The forbidden country

 

Forbidden cryptids in *North* Korea?! Clearly a counter-revolutionary provocation, since it doesn´t mention the famed unicorn lair outside Pyongyang, LOL. 

Makabert

 

Credit: JM Ligero Loarte

Källan är en avhoppare, men även den amerikanska militären undersökte ju om djur kunde ha övernaturliga förmågor. Och människor! Så visst kan detta vara sant. Och sanslöst. 

Makabert experiment skulle testa kaniners övernaturliga förmågor

Second breakfast

 

Another video on the Homo florensiensis situation. Recent research suggests that the "Hobbit" might not be a dwarfed Homo erectus (sensu stricto) but some kind of pre-human or almost-human. Perhaps an australopith (sensu latto)? I´m not surprised. I had a hunch in this direction already seven years ago. So can we go home now? Second breakfast, guys!

Bigfoot evidence

Mematha-Gaṇapataye Namaḥ

 

Or is it Mahodgaja-Gaṇapataye Namaḥ? So I asked Gemini to make a picture of Ganesha as a mammoth, rather than as an elephant. This was the result. Would you worship god if he was a mammoth? Interesting question, I suppose! And instead of venerating Baby Krishna, how about doing it with a dwarf elephant? I know, I should go to sleep...

Faking parakeets

Red gorillas in the Congo? Yes, red. The Strait of Hormuz sea-serpent? Yes, the Strait of Hormuz. A faked video of surviving Carolina Parakeets, perhaps in the Okefenokee swamp? I admit I never heard *these* particular tall tales before! The parakeet video was the funniest part. The guy who "discovered" it (or rather faked it) was a very colorful character! Would be big on YouTube if he had lived today, LOL. 

The Great White Bug

 

This seems to be an entertaining site, might explore it more this weekend!

Giant bugs in Canada

Well, akshually, para-dimes are good, akshually

 

A little reminder. A propos the recent blog post on Sabine Hossenfelder and the role of mathematics in the hard (oh-so-hard) sciences.

Quantum questions

Trojans

 

Overheard on the web: "We finally found the solution to the Fermi paradox". Note that the AI is called Evil! Intelligent design, anyone? 

AI creates 16 new viruses from scratch

The other monkey

 

Something new is always coming out of Africa. Or something old. Primordially old. Muh-hah-hah! 

Garuda in the sky

 

Our man Thomas has discovered the Orissan (?) speculation that the Kali Yuga will end in 2032. The clips above are from an incident earlier this year, when an eagle apparently grabbed one of the flags atop the Jagannath temple in Puri, sparking a lot of speculation online. Bad omen? Or a good sign, since the eagle could be interpreted as a Garuda?   

Stay alive until 2032

The incident is discussed here:

Eagle circles Jagannath temple with flag

Nandu på rymmen

 

Credit: Bernard Dupont

En glad nyhet? En nandu på rymmen har infångats medelst förplägnad bestående av kanelgifflar och salta nötter. Påfågeln på bondgården är glad över att ha fått tillbaka sin amigo. Skåne 2026. Knickarp, Blentarp och Häckeberga är nu på allas läppar. Och kartor?

Visst, det är lite nyhetstorka över den här historien. Men lite glad blir man ju över att Alex fick sina favoritkakor tillbaka. 

Fast varför rymde strutsfågeln egentligen...? 

Strutsfågel på rymmen

Likweli

 

Credit: Daniel Rosengren

En glad nyhet? Kanske. Eller kanske inte. Likweli-apan har upptäckts av sina evolutionära kusiner... 

Sensationell apa hemlighölls i fem år

Super-spreader event

 

Let´s hope this is just one of those "Monthly Doomer Report" scenarios. After all, invasive marine species are already spreading throughout the world due to our international shipping lanes.

And we´re still here, right? As is most of our seafood... 

Ships stuck in strait of Hormuz pose "super-spreader" biodiversity threat, scientists warn 

The perfect shave

 

Attributed to Charles Darwin: "Whilst Man, however well-behaved, at best is but a monkey shaved!"

En höna och en fjäder

 

En helt annan höna

Dramat kring påfågelhonan (eller hönan) "Rödvit" alias "Berit" (sic) fortsätter. LOL. 

Rödvit hoppade över Skansentaket

Symbolic

 

It´s over. 

Mammoth remains revealed in Bulgaria after Danube water levels hit record low

Påfågel på vift

 

Undrade just vart den tagit vägen...

