Category Archives: links

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

Links for August

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Here’s our August collection of links to interesting items you may (or may not) have missed.

Science, Technology, Natural World

Good scientists update their theories and change their minds. What happens when the do? [££££]

Or to look at it another way, there is much weirdness, and the best we can do is to try to understand the underlying rules.

Because, for example, the Universe is static. No, it’s expanding. Or slowing? Or accelerating. Depending on who and when you are. [££££]

Meanwhile they’ve discovered a new moon orbiting Uranus – assuming you can call a piece of rock 10km in diameter a moon. [££££]

And it seems that Betelgeuse may have a small stellar companion.

After which we shouldn’t be surprised that Earth gets bombarded by meteorites from outside our solar system [££££], or that some manage to crash land here.

Continuing to look up, we’re still trying to understand what triggers lightning; and it seems to be all down to exploding stars!

From above our heads to under our feet … Earth’s core is leaking out.

Now lets turn to the animal kingdom … a small ancient whale with razor-sharp teeth an huge eyes has been unearthed in Australia.

Antarctic Leopard Seals sing to attract a mate, and their songs are very similar to nursery rhymes!

There’s a new theory that our primate ancestors evolved in colder regions and not in the tropics.

Research has confirmed that cats develop dementia in a very similar way to humans developing Alzheimer’s.

All hail the Rat King – maybe.

A new study has found that “sex reversal” is surprisingly common in birds.

They keep telling me that wasp numbers in UK have been unusually high this summer after a warm and dry Spring. All I can say is “Not here”; wasps are almost absent.

Now finally in this section, a complete change of subject … a sports scientist has looked at how strip colour impacts performance particularly in Premier League football.

Health, Medicine

Do we visualize dreams in colour or black and white?

While different diseases spread via different methods, there’s a scale of contagion.

Is it actually possible to break your penis? Spoiler: yes, and it needs emergency action.

On which note … why some penises are curved?

Environment & Ecology

Scientists have used existing air pollution monitors to assess environmental DNA (eDNA) to discover what lives nearby.

Natural England is reporting the recovery of 150 struggling species of plants and animals.

Southern Small White butterfly has been seen in the UK for first time.

A study is suggesting that reintroduced lynx could thrive in Northumberland.

Social Sciences, Business, Law, Politics

We know that the Mercator projection used for most maps of the world distorts the relative sizes of continents, and now the African Union has joined calls for and end to the projection’s use.

Art, Literature, Language, Music

There’s a Christian principle of “hate the sin but not the sinner” which we seem to have totally lost – artist Eric Gill is, again, a current target – as it’s now a case of “hate the sin, and the sinner, and their works; and airbrush the whole from existence”.

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

A previously unknown species of Australopithecus (our ancestors) has been identified from some teeth. [££££]

Still with teeth, an ancient cow’s tooth may help unlock some of the mysteries of Stonehenge.

Slowly coming up to date … a 2,500-year-old Siberian “ice mummy” had intricate tattoos

A new analysis reveals that the Vikings were addicted to silver and just how far they would travel to obtain it.

Archaeologists have happened upon the tomb of an ancient Mayan city’s first ruler.

Meanwhile all classes of ancient Incan used coded strings of hair for record keeping.

DNA analysis of some early medieval English skeletons has revealed some surprising West African ancestry. [££££]

On the return of the equestrian statue of Charles I to Charing Cross.

Still with the Restoration, their women were much more creative than has been perceived.

HMS Northumberland – built 1679 as part of Samuel Pepys’s modernisation of the Navy – sank in the Great Storm of 1703, but is only now revealing its secrets.

London

And finally for this month … Three articles on transport for London …
*  London’s First Bus
*  The colourful history of London’s Traffic Lights
*  An old Underground train breaks a world record.

history, links, medical, nudism, science, sexuality

Monthly Links

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Here we go with this month’s collection of links to items you may have missed – and we have a good selection of both science and history this month.

Science, Technology, Natural World

Let’s start with a look at some counter-intuitive statistics from the Men’s Soccer Under-21 Euro competition.

Still on statistics, here’s another look at the Monty Hall Problem (above) & the meaning of life.

Now for optical illusions rather than mental illusions.

Now to geology … and there are some deep pulses beneath Africa.

Observers think it possible that some fragments of meteor have landed on Ben Nevis.

Cosmologists report that they’ve seen the gravitational waves from the largest ever seen merger of two black holes. [££££]

The Owl Galaxies (below) (what a wonderful name) are hiding a secret, but observers can’t agree on what the secret is.

