Ghosts: The Hereafter

I was listening to a ghost story several nights ago. The narrator did incredible work of running chills down my spine as he laid the scene. Rarely do ghost stories have an effect on me and as the tale progressed I felt my pulse quicken, I became aware of every little sound around me. Its… Continue reading Ghosts: The Hereafter

Winter Spirits: Berchta

Gods and Goddesses governing the repeating cycles of nature are pretty universal and certainly predate recorded history. Humans naturally attribute things beyond their comprehension to deities of some sort. There are very few world cultures that don’t have a winter deity. One of my favourites is Frau Berchta from the Alpine Germanic tribes of Europe.… Continue reading Winter Spirits: Berchta

DNA: Four Letters

Since my mid-teens I have been fascinated by genetics. There are a numbers of reasons for this. When I was seventeen the human genome project was completed. The worlds media was abuzz with science and pseudoscience. On a more personal level I have a genetic condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa(RP) caused my a single nucleotide mutation… Continue reading DNA: Four Letters

The Bloody Isle

Due to a recent trip and some Covid-19 related difficulties I decided to take a week off my usual posting schedule (two posts a week). Normal postings should resume next week. I haven’t been idle with my downtime thought. A huge amount of reading was necessary to release my first entry in The Bloody Isle.… Continue reading The Bloody Isle

Marie: A Village for the Queen.

Marie Antoinette is a key figure in French history. She has served as an over laboured source of satire for decades, propping up the careers of middling comedians and historians alike. Her apparent disconnect from the suffering and profound poverty of the people of France has made her an easy target. But is her reputation… Continue reading Marie: A Village for the Queen.

Jean Baptiste Denys: The blood of the calf.

I am the first to recognise that a great deal of scientific advancement has developed from accidents, mistakes or radical misconceptions. I also believe that in science even a negative result is a good thing. Advancement in any direction is still advancement. However rarely in history when a scientist starts with a profound misunderstanding about… Continue reading Jean Baptiste Denys: The blood of the calf.