of chicken tikka masala, has died aged 77.

Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs

Yes, I am a nudist, so what?

People

And finally for this year, here are 10 reasons why Richard Feynman was more than just a physicist.

amusements, history

December Quiz Answers

OK, so here are the answers to this month’s quiz questions. All should be able to be easily verified online.

December Quiz Questions: 17th Century England

  1. John Aubrey and John Evelyn were fellows of which organisation founded in 1660? The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, aka the Royal Society
  2. Who married the 15 year old Elisabeth Marchant de Saint Michel in December 1655? Samuel Pepys
  3. How is Matthew Hopkins (c.1620-1647) better known? Witchfinder General
  4. What discovery did William Harvey publish in 1628? The workings of the circulatory system
  5. Which influential work on political theory did Thomas Hobbes publish in 1651? Leviathan

Answers were correct when questions were compiled in late 2021.

amusements, history

December Quiz Questions

This year we’re beginning each month with five pub quiz style questions, with a different subject each month. They’re not difficult, but it is unlikely everyone will know all the answers, so hopefully you’ll learn something new, as well as have a bit of fun.

December Quiz Questions: 17th Century England

  1. John Aubrey and John Evelyn were fellows of which organisation founded in 1660?
  2. Who married the 15 year old Elisabeth Marchant de Saint Michel in December 1655?
  3. How is Matthew Hopkins (c.1620-1647) better known?
  4. What discovery did William Harvey publish in 1628?
  5. Which influential work on political theory did Thomas Hobbes publish in 1651?

Answers will be posted in 3 weeks time.