And here’s a clump of quasars which really shouldn’t exist in such a small volume of space.

Now we have three items on the third (known) alien visitor to our solar system. The first from Phil Plait’s Bad Astronomy Newsletter, then the Scientific American report [££££], and finally Scientific American also look at seven mysteries [££££] [LONG READ] about the object.

Now let’s come back down to the gory details of life on Earth. Around 13 million years ago there was a huge “terror bird” and one of them appears to have been killed by an equally huge reptile. Truly a battle of apex predators.

More up to date … How do various apes settle status disputes? [LONG READ]

Apparently evolution can explain human testicle size but says nothing about our unique chins.

And finally for this deep science section … every one of the thousands of rose cultivars is ultimately derived from one (or more) of three original species.

Health, Medicine

First a recap of something we already knew … Measles isn’t just dangerous, it can wipe your immune system’s memory leaving you exposed to infections from which you’ve previously recovered.

Plague (Yersinia pestis), aka the Black Death, is still alive and still causing illness and death – albeit at a much reduced level than 400+ years ago. [££££] [LONG READ]

On the curious variety of blood groups, which has uncovered Gwada-negative, the rarest blood group on Earth carried by just one person.

A look at how currency can affect clinical trials.

Art, Literature, Language, Music

A historian looks at the lack of female labia in sculpture. [LONG READ]

Meanwhile another historian takes a look at the history of adultery in art.

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

The first, almost complete, Denisovan skull has allowed researchers to suggest what our ancient cousin looked like. [££££]

A short step across to Neanderthals, and it appears that individual groups had their own local food cultures. [££££]

Once upon a time Pharaoh came in the Nile.

Also from ancient Egypt, in an unusual burial in a pot, the skeleton has undergone whole genome analysis.

A quick hop across to Peru where archaeologists have found a 3500-year-old city.

Back to Europe and one archaeologist points out that most Minoan art is made up – if only by joining the dots to fill in missing sections. [LONG READ]

Going Medieval looks at the Crusades, and how they were pretty much all failures. [LONG READ]

A buildings archaeologist shares some thoughts on cellars. [LONG READ]

Here an archaeologist discusses some of the medieval treasures in Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum. [LONG READ]

Here in the UK we’ve not long managed to escape from this year’s Wimbledon tennis championship, but in the 16th-century (real) tennis was a decidedly dangerous sport.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned the New River before, but in case you missed it, here’s its history. [LONG READ]

And lastly here, we’re right up to date with news of Denmark’s radical experiment in archaeology which embraces metal detectorists. [LONG READ]

London

Matt Brown has taken on the task of colouring John Roque’s 1746 map of London. Here’s the latest section Tyburn Tree to Hide Park Corner. [LONG READ]

Kew Gardens is going to close its iconic Palm House for five years from 2027 in order to give it a major make-over and conservation.

As many here will know GWR have been trialling a battery-driven train on my local branch line, and it seems this technology could bring significant benefits to many small lines.

Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs

A microbiologist looks at how often one really should wash all your bedding.

Let’s finish with three useful and explanatory articles on naturism. First, naturism is only exhibitionism in disguise, isn’t it? Well no, actually.

Secondly a piece on navigating social nudity and group dynamics.

And finally … So what is wrong with tattoos or piercings which have traditionally been frowned upon in nudist settings? Spoiler: nothing.

history, links, medical, nudism, science

Monthly Links for June

And so, already, we get to this month’s collection of items you may have missed.

Science, Technology, Natural World
Has any cat owner actually managed to fully decipher their cat’s meows? Well now researchers are trying to use AI tools to do just this. [££££]

Whether your cat is vocal or quiet may depend on its genes.

So, we’re still finding microbes we didn’t know about. In one case a microbe with a bizarrely tiny genome (above) which could just be evolving into a virus.

And in a further demonstration of how little we know about our home rock, scientists continue to be baffled by an apparent, and mysterious, link between Earth’s magnetism and oxygen levels. [££££]

Extending this lack of knowledge outward … Was the Big Bang really the beginning of our Universe? We don’t know, but there is research which suggests it could all have happened within a black hole!

Health, Medicine

Despite what they told you at school, insulin is made in the brain, and not just in the pancreas.

The ancient idea of the wandering uterus may be wrong, but the female reproductive tract is surprisingly mobile.

Sexuality

Who knew that semen allergy was a thing?

