Oxygen is atomic number 8 on the periodic table and a highly reactive non-metal. It forms oxides easily with other elements such as turning copper green. It’s the most abundant element in Earth’s crust, and the third most abundant element in the universe. Oxygen in the atmosphere is O₂ which is two atoms of oxygen…

Murals date back thousands of years, to our early human ancestors living in caves and small tribes across the globe. Cave paintings are the earliest known murals, art painted onto walls to convey some story or other message. The earliest known cave paintings that have been found, is thought to date back 64,000 years. Other…

Mapping the celestial bodies The desire to know what is beyond our planet is a notion that encapsulated our earliest ancestors as well as today. In the sky lies our past and origin. No wonder it is the basis for many regions, rituals and calendars. Star charts Throughout human history, there have been many attempts…

The universe is 13.8 billion years old by current estimates. This might change as the James Webb telescope discovers more fabulous things. And here we are today, living on this relatively tiny planet, home to millions of species. Usually my blogs start from long ago and end in the present moment, but let’s start in…

Paint is essentially a pigment, a binder and a solvent with the occasional additives. Pigment colour depends on its chemical structure, and it provides the colour and the opacity. The binder is what is essentially left once the paint dries, the surface film if you will. The solvent is the thinner, and makes the paint…

Language is unique to humans and our ancestors. It isn’t entirely clear from the skeletal evidence of early hominines whether they had the full vocal capability as we do but they did speak. Language is a way of communicating more effectively to members of our species, much more effectively than other species can. We can…