A recent study published Cambridge University Press has discovered that the Neolithic builders of Stonehenge suffered from endoparasites which they had contracted from the raw foods that they ate or the food was undercooked. The researchers analysed 19 samples of fossilised faeces in a “midden” …
The infographic below shows you how the word “jockey” evolved. It’s quite a neat evolution and I thank Dr. Desmond Morris for it. I add some meat to the skeleton of the infographic below. Centuries ago, the name “Jack” was used as a term to …
The experts have told us that giant millipedes as long as a car weighing 50 kg roamed across Great Britain 326 million years ago, which at that time was at the equator. We are familiar with the modern-day millipede which are small insects. I am …
A recent study found that when humans transferred from being hunter-gatherers to farming their pet dogs’ diet changed from meat to plant-based foods. When grey wolves first became domesticated and became domestic dogs they would have been eating meat almost exclusively but with the advent …
A lot of work has been done on when the first wolf was domesticated to become a domestic dog. The scientists behind a recent study believe that they have come to a definitive conclusion as to when dog domestication started. They believe that they have …
Here are some facts about megalodon. This is an ancient shark, also called ‘megatooth’. They gave birth to babies larger than most adult humans. The babies grow by feeding on unhatched eggs in the womb. A recent study has discovered this. This ancient creature lived …
Here are 3 facts about geldings; the word ‘gelding’ and the derivative ‘gelded’. Meaning The word “gelding” refers to a colt (a weaned male horse until he is four years old) who has been castrated i.e. neutered. When a colt is sexually mature he can …
The great auk was persecuted to extinction by humankind many years ago. Excessive hunting was the main cause and it is said that the last great auk living on the British Isles was stoned to death. The bird became extinct entirely when fishermen hunted down …
This is a very old saying based on superstition and it appears that the phrase “hag-ridden” applies to both people and horses. A hag-ridden person is one afflicted by nightmares or anxieties. A typical sentence might read, “He was hag-ridden by his early success”. It …