Another oddity … Orgasms can trigger colours in people with sexual synaesthesia. [££££]

Social Sciences, Business, Law, Politics

Denmark is deploying “saildrones” (above) in the Baltic Sea to monitor undersea cables and protect them from hostile action.

Art, Literature, Language, Music

English spelling will never make sense. Here’s something about why. [LONG READ]

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

One archaeologist thinks he’s uncovered a fraudulent scam involving Roman wine.

Also in the Roman world, a huge haul of fragments of Roman frescoes has been found in South London. What a nightmare jigsaw puzzle!

Here’s a review of a book on the making of books in the Middle Ages.

The Inca had a system of “writing” based on knotted strings, and some ancient examples are revealing Peru’s climate history.

There seemed little he couldn’t turn his hand to for the profit of humanity in general, making Benjamin Franklin (below) a phenomenon even during his lifetime.

London

Who knew that London still had sheriffs?

IanVisits investigates the one-time secret tunnels beneath Holborn, and looks at the plans to open them to the public.

In North London there’s a forgotten Tudor house that’s seen better days.

Coming right up to date … there’s to be a national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II. And of course it will be in London’s St James’s Park and being designed by Norman Foster. [No comment.]

Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs
Continuing one of our recurrent themes, here’s an article on helping people understand naturism and social nudity.

Shock, Horror, Ha ha ha!

So let’s end with two unlikely items …

Did you know that Disney produced educational films about periods and family planning as long ago as 1946?

And finally a Dutch museum has put on display a 200-year-old, mint condition, condom (below) decorated with an explicit scene of a nun and three clergymen. It is believed to have been a “luxury souvenir” from a fancy brothel in France.

arts, history, links, medical, nudism, photography, science, sexuality

Monthly Links for May

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Here is this month’s well packed collection of links to items you didn’t know you’d missed …

Science, Technology, Natural World

Let’s start with something which has always been a bone of contention … Do we all see colour the same way? And if so why is it that what I describe as blue, you say is turquoise?

Research has found that chimpanzees have surprisingly good hygiene habits: they use leaves to wipe bums and clean up after sex.

Down in the ocean depths there is still mystery surrounding the largest light in the sea.

And now up in the air … we’ve long known about their intelligence, but now it appears that crows can do geometry.

Scientists try to imagine what it’s like to be a raven or crow.

And now to our own intelligence … Can you convincingly explain the Monty Hall problem?

Is there really an underlying mathematical sequence which this year’s Premier League title for Liverpool has highlighted?

So there’s a new Pope, but how is the Conclave’s tell-tale black and white smoke ensured?

We’ve all heard of antimatter, but now researchers have discovered anti-spice, which makes chillies less hot. [££££]

Talking of hot … astronomers are now suggesting that a nearby ancient supernova (below) is an invader from another galaxy. [££££]

A new theoretical study is proposing that the very existence of gravity is evidence that we are all part of a giant computer simulation.

Back with the (slightly) more mundane … there’s a collection of astronomers who spend their time trying to find and catalogue the seemingly infinite number of pieces of rock that whizz over our heads every day. [LONG READ]

Health, Medicine

Just why do some of use get travel sick but others don’t?

Sexuality & Relationships

Here’s a look at sex, art and the art of sex in ancient Pompeii.

Environment & Ecology

Not just “no mow May” it needs to be “leave it alone June, July and August” … We’d help our declining butterflies (and many other species) by mowing our lawns a lot less.

Researchers are discovering that there really are fungal superhighways connecting things up under our feet.

Art, Literature, Language, Music

Here’s a look at whether Spencer Tunick’s massed nude bodies (below) constitute good nude photography or not. [LONG READ]

The Courtauld Institute in London has released a huge art photo archive online, and it’s free

Also in London, at the Cartoon Museum, there’s an exhibition of cartoon cats from Korky to Garfield.

They seem to be two unlikely bedfellows but Cockney and Yiddish influenced each other considerably in London’s East End.

Going back in time, here’s an introduction to the history of runes. [LONG READ]

Here’s the story of how English lost several letters from its alphabet. [LONG READ]

And English then underwent the Great Vowel Shift which further ruined both our spelling and writing. [LONG READ]

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

A visit to the Rollright Stones (above) – and IME they’re worth a visit. [LONG READ]

There’s a new study looking at pregnancy amongst the Vikings.

A look at the expansion of Medieval Europe. [LONG READ]

An American looks at what other Americans actually know about medieval history. [LONG READ]

It’s not quite a grimoire but the Picatrix contained all the secrets to becoming an evil wizard.

