Heritage · Science · Society · Paris
One of the innovations of the French Revolution that almost all of humanity uses every day is the metre. It was a truly revolutionary decision to introduce a unified unit of length at a time when France alone had tens of thousands of different ones, and it was soon adopted
Faith · Books · Moscow · Science
Pushkin's Boris Godunov contains a tiny scene with a holy fool: children have taken a coin from Nikolka, who never removes his iron cap and is hung about with chains, and he addresses the Tsar as he passes by:. Holy Fool (weeping) They have taken my little kopeck;
Science · Mores · Society · People
The famous laughing old lady with a glass: winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Rita Levi-Montalcini, known not only for her scientific achievements but also for her active political stance, her public engagement and her charisma. Rita's father was against higher education for
NB! · Observations · Science · Society · People
A reminder: Talia Khabrieva is Director of the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation. Also a Doctor of Law, a professor and a Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Does anyone have questions about science in Russia?
Science · Ethnography
Why vareniki, syrniki and blini are a symbol of the Moon is described at length in, for example, this interesting article, available on Academia. As for the claim that blini are a solar symbol, it too turns up very often in the literature, and has its champions and its opponents.
Faith · Museums · Science · Rome
The Mother of All Churches, the Lateran Basilica in Rome, where the Pope celebrates Mass and sits enthroned, keeps a veritable collection of Christian relics. In a small museum, tucked away between the chapels, lies this fragment of the tunic of Saint Francis of Assisi, which is tied to one
Observations · Science · Education · Society
New rules for postgraduate study have passed their first reading. Postgraduate study is to become once more the third level of higher education: postgraduates will enjoy the right to deferment from military service, will be able to claim a place in a hall of residence, and will receive a stipend
Science · Nature
Penicillin is so called because of its appearance: under the microscope, a colony of Penicillium looks like a brush. The name of the genus, Penicillus, comes from the Latin penicillus, "paintbrush". Oddly enough, penicillin is a kinsman of the word penis, from the Latin penis, "tail"
Geography · Observations · Science · Nature
There is a very beautiful mineral called rutile, which, incidentally, was first found in Russia, in the Central Urals, and is now mined in many countries of the world. Rutile tends to form long crystals in the shape of needles and bundles of needles, mostly golden or straw-coloured. Its
Science · Mores · Nature · Humour
The effect is believed to be named after Coolidge because of a curious incident that befell the President and his wife when they were visiting a poultry farm. Mrs Coolidge took an interest in the farm's productivity, and was told that the cocks could perform their duties many
London · Museums · Science
The memorial chair made from the bed of the surgeon John Hunter is not on display in his museum but kept in storage. A plaque records that the chair was made on 22 September 1879 by Francis Buckland, and describes how Hunter's bed came into his hands: from
Museums · Science · Mores · Humour
Now you know what the bastard offspring of a stool and a four-poster looks like. This dreadful armchair is possibly one of the most preposterous and uncomfortable pieces of furniture I have ever had occasion to see. And yet so hideous a throne is not merely a monument to