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  Have a Happy Thought: People in the ancient world had… interesting ideas about what animals were out there in the world. For example, meet the Bonnacon. You see how the people are holding their noses? Apparently this bull-horse mashup excreted very stinky poo at a very high speed whenever it was threatened. (Although if this picture is correct, it is very embarrassed at doing so). De Natura animalium , ca. 1285, Bibliothèque Municipale de Douai, Ms. 711, f. 8r –  Source Or take the leucrota: an animal the size of a donkey but made up of (from front to back) a horse’s head, a lion’s chest and front legs, but the hind legs of a stag. Folio 15v - Leucrota. | The Aberdeen Bestiary | The University of Aberdeen   Now, you might rightfully say that these are obviously fantasy creatures. But the thing is, these animals are right in the same “bestiary” (a book about animals, like an illustrated encyclopaedia… remember those?) as animals that we definitely recognize, ...

Have a Happy Thought: Previously, I shared the amazing leaf artwork of Japanese artist Lito, who cut leaves into meticulous, beautiful scenes. Today, another leaf-based artist Susanna Bauer takes our breath away. From embroidery that turns the edges of leaves into intricate lace   To stitching parts of leaves together in mind-bending patchwork   Or using cotton thread to hollow and highlight the natural veins within a magnolia leaf You might look at your autumn pile of leaves a little bit differently this year!   Check out more of her work on her artist’s page: work — Susanna Bauer or where her work has been featured Meticulously Stitched Leaves Transform into Tender Sculptures by Susanna Bauer — Colossal Meet Susanna Bauer, the artist who crochets on fallen leaves

  Have a Happy Thought: In Aotearoa New Zealand, as in much of the southern hemisphere, now is the time of (visible) fungi: aka a forest walk right now is your best chance to see mushrooms. (other than getting out a $50 note of course) Image: the iconic blue mushroom on the back of the $50 note. Credit: RBNZ $50 banknote - Reserve Bank of New Zealand - Te Pūtea Matua Mushrooms, possibly due to their being an interesting mix of delicious and deadly, are fascinating for many people. Not least of whom: Beatrix Potter (yes, she of Peter Rabbit fame). In her spare time, she was a mycologist – studier of mushrooms and other fungi. And of course, she drew pictures. Here are just some examples of her talent. Flammulina velutipes Himeola auricula Oops! Not mushrooms, just bunnies multiplying like… mushrooms. A picture drawn by Beatrix Potter a year before her first known letter to a publisher talking about Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter. Yellow Grisette ...

Have a Happy Thought: A few weeks ago I shared this year’s winners of the “Green Nobel Prize.” And that got me thinking a little bit about the names of prizes – how some prize names are… a bit uninspiring (let’s be honest – “Goldman Environmental Prize” doesn’t resonate with most of us); others have become inspiring (I’m betting the Nobel Prize didn’t have the same ring to it 100 years ago that it does now). Meanwhile, other names just sound inspiring from the get-go. India has the Bharat Ratna, or “Jewel of India” Kenya has the Order of the Burning Spear. Its highest honour is to recognise someone as the Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya. Malta, holding to Catholic traditions, recognizes Knights Grand Cross of Justice Professed of Solemn Vows. Japan brings botanic poetry to its decorations with the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum and the Order of the Paulownia Flowers Image: Paulownia imperialis (Syn. Paulownia tomentosa) from Siebold/Zuccarini, Flora Japo...

  Have a Happy Thought: Have you ever been frustrated with a thing, or surprised that someone else hasn’t already solved some issue? So you spend like 10 minutes knocking together just the bare bones of a solution that will work for you… And then put it out to the world, only for it to be taken up by an entire field of researchers. (I’ve definitely done the first part, but maybe not the second part!!) That’s what John C. Wells did in 1982, when he was trying to help define vowel sounds in the English language.   Now, anyone who has ever spoken with an English-language speaker from another country, or perhaps even a different part of the same country, is aware that vowels in English are… slippery, at best. What Wells was trying to do was come up with groups of words that, as long as they are said by someone with the same accent, use the same consistent vowel sound. While someone with a different accent would use a different (but still consistent) vowel sound across those words....

  Have a Happy Thought: Some of us learned proper cursive writing in school. I would venture to say that none of us fully remember how to write in cursive. Fewer of us can probably easily read something written in cursive from over 100 years ago. Calligraphy from around the time of the invention of the printing press is... even worse. It was difficult enough to understand that in 1655 an author brought together a bunch of examples of over-the-top calligraphy into one book, so that centuries later we could marvel at just how unintelligible it was.   Here’s an example of “easy to understand”: Advanced calligraphy readers may be able to decipher these: But I can pretty much guarantee that you can’t say for sure which letters these are:   What I can agree on is that these were artists, experimenting with a fun medium.   And leaving us all baffled as to what they were writing.   Speakin...

Have a Happy Thought: For Earth Day (March 22 nd ) this year, six women were awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize, long called the “Green Nobel Prize”. The Goldman Environmental Prize honors the achievements and leadership of grassroots environmental activists from around the world, inspiring all of us to take action to protect our planet. The prize goes to six people each year, representing the six inhabited regions: Image: representation of the six regions for prize consideration: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands & Island Nations, North America, South & Central America. Source: Overview of the Prize - Goldman Environmental Prize While this is the first time that all six winners are women, this prize has a much more equal gender ratio than the Nobel Prize: Goldman (Green Nobel): 112 women out of 239 total Nobel Prize (all fields): 64 women out of 967 total   All that aside, the real story is the amazing ...