What was happening in London during the first English Civil War (1642-1646). [LONG READ]

In Austrian village there’s a mysterious mummified priest – and it turns out he was mummified via his rectum!

London

North-west London boasts several Black Madonnas.

Some of the Cold War tunnels under central London are to be turned into a permanent museum of military intelligence.

Food, Drink

How to reduce the risk of your fridge being a breeding ground for bacteria.

Aspartame: a calorie-free, but not risk-free, artificial sweetener.

Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs

So just how much can your name influence your future or occupation?

Here’s something on thinking slowly and recognising your biases and maybe improve your life. [LONG READ]

On the world of Berliners getting together in the nude. [LONG READ]

An Australian sex writer on learning to appreciate her curves.

And the same Australian sex writer on why she loves her full bush, even in a bikini.

On the naturist attitude to the inevitable erections.

Wow! Ha ha!

In 1990, in Calvine, Scotland, two men photographed what is reportedly the best UFO picture ever seen; but it’s remained a mystery.

And I’ll leave you with a little fable about the evolution of why women like performing oral sex.

Be good!

environment, history, links, medical, science, sexuality

Monthly Links for April

This month’s links to items you maybe didn’t want to miss …

Science, Technology, Natural World

It’s fairly superficial, but here are 15 common science myths debunked. [LONG READ]

Robin McKie reflects on over 40 years as the Observer‘s science editor. [LONG READ]

Pharmaceutical chemist Derek Lowe takes issue with the idea that we could kill off all disease within 10 years.

Meanwhile Corey S Powell discusses why it is that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence … [LONG READ]

… And Prof. Seirian Sumner outlines the how we might best create a more nature-literate society.

Somewhere hiding in Britain the government has a collection of deadly fungi.

The tiny and mysterious hominin Paranthropus lived alongside early members of our Homo genus. [££££]

After which it is maybe no great surprise that intelligence evolved at least twice in vertebrates. [LONG READ]

No wonder scientists have recently created the largest mammalian brain map to date. [££££]

Going back down the size scale … just how do insects and the smallest animals survive in Antarctica.

Still with insects, it turns out that flies are masters of migration, travelling huge distances.

Back up in size, a group claims to have de-extincted the Dire Wolf, but have they? Two articles (amongst the many in recent weeks): a blog post from Bethany Brookshire [LONG READ] and an op-ed from Michael Le Page in New Scientist [££££]. Spoiler: No they haven’t.

And now for something completely different … new work is finding that astronomers were wrong about Uranus and it resolves some mysteries.

Much more interestingly, astronomers are trying to work out what’s happening inside Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io.

Health, Medicine

Researchers are now beginning to understand the actual role of carbon dioxide in airborne disease transmission, and this should be a key to safer indoor spaces.

Professor of Mathematical Biology, Kit Yates, asks whether the risks of brain injury in contact sports is being overstated. [LONG READ]

Drinking urine is an ancient practice to improve health, but are the risks worth it?

Sexuality & Relationships

Dani Faith Leonard writes a review of the medical discovery of the clitoris, and takes a sideswipe at DOGE incels in the process.

Here’s a history of (not just pubic) hair removal through the ages. [LONG READ]

And then there’s a pictorial history of the “full bush”. [LONG READ]

Meanwhile a different sex writer talks about her approach to “self-pleasure”.

Now over to you boys … First off, just what is the relation of penis size to monogamy?

And when you’ve got over that shock … apparently you need to wake up to your declining fertility. [££££]

All together now … Here are some thoughts on why some marriages last while others fail.

Which brings us to various ways to improve a sexless marriage.

Social Sciences, Business, Law, Politics

Following which, this seems an opportune time to consider nine ways to spot falsehoods on the loose.

Art, Literature, Language, Music

So from a linguistics point of view apparently “she” is a very weird word. [LONG READ]

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

Archaeologists have uncovered a huge horad of Iron Age metal work; everything from cauldrons to horse harness fittings.

If you’re a Roman, how do you get a lion from Africa to York? Because a skeleton (presumably of a gladiator) in a Roman York cemetery has bite marks made by a lion and is the first physical evidence of gladiators (well people) fighting lions as sport.

History is sometimes hard to understand and interpret, but it seems Christopher Marlowe tackled the problematic Edward II.

Archaeologists in Barcelona have uncovered the remains of a wrecked medieval boat.

Mercury and weasel balls … medieval treatments so often make one doubt the sanity of ancient medicine.

Newly discovered wall paintings show off the tastes of wealthy Tudors.

