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Monthly Archives: February 2012
Operation GARBO
Juan Pujol was, like Eddie Chapman, a British double agent during the Second World War but was his antithesis in almost every other respect. Unlike the flamboyant, womanising former criminal Chapman, Pujol was an unassuming, bespectacled businessman and a loyal … Continue reading
Agent ZIG-ZAG
Double-agents, spies ostensibly acting for one intelligence organisation while in fact working for the enemy, place themselves in a highly vulnerable position. They need to not only provide a credible service to their cover organisation, they must also continually prove … Continue reading
The Windows to the Soul Part 2: Colour Vision
In 1844, the founder of modern chemistry John Dalton, died. By his own request, his eyes were removed at autopsy and the vitreous humour examined. Fifty years earlier, Dalton had provided one of the first accounts of colour blindness based … Continue reading
Posted in Nature, Science
Tagged colour blindness, John Dalton, mantis shrimp
Comments Off on The Windows to the Soul Part 2: Colour Vision
The Windows to the Soul
The earliest fossil evidence of eyes comes from the Cambrian explosion, around 500 million years ago, their appearance probably driven by the rapidly escalating evolutionary arms race between predators and prey at that time. From simple eyespots, eyes have evolved … Continue reading
Pythons in the Everglades
Following on from this post: It’s all very well to be invaded by furry wallabies; it’s a little more concerning when the feral hippo population explodes. But the feral animal problem in the Florida Everglades is the stuff of nightmares. … Continue reading
Quadrivia 