Old Tails for New Primates

An open letter to J.K. Rowling

whitehound — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:25:21 +0000

An open letter to JK Rowling from a friend of her late science teacher (i.e. me) explaining the complications of sexual development in the mammalian embryo and the various exciting ways it can go wrong, plus comments on the social effects of the Harry Potter books. Filed under both fiction and biology.

The post An open letter to J.K. Rowling appeared first on Old Tails for New Primates.

Fear and Loathing in Little Whinging

whitehound — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 20:56:46 +0000

A meditation on the links between story-telling, fanfiction, fanon and propaganda, with particular reference to the phenomenon of "Snape haters" in the Harry Potter fandom.

The post Fear and Loathing in Little Whinging appeared first on Old Tails for New Primates.

Update 3

whitehound — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 17:26:45 +0000

Latest update: addition of Patreon

The post Update 3 appeared first on Old Tails for New Primates.

In the Garden

whitehound — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 17:21:06 +0000

A reminiscence of the garden party held at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the NHS.

The post In the Garden appeared first on Old Tails for New Primates.

The Performance of a Lifetime: the many roles of Nicholas Stuart Gray

whitehound — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 02:22:45 +0000

A not-so-brief history of the actor, author and playwright Nicholas Stuart Gray. It's widely claimed that very little is known of his life: but it's amazing what you can find out if you know how to look.

The post The Performance of a Lifetime: the many roles of Nicholas Stuart Gray appeared first on Old Tails for New Primates.

Gunpowder Season

whitehound — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 19:57:29 +0000

A short meditation on the meaning of Bonfire Night.

The post Gunpowder Season appeared first on Old Tails for New Primates.

The Bees

whitehound — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 19:53:34 +0000

Thrilling action-adventure set in a believable, scientifically-accurate insect society.

The post The Bees appeared first on Old Tails for New Primates.

The First Fossil Hunters

whitehound — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 22:01:10 +0000

An interesting book which examines the history of palaeontology in Ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt: what fossils were uncovered and how the classical world reconstructed and interpreted them.

The post The First Fossil Hunters appeared first on Old Tails for New Primates.

Darwin is Just an Old, Dead White Guy

whitehound — Sun, 26 Jun 2022 01:02:21 +0000

Why the authoritativeness of the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection does not depend on Charles Darwin's authoritativeness as a person, and had already existed in some form for thousands of years. Early evolutionary thought, and the interplay between Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace.

The post Darwin is Just an Old, Dead White Guy appeared first on Old Tails for New Primates.

The Early Church Fathers on Biblical Literalism: a resource

whitehound — Fri, 27 May 2022 01:55:32 +0000

Quotes showing the strong opposition to Biblical literalism by some of the most important founders of early Christianity.

The post The Early Church Fathers on Biblical Literalism: a resource appeared first on Old Tails for New Primates.