Author Archives: John Pullen

The first question most will ask is “What is an OLM?” Well, it is also known as a Proteus. Yes, I know, that doesn’t help much either. It is actually a worm-like amphibian of the salamander family. They live underwater all their lives exist in caves in the Balkans. These underwater caves stretch for many,Continue reading “The Diet and Longevity of the Olm”

One of my favourite books was written by the late Douglas Adams and is called “The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” It has been turned into a movie, a television series and a radio series. At this point, I must issue a spoiler warning. Part of the story is searching for the answer toContinue reading “The Answer is 42”

The Moon is covered in craters. These have been made by the millions of meteors that have crashed onto the surface over the past several billion years. Because the Moon does not possess an atmosphere, the incoming rocks do not burn up as most do when entering the Earth’s atmosphere. Therefore, there is nothing toContinue reading “Mystery of the Linne Crater”

It is often reported that today the population of this planet contains half of all humans that have ever lived. If we take a few moments to think about this, we can quickly work out that such a calculation contains some important deficits in information, making the statement pretty meaningless. However, what we can doContinue reading “How Many Humans have ever Lived?”

Many countries today have a tomb which is dedicated to the Unknown Warrior or the Unknown Soldier. The British tomb is just inside the grand West Entrance of Westminster Abbey in London. It is set into the floor of the Abbey and is usually surrounded by poppies. Such monuments are there to remember and honourContinue reading “Tomb of the Unknown Warrior”

Let’s start this article with a warning. It is probably a good idea not to be eating while reading this. It is not because it is horrible and gruesome, it is what people were prepared to take as medicine centuries ago. This is also a story of when a wrong assumption is made, it canContinue reading “Take a Mummy Twice a Day!”

Back in 1937, a mathematician by the name of Lothar Collatz came up with a problem or a conjecture depending on your view. However, since his discovery, it has become one of the most famous unsolved problems in mathematics. In essence, it appears to be a simple procedure. Honestly, follow me on this one. But,Continue reading “Can You Solve the Collatz Problem?”

Many of us have heard of placebos and the Placebo Effect. But how many know how it should work and whether it is effective? The placebo dates back to the 1700s when doctors began noticing some ailments, and patients improved even when the medication given was known to have no real power to heal. Today,Continue reading “Do Placebos Really Work?”

Dolphins have for a long time been considered as being intelligent creatures. Some have said they are next to humans in the pecking order of intelligence. Of course, there are some who might say it should be the other way around. In the book, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” by Douglas Adams, only oneContinue reading “How Intelligent are Dolphins?”

In ancient Greece, such famous figures as Aristotle and Pliny the Elder first wrote about the existence of giant squid. Over the millennia there were seafaring stories of giant squid or giant octopuses rising out of the depths and snatching sailors overboard. There were even tales of large sailing vessels being overturned by the same.Continue reading “Beware of the Giant Squid!”