The Curious Case of Driving on the Right vs. the Left. How did this custom begin and why do some countries adopt one or the other? We discuss it all in this episode and talk about the history of this custom. Of course, it is true that the UK drives on the CORRECT side of the road. Please subscribe to the You Tube Channel for more on science, history and nature and please do check out the website and follow on social media: Twitter // Instagram // Facebook // Reddit // Threads. Music:...

While medieval women did not have extensive rights, there were definitely exceptions to the rule: one of them being Cynethryth, Queen of Mercia and wife of King Offa. She is said to have existed between the period 770-798, although her exact birth and death dates are unknown. During Cynethryth's lifetime, Mercia was an extremely powerful kingdom dominating the entire area south of the Humber estuary. Her husband, King Offa, was a powerful king, who ruled Mercia from 757-796. Today we talk...

Scientists have now answered the questions of how the moon was made in this New Simulation, showing that it formed very quickly after impact with another body called Theia. In this podcast we talk about the Moon, its structure and our fascination with it, as well as the new study. Please subscribe to the You Tube Channel for more on science, history and nature and please do check out the website and follow on social media: Twitter // Instagram // Facebook // Reddit // Threads. Music:...

Recent advancements in genomic sequencing and analysis have started to unravel the intricate story of avian evolution. Two studies, published on April 1 in the journals Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and Nature, shed light on a genetic anomaly approximately 65 million years old (exactly when that asteroid hit) that has obscured scientists' understanding of avian evolutionary history. Specifically, a section of one chromosome failed to undergo expected mixing with...

A structure known as the Eye of the Sahara is an ancient circular geological formation in the Sahara Desert. This intriguing phenomenon is known as the Richat Structure or Guel er Richat in Arabic and its home is the Adrar Plateau in the Sahara. The Eye is located near Ouadane in the Adrar Region of Mauritania. In the local dialect, rīšāt means feathers and the structure is also known locally in Arabic as tagense, referring to the circular opening of the leather pouch that is used to draw...

There is no doubt that Earth’s history has been marked by several intriguing and exciting events that have shaped life on our planet. These events have led to the emergence of new life or the complete annhilation of certain species. One such remarkable occurrence was the Carnian pluvial event (CPE), also known as the Carnian crisis, which took place around 232 million years ago. This was a period of continuous rain that lasted 1-2 million years, and played a pivotal role in the evolution of...

Costa Rica is a lush country, with amazing ecology and environment. Amongst its green landscape can be found ancient structures known as the stone spheres of Costa Rica. The 300 spheres lie on the Diquís Delta and on Isla del Caño. To the locals they are known as bolas de piedra (stone balls) and are said to be attributed to the now extinct Disquis culture, a pre-Columbian indigenous culture of Costa Rica that flourished from AD 700 to 1530. These nearly-perfect round balls of stone have...

Rosalind Elsie Franklin was a British chemist and X-ray crystallographer. Her work was central to understanding the molecular structure of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), RNA (ribonucleic acid), viruses, coal, and graphite. Please subscribe to the You Tube Channel for more on science, history and nature and please do check out the website and follow on social media: Twitter // Instagram // Facebook // Reddit // Threads. Music: Moonrise by Chad Crouch – Instrumental from Free Music Archive.  

Cryptocurrencies have created much discussion among investors due to their ability to diversify portfolios, drive growth and maintain value over a long time. The Bitcoin price has been on an ascending path over the past year and continues to grow. This is good news for hodlers: investors who keep their coins in the same wallets and wait for their worth to increase. However, ever since the very beginnings of the digital finance market, there has been a pressing issue that continues to affect...

Queen Kubaba was a legendary Mesopotamian queen according to the Sumerian King List, who ruled over the Kingdom of Kish. Legend has it that her rule lasted over 100 years before the rise of the dynasty of Akshak (a city of ancient Sumer, situated on the northern boundary of Akkad). Please subscribe to the You Tube Channel for more on science, history and nature and please do check out the website and follow on social media: Twitter // Instagram // Facebook // Reddit // Threads. Music:...

Podcast Episode 79 is all about Neptune, which is The Real Blue Planet in our Solar System, as well as being an ice-giant orbiting the Sun from far away.

Fantastic Women Series The term solar energy has become ubiquitous as part of our move towards the larger renewable energy mix. We are all now more than aware of the dire need of cutting down on fossil fuels and moving towards using renewable sources of energy for all of our needs, if we are to keep temperatures conducive to ours (and other species) requirements.  As we move on through the 21st century, more and more of us are using solar panels or solar PV to heat and light our...

