“You look at trees and called them ‘trees,’ and probably you do not think twice about the word. You call a star a ‘star,’ and think nothing more of it. But you must remember that these words, ‘tree,’ ‘star,’ were (in their original forms) names given to these objects by people with very different views from yours. To you, a tree is simply a vegetable organism, and a star simply a ball of inanimate matter moving along a mathematical course. But the first men to talk of ‘trees’ and ‘stars’ saw things very differently. To them, the world was alive with mythological beings. They saw the stars as living silver, bursting into flame in answer to the eternal music. They saw the sky as a jeweled tent, and the earth as the womb whence all living things have come. To them, the whole of creation was ‘myth-woven and elf patterned’.”

— J.R.R. Tolkien, from ‘Mythopoeia’

From: https://mirkwoodest.tumblr.com/post/664478779273625600/halcynthyou-look-at-trees-and-called-them

BBC News - Drinking coffee 'will not sober you up' when drunk

BBC News - Drinking coffee 'will not sober you up' when drunk: "Reaching for a mug of coffee may be the worst thing you can to do to try to sober up, a study suggests.

Research on mice indicates the drink may make you feel that you are coming to your senses - but it is only an illusion.

In fact, it makes it harder for people to realise they are under the influence of alcohol."

BBC News - Men's genes 'may limit lifespan'

BBC News - Men's genes 'may limit lifespan': "Men carry the seeds of their own destruction in the genes present in their sperm, research suggests.

Scientists working on mice have highlighted a specific gene that, although carried by both sexes, appears to be active only in males.

They believe it allows males to grow bigger bodies - but at the expense of their longevity."

BBC News - Men's genes 'may limit lifespan'

BBC News - Men's genes 'may limit lifespan': "Men carry the seeds of their own destruction in the genes present in their sperm, research suggests.

Scientists working on mice have highlighted a specific gene that, although carried by both sexes, appears to be active only in males.

They believe it allows males to grow bigger bodies - but at the expense of their longevity."

BBC News - Cup of mint tea is an effective painkiller

BBC News - Cup of mint tea is an effective painkiller: "A cup of Brazilian mint tea has pain relieving qualities to match those of commercially available analgesics, a study suggests.

Hyptis crenata has been prescribed by Brazilian healers for millennia to treat ailments from headaches and stomach pain to fever and flu.

Working on mice, a Newcastle University team has proved scientifically that the ancient medicine men were right."

BBC News - Dirt can be good for children, say scientists

BBC News - Dirt can be good for children, say scientists: "Children should be allowed to get dirty, according to scientists who have found being too clean can impair the skin's ability to heal."

BBC - Earth News - The deep-sea crab that eats trees

BBC - Earth News - The deep-sea crab that eats trees: "Deep under the ocean, there is a species of crab that eats trees.

The crab survives by eating wood that has sunk to the ocean floor, comprising trunks and leaves swept into the sea, as well as the odd shipwreck.

Inside the stomach of the crab, also called a squat lobster, are bacteria and fungi that help digest the wood.

The discovery, published in the journal Marine Biology, adds to evidence that these so-called 'wood falls' help support special underwater communities."

BBC NEWS | Technology | 'Road trains' get ready to roll

BBC NEWS | Technology | 'Road trains' get ready to roll: "oad trains that link vehicles together using wireless sensors could soon be on European roads.

An EU-financed research project is looking at inexpensive ways of getting vehicles to travel in a 'platoon' on Europe's motorways.

Each road train could include up to eight separate vehicles - cars, buses and trucks will be mixed in each one.

The EU hopes to cut fuel consumption, journey times and congestion by linking vehicles together.

Early work on the idea suggests that fuel consumption could be cut by 20% among those cars and trucks travelling behind the lead vehicle."

BBC - Earth News - First film of a 'giant' stingray

BBC - Earth News - First film of a 'giant' stingray: "It is one of the rarest giants of the ocean, and it has been caught on film for the first time.

An underwater camera crew filming for the BBC has recorded a smalleye stingray swimming off the coast of Mozambique.

The smalleye stingray is the largest of all 70 species of stingray, attaining widths of more than 2m.

The elusive creature, first discovered in 1908, has only ever been seen alive off Tofo in southern Mozambique."