And finally for this month … there’s a brouhaha over the display of a book bound in the skin of a 19th-century Suffolk murderer.

history, links, medical, science, sexuality

Monthly Links

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Here’s this month’s round up of links to interesting(?) items you may have missed.

Science, Technology, Natural World

Yes, everything is chemicals! Here are the first two articles in a series for reasonably intelligent non-scientists explaining from the ground up how everything is chemicals so you can navigate the modern world of misinformation.
1. Everything is chemicals – yes, even you.
2. Cyanide is natural, Aspirin is synthetic. Which one do you trust?
[LONG READS]

How to use a significant lack of data to estimate the power of the enemy.

The Blue Bus Paradox and the legal system.

American researchers are asking cat owners to share their pets’ habits and quirks (and if you’re in USA) their fur for genetics. The hope is this will shed light on how cats’ health and behaviour are influenced by their genes.

Astronomers have now discovered 128 previously unknown moons of Saturn. It begs the question: how large does a rock have to be to be called a moon.

Another big rock, the asteroid Bennu, turns out to be a lot weirder than it was thought. [££££]

And there’s another very odd small rock (below), a meteorite, which appears to be the relic of a lost planet. [££££]

Lastly in this section, Prof. Christina Pagel paints a gloomy dystopian picture of the possible future of British science.

Health, Medicine

An Australian man, who has died recently aged 88, was the most prolific blood and plasma donor in Australia ever! It is estimated that he gave blood over 1000 times.

Environment

Coyotes don’t like money. While they like green space like parks, they choose against against golf courses and cemeteries in wealthier areas.

Social Sciences, Business, Law, Politics

75 years ago an engineer turned economist, created one of the first physical models of an economy, using salvaged parts from a WWII Lancaster bomber.

Art, Literature, Language, Music

Here’s an interview with Richard Blair, about his extraordinary father George Orwell. [LONG READ]

So what and how changed the way we spoke English during the late Medieval and Early Modern periods?

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

It all happens a lot earlier than we think … 1.5 million years ago, our ancestors used hippo bones to make tools.

We all know the Venus of Willendorf, but what’s on her head? Hair? Or a hat?

Archaeologists have uncovered an unexpected Bronze Age stone circle in Derbyshire.

So why did this Iron Age culture on the Iberian Peninsula drive large nails in skulls?

London

Many strange things happened during WWII, but how did the London Underground spawn Ampersand Station?

Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs

Scotland has created and certified an official tartan to honour its executed witches.

An Australian sex writer takes two personal looks at pubic hair:
1. If pubic hair is a personal choice, why do so many choose to be hairless? [LONG READ]
2. Why she’s OK with her full bush.

Wow! Ha ha!

And finally, sex researcher reports on wearing a Kim Kardashian £68 nipple bra for a week. [££££]

environment, history, links, medical, science

Monthly Links

This month’s collection of links to items you may have missed the firs time around.

Science, Technology, Natural World

A new theory suggests humans might not be that special in the universe after all.

A new asteroid has been found and it might hit us in 2032, but the odds keep changing as it’s orbit is refined by new observations.

A different asteroid has been found to possibly contain the building block of life.

At the other end of the size spectrum … There’s a whole world of tiny “organisms”, smaller than viruses, out there; but do they constitute life? [££££]

This is a few months old, but the Asian Southern Giant Hornet (Vespa soror) has found its way to Europe. That’s a third species: it’s not the Yellow Legged Hornet (Vespa velutina) now widespread in Europe; nor the Northern Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia) which has hit NW USA. [££££]

Studying babies’ minds [££££] [LONG READ] is prompting a rethink of consciousness, and maybe explains why we can’t remember our lives as babies or toddlers.

Health, Medicine

Contrary to the naysayers, we know exactly what’s in vaccines because we put it there.

Researchers using mice have found a surprising link between menthol and Alzheimer’s Disease.

It seems that it may be possible that aching joints really can predict the weather.

Sexuality

I thought we already knew that, although still taboo, masturbation really can be good for you.

Social Sciences, Business, Law, Politics

Following a recent spate of accidents, it looks as if planes are crashing more often. But are they really?

Art, Literature, Language, Music

Amongst his other achievements Leonardo da Vinci made some incredible studies of human anatomy, but they are still not getting the recognition they deserve. [LONG READ]

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

In Egypt, archaeologists have found the 3,500 year-old tomb of a missing pharaoh.

