Isaac Asimov’s Thiotimoline
Thiotimoline is a fictitious chemical compound conceived by American biochemist and science fiction author Isaac Asimov. Isaac Asimov (1920 ā 1992) was an American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime,
The Garden of Earthly Delights, Ā Hieronymus Bosch
The Garden of Earthly Delights is the modern title[a] given to a triptych oil painting on oak panel painted by the Early Netherlandish master Hieronymus Bosch, between 1490 and 1510, when Bosch was between 40 and 60 years old. It has been h
The Goldfinch in art
The goldfinch is a widespread and common seed-eating bird in Europe, North Africa, and western and central Asia. As a colourful species with a pleasant twittering song, and an associated belief that it brought health and good fortune, it had been domesticated for at least 2,000 years.
Goldfinch in art
The bird that repeatedly, almost obsessively, turns up in Renaissance religious painting is the European GoldfinchĀ Carduelis carduelis, almost always in the hands of the Infant Jesus, and symbolising variously the soul, resurrection, sacrifice and death, but with a particular further dimension of m
Thistle tubes, thistle feeders, distelfinks and goldfinches
A thistle tube is a piece of laboratory glassware consisting of a shaft of tube, with a reservoir and funnel-like section at the top. Thistle tubes are typically used by chemists to add liquid to an existing system or apparatus. Thistle funnels are used t
SanxingduiĀ (‘Three StarĀ Mound’)
Sanxingdui (Chinese: äøęå ; pinyin: SÄnxÄ«ngduÄ«; lit. ‘Three Star Mound‘) is an archaeological site and a major Bronze Age culture in modern Guanghan, Sichuan, China. Largely discovered in 1986, following a preli
Lazarus of Bethany aka Righteous Lazarus, the Four-Days Dead
Lazarus of BethanyĀ (Latinised fromĀ Lazar, ultimately fromĀ HebrewĀ Eleazar, “God helped”), also venerated asĀ Righteous Lazarus, the Four-Days DeadĀ in theĀ Eastern Orthodox Church,Ā is the subject of aĀ signĀ ofĀ JesusĀ in theĀ Gospel of John, in which Jesus restores him to life four
PlutusĀ is anĀ Ancient Greek comedy 388 BCE
Plutus Written by Aristophanes Chorus Rustics Characters ChremylosCario(n)PlutusPeniaHermes Mute mutual Date premiered 388 BCE Original language Ancient Greek Genre Ancient Greek comedyPolitical satire Setting Classical Athens PlutusĀ is anĀ Ancient Greek comedyĀ by the playwrightĀ Aristophanes, whi
Pluteus (sculpture)
In architecture and sculpture, a pluteus (plural plutei) is a balustrade made up of massive rectangular slabs of wood, stone or metal, which divides part of a building in half; in a church they fulfil the same function as an iconostasis or rood screen, se
TiresiasĀ was a blindĀ prophet who was transformed into a woman for seven years
In Greek mythology, Tiresias was a blind prophet of Apollo in Thebes, famous for clairvoyance and for being transformed into a woman for seven years. He was the son of the shepherd Everes and the nymph Chariclo. Tiresias part
Daedalus (Greek mythology)
InĀ Greek mythology,Ā DaedalusĀ (Greek: ĪĪ±ĪÆĪ“Ī±Ī»ĪæĻ;Ā Latin:Ā Daedalus;Ā Etruscan:Ā Taitale) was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. He is the father ofĀ Icarus, the uncle ofĀ Perdix, and possibly also the father ofĀ Iapyx. Among his most famous
Lagniappe, “a word worth traveling to New Orleans to get”
AĀ lagniappe is “a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase” (such as aĀ 13th doughnut on purchase of a dozen), or more broadly, “something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure.”Ā It can be used more generally as meaning any e
Car of History chariot clock features a life size statue of Clio, the muse of history
AĀ chariot clockĀ is a type ofĀ mantel/table figuralĀ clockĀ in the form of aĀ chariotĀ whose dial is set into the wheel or elsewhere, its origins date back to the second half of the 16th century southern Germany.Ā Normally of classical mythology subject matter, it has been made in different periods
Atlantes (architecture)
In EuropeanĀ architectural sculpture, anĀ atlasĀ (also known as anĀ atlant, orĀ atlanteĀ orĀ atlantid; pluralĀ atlantes)Ā is a support sculpted in the form of a man, which may take the place of aĀ column, aĀ pierĀ or aĀ pilaster. The Roman term for such a sculptural support isĀ telamonĀ (plural tela
Terms, not to be confused with Herms…sometimes (architecture)
InĀ Classical architectureĀ and in art aĀ termĀ orĀ terminal figureĀ (plural:Ā termsĀ orĀ termini) is a human head and bust that continues down as a square tapering pillar-like form. It is usually distinguished from aĀ herm, which has a head and shoulders only,Ā but the two words may be used rather
Klaatu, a fictional alien appearing inĀ Marvel Comics, is a member of the extraterrestrial race called the Herm
TheĀ HermsĀ are a race ofĀ whale-like creatures with yellow-white skin that can absorb all manner of electromagnetic energy for strength and substance, which can also allow them to briefly transform into beings of pure energy; they can apparently travel through intergalactic space in energy form.Ā K