Video now also on Youtube:
Includes some of my favourite bits from my #envhist #medievalsky #earlymodern research into Alpine & Animal history, like the mysterious exploding pigs Andeer & retirement homes for cows from the title & more, like the iron eating cows of Disentis
youtu.be/t3xiWUfztmk
On the history of the primate trade and colonial/postcolonial ecologies of extraction, conservation and care. Thanks to my co-editor Tara Suri and all who contributed to this Focus section in Isis. FREE ACCESS!
#envhist #sts #conservation #primates
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
The previous post reminded me of the magical Wayang Kulit shows I watched as a child, in the brief years I lived in KL. I'm sad that it has been less prevalent in recent years and grateful to the artists fighting to keep the art alive. #wayangkulit
hyperallergic.com/preserving-t...
one from a collection of 117 shadow puppet heads. 58 pairs and two single heads placed in glassine envelopes. Heads measure 2-5 in., each. Note Later measuring revealed 57 pairs and three single heads, #24, the heads are attached by a string to each other.
Shadow Puppet Head https://collections.artsmia.org/art/95472/
Here's my analysis in The Diplomat on RU's exploitation of SEA labour migration networks, following news of Filipinos being sent to the frontline to die. I made the point to distinguish trafficked fighters from actual mercenaries and explored diplomatic constraints.
thediplomat.com/2026/02/sout...
A large wombat stood on grass, staring blankly into the mid-distance
Wombats have the largest brain of any #marsupial. Their blank expressions are just a reflection of the fact that they know they can outsmart you.🧠
#WombatWednesday #fieldwork #Tasmania #wombats #MammalWatching #WildOz #wombat
Next planned event SEA-Junction in collaboration with ILO, Ship to Shore program
Axolotl
"have feet and hands like lizards, and the tail, and also the body, like an eel, they have a very broad mouth, and a beard in the neck. It is very good to eat. Food of the señores (the ruling class)"
Today it is not food, it is Critically Endangered
Same as the European eel, still eaten👇🏽
Thanks, @dbellingradt.bsky.social !
If you're interested in something that deals specifically w paleography & the complexities of how we treat records as evidence, institutional priorities, etc then this piece will be of interest...it's v long, I'm afraid! www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
A group of Djinni meeting, all with animal heads or at least with horns or fur. The central figure, likely Shaitan, has three heads stacked on top of one another.
What do Djinn want when making a deal? It depends. Some seek material wealth, some carnal knowledge. Many will achieve this through possession, demanding that humans let them live in their body. They may not be intrusive but they can take over at any time #FairytaleTuesday
This book is coming in March with a chapter by Yours Truly 😁:
Chapter 12. ‘ “Every Single Verse Seems to Be Speaking to the Contemporary Chinese”: Perceptions of the Greek Revolution of 1821 in Japan and China’
A view of Masjid Ton Son, a mosque with a light brown exterior and green dome
An elderly Cham Muslim woman in Vietnam wearing a white hijab
A map showing the location of "Champa," the ancestral Cham homeland along Vietnam's central and southern coast
A map of central Bangkok showing the location of ethnically Vietnamese settlements (Flag of Vietnam) and ethnically Cham settlements (America-looking flag with star and crescent)
The oldest Muslim community in Bangkok predates the city by a century
Established in 1688, Ban Ton Son was founded by Chams, a Sunni Muslims from Vietnam who were displaced by Kinh Viet expansion
Known for their seamanship, Chams who made their way to Bangkok often served as sailors in Siam's navy
![The Royal Bathing Ceremony "แพลงสรง พ.ศ. ๒๔๒๙" (in Thai) was held on 14 January 1886, for Vajirunhis, the Crown Prince of Siam, during the reign of King Rama V. This event was captured in a photograph album given to Mrs. Bertha Honoré Palmer by Queen Savang Vadhana, the Queen of Siam, in commemoration of the Siamese Exhibit in the Woman's Building at the World's World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, United States of America. The exposition was held from May 5 to October 31, 1893.[17]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4s4ivkb523dolwkskbauvcyx/bafkreicgwtf5k3x4pf7srhrtottks25ia6zzwixyj5j3a6pljod3sf24cy)
The Royal Bathing Ceremony "แพลงสรง พ.ศ. ๒๔๒๙" (in Thai) was held on 14 January 1886, for Vajirunhis, the Crown Prince of Siam, during the reign of King Rama V. This event was captured in a photograph album given to Mrs. Bertha Honoré Palmer by Queen Savang Vadhana, the Queen of Siam, in commemoration of the Siamese Exhibit in the Woman's Building at the World's World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, United States of America. The exposition was held from May 5 to October 31, 1893.[17]
Royal Barge Anantanakkharat (2nd-nearest), flanked by escort barges Phali Rang Thawip (nearest) and Sukhrip Khrong Mueang (3rd), as the procession passes by the Grand Palace during dress rehearsals in 2012
The US fashion designer Jim Thompson inspects fabric with a Thai Cham man next to a canal
The sales outlet at the JiM Thompson House, with many elaborately designed silk clothing on display
Chams have played a notable role in Bangkok's culture
Due their naval prowess, Cham oarsmen were historically responsible for paddling the royal barges
Away from the water, the Cham weavers of Ban Khrua are responsible for the "Thai silk" that was popularized by US fashion designer Jim Thompson
I’m working on a piece about the growth of mass nihilism over the last 16 years or so. Using examples such as change in “hacker culture”, niche far right groups spilling out into wider society etc etc. if you have a personal experience I would love to hear from you.
