Science writer, editor, and presenter
Imagine a creature that never grows up, can regenerate limbs without scars, and has a sort of slimy, alien-like cuteness. Â Sounds like a critter you'd like to meet, right? Â Ambystoma mexicanum, the axolotl, lives all over the world in aquaria but their only wild habitat is under severe threat. Â Chances are that neither of us …
And now for something completely different! We're going to start a journey tomorrow and it's going to be a lot of fun.  I will creating a lot more content, advertising more widely, and (hopefully) totally revamping the character of this blog.  The blog won't be completely different though. As you have come to expect from ThoughtfulPharaoh, …
Continue reading "Introducing: the ABCs of Interesting Things"
When kids reach a certain age they begin to wonder where they came from. I imagine the conversation that follows often starts with "Well, when a Mommy and a Daddy really love each other...". But [...]
There is a war raging in the world over an idea first proposed by a bearded Englishman upon his return from South America. The idea, published 154 years ago, has been the centre of controversy pretty much ever since. In the majority of the world [...]
Welcome to the fifth and final edition of Awesome Extinct Animals. Today we will be exploring the life and times of an incredible beast that no longer graces the plains and outcrops of  Earth.  They were the Princes of the Pleistocene, Masters of Mayhem, and Lords of Laceration.  They are probably one of the first …
Birds are typically not that scary (unless you've seen Hitchcock's The Birds).  Most are smaller than humans and while many have sharp beaks and claws, they do not tend to target humans.  But I know the easiest way to make an animal's name sound several hundred times scarier.  All you have to do is add a …
Continue reading "Terror Birds: Awesome Extinct Animals, Pt 4"
What was 5'5", buried its dead, and went extinct 30 000 years ago? I'll give you a hint: they belong to the same genus as you and me. Haven't got it yet? Â Here is another hint: Â their name almost rhymes with "Damn, you're tall!". That's right, today's awesome extinct animal is our (very) distant cousin: …
Continue reading "Neanderthals: Awesome Extinct Animals, Pt 3"
What kind of bed do you sleep in? Personally, my bed is a double. Â It is about 1.4m (4.5ft) wide and 1.90m (6.25ft) long . Â Two people can sleep comfortably on it, hence the name "double". Â With the matress, boxspring and frame, it probably weighs about 20 kg (~40lbs). Now, imagine fastening two of these …
The word "Pleistocene" always reminds me of that malleable sculpture substance that is really good at getting stuck under fingernails. Â That stuff, however, is plasticine and is not the topic of the 5-part series of posts that is coming your way. Pleistocene refers to the geological epoch from about 2.5 million years ago (mya) to …
Continue reading "Giant American Ground Sloth: Awesome Extinct Animals, Pt 1"
This week's topic had me wondering: what's going on in our brains when we're happy? A little bit of quick research revealed what I believe to be some interesting findings that I will share with you [...]
Jon Farrow 