Feeding the Curious Mind
The Strange Cold Spot in the Atlantic Ocean
We do not understand the oceans as well as the land. And so, when an anomaly appears, it leaves a lot of oceanographers scratching their heads and heading back to the drawing board, or in their case, their ocean charts. The anomaly in question lies to the south of Greenland, in the Atlantic Ocean. It…
The Rarest Blood in the World
We all have blood of a certain type. Some are very common whilst others are less common. The first time blood was grouped was in 1901 when the Austrian-American biologist, Dr Karl Landsteiner identified the most common group, the ABO group. Different groups come about because there a different proteins and sugars on the surface…
The Magic Powers of Queen Hashsheput
Queen Hatshepsut was pharaoh of ancient Egypt. She reigned from 1473 BCE to 1458 BCE. As a pharaoh, she was, in the eyes of her people, a living god. However, when she died in 1458 BCE, many of the statues to her were demolished. Was this because she was unpopular when alive, or that the…
Can Neanderthals Cure a Brain Disorder?
Some people are born with a brain disorder known as Chari Malformation Type 1. It is recognised by the brain, pushing the skull outwards. This is seen as a bulge at the rear of the skull. It was diagnosed in the nineteenth century by an Austrian pathologist, Hans Chari. It was first thought that it…
The Earth is in a Spin
Here is a question. What lasts 86,400 seconds? Before you start to divide out this number to find the number of minutes and then hours, let me save you the trouble. It equates to 24 hours, the length of one complete day, and the time it takes the Earth to make one full rotation. For…
The Magic of Ageing Part II
In the previous article, we saw how the length of a telomere can help dictate how long your cells can be protected by replication throughout your life. One area of research into anti-ageing is using a substance called psilocybin. It might be better known as the active ingredient in the psychedelic plant called “magic mushrooms”.…
The Magic of Ageing Part I
First, a warning. The next two articles are about early research into ageing and should not be attempted to copy it in any way. We all age. Some are okay with it, while others are not so happy about getting old. This may sound like a strange question, but what is ageing? It is more…
Your Teeth May Reveal Your Relatives
The title of this article does not mean that by checking your teeth, you can prove you are related to Aunty Maud or Uncle Fred. What it does mean is that small pits found in the teeth of a prehistoric human species may indicate which of these diverse sets of early humans were more closely…
Does Planet Nine Exist?
Our solar system currently has 8 planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. If some of you ask, “Where is Pluto?” you may remember that around 20 years ago, it was demoted to dwarf planet status. If you are unhappy about this, I do have some sympathy for you. However, this is…
All About You
How well do we know ourselves? Of course, we, as a species, are a very complicated subject. But there are several fundamental questions about who we are, why we look different and whether we are still evolving? Let’s try to shed some light on these questions. Most of us are aware of Charles Darwin’s work…
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John Pullen 