Tangled Bank Foraging and Fibre Crafts
Learning about and trying to live lightly on this beautiful planet. The natural world, inclusive bushcraft, evidence-based environmentalism and sustainable living.
A documentary called Hitler's DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator aired on Saturday on Channel 4, covering work done by the team who conducted the genetic identification of Richard the Third's skeleton to sequence Adolf Hitler's genome from a fragment of bloody fabric from the sofa on which he killed himself. As a scientist who would … Continue reading Talking bollocks: Hitler’s genetics
So. Monkeypox. First of all this is not this season's covid, there is no need to panic (thank you irresponsible Daily Mail headlines). At the time of writing there have been seven confirmed cases in the UK, as well as several cases in Lisbon and Madrid. It seems that the original case was brought to … Continue reading Monkeypox: no need for panic
A froghopper larva (Philaenus spumarius) on a stalk above its foam nest. Photograph by Elke Freese, CC0 licensed. Citizen science The University of Sussex, the Royal Horticultural Society and Forest Research have recently launched a campaign encouraging the public to record sightings of cuckoo-spit (the distinctive frothy foam created by various species of froghoppers) through … Continue reading Don’t blame the bug
Jack Raven Bushcraft has republished an article I wrote a few years ago for The Bushcraft Journal, on the myriad fascinating ways that the organisms in a woodland, from trees to fungi, interact and even communicate with one another. The Whispering Wood The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow … Continue reading The Whispering Wood
We all love learning fun facts don't we, especially if they're something new and surprising. This animal can do something remarkable, this famous person has an unexpected talent, turns out you've been using this common kitchen item wrong your entire life you great walnut, bell peppers have genders and you can tell them apart by … Continue reading Sex, seeds and pseudoscience – why peppers don’t have a gender, and you can’t tell anything by counting their lobes
Tangled Bank Foraging and Fibre Crafts 