Category Archives: history

history, links, medical, science

Monthly Links for July

Here following, this month’s links to items you didn’t know you’d missed!

Science, Technology, Natural World

…

A new colour of cat (above) has been discovered – they’re black and white, but not as we know it!

We know it’s under genetic control, and that underneath all cats are tabby, but researchers have now worked out how tabby markings on cats form.

Scientists can be quite inventive when naming species; here are few of the best, including Agra vation. [LONG READ]

One young researcher is listening to seagrass meadows in an attempt to discover the full range of their biodiversity.

Last year’s Storm Ciarán’s ruined our tea. Here’s how.

A statistician looks at how to take the perfect penalty in football.

Scientists think they’ve discovered a cave on the moon, without being there.

So just how do astronomers work out the size of the solar system, again without going there?

And why do some planets have moons and others don’t?

And still in space, how often are we actually visited by asteroids?

Is it a fossil? Is it a meteorite? No it’s a meteor-wrong! [££££]

And finally for this section, we go from space to the ocean depths … Oceanographers think they’ve found an unexpected source of oxygen on the seafloor. [££££]

Health, Medicine

Yersinia pestis (aka. plague) is, as its name implies, a pest. And it keeps plaguing humanity.

One Anthropology Professor who studies how environmental stressors affect menstrual cycles (and a lot else) gives some scientific evidence as to why she personally hates tampons.

Which leads us nicely(?!) on to …

Sexuality

Kate Lister avers that women aren’t orgasming enough through penetrative sex and men had better start understanding why. She also has a message for men on giving oral sex.

So what’s the low-down on sexual incompatibility in long-term couples?

Environment

A large water beetle has been found in Cambridgeshire after an absence of over 80 years.

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

Underneath the vineyards of Champagne is a rich hunting ground for fossils.

Why was there a population crash during the neolithic? One suggestion is plague.

How the Sumerians influenced tennis.

More research on the Antikythera mechanism suggests it followed the Greek lunar calendar.

…

Tremors when Vesuvius erupted collapsed shelter walls and crushed the victims.

Still in Pompeii, archaeologists have found an ancient construction site, undisturbed since Vesuvius’ eruption.

Now we have Going Medieval telling us all about the mendicants. [LONG READ]

In support of medieval service magicians in preference to “manifesting”. [LONG READ]

One researcher claims to have uncovered a late 16th-century secret dossier of Elizabeth I’s spy network. Clearly they’d never heard of Francis Walsingham!

Samuel Pepys, it turns out, isn’t just a diarist and government administrator on th make, but also a connoisseur of fashion.

And coming up to date … Shackleton’s ship Endurance, wrecked in the Antarctic, is to get added protection.

Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs

If you’re one of the many lacking body confidence, here are some ideas which may help you attain it.

And here are some scientific tricks to keep your flower bouquets looking fresh for longer.

…

Shock, Horror, Humour, Wow!

And finally, something on Larry, Chief Mouser of Downing Street, and other political pets. But there’s no mention of Attlee, the current cat of Mr Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

……
Larry (top) and Attlee
history, memes

What Happened in 1524?

Here’s our next instalment of things that happened in ..24 years of yore.

Notable Events in 1524

17 January. Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, on board La Dauphine, in the service of Francis I of France, sets out from Madeira for the New World, to seek out a western sea route to the Pacific Ocean.

17 April. Verrazzano’s expedition makes the first European entry into New York Bay, and sights the island of Manhattan.

August. Protestant theologians Martin Luther and Andreas Karlstadt have a theological dispute at Jena.

Martin Luther

24 December. Death of Vasco da Gama, Portuguese explorer (b. c1469).

Vasco da Gama

history, memes

July 1924

Our look at some of the significant happenings 100 years ago this month.

2. Marconi described his new beam system of short-wave wireless transmission at the Royal Society of Arts in London. This could transmit more words per day than previously possible, and more economically, resulting in a general reduction in telegraph rates.

2. Portuguese Prime Minister Álvaro de Castro fought a sword duel with Flight Captain Ribeiro over a political dispute. Ribiero was wounded in the arm.

6. The first photograph is sent across the Atlantic by radio.

10. Denmark gains Greenland when Norway ends its claim.

12. The original trademark application for Kleenex was filed by Kimberly-Clark Corporation.

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

Monthly Links

Hello, good heatwave and welcome, to this months collection of links to items you may have missed but didn’t know you didn’t want to.

Science, Technology, Natural World

…

Against all the odds the aging spacecraft Voyager 1 is back on air and communicating intelligibly with ground control. Two items on this from Live Science and Scientific American [££££].

There are currently lots of sunspots and we’re nearing the solar cycle maximum … so the sun’s magnetic field is about to flip.

