Learning Russian and Finding Nessie (but not at the same time)

One morning back when I was living in British Columbia I happened to take a good look at myself in the mirror. Amongst the other thoughts in my mind at the time (such as “devilishly handsome”), one thing stood out in particular: now there’s someone who should be able to speak Russian. So I, being the ambitious person that I am, took it upon myself to breath life into this reflection. However, one confusing dictionary, a Rosetta Stone tutorial, and several intensive phrasebooks later I was saying, “до свидания to that dream.

Whether I’ll end up scuba diving around underwater volcanoes, spending the night lost in a rainforest, or simply enjoying a good elephant hunt on the African savannah, I’m confident some part of my whimsically itinerant personality will always ensure my life is free from dull moments. Even for me, though, the odds of finding a magical genie lamp are still quite slim – or are they?

I was reading a paper earlier today on cryptozoology (the study of mythical animals) and quickly became fascinated by the differing reception of “cryptids” historically compared to the present day. Generally, contemporary people treat folklore with a greater degree of wild skepticism than their predecessors did (although even Pliny rejected the legitimacy of werewolves). Culturally, though, cryptozoology represents a quest to restore mystique in a world without magic and charm. For me, spending my afternoon writing in a dimly lit room on this torn-up 1940s sofa next to a wall of old books at the local coffee shop lends itself perfectly to my own sense of wonderment and enchantment with the world around me.

Looking sharp in the lab. Learning to tie
a bow-tie is an accomplishment in itself!

Forget Grandpa’s rejuvenating potion made from newt tails and locust venom – a new paper examining honeybee behavior and dementia interestingly found that brain cell deterioration and memory loss was reversed in old pollen foragers when they would return to nursing roles inside the hive. Nevertheless, since parents would probably prefer to forget the irresponsible things their children have done, this concept may not translate well from honeybee to human.