Category Archives: natural history

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

Links for August

2 Comments

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.

natural history, photography

Trail Camera

I recently bought a new trail camera. A relatively expensive one (for a trail camera) as I wanted to get better images.

OS WILD 4K DS Solar Wi-Fi Trail Camera
Dual sensor trail camera with stunning night imagery and video;
a built-in solar panel; and high capacity lithium battery

Having set it up, last week was the first full week I had it running. Over the weekend I downloaded almost 2500 captures. And the quality is stunning compared with my old trail camera. Here are the best captures from the week; all have been fairly heavily cropped. For scale, the birdbath in the images is at most 2 meters from the camera and about 40cm in diameter.

[Click the thumbnail for a larger view.]
These images are many times better than the old trail camera produced.

natural history, science

Nature’s Legs

2 Comments

A few days ago I spotted a mosquito on the bathroom wall. Now we’ve all seen mosquitos before but on this occasion I was fascinated by it’s size and anatomy – especially its incredible legs; thin as the finest silk thread.

Culex mosquito
Culex mosquito

How does Nature make such structures – and make them functional? Scientist though I am, it baffles my brain and I can quite see why some people believe in “intelligent design”.

Surely those legs cannot be anything more than stiff supports. Insects have an exoskeleton in contrast to our endoskeleton. The legs need nerves, muscles and circulation to make then more than fixed supports. Legs can move, allowing their owner to walk, clean itself, and even jump. The muscles have to attach to the inside of the exoskeleton, and there have to be nerves – and a method of supplying energy – to trigger them into action.

Insect circulation doesn’t work the way ours does as they do not have hearts: basically they use haemolymph which can diffuse around their small bodies, or be pumped by, for instance, muscular membranes. Some insects use this as a system of hydraulics, in combination with the muscles, to move legs etc. – apparently muscles to move a joint one way, and hydraulics for the reverse. All of which must be under some form of nerve control – and they don’t have that many nerves running from their tiny brains.

Even more weirdly, some insects (eg. jumping spiders, plant hoppers) have a system of gears which work their legs. Crazy or what?

two rice brown plant hoppers
Rice brown planthopper

Just how can these structures be created? You would think they’re so tiny they cannot be even one cell thick – but they have to be many, many cells thick. Which just goes to show how tiny our cells are.

I know evolution has had billions of years to achieve its designs, but I still struggle with how any living thing works or has evolved. Yes, I know the theories, and I can understand it as abstract pieces of mechanics and chemistry. However I really struggle coming to terms with how it all evolved, how it all works – together – and the sheer complexity of living organisms. When you think about it, it really shouldn’t be possible.

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

Monthly Links

4 Comments

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

2 Comments

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

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

Monthly Links, October

So once more, somehow, another month passes and we come around again to this month’s selection of links to items you didn’t know you didn’t want to miss!

Science, Technology, Natural World

Starting here, it’s all downhill, because it seems that a lot of science is actually faked.

Fly brains may be tiny in size but they’re still stuffed with very complex inter-weavings of thousands of neurons, so it’s amazing that researchers have managed to map every neuron. Two reports, first from BBC, and second from Scientific American [££££].

At a different level, scientists have analysed ancient DNA to unravel how the endangered Iberian Lynx avoided extinction.

Some fish in the sea are so bizarre … here’s one that walks on six legs, and those legs can smell its prey in the sand. [££££]

Still at sea, but now above the water, research has found that the windless doldrums around the equator are caused in a completely different way than previously thought.

Staying with things geographical, apparently Mount Everest is still getting taller and not quite in the way we might expect.

It’s no great surprise that scientists have found that the asteroid which wiped out the dinosaurs was not a one-off.

And talking of meteorites, there was a mega meteorite about 3 billion years ago which was at least the size of Greater London which boiled the ocean and created a 500km wide crater.

NASA has shut down one of Voyager 2’s five remaining instruments to save power.

And finally in this section, did the early universe balloon in size with “cosmic inflation“, or is there a much simpler explanation?

Health, Medicine

This month’s medical matters are all to do with reproduction, in one way or another …

There are many genetic changes that link puberty to other aspects of physiology and affect its timing.

Prof. Christina Pagel highlights why we need to stop ignoring period pain and heavy bleeding!

Why is it that many doctors don’t believe women about the menopause? [££££]

At which point the Guardian asks if wearing a bra makes breasts more perky.

Let’s segue away from “women only” … in a move labelled “bonkers” by many, an NHS hospital in Norfolk has instructed staff that they must not describe babies as “born” male or female [££££]

And finally to the morgue where pathologists have found, during an autopsy, that the deceased 78-year-old man had not two, but three penises – and it is only the second ever such report and the first in an adult. Two reports, from Popular Science and Gizmodo. And the published academic papers make interesting reading!

Environment

In the hope of re-establishing colonies right across Britain, a number of pine martens have been released at a secret locations in Devon.

Social Sciences, Business, Law, Politics

It is being alleged that companies will no longer want to force people to change passwords every few weeks to counteract cyber attacks. I’ll believe it when it happens.

Art, Literature, Language, Music

An illustrator talks about how she went about a big commission.

Brits are forever complaining about the relentless invasion of English by Americanisms, but British English regularly invades the US.

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

What?! So little history this month?!

Archaeologists have found a very rare Bronze Age wooden spade in southern England.

Archaeologists have found another tiny house in Pompeii which is decorated with erotic frescoes.

Going Medieval finds that medieval people were just as much into side hustles as their modern counterparts.