Prague’s Dramatic Defenestrations: A Glimpse into Tumultuous Times Have you heard of the Defenestration of Prague? First of all, how cool is the word defenestration? It means throwing someone out of the window and it happened three times in Prague's history. Listen to what happened in our latest podcast. Please subscribe to the You Tube Channel for more on science, history and nature and please do check out the website and follow on social media: Twitter // Instagram // Facebook // Reddit...

The Americas have been traditionally considered new territories with civilisations not as old as the rest of the world. Even so, we find fascinating signs of varying cultures in both north and south America. Mesoamerica especially, is replete with different cultures that fascinated archaeologists - and us - ever since their discoveries. One of such fascinating archaeological finds are the Colossal Olmec Heads, first brought to light on the eve of WWII by by Matthew Stirling in 1938,...

The Idea that Changed the World Darwin & Evolution by Natural Selection In this episode we celebrate the anniversary of a publication that changed scientific thinking completely. On November 24, 1859, Charles Darwin published his work: On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection; an account of the greatest story ever told — that of evolution by natural selection. We discuss Darwin's life and talk about the theory of evolution. Read the complete blog here. Please also check...

Time travel may still be a fantasy, but in late 19th-century and early 20th-century Britain, time itself was a commodity up for sale. Yes, you read that right! In a world before smartphones and atomic clocks, a remarkable woman known as Ruth Belville (Elizabeth Ruth Naomi Belville), affectionately called the “Greenwich Time Lady,” crafted a unique livelihood from an equally unique industry. She was the keeper of time, and her prized possession was a chronometer watch named “Arnold.” Please...

Osman Kalin, the man behind the Treehouse, was a Turkish worker who had come to Berlin in search of a better life. Undeterred by the restrictions and tensions of the divided city, he found solace in a small triangular traffic island nestled between the East and West Berlin border walls. This neglected patch of land had been used as a rubbish dump by local residents and it now became his canvas. In the 1980s, he began transforming it into a personal sanctuary, piece by piece, using discarded...

The Berlin Wall Fell On November 9, 1989. As the cold war started to fizzle out, with revolutions and unrest all across the Eastern Bloc, the spokesman for the Communist Party of East Berlin was meant to announce a change in its relations with the west and a relaxation of the stringent border crossing laws. Instead, Günter Schabowski, a communist party official in East Berlin, played a pivotal role in the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. During a press conference on November 9, 1989,...

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, also known as the Doomsday Vault, is a secure seed bank located on this Norwegian island of Spitsbergen in the remote Arctic Svalbard archipelago. Its purpose is to safeguard the seeds of the world's food plants in case of a global crisis. This particular location was chosen for its cold conditions and surrounding permafrost that would help preserve the seeds if the vault’s cooling systems failed. This important global storage facilty houses over 10,000 years...

From the Archives On Ada Lovelace Day: Ada Lovelace Day is an international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and to increase their profile in STEM. Founded in 2009 by Suw Charman-Anderson, it is now held every year on the second Tuesday of October, as well as to create new role models for girls in these fields. Role models just like Ada King – Countess of Lovelace. Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, was born on December 10,...

The Astronomical Clock in Prague, known locally as the “Pražský orloj,” is one of the most famous and visually stunning astronomical clocks in the world. It is also the oldest functioning astronomical clock in the world. Located in the Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) in Prague, Czech Republic, it is a remarkable piece of medieval engineering and artistry. The rich history of this gorgeous clock dates back to the 15th century, when it was installed in the Old Town Hall in...

Astronomical Autumn in the northern hemisphere or Fall if you are in America, begins after the September Equinox, so let's talk about what they are and how they occur. Please subscribe to the You Tube Channel for more on science, history and nature and please do check out the website and follow on social media: Twitter // Instagram // Facebook // Reddit. Music: Moonrise by Chad Crouch – Instrumental from Free Music Archive.

NASA's Spacecraft OSIRIS REx Leaves Asteroid Bennu with Soil Samples after orbiting it for two years. It collected them in October 2020 & is expected to drop them on Earth on September 24, 2023 before continuing to another asteroid. Please subscribe to the You Tube Channel for more on science, history and nature and please do check out the website and follow on social media: Twitter // Instagram // Facebook // Reddit // TikTok Title music: Hovering Thoughts by Spence (YouTube Music...

Why do leaves fall and what is the reason we can see the purples, reds, oranges, yellows, and browns in winter? We talk about the colours of autumn and the falling leaves that precede winter. Please subscribe to the You Tube Channel for more on science, history and nature and please do check out the website and follow on social media: Twitter // Instagram // Facebook // Reddit