The search for a planet beyond Pluto has been going on since I was a kid, although astronomers can’t even agree Planet Nine exists, nor what they’re actually looking for.

Even so Planet Nine is amongst eight strange objects which could be hiding in the outer solar system – maybe.

Back down to Earth with a bump … Adam Kucharski asks “Can we predict who will win a football match?“.

Here’s a BBC News item about the beavers which have been reintroduced less than a mile from my house.

So it looks as if our invasive Asian Hornets have successfully overwintered here, although for some reason the government doesn’t see this as a huge problem!

They look like mini horseshoe crabs … some very rare, very ancient, three-eyed “dinosaur shrimps” (below) have suddenly emerged in Arizona.

…

How old is that termite mound? Researchers in South Africa have found 34,000-years-old termite mounds, beating the previously known oldest by 30,000 years!

Research is showing that our native wild orchids (not the tropical ones you buy in a supermarket) actually feed their seedlings through underground fungal connections. [££££]

Health, Medicine

How many of us are really aware that body organs aren’t always where they are supposed to be?

In addition you may have more body parts that you should have!

You should pay attention to your nipples – and this applies you you guys too, not just the gals – as they can tell you things about your health.

A chemist and an epidemiologist take a look at the whys and wherefores of sunscreen.

Apparently 80% of people with sleep apnoea are undiagnosed. Here’s what to look for.

Finally in this section, the little known Oropouche virus is spreading rapidly in South America; although usually mild it can cause serious complications and could become a healthcare emergency.

Sexuality

How might one start a conversation about sex with a partner or teen?

A cancer diagnosis, or indeed any serious illness, can affect how we approach sex.

Environment

…

I’m used to seeing green parakeets in my west London garden – they’re noisy, they’re quarrelsome, but they’re colourful and often comic – so how did they actually get here from India?

In good news, it seems that the Iberian Lynx, one of the world’s rarest cats, is recovering from near extinction.

…

Social Sciences, Business, Law, Politics

Kit Yates lays out why it is important for democracy that we have a numerate society.

So what are the defining characteristics of a fascist? What should we look for?

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

…

Here are five mysterious ancient artefacts which still have archaeologists puzzled, including Neolithic stone balls (above).

Elsewhere archaeologists in Spain have found some 2000 year old liquid wine. I think I’ll stick to my 2019 Rioja, thank you!

Bridging the gap to modern times, here’s Going Medieval on, well, medieval gossip.

And coming right up to date, we have an item on the world’s most improbable post offices.

Food, Drink

Scientists have developed a method for making healthier, and more sustainable, chocolate by using the parts of the cocoa pod to replace loads of sugar. But they’ve not yet been able to commercialise it.

Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs

So just what is it really like to live in Antarctica?

Emma Beddington investigates a wide range of time-sucking internet rabbit holes, and suggests what one might do to avoid them!

Put that alongside Messy Nessy’s regular blog 13 Things I Found on the Internet Today, who contributes the following exemplar.

…
An 18th century CE ivory dildo complete with contrivance for simulating ejaculation and its own discreet cloth bag. Now housed at the Science Museum in London.

Some stupid tourists seem to think that wild animals are cuddlable and cute! Why?

Only the crazy British would have a stinging nettle eating competition!

Shock, Horror, Humour, Wow!

And I’ll leave you this month with two things to try to get your head round …

First, Corey S Powell suggests that, like gravitational waves or ripples in a pond, we are just ripples of information in expanding outwards space-time. I see his point but I’m still trying to work out what it means.

And finally finally, a piece of science fiction suggesting that we could live forever if we merge biologically with the fungal network. [££££]

I suspect merging those two is going to be a bit like finding a unified theory of gravity and quantum mechanics.

history, memes

What Happened in 1324?

Here’s our next instalment of things that happened in ..24 years of yore.

Notable Events in 1324

8 January. Death of Marco Polo (below), Italian merchant and explorer (b.1254)

5 March. Birth of David II, King of Scotland (d.1371)

23 March. Pope John XXII excommunicates Ludwig the Bavarian, King of the Germans, for not seeking papal approval during his conflict against his rival Frederick the Fair. Ludwig, in turn, declares the Pope a heretic, because of John’s opposition to the view of Christ’s absolute poverty held by some Franciscans.

3 November. At Kilkenny in Ireland, Petronilla de Meath, the maidservant of Dame Alice Kyteler, becomes the first person in the British Isles to be burned at the stake as a witch. Dame Alice was able to escape and avoid capture.

Unknown Date. Marsilius of Padua writes Defensor pacis (The Defender of Peace), a theological treatise arguing against the power of the clergy and in favour of a secular state.

Unknown Date. William of Ockham, English Franciscan friar and philosopher, is summoned by John XXII to the papal court at Avignon and imprisoned.

history, memes

June 1924

Our look at some of the significant happenings 100 years ago this month.