Food, Drink

White mulled wine seems set to be a thing in UK this Christmas, with Marks & Spencer taking the lead.

Why did European cuisine become so bland? Apparently because snobbery decreed the removal of all the spices and contrasting flavours from the cuisine.

Is it possible to make a commercial, ethically responsible, and tasty fish finger?

Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs

We should put down our mobile phones and get back into the habit of reading

So just why shouldn’t women propose marriage to men?

And last, but by no means least …

On discovering something wonderful when skint and posing as a nude model. [££££]

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

Monthly Links

Once more unto our monthly links, brethren …

Science, Technology, Natural World

fish-like arthropod

The fossilised remains of a 500-million-year-old fish-like arthropod suggests it was among the first creatures with jaws. [££££]

There’s a living fish with a genome 30 times that of a human, and it’s just been sequenced.

Continuing with odd research findings, it seems that all modern birds share an iridescent ancestor.

And well what do you know? Apparently parrots have accents.

And now to tiny wings … scientists are doing all sorts of probes into honey and finding it can tell a huge story about the environment where it was created – it’s full of pollen, DNA, bacteria, and a lot of other junk. [££££]

Back to one of my favourite themes: wasps.
Each summer, wasps in the UK capture about 14 million kilogrammes of insects such as caterpillars and greenfly, making them important friends to gardeners.
First Prof. Seirian Sumner (aka. @waspprof) looks at why there are so few wasps around this year. (Spoiler: wet Spring.)
Secondly, yet another look at the importance of wasps as both predators and pollinators.

Tardigrades, those almost indestructible micro-creatures, that have been preserved in amber are revealing when they gained their indestructability. [££££]

Psychological research has a problem with reproducibility, and now there are indications that men may not be more attracted to scent of fertile women, after all.

Let’s explode another psychological stereotype … only children are no more self-centred, spoiled and lonely that those with siblings. [LONG READ] [££££]

As below, so above – maybe …

Astronomers have spotted a comet which is being kicked out of the solar system.

And NASA’s army of citizen scientists have spotted an object moving at an incredible 1 million miles per hour (that’s about 40 times round the Earth, an hour!).

Health, Medicine

It is becoming increasingly evident that Parkinson’s disease is related to the gut microbiome.

Would women be healthier and happier if they avoided the menopause and menstruated for ever? Researchers are divided.

Environment

2 herring gulls on a post

What people classify as pests are only species of wildlife going about their lawful business and in the process encroaching on what we declare as human-only places (like houses).

One American environmentalist on the joy of harvesting greywater for his desert garden.

Social Sciences, Business, Law, Politics

London blogger Diamond Geezer takes a look at why people are wrong.

There are many, many big companies that we’ve never heard of, but who have a surprising grip on our lives – and failure of any one (like CrowdStrike did in July) could being the world to a halt.

Art, Literature, Language, Music

Here’s a glossary of American Beatnik slang.

From early times up to Taylor Swift, musicians can thank ancient temples for thir music. [LONG READ] [££££]

cut-away of Solomon's temple

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

Some really forensic research has worked out that Stonehenge’s massive Altar Stone came from north-east Scotland. And we thought that moving the bluestones from SW Wales was a feat too far!

Just a quick reminder that the original (ancient Greek) Olympic Games were entirely male and entirely nude.

Going Medieval takes a look at the medieval attitude to body count. [LONG READ]

Now much more up to date … Divers have discovered 100 bottles of champagne in a 19th-Century wreck in the Baltic.

Food, Drink

And finally … Britain is obsessed with cod, haddock, salmon and tuna, so a Plymouth company is trialling fish fingers made from fish which would otherwise be discarded.

dogfish

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, 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.

environment, natural history

Asian Hornet Warning

1 Comment

People in the UK, and especially the South-East, are asked to be especially alert for the presence of yellow-legged Asian Hornets (Vespa velutina), following a record number of sightings last year.

These hornets are invasive and a major predator of honeybees. They’re slightly smaller than our native European Hornet (Vespa crabo) but about twice the size of a common wasp or honeybee (see below). Over the last decade or so they’ve spread across mainland Europe from an original accidental introduction in the south of France.

Hornet and wasp size comparison
[click the image for a larger view]

As the graphic shows, the Asian Hornets are dark coloured, with a broad yellow/orange band across the fourth abdominal section, and yellow lower legs. I’ve only ever seen a mounted display specimen but I was struck by the dark colour. By contrast European Hornets are slightly larger, more likely to be brown rather than black, with much more yellow on their abdomen and dark legs; they look more like an oversized common wasp.

Unless their nest is disturbed, Asian Hornets are not normally aggressive to people. However they are prolific and invasive; which with their ability to predate honeybees and wipe out complete hives, makes them a serious pest. They find beehives and pick off the workers as they come and go; I’ve seen it estimated that a single Asian Hornet can catch and kill 50 honeybees a day! They have few, if any, natural predators in Europe.

If you think you’ve seen one, you must report it via the Asian Hornet Wasp app (available for both Apple and Android smartphones) or online via the UK CEH Non-Native Species Alert website. If possible try to get a photograph of the insect. If you can safely capture the offender so much the better – emphasis on your safety. But please do not go killing any captured insect unless you are very sure you have an Asian Hornet.

Note that these are not the so-called “Murder Hornets”, the Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia), which have recently invaded the NW USA. Vespa mandarinia are larger, even more alien-looking, equally as predatory and much more aggressive.

Find more on Vespa velutina at:
Defra Asian Hornet Sightings page
NNSS Alerts page
EU LIFE Programme
Wikipedia.