New research suggests that most Europeans had dark skin until less than 3000 years ago. [££££]

Thanks to ever-improving technology, researchers have got the first glimpse inside a 2000-year-old scroll from Herculaneum.

In London some of the earliest parts of the Roman city’s basilica have been found in an office basement.

Meanwhile a new study has found evidence suggesting the ownership of Scotland’s Viking-age Galloway Hoard.

The Oakington Women: A collection of extraordinary female burials in sixth-century Cambridge is evidence of a matriarchal society.

In West Sussex the discovery of a medieval toilet has helped uncover lost home of the England’s last Anglo-Saxon King.

What we choose to remember from the past can give a radically different picture from the contemporary reality.

A potted biography of Samuel Pepys. [LONG READ]

Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs

And finally (yes, pun intended) … knowing the common signs that someone is dying can help in their final days.

current affairs, environment, history, links, medical, natural history, nudism, science, sexuality

Monthly Links

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Welcome to the first “Monthly Links” of 2025, where we give you links to things you may have missed the first time around. And do we have a bumper crop this month!

Science, Technology, Natural World

Let’s start with a celebration … This month the Universe is 100! [LONG READ]

We do live in a special part of the Universe, don’t we? [££££]

It took Galileo’s new-fangled telescope to find these four objects which you can now see easily with binoculars.

And scientists continue to push the boundaries of the telescope … Hubble Space Telescope wasn’t supposed to ever look at the sun, but they did it anyway. [££££]

Twenty years ago there was a cosmic explosion which rocked Earth. [££££]

Slightly less dramatically, Pluto and Charon may have formed as the as the result of a kiss.

Meanwhile astronomers are hoping for a brief, but spectacular, star which appears only every 80 years. [LONG READ]

Also celebrating its centenary is the Pauli Exclusion Principle which underpins our understanding of subatomic particles.

Let’s get our feet back firmly where we can understand what’s going on … or not so firmly, as here’s a look at the strange fish which has historically struck fear into the hearts of mariners.

Still on oddities, a pair of birders in Michigan have been visited by an extremely rare yellow cardinal bird.

Why in 1926 in the USA was there a plague of mice? [LONG READ]

Going down another level in size, some caterpillars make deadly venoms which can even kill a human.

Even further down is size to our DNA, why are we all riddled with genetic errors? [LONG READ]

Health, Medicine

The series looking at modelling a pandemic has reached Part 4: Asymptomatic Transmission. [LONG READ]

OB/GYN Dr Jen Gunter takes a look at fibroids, one of the scourges if the female reproductive system. [LONG READ]

At the other end of the body, it seems the pupil of the eye can open a surprising window on the mind.

And here’s a real oddity … an 84 year old man in Hong Kong has turned grey due to silver poisoning.

Sexuality

Kate Lister says she spent a year telling men where they were going wrong in bed. [££££]

A sex expert suggests eight questions everyone should ask for better sex. [££££]

Environment

The expansion of London’s Heathrow Airport, indeed all airport expansion and air travel in general, will negate the UK’s attempts to reach net zero.

Social Sciences, Business, Law, Politics

Breaking with my normal position on politics … In what may be my only comment on the state of the USA, Ian Dunt at The I Paper looks at that Elon Musk Nazi salute and what it means for the future of the US. [££££] [These people have to be stopped, but how?]

How can we fix democracy? Ancient Greek philosopher Plato could suggest the answer.

Zoom calls and how to survive them in 2025.

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

A quarry in Oxfordshire has yielded the UK’s (and maybe Europe’s) biggest set of dinosaur tracks. (Aerial view above.)

Archaeologists have discovered that they can extract ancient DNA from dirt, so areas like cave floors are revealing yet more information about, for instance, Stone Age humans. [££££]

Meanwhile investigations are ongoing into how built Europe’s first cities.

In Egypt archaeologists have found the 4,000-year-old tomb of an overachieving magician.

An Iron Age site in Dorset is demonstrating that women were at the centre of some tribal communities, and exploding the earlier misogynistic narratives.

Excavations at Pompeii continue to reveal astonishing details of life there, including unexpected luxury.

Here’s a look at what five gold rings from Norfolk can tell us about the past.

Porch House in Stow-on-the-Wold claims to be Britain’s oldest pub dating from around 947. But is it really?

Leonardo Da Vinci always maintained that there were secret tunnels in Italy’s Sforza Castle. It now turns out he was right.

Excessively pointed shoes were the height of fashion in medieval London

Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs

Meet a sea captain who’s obsessed with icebreaking.