Påfågel på rymmen från Skansen - vill inte komma hem

Frisk och fruktig

 

Lite om hur vinodlingen i Bordeaux-trakten påverkas av de stora skogsbränderna. Rök kan tydligen påverka vinets smak?! På lång sikt är det dock snarast klimatförändringarna som hotar vår tillgång till "friska och fruktiga" viner...

Branden hotar Bordeaux

Små marginaler

 

Credit: jacilluch

Intressant artikel om skogsbruket i södra Frankrike. Apropå de närmast apokalyptiska bränderna där. 

"Skogen måste förändras"

The hares of eternity

 

Credit: The Devonshire Association(?)

I never heard of the mysterious Three Hare symbol before, so here we go! It must be some kind of swastiska stuff...

Can you tell me about the Three Hares symbol?

The Three Hares is one of the most fascinating and mysterious symbols in world art. It consists of three hares running in a circle, with each hare sharing an ear with its neighbor. Although there are only three ears in total, each hare appears to have two—a clever visual illusion.

What makes the symbol especially intriguing is that it appears across a vast geographical area—from China to the Middle East and Europe—over more than a thousand years.

The design

At first glance, you see three hares chasing one another.

Looking more closely, you notice:

• there are only three ears,
• each ear belongs simultaneously to two hares,
• each hare nevertheless appears complete.

This ingenious construction has fascinated artists and mathematicians alike.

---

Where is it found?

The earliest known examples appear along the Silk Road.

China

Some of the oldest surviving examples are in the Mogao Caves, dating to around the 6th–7th centuries CE.

These Buddhist cave temples contain paintings of the Three Hares on their ceilings.

---

Central Asia

The motif spread westward along Silk Road trade routes.

Examples occur in:

• Iran,
• Afghanistan,
• Uzbekistan.

---

Islamic art

The design appears in medieval Islamic decorative art, where geometric and symbolic motifs were highly developed.

It seems to have been appreciated primarily as an elegant ornamental pattern.

---

Europe

The motif eventually reached Europe.

It is especially famous in:

• England (particularly Devon churches),
• Germany,
• France.

Many medieval churches have the Three Hares carved into wooden roof bosses.

---

What does it mean?

This is the mystery.

No medieval text explicitly explains the symbol.

Scholars therefore propose several possibilities.

1. Eternity

Because the hares form an unbroken circle, the symbol may represent:

• eternity,
• endless cycles,
• continuity,
• the wheel of time.

---

2. Interdependence

Each hare shares an ear.

Nothing is completely separate.

Modern interpreters often see this as expressing:

• interconnectedness,
• mutual dependence,
• unity within plurality.

This interpretation resonates well with Buddhist philosophy, although we cannot say with certainty that it was the original intention.

---

3. The Moon

Since hares are ancient lunar animals throughout Asia, the Three Hares may have had lunar symbolism.

Possible meanings include:

• lunar phases,
• recurring cycles,
• rebirth,
• immortality.

This fits comfortably with both Chinese and Indian traditions.

---

4. Buddhism

Because the oldest examples are found in Buddhist cave temples, many scholars think the symbol originally had Buddhist significance.

Possible associations include:

• cyclic existence (saṃsāra),
• harmony,
• compassion,
• perfection.

However, no Buddhist scripture specifically explains the motif.

---

5. Christianity

When the motif appears in churches, some have interpreted it as representing the Holy Trinity:

• three persons,
• one essence.

The geometry certainly lends itself to this reading.

However, there is little evidence that this was the original meaning. It is more likely that medieval Christians adopted an already existing motif and gave it a Christian interpretation.

---

Could it have many meanings?

Quite possibly.

Unlike symbols with a fixed doctrinal explanation, the Three Hares seems to have been remarkably adaptable.

As it traveled across cultures, different communities could understand it in ways that fit their own traditions:

• Buddhists: interdependence or cyclic existence.
• Muslims: elegant geometric harmony.
• Christians: the Trinity.
• Folk traditions: luck, fertility, or the cycle of the seasons.

---

Why hares?

Hares themselves already carried rich symbolism across Eurasia.

They were associated with:

• the Moon,
• fertility,
• spring,
• vigilance,
• transformation,
• generosity (through Indian and Buddhist stories),
• the Otherworld in Celtic tradition.

Using three hares naturally amplified these associations.

---

Relation to sacred geometry

The Three Hares also appeals because of its mathematical elegance.

It demonstrates how:

• three creatures,
• sharing only three ears,

can all appear anatomically complete.

The design beautifully balances:

• unity,
• multiplicity,
• symmetry,
• motion.