Author Archives: borderslynn

About borderslynn

Retired, living in the Scottish Borders after living most of my life in cities in England. I can now indulge my interest in all aspects of living close to nature in a wild landscape. I live on what was once the Iapetus Ocean which took millions of years to travel from the Southern Hemisphere to here in the Northern Hemisphere. That set me thinking and questioning and seeking answers. In 1998 I co-wrote Millennium Countdown (US)/ A Business Guide to the Year 2000 (UK) see https://www.abebooks.co.uk/products/isbn/9780749427917

Significance of horses and humankind

Posted on May 11, 2020 by borderslynn

Horses, of the family Equidae, evolved over a geologic timescale of 50 million years. The horse belongs to the order Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates), the members of which all share hooved feet and an odd number of toes on each foot, … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropocene | Tagged american zebra, arab stallion, brontotheres, domestication of, donkey, equine, equus, horses, iberian peninsula, Moors, New World, the andalusian | Leave a comment

Camels of Asia originated in North America

Posted on April 22, 2020 by borderslynn

The landmass, which is now known as North America, evolved to something like its current “incarnation less than 200 million years ago. Before then, the continent was called Laurentia on its journey back and forth across the equator, as it … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropocene | Tagged alpaca, asia, camel, camelidae, Chile, inca, llama, Mexico, North America, Peru, South America, spanish conquest | Leave a comment

Iridium and Outer Space: harnessing the elements for the advantaged

Posted on February 21, 2020 by borderslynn

The element iridium is more likely to be found in Solar System asteroids than in the Earth’s crust. Yet a Yorkshire, England, chemist identified the element in 1803. He found it in the residues from the solution of platinum ores. … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropocene | Tagged asterioids, cheap labour, iridium, mining, palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium and osmium, South Africa, South America, technology | Leave a comment

The 19th century European Curse across Africa: Part Two

Posted on December 26, 2019 by borderslynn

To understand the influence of a little country (Belgium) over another 80 times as big as it, (the Congo in Africa) I had to read the history. Coming from Britain, I knew too well of our tiny size but the … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropocene | Tagged Alice Seeley Harris, Belgium, Britain, Congo, european colonisation of africa, germany, land grabs, Leopold II, oppression, slavery, white supremacy | Leave a comment

The 19th century European Curse across Africa: Part One

Posted on December 26, 2019 by borderslynn

Image of Tutsi with long horned cattle In my earlier blog tracing the descendants of Aurochs, I came across the above intriguing photograph. This theme of this and the next blog is due my educating myself about the people with … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropocene | Tagged Africa, ancient people, Belgium, Central Africa, genetics, Great Rift Valley, Kenya, Maasai, Rubber, Rwanda, Tutsi, Watusi | Leave a comment

Lake Victoria, Africa : the Largest Tropical Lake in the World

Posted on December 14, 2019 by borderslynn

Those of us who live in the UK are familiar with the image of Ireland and its relative size compared to the size of the joined lands of Scotland, England and Wales. Image of the British Isles In Africa, the … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropocene | Tagged Africa, climate change, dams, hydroelectricity, lake victoria, right to clean water, river nile, tropical lake, water abundance, water shortages, white nile | 1 Comment

The Significance of Aurochs

Posted on October 17, 2019 by borderslynn

During the Pliocene, the colder climate caused an extension of open grassland, which led to the evolution of large grazers, such as wild bovines. Bos acutifrons is an extinct species of cattle that has been suggested as an ancestor for … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropocene | Tagged Africa, aurochs, cave paintings, China, Eurasia, Europe, herds, India, long horned cattle, megafauna, rock art, steppe bison, wisent, zebu | 1 Comment

Today’s Hunter Gatherers of Latin America and Africa: part 2

Posted on September 14, 2019 by borderslynn

“The Yungas (Aymara yunka warm or temperate Andes or earth, Quechua language meaning yunka warm area on the slopes of the Andes) is a narrow band of forest along the eastern slope of the Andes Mountains from Peru, Bolivia, and … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropocene | Tagged Africa, african wildlife, Argentina, cameroon, chaco, deforestation, killing indigenous life, landowners, llama, mining, palm oil, poverty, tribal living | Leave a comment

Today’s Hunter Gatherers of Latin America and Africa: part 1

Posted on September 7, 2019 by borderslynn

For thousands of years to the present day we can still witness the struggle of those whose indigenous ancestors passed to them the spirit of determination to preserve their landscape and not leave a carbon footprint, nor any kind of … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropocene | Tagged Argentina, Congo Basin, deforestation, DR Congo, exploitation, forest people, hunter-gatherers, iguasu, mining, rainforest, violence | Leave a comment

When we came home to our birthplace we thought we were superior beings

Posted on July 18, 2019 by borderslynn

As referred to in some of my previous blogs, the supercontinent which has been named Gondwana existed from the Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) until the Jurassic (about 180 million years ago). The remnants of Gondwana make up about … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropocene | Tagged ancient history, botswana, diamonds, gold, kalahari, mining, music, namibia, san bush people, South Africa, southern africa | 1 Comment

Author Archives: borderslynn

About borderslynn

Where did we come from? Where are we going?