There’s a cup of tea next to me, steaming gently. I’ve already written about the history of the drink, how a Chinese herb ended up defining Englishness and having the power to create riots in Ireland. But what of the cup? It’s a posh one – not a thick heavy earthenware mug but a slightly translucent piece of porcelain, strong… Continue reading Man-made metamorphic rocks
Category: History
Andalucia: a history of stuff
Andalucia is a province in Spain, at the far south west of Europe. Its long and varied human history has seen it linked to the middle East, north Africa and the Americas. The creation of these links brought new foods, metals, diseases: new stuff into Andalucia. Sometimes the impact of arrival created ripples that reached… Continue reading Andalucia: a history of stuff
Winds of change
There’s a fabulous new site that shows wind patterns – it gives you a whole new perspective on the globe. One of the most striking things is the regular patterns across the oceans. Until quite recently long-distance travel was dependent on sailing boats, at the mercy of the wind and regular patterns of wind were needed… Continue reading Winds of change
What’s in a (geological) name?
The Earth Sciences are often about bringing order to the wonderful overflowing complexity of the natural world. The geological way of doing this is often to classify. A hill-side of rocks, often a bewildering mess to an amateur (or first year student) can with experience be tamed. It can be mapped as a series of… Continue reading What’s in a (geological) name?