#FrescoFriday - A real favourite! The paintings from the Fullonica of Veranius Hypsaeus, Pompeii (VI.8.20), showing the stages of the laundry process, with an owl (symbol for the Fullers) atop the 'viminea cavea'. #Pompeii #Archaeology 🏺
Image: MANN (9774). Link - mann-napoli.it/numismatica/...
Call for papers: Philosophy through Art, Games, and Fiction think.taylorandfranc... Guest editor: Lisa Bortolotti. Deadline: 31 July 2026. Submit your work! #philsky #philpsy
Would you like to read something about Greenland that isn't about geopolitics, but is instead about love, and grief, and gyrfalcon nests? Here's a story I wrote once for @thelonelycrowd.bsky.social. richarddsmyth.com/2021/10/01/s...
The level of humility it takes to do the unglamorous, non-confrontational work is a story that people need to think about more. The shops that don’t get raided and might not be under threat! The people who follow ICE cars so they can’t do surprise stops. The people who you will never see.
CFP: Negations and Interruptions As World-Building, University College Dublin, 21-22 May 2026
call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2026/01/...
How The Philippine Star covered this story vs how SCMP did.
Black-and-white photograph of Ursula K. Le Guin in her later years, seated comfortably in a wicker chair in front of a bookshelf filled with books. The acclaimed science fiction and fantasy author has short white hair, warm eyes, and a gentle smile as she gazes directly at the camera. She wears a dark long-sleeved shirt, her arms crossed and resting on her lap, with a bracelet on one wrist and a ring on her finger. To the right of the portrait is the vibrant cover of the 50th Anniversary Edition of her novel The Left Hand of Darkness, featuring a bold blue starry gradient background with the title in white text and her name prominently displayed.
Ursula K. Le Guin died #OTD in 2018.
First female author to win both the Nebula & Hugo awards for Best Novel for 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 (1970). In total, she won 8 Hugo & 6 Nebula awards. Second woman Grand Master of the #ScienceFiction & Fantasy Writers of America. #scifi #literature #booksky
New data out today is remarkable.
mRNA technology first proven at scale during COVID can now cut melanoma recurrence and deaths almost in half by teaching the immune system to target cancer.
A powerful reminder of why we invest in science and support mRNA platforms.
I know I don't have a ton of media followers, but I'll put this out there anyway: if you need someone to comment/offer context on the removal of the slavery exhibit at the President's House site in Philly, get in touch. I just finished an entire book on Americans' fight over Washington and slavery.
Bear In Snow.
#Art
© Takeuchi Seiho
🚨Reminder: the Deadline was extended! If you’re interested in participating in XIV PBCS, you can still send your proposals until 1st February.
More info: sites.google.com/view/xivpbcs...
Postdoc opportunity:
ERC Research Associate in History of Philosophy (48 months)
University College Dublin
Project BMoral (18th-century British moral philosophy & women philosophers)
Start: Sept 1, 2026
Deadline: Feb 10, 2026
Details & apply: my.corehr.com/pls/coreport...
#philsky #philjobs
The @northernenvhistory.bsky.social's first seminar of the year is fast approaching!
27/1 2pm GMT
Sign up below!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/snake-word...
Com join the Consortium for the History of Science's #oceanhist #marine #maritime group at 1-2:30 CT as we discuss Karen Pinto's article “All the World’s an Island: A Taussigian Reading of Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern Maps with an Islamicate Twist”
www.chstm.org/group/histor...
