The BLT Episode 13: Meat the Ancestors
Beginning with a moral dilemma, this week’s BLT touches on some ham-related scandals, the future of tattoos, and some of the lesser-known, more bizarre implications of our warming world.
Do you have some news that’s perfect for the BLT that we’ve missed? Tell us, and find out more about how we work by getting in contact today!
Ever wondered what mammoth meat tastes like?
After roughly a 3900-year hiatus, the woolly mammoth may be due a return! This is the goal of Texas-based, Colossal Biosciences, which will genetically edit Asian elephants using DNA salvaged from mammoths. The return of mammoths could be very good news for Arctic environments and their ability to capture carbon.
That’s not why they’ve made the news this week, however. This week the question of whether or not we should eat these restored relics has come up. Some people are keener than others, and some benefits have been suggested. Would you eat mammoth meat?
The mystery of the missing hams
The law catches up with all of us. 7000 hams and €520,000 (£439,000) later, it finally caught up with one man from Huelva, Spain. For six years, he had been stealing hams from his employer, including the precious jamón de jabugo, and this week he was sentenced to jail time and the repayment of €529,900 to his former employer.
Can you tell your stars from your sausages?
Have you ever seen an animal in a cloud? What about a star in some chorizo? This week more than 91,000 followers of celebrated physicist, Étienne Klein, saw just that when he tweeted a photo he claimed was the star Proxima Centauri, taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. It was actually a photo of some chorizo. When Klein admitted it was a prank, it’s fair to say that some followers were less than impressed.
Nice tattoo, what does it mean?
All the best tattoos have layers of meaning and design, but a new tattoo using nano technology takes this to another level. Created by researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, the tattoo is made from liquid metal and carbon nanotubes and acts as a bioelectrode. It can transmit vital signs like heart rate and glucose readings.
The curious case of the sun and the sea turtles
Climate change threatens every part of our planet, from the icecaps to the delicate processes that make life what it is. We were made aware of yet another knock-on effect this week, by findings that show that due to hotter sand temperatures, most sea turtles in Florida are being born female. This is due to the way temperature affects sea turtle gender development, and is concerning scientists.
Lizards are losing years
The sun is also causing problems for lizards in the south of France. The south of France is heating fast, causing dangers such as wildfires. This is bad news for the viviparous lizard. The high temperatures are damaging their DNA while in the egg, meaning the lizards are being born old; their DNA is already damaged.
A Tribute to Raymond Briggs
Did you spot the snowman “working on the air (conditioning)”? This was our nod to the Snowman, a perennial favourite picture-book-turned-film that was a staple in the childhoods of many. Briggs, the writer and illustrator behind The Snowman, Fungus the Bogeyman, Father Christmas and more, died on Tuesday morning, leaving behind a magnificent legacy.
We love using visual thinking and visual storytelling to create connected and layered whiteboard animations like this. We’d love to talk to you about how your message could look as a whiteboard animation, contact us today!
A lot can change in 102 years and this BLT delves into some of the odder differences between those innocent days of 1921 and … now.
We all want to feel special. But this week’s news has us wondering if the lines separating humans from animals, and even machines, are increasingly blurring.
From Peru to China to Australia, here are the offbeat news stories that made it into our latest BLT.
As Bob Dylan said, ‘these times, they are a-changing’. This week, we’ve taken a look at the impacts of changes in the publishing climate and the planetary climate.
As Bob Dylan said, ‘these times, they are a-changing’. This week, we’ve taken a look at the impacts of changes in the publishing climate and the planetary climate.
From treasure to tragedy, art to the amoral, we’ve crammed a lot into this week’s BLT. It’s a sandwich Scooby Doo and Shaggy would be proud of.
We are back with more fresh cuts and unlikely combinations that take us from pest control all the way to the potential resurrection of the dodo!
A puzzling week indeed. If our BLT left you bewildered or whet your appetite for more detail about the week's stories, this blog is for you.
Your visual news sandwich is back. This week it includes the Public Order Bill, an increase in Satanism members and energy bills.
Get your wet suit on and join us as we take a dive through through the stories and easter eggs in this weeks BLT!
2023: Back to porridge, back to the commute, back to the gym (if you're so inclined), and back to the BLT.
This week’s BLT reimagines the poster for Apocalypse Now, replacing Colonel Walter Kurtz with a crying dog. To find out how it all connects to the real world, read on.
The news this week has given us plenty to get our teeth into. From cat cameos to magnetic slime, all with unexpected links and crossovers.
Beginning with a moral dilemma, this week’s BLT touches on some ham-related scandals, the future of tattoos, and some of the lesser-known, more bizarre implications of our warming world.
Surprise surprise, animals featured heavily in this week’s BLT: from those caught up to no good to those that help maintain law and order.
Things got heated this week in more than one sense. Let’s unpack some of this week’s news stories and curiosities, plated up and delivered hot off the press in this week’s BLT.