We’re losing the ability to write in cursive, and therefore also read it – and it’s all the fault of computers.

And finally … What do you need to start meditating? Nothing except your own mind.

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

Monthly Links for December

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So here we are with the last round of Monthly Links for 2024, and were ending with a fairly bumper bundle …

Science, Technology, Natural World

dog-like ancestral mammal

Let’s start off with Quanta Magazine‘s reviews of science during the year. [All are LONG READS]
The Year in Physics
The Year in Biology
The Year in Maths
The Year in Computer Science
For some reason Quanta don’t cover chemistry or medicine.

There’s this idea in theoretical physics that we are living in a simulation, driven by some higher powers. And now there is a possible new law of physics which could support this.

The mathematics of random gatherings is a bit of a riddle.

Exponential growth can be somewhat counter intuitive.

Meanwhile scientists have tossed 350,757 coins to prove that they’re not 50/50 heads/tails and that a fair coin is probably impossible.

By most standards our modern atomic clocks are pretty accurate, but they’re about to be superseded by nuclear clocks which are orders of magnitude even more accurate.

Somewhat at the other extreme there’s an ancient piece of space hardware which is surprisingly still working well beyond it’s intended lifespan.

Talking of space hardware, there’s growing concern at the quantity of space junk left flying about up above, and how it could destroy all possibility of further space missions.

There are, as NASA have discovered, a whole host of so-called “dark comets” flying about above our heads.

Let’s come back to earth, or rather the sea … a strange, previously unknown, predatory crustacean has been found miles deep in an ocean trench off the west coat of South America.

Land predators aren’t going to be left out … the 280-million-year-old fossil of a dog-like predator which is likely one of our oldest mammal ancestors, has been found in Spain (above).

From dogs to cats … scientists have made a lot of progress unravelling the complex genetics of ginger cats.

ginger kitten

Finally in this section, Independent SAGE, which was formed early in the pandemic to communicate good and transparent science, have been doing some navel-gazing to see what they could have done better. There are two summaries by Kit Yates of the published research paper: activities and organisation and lessons learnt.

Health, Medicine

Although it’s now a bit late for Christmas 2024, here are some generally applicable ways, from a GP, to avoid some common health hazards.

The science and medical community are getting worried about a possible pandemic of H5N1 bird flu. But how close are we really close to a pandemic?

Meanwhile Bob Hawkins is writing a series of four articles on how one models a pandemic in order to understand how various scenarios play out. Here’s part 1, part 2 and part 3.

Here’s a look at why it makes sense to vaccinate boys against HPV.

Poliovirus has been found in wastewater in Spain, Germany and Poland. How important is this?

One of our most common symbols of Christmas, mistletoe, provides a number of therapeutic agents.

The Vagus Nerve, our most complex nerve, is responsible for the messaging associated with many of our organs, but it’s role in mental health is also being unravelled. [££££] [LONG READ]

Sexuality

It seems that sexual identity is much more fluid than we previously thought.

Sex educators provide 16 ways to talk to your children about bodies, porn and consent.

Environment

beaver kits

Here are five UK biodiversity success stories.

So what does happen to the natural world when people disappear? [LONG READ]

Carbon-positive gardening in your own back yard.

Hunting wildlife to remove them doesn’t work: hunt more coyote, get more coyote.

coyote

Social Sciences, Business, Law, Politics

So how much do we know about really old people, and how reliable is it? [LONG READ]

Sweden is almost a cashless society, and that’s not good for who are left out.

Art, Literature, Language, Music

As one had always suspected, “Word of the Year” is a marketing gimmick which tells us nothing about the actual state of the world.

Many authors place imaginary books within their own real books. Now there’s an exhibition in New York which brings some of these imaginary works of literature to life.

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

Let’s start off with a summary of ten fascinating archaeological discoveries of 2024. [LONG READ]

It seems highly likely that the first tools were made from plants, not rocks; but it is difficult to prove. [££££] [LONG READ]

A Bronze Age pit in Somerset has revealed evidence not just of mass murder, but also cannibalism.

Back around 4500 years ago, the area which is now Iran is known to have had a number of sophisticated board games including the Royal Game of Ur; and of course there are no manuals. Now two researchers have looked at another of these games, which has not just the board but also many of the pieces, and worked out a possible set of rules for the game. (If you really want brain-ache, follow the link to the preprint paper at the end of the linked article for a detailed explanation.)

In Norway, a number of Viking women’s graves have revealed jewellery, coins, and a ‘vulva stone’

An archaeological site in Kent is turning up lots of Anglo-Saxon finds, including a remarkably well preserved sixth-century sword.