3. Died. Franz Kafka, Austrian author (b. 1883)

5. Ernst Alexanderson sends the first facsimile across the Atlantic Ocean, which goes to his father in Sweden

8. George Mallory and Andrew Irvine are last seen “going strong for the top” of Mount Everest by teammate Noel Odell at 12:50pm; the two mountaineers are never seen alive again

12. Born. George HW Bush, 41st President of the United States (d. 2018)

history, links, medical, natural history, nudism, science

Monthly Links

Behold, this month’s collection of links to items you may have missed. Let’s dive straight in as there’s quite a bit of science-y stuff this month.

Science, Technology, Natural World

Astronomers have been seeking the so-called Planet 9 for decades, but still can’t even agree that it is likely to exist.

Deep within Earth there are two giant mystery blobs. What do we know about them?

We all happily talk about the average this or the average that, but what do we mean by average, and why isn’t it always, well, average?

Now to the animal kingdom …

Many animals, including our pets, have a third eyelid, so why don’t we?

Try to get your head round this … Alan Turing’s pattern-generating mechanism for spots and stripes on animal coats; and how the mechanism is modified. [LONG READ]

Despite their size, gorillas have extremely small penises, and it turns out that the genetic mutations which cause this may also help human male fertility.

group of sperm whales

Scientists have been investigating the vocalisations of sperm whales for years, and some now think that they may be the elements of a language, with dialects.

A new to Britain exotic jumping spider has been found in Cornwall, and it isn’t the only one.

And on the subject of foreign arrivals, the Guardian has a sensible and thoughtful piece about the invasive Asian Yellow-Legged Hornet (Vespa velutina) which has invaded continental Europe and is trying to get a foothold in the UK. [LONG READ]
Here’s the BBC article which triggered my recent blog post on these hornets.
STOP PRESS: The Asian Yellow-Legged Hornet has now been discovered in a southern state of USA (Georgia to be precise)!

face of an Asian yellow-legged hornet

Still with wasps … It seems that many parasitic wasps have tamed viruses so they can use them to help subdue their prey. [LONG READ]

From hornets to their forest home … there’s a theory that trees are social and communicate with each other across the “wood wide web” of fungal filaments. But it is only a theory and some are arguing it is fantasy. [LONG READ]

Treat with extreme care … Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is quite a pretty American Spring flower. But don’t go messing with it as the roots contain a blood red alkaloid, sanguinarine, which will shut down and kill any cells it comes in contact with, and more.

We all contain vestiges of our evolutionary past like goose bumps, extra nipples and the ability to waggle our ears. [££££]

Which brings us to several items about Neanderthals …
So what is the difference between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens? We interbred so there can’t be a lot, right?
There’s still debate about Neanderthals ability to talk.
Some aspects of our health seem to depend on DNA we inherited from Neanderthals.
And most weirdly, apparently the Neanderthal Y chromosome (which codes for male) has been lost, suggesting that human/Neanderthal hybrid males were infertile (in some form).

Health, Medicine

So is the menopause like puberty in reverse? Well, yes, and then again no. [LONG READ]

Most of us guzzle diet drinks and other low calorie goodies, but research is now indicating that the sweeteners are actually harmful to our gut and its microbes.

Archaeological research is now suggesting that (red) squirrels were instrumental is spreading leprosy and transmitting it to humans.

Sexuality

What is the art of lasting sexual connections?

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

Egyptian Goddess Nut

One astrophysicist has been exploring the connection between the Milk Way and Nut, the ancient Egyptian Sky Goddess.

There’s a rare and very strange, apparently Roman, object (below) which was found at Norton Disney, Lincolnshire. The trouble is no-one knows what it is, or was used for, and there are a number of theories.

mystery Roman dodecahedron

A 1,700-year-old Roman shipwreck found on the coast at Mallorca was loaded with fish sauce when it sank.

We know there was a thriving, early medieval Norse colony in Greenland, but why did it suddenly vanish in the 13th century?

On fake medieval devices for torture and sex.

So what was going on in London during the English Civil War (January 1642 to April 1646). [LONG READ]

London

Specifically now to modern London … London’s Royal Parks have their own plant nursery in the middle of Hyde Park, and IanVisits went to look.

Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs

Bhutan, the Dragon Kingdom, strictly limits visitors in order to protect its environment and heritage. But what is it like when you do go there?

Bhutan

Kate Lister asks how you know when you’re in love, and when you’re falling out of it. [££££]

A growing number of women are choosing to not have children. Here some tell what that’s like.

And finally on one of my hobbyhorses … the need to normalise and desexualise nudity if we are to achieve a well balanced society.

history, memes

What Happened in 1224?

Here’s our next instalment of things that happened in ..24 years of yore.