There are a few things certain in this life. The classics include death and taxes, but if this week is anything to go by we can discoveries and consequences.
The BLT often includes animal content, and this episode is no exception, as we weave through the news stories that piqued our interest this week
This week’s episode takes us from old English woods to orbiting satellites as we tune in to the natural world’s response to climate change and create ways to reduce pollution and live more sustainably.
Of course, this week's BLT had to be themed around Glastonbury festival as it kicks off for the first time in 3 years.
Read on for more details about the festival and the other hot topics that made it into the BLT.
It’s been an exciting week for discoveries! Some have brought hope and sadly, some have reminded us of the impact we are having on this marvellous planet we call home. There have been a few losses this week, however.
Our national treasure, Sir David Attenborough has been knighted for the second time! We take a look at some positive climate updates in his honour.
It’s not every week that there is a Platinum Jubilee! We’ve chosen to focus this week’s BLT on Her Majesty, looking into some of the curiosities of the crown.
This week we tackle the virtual and the real, taking you below the sea and back to dry land.
Your weekly sandwich of visual news. This week it features other universes, Elon Music, mutant bacteria, pink pigeons and much much more.
The BLT combines our passion for visual thinking, the week’s news and our creative team to create a delicious visual treat for your feed every week!
Have you ever been in a meeting where you could just feel your team's energy slipping away? Sometimes meetings drag on, and fresh ideas are as rare as a decent cup of tea, well, in the whole of America!
This peculiar proportion, approximately 1.618, has been lurking in the shadows of human creativity for millennia, like a mathematical James Bond, seducing architects, artists, and designers with its promise of perfection.
Have you ever been in a meeting where you could just feel your team's energy slipping away? Sometimes meetings drag on, and fresh ideas are as rare as a decent cup of tea, well, in the whole of America!
Why do we see faces in clouds, cars with expressions, or even attribute human emotions to our household appliances (admit it, your Henry Hoover has feelings)? The answer lies in the ancient concept of anthropomorphism—a principle as old as humanity itself, born from our inherent need to understand and relate to the world around us by projecting our own characteristics onto it.
Picture this: You walk into a diner with a menu the size of a small novel. You’re hungry, but now you’re stuck—overwhelmed by choice, paralysed by indecision. Welcome to Hick’s Law in action, a psychological principle that’s been quietly dictating human behaviour since the 1950s...
We’ve all been there, haven’t we? That frantic rush, always trying to keep up with the latest trend. Blink, and it’s gone—again. It’s like standing on a moving walkway, but it’s speeding up, and you’re dragging along a suitcase packed full of never-ending to-do lists.
Understanding the Scaling Fallacy isn't just for philosophers or over-caffeinated academics. It's vital for anyone who wants to make an impact with their ideas, especially in creative fields where size does not always equate to success.
Here’s the thing—staying in your comfort zone isn’t just boring; it’s risky. You know what they say: “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.”
Performance Load teaches us that less truly is more. Visual thinking is about distilling complexity into clarity, turning a tangled web of ideas into a neat, navigable roadmap.
You know that feeling when you’ve just nailed a quick win? The rush, the thrill, the sense of accomplishment—it’s like a hit of dopamine, making you feel like you’re on top of the world. But here’s the thing no one tells you...
Ever heard of the phrase, ‘necessity is the mother of invention’? Turns out, constraint is its often-overlooked sibling—perhaps the unsung hero of creativity.
Ignoring burnout doesn't just impact outcomes; it gradually wears down the very essence of team connection and effectiveness. But here's the encouraging part: there's a way forward that is both within reach and within our control.
In the chaotic symphony of modern life, where every ping and notification competes for our limited attention, the concept of ‘signal to noise’ has never been more relevant. But before it became the buzzword of the digital age, it had its origins in the dry and dusty world of early telecommunications.
It is more than just rounding off; it is a psychological experience where the brain concludes what remains hanging in the balance.
Have you ever wondered why certain stories just hit us in a different way? Chances are, you're in the grasp of something archetypal; those universal, almost sneaky patterns of theme and form that are hardwired into our very being.
When we design, whether that be a piece of graphic design, a software integration or a whiteboard animation, we should strive to minimise errors and make them easy to correct.
Today, I want to explore a theme that is as ancient as it is perpetually relevant, failure. It’s a concept that shapes our very DNA, prompting where we go, helping us grow in our personal and our professional lives.
Bridge the knowledge gap by exploring the role of advanced organisers in visual thinking and comms.
It gives us great pleasure to have you join me for this issue, as we explore the fascinating and always relevant subject of "The Medium is the Message."
This week's theme is a topic that is close to my heart: visual metaphors. Visual metaphors are at the core of visual thinking, and I'm excited to investigate them with you in this issue.
Mind mapping is a powerful tool for visual thinking that can transform the way you organise information