Paul Brain

Retired Professor of Zoology. Studied aggression but becoming an ecogrumpy

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: Wooden Tops 17. Hazel https://t.co/Rz2g5tMs0L Hazel is used for woven baskets, fence 'hurdles' and walking sticks. The thinner sticks are used to support beans and other garden plants.

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: Bamboozled? https://t.co/erKYMRTqze Developments, such as one in Pachgaon village (Maharashta, India), may serve as a model for some parts of the world. Giving the villagers 'forest rights' protects the jungle, and the jungle provides them with a living.

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: Wooden Tops 16. Hawthorn https://t.co/ggVw7K6SOK As Hawthorn wood is strong and closely-grained, it's often used for carving. This wood is also employed to make tool handles, as well as other small household items.

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: Malaria: A Growth Area https://t.co/k6ygUFYgNK Globally, in 2023, there were 263 million malaria cases.600,000 people (predominantly young children) died. This death rate from malarial infections, constituted a rise for the fifth consecutive year.

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: Birder's Bonus 241 https://t.co/EhExDAoMlw Noted a Curlew (Numenius arquata) on the Loughor estuary at Bynea.

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: Season's Greetings and an Excellent 2025 From Deep... https://t.co/TwNBodkuRO Things are not looking great! Many of the trajectories seem downwards. But you never know, surprises can (and do) happen!

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: Wooden Tops 15. Goat willow https://t.co/fSV9uCIK4E Goat willow wood is good fuel & can be used to generate charcoal. It also makes paper pulp. As it's lightweight & flexible, willow wood is used in the manufacture of basketry, furniture and craft work.

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: Tundra Turning https://t.co/ZNCwNyyRel For millennia, the Arctic tundra has served as a carbon 'sink', trapping organic material for extended periods. Wildfires in this region, have now converted it into a net source of carbon dioxide emissions.

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: Wooden Tops 14. Gingko biloba https://t.co/vYIS31cULj Gingko biloba wood is used for carvings, cutting boards and furniture. It can also make turned objects, such as chess sets.

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: The Monarch is Dying? https://t.co/X6QA5xT2k4 The US Fish and Wildlife Service is finally worried the Monarch butterfly. The Endangered Species Act would give it extensive protections. Otherwise, it seems unlikely to survive climate change.

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: World Leading On the Environment? https://t.co/YtkJ5a22Ly Globally, there's a marked rise in suppression of dissenters, as climate, biodiversity and pollution crises all loom. Australia and the UK appear to be in 1st and 2nd place in the arrest charts?

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: Wooden Tops 13. Maple https://t.co/0HCMMIInpb Maple wood is used for heavy-duty flooring, like bowling alleys & dance floors. It's suitable for kitchen tables, butcher blocks & cutting boards. It's also a popular choice for high-end furniture & veneers.

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: Seeing the Changes 2104 https://t.co/90r3HqEz1I Funnel fungi (Clitocybe spp) at Bynea.

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: Variable Woods https://t.co/MncbbIrn4c A variety of different woods in a Swedish sampler (given to me after examining a PhD thesis). It fits in with the Woodentops series.

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: Wooden Tops 12. Eucalyptus https://t.co/K9bT8floCf Eucalyptus wood is extensively used in Australia as fuel. This timber is also commonly employed in buildings (making support beams etc.) and as fencing.

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: Where's the Beef (From)? https://t.co/PRRA8uwszg There's a suggestion that a FTA agreement might be signed between the UK & US governments. The US officials say an agreement depends on UK willingness to take their prime beef. A 'slippery slope'?

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: Wooden Tops 11. Elder https://t.co/mVIswBPvll Elder branches contain a soft pithy core. This can be removed, to create hard, easily-polished, hollow pipes. These are used to manufacture whistles, pipes, bagpipe chanters and other musical instruments.

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: What the Punter Wants? https://t.co/T27VF3ahoq The UK Prime Minister has ordained that "a human being wanting to have a house" must take priority over the environment. This is only sustainable in the short term?

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: Wooden Tops 10. Elm https://t.co/TBO1Djd4wM Elm is strong & durable, with a tight-twisted grain, making it resistant to water. It's been used to make boats, furniture, wheel hubs, wooden water pipes, floor boards & coffins.

[Paul Brain @fredbrain]

Professor P.Brain's blog: Cutting Woodland For Bottled Water? https://t.co/HQuONzQQIV Danone is planning to cut down a woodland of circa 450 trees planted by primary school children almost 20 years ago. It wants to expand its bottling factory in Harrogate. Wrong priorities?