Two Neanderthal brothers surround a bull Megaloceros with spears 100,000-50,000 years ago near Germany’s Unicorn Cave. Artifacts attributed to Neanderthals, including a carved knuckle bone from the giant deer, have been found in the cave and suggest our cousins were also capable of producing artwork.
One of the many things that distinguish us from other primates, and all animals for that matter, is a very marked preference for the use of one hand/limb over the other. While some other species show signs of individual preference, around 95% of humans are right-handed.
But handedness goes beyond simply preferring one hand over another, and there is a very interesting story behind how we developed that trait. Check out PBS Eons’ episode on the subject to find out more.
Shown here is a right-handed Neanderthal craftsman using stone tools to butcher a carcass and clean the animal’s skin.
listen. listen. the consumption of animal products is about mutually beneficial relationships Not domination and that’s why prioritizing animal r*ghts over animal welfare is an absolutely brain fungus take to have
urban leftists who’ve never so much as raised a chicken will be like “umm think about the politics of your diet???” because they can’t conceive of the fact that domestication is an incredibly sweet gig for most livestock where they don’t have to look for their own food or shelter or water are protected from predators and also get free healthcare and a quick clean death
100%
The actual issues with our current livestock system are because of capitalism and industrialization. Can we please focus our energy on the global paradigm being cruel and unsustainable to us, the planet, AND livestock instead of getting lost in virtue signaling
This, and the fact of the matter is that modern agriculture (in the US especially) is built on the backs of poor migrant workers who harvest crops and run slaughterhouses.
Industrial scale slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants cause many workers to develop PTSD from how horrible it is for workers and animals both. This is not fucking normal and needs a serious overhaul.
But plant agriculture ain’t off the hook either. People (overwhelmingly people of color) are paid pennies on the dollar if they’re even paid at all (agriculture is actually a growing cause of human trafficking at least in the US but I’m sure this is FAR from just an American issue.)
Our food production system is fundamentally built on the backs of exploitation and horrid conditions for the people involved too, which is something my fellow vegans who call themselves “animal rights activists” forget.
Ignoring human beings in your activism is not only fucking evil, it also makes you a massive fucking hypocrite because humans are animals too.
/steps off soapbox thank you for coming to my TED talk
about a week ago i had to say goodbye to Bowie, my best friend of 14 years. i don’t think there’s any way i can properly convey how much this little guy means to me and how extraordinary he was, but i did my best to do him justice here.
for a purebred cat, bowie was INCREDIBLY strong. he played and caused trouble all the way till the end, even after 4 years of battling kidney disease and one major emergency surgery. i miss his opinionated little ass so so much but i’m so, so glad i could give him the long, spoiled life he deserved.
i know you know it already but i love you so much bud, hopefully i’ll see you again someday and i can kiss your little forehead
Several of the delightful and desiccated specimens featured in the Merrylin Cryptid Museum, an online menagerie fantastique meant to blur the line between reality and unknown.
“You have stumbled upon the Merrylin Cryptid Museum, the life’s work of Crypto-naturalist, Fringe Zoologist and Xeno -Archeologist Thomas Merrylin. This is the online archive of his unique collection of specimens. Creatures and artifacts thought to be nothing more than myth. It is a mystery that challenges our understanding of biology, chemistry and the very laws of physics.”
“It is fantastic and absurd, it is a collection of ideas and stories, creatures that have left their indelible mark in the annals of history, in the tapestries and manuscripts of forgotten lore. It is a story of discovery, of dark secrets hidden within sealed vaults. It is a chance to peer into the void and let the void stare back. It is objects of curiosity brought into the light, which stand before you, asking you to place them in the context of reality. They ask, ‘What if I was real, what if I had lived?’”
Along with mummified werewolves and dragon skeletons, the site gallery also features an Eldritch study bureau, preserved dinosaurs, Necrotic Manuscripts, and a wraith hunting case.
A sad update, I’m afraid: Prue passed this morning. I was able to hold her until the end, although I think that comforted me more than her. While we had hopes that chemo would work on the lymphoma, the tumor was too aggressive (we didn’t even really get to start the chemo). She declined extremely quickly over the past 4 days, and her heart gave out this morning.
Above is the last pic I actually took of her, back on the 14th, when she was a little more perky. When she wanted scritches she would come up on my computer desk, and just slowly but insistently nudge her way into my space, and head-bonk my arm. If I made room she liked to sit in my lap for a short time.
I am a big believer in the idea of always trying to make some time to give pets attention, especially when they ask for it. Because you never know when your time with them will be over, so you don’t want to waste any of it.
Her sister Piper has been very stressed the past month too, sensing something was wrong, and reacting with hostility. I hope at least that she will be less stressed now. And honestly I am glad that Prue is not suffering any more; I had my doubts about putting her through chemo, but would have tried it if the vets thought there was a good chance of her recovering. Alas.
Thank you so much to everyone who has passed on good wishes and thoughts. I appreciate it. I’m still working on commissions, and will probably take some more because there were a lot of emergency room visits over the past week. :(
Hey! I’m uncomfortable because I’ve never done this before but I have a request. Could you maybe cross your fingers/send good thoughts/pray for my guinea pig Mia? She has been diagnosed with a tumor a few days ago. I’m going to the vet again tomorrow and I strongly assume that an operation is inevitable. I’m very scared for her because she is only 2 years old. She has always been sickly, though you would never guess by looking at her. She is very curious, loves to explore and has a very strong personality. And I want her to live a long and happy life!
I made this post in July 2019. The vet back then asked me if I wanted to go through with an operation or not. Since it would have been a very invasive surgery with small chances of success I decided not to. I chose to let her be put to sleep should her health deteriorate.
Today, December 25th 2020, this day has come. She suddenly became very listless and stopped eating so I took her to an emergency vet since most are closed because of the holiday. The (very kind) vet there then put her to sleep. We buried her in our garden.
She was my little fighter. Two vets back in summer 2019 told me that she wouldn’t outlive the following weeks. She lived another 1 ½ years. She had a very strong personality and I enjoyed every second with her. Her friend (my other guinea pig) Rita and I will miss her a lot.