Notable Events in 1224

Spring. Falkes de Bréauté, English high sheriff and a rival of Henry III, refuses to relinquish his castles and starts a rebellion. Cardinal Stephen Langton and forces under Hubert de Burgh deal with Falkes and the castles are handed over. Falkes is found guilty of 16 counts of Wrongful Disseisin; both he and his brother William are excommunicated by Langton.

June-August. The garrison at Bedford Castle, belonging to Falkes de Bréauté, refuses to surrender to Henry III. The castle is badly damaged and surrenders when the keep is undermined. The garrison who surrendered the castle are all hanged by order of the king. Falkes is allowed to leave the country but forfeits all his possessions.

history, memes

May 1924

Our look at some of the significant happenings 100 years ago this month.

4. Died. Edith Nesbit, British author (b. 1858)

11. Mercedes-Benz is formed by the merging of companies owned by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz

12. Born. Tony Hancock, English comedian (d. 1968)

history, links, medical, science, sexuality

Monthly Links

Somehow we’ve almost got to the end of April, which means it’s time for our regular round up of links to items you may have missed. As well as the usual motley collection, we seem to have a lot of science-y stuff this month, so let’s get stuck in!

Science, Technology, Natural World

crab

It is interesting the way that Nature keeps evolving the same patterns independently. As an example, crabs have evolved five separate times.

Talking of the unexpected, researchers have used decades-old tins of salmon to track the health of the ocean’s fish stocks. [££££]

And on the subject of tracking … scientists in the UK have developed a trap which is an early warning system for Asian hornets.

And we keep the chain going … wasp researchers have agreed that the media is biased against wasps. Well who would have guessed!?

And now for something completely different … medical researchers continue to try to make sense of death and near death experiences. [LONG READ]

So why is it that some people always get lost, but others don’t? [LONG READ]

Researchers are using ancient records of previous total solar eclipses to help measure history.

I bet you didn’t know that billions of years ago the moon turned inside out, well sort-of. I certainly didn’t.

It’s well established that Stonehenge is aligned with the sun, but is it also aligned with the moon? Archaeologists and astronomers are about to use a rare lunar event to find out.

And still on space, NASA scientists have seemingly done the impossible and managed to bring the Voyager 1 probe back to its senses. Two, slightly different, looks in the Guardian and on Live Science.

Artists impression of Voyager 1

Health, Medicine

An epidemiologist highlights that kids don’t need to get diseases to be healthy.

Here a medical health researcher looks at the UK’s failure in 2020 to “act fast and isolate” against Covid.

And staying on pandemics, the consensus amongst scientists is that the next pandemic will be caused by a flu virus.

Changing tack somewhat … a top OB/GYN looks at the basics of menstrual blood and explodes more than a few myths.

And another myth exploded … it seems that time-restricted eating is linked to a 91% (ie. almost double) higher risk of cardiovascular death.

Lastly in this section: you’ve heard of dyslexia, but do you know about dyscalculia? [££££]

Sexuality

The somewhat outspoken sex researcher, Dr Kate Lister, asserts that all straight men should try pegging once.

Meanwhile sex educator Dr Emily Nagoski talks to the BBC about sex and orgasm myths.

And coincidentally two women talk in the Guardian about their experiences of their unexpectedly open marriages. First Cassie Werber; and secondly New Yorker Molly Roden Winter. [BOTH ARE LONG READS]

Social Sciences, Business, Law, Politics

IanVisits reckons that according to an inoperative law we have the date of Easter all wrong.

UK Supreme Court building

Politicians in the UK fulminate about foreign courts having sway over our law, when in fact there are more foreign courts on UK soil pontificating on affairs elsewhere in the world.

Now what have I been saying for years? … Using phonics to teach children to read doesn’t work.

Art, Literature, Language, Music

Imaginary fashion art by Rose Wong

Here’s a blog post on the interesting work of New York artist Rose Wong.

Meanwhile Ian Dunt eulogises the word cunt.

Early medieval England saw a boom in the minting of silver coins, but until now no-one really knew why.

Mermaid Street & the Mermaid Inn, Rye

Mediaeval Mythbusting goes on the trail of the tales behind our more ancient pubs, including one of my favourites, The Mermaid in Rye. [LONG READ]

And Going Medieval discourses on obscenity, ancient and modern. [LONG READ]

London

London once had dozens of iconic green huts which were cabman’s shelters. Now there are only 13 and the final one has just got heritage protection.

Green London Cabman's Shelter

Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs

So here’s another look at the culture and usefulness of pubic hair.

And finally … Another of my favourite places in Dungeness, on which stands Prospect Cottage, the late Derek Jarman’s seaside home. It is sometimes open to the public, but the Guardian has some interior photographs.

Prospect Cottage, Dungeness