Two articles on the plethora of archaeological finds from the reconstruction of Notre Dame. First from Science and second from Good News Network.

Unexpectedly, letters from Elizabeth I, Benjamin Franklin and Lord Byron are among a collection discovered in British stately home.

Around the globe there are around 8,500 shipwrecks from WWI and WWII, and many are now a ticking time-bomb of pollution, or worse.
Polluting shipwrecks are the ticking time-bomb at the bottom of our oceans.

Food, Drink

Now here’s a curiosity … Diamond Geezer has discovered that the British are drinking a lot less tea than 50 years ago, but coffee consumption is about the same.

cup of tea

Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs

People have always needed to make sense of the world within their knowledge span, so they end up believing all sorts of things which later generations reveal to be rubbish.

Here are three articles from Corey S Powell in which he takes a cosmic look at thought …
Perspective from the stars
You Are a Ripple of Information
Your information bubble is your legacy

How Polynesian voyagers navigate Earth’s biggest ocean.

So just why don’t more women choose to propose to their male partners? Spoiler: patriarchy.

Once they reach 40 many women become invisible to men, and they won’t all accept it. [££££]

Another look at why women wear bras.

And finally for this year … ten reasons why you need to sunbathe naked.

nude sunbather

environment, history, links, medical, science, sexuality

Monthly Links

Here we go with this month’s collection of links to items you’ll wish you’d not missed.

Science, Technology, Natural World

First off, wasps … apparently hornets are able to hold their alcohol amazingly well. [££££]

hornet

Birds listen to their songs in a totally different way than we do. [££££}

Scientists have found a surprisingly intact sabre-toothed tiger kitten frozen in Siberian ice, and it’s revealing unknown details about the species.

In 2023 researchers sent a dummy alien signal to Earth, without telling anyone, and it has now been decoded although not understood!

Jupiter is large enough to swallow at least 1000 Earths, and yet it has no surface.

NASA has a large number of satellites studying the sun, and they’re providing some surprising discoveries unrelated to the sun.

Look deeper and you find that comets have sinkholes, which generate jets of material.

In another piece of work from NASA, they’ve discovered two galaxies, looking like bloodshot eyes, which seem to be in the process of merging.

And finally in this section, astronomers have rediscovered a “dandelion-like” supernova first spotted in 12th-century China and Japan. [££££]

dandelion supernova

Health, Medicine

H5N1 bird flu has been detected in pigs, which is a big cause for concern as they are a well-known “mixing vessel”. And a teenager hospitalised in Canada has H5N1 with mutation(s) which may make it more transmissible between people.

It turns out that humans evolved to share beds, and not only with their romantic partner.

Synaesthesia is strange (especially for those of us who don’t have it) but ticker-tape synaesthesia, where real life comes with subtitles, is really bizarre.

Sexuality

Girls, is it that you just don’t like sex, or is it that you don’t like patriarchal sex? [LONG READ]

So how do you like your dirty talk during sex? [££££]

Is using lube really that much of a taboo for straight couples? Seems it is. [££££]

Environment

OK, so let’s change track …

Japan tiny forest

Apparently British cities are taking on the Japanese concept of “tiny forests“.

And in a similar vein, relatively small patches of wildflowers in cities are as good as natural meadows for insect biodiversity.

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

An amateur archaeologist has discovered another two stone circles on Dartmoor, and believes they add to the theory of a sacred arc of stone circles.

So who was Gunhild? And was she a victim of medieval ethnic cleansing?

On the other side of the world, a postgraduate student has serendipitously found a lost city in the Mexico jungle.

In Leicester they’ve found an 800-year-old burial pit containing 123 bodies, and it’s a complete mystery.

In the mid-13th-century, in what is now Turkey, a kingdom changed hands in exchange for a hat.

siren and centaur

In order to make sense of the world as best they could medieval people had lots of supernatural beliefs: elves and fairies; abductions and the undead.

On which subject, here’s a look at some medieval animal ghost stories.

When you’re a peasant economy and don’t have the resources to feed lots of livestock through the winter, November becomes Blotmonath, the month of animal sacrifice and trying to store the meat.

The British Library currently has an exhibition Medieval Women: In Their Own Words. Here’s a review.

Food, Drink

Our drinking water contains many “forever chemicals”, but practically and personally what can we do to ameliorate this?

Wow! Ha ha!

So it’s that time of year, the season of Winter Vagina.

winter vagina