Here’s this month’s collection of links to items you may have missed. But oh dear, there are a lot of long reads.
Science, Technology, Natural World
We were recently buzzed by an unannounced asteroid.
Quaoar, a dwarf planet out in the Kuiper Belt, is host to a dust ring which really shouldn’t be there.
Confounding things a bit further, astronomers think they’ve spotted the Universe’s first stars. [LONG READ]
Meanwhile cosmologists are wondering if they can untangle the universe’s most elusive mysteries. [LONG READ]
Not to be left out the SETI alien hunters are beginning to use AI to analyse signals. [LONG READ]
Back on terra firma there’s been a recount which has doubled the number of Japan’s islands.
Archaeologists are also using new LIDAR technology to scan huge areas from the air; with years of fieldwork possible in an afternoon!
A fossil “crocodile” found on the Jurassic Coast at Charmouth, Dorset turns out to be a new genus of ancient croc-like animal.
Researchers have finally been able to work out how fingerprints form, and it follows a model proposed in 1950s by mathematician Alan Turing.
Health, Medicine
Misophonia, otherwise known as “sound rage”, is a markedly decreased tolerance to certain sounds and it can be truly debilitating.
Scientists have discovered albicidin, a plant toxin which uses a previously unknown method to kill bacteria, and so could be a route to new antibiotics.
Leprosy is an ancient disease, but one which scientists still don’t properly understand.
And here’s another puzzle: the anti-TB vaccine BCG is 100 years old; the puzzle is that it can also be active against a number of other diseases including some cancers and even Covid.
So, really, how does caffeine affect our bodies? [LONG READ]
It is being increasingly recognised that depression is not caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, but the jury is still out on the actual cause. [LONG READ]
Is it possible for our brains to be taken over, turning us into zombies?
Sexuality
We all look for that elusive spark, but what really does ignite a long-lasting relationship? [LONG READ]
Research into intimacy challenges popular notions about sexual fulfilment and a great sex life.
Environment
Planting more trees in cities could cut deaths from summer heat.
History, Archaeology, Anthropology
Palaeontologists have discovered apparently 3 million year old stone tools in Kenya. But who made them?
Fast forward to ancient Egypt and a gold-covered mummy found in newly discovered tombs at Saqqara.
Also at Saqqara scientists have analysed the residue in various pots to thrown more light on Egyptian embalming techniques.
Roll forward a bit more in time and across to Britain where archaeologists have found a trove of lost jewellery in a Roman bathhouse drain near Hadrian’s Wall.
And so to Spain, where a lost medieval synagogue has been revealed in a former Andalusian bar.
Back in Britain, a metal detectorist has unearthed a stunning gold pendant and chain associated With Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon.
There’s a shipwreck just off the south coast of England, near Eastbourne, which turns out to be an important 17th-century Dutch warship.
London
London has a surprising number of abandoned tube stations; here are the stories behind eleven of them.
Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs
Dowsing has long been controversial, but one journalist is brave enough to try it out.
Calmness is important, so here are a few ways in which we can try to achieve it.
And that goes hand-in-hand with meditation without meditating!
Having mastered that here are ten rules of philosophy to live by. [LONG READ]
And finally three items on one of my pet subjects: naturism.
First, how can we normalise naturism in modern society? [LONG READ]
Having done that let’s indulge in Work Naked Day.
Then we can use conscious nudity for enchantment and reconnection with the earth. [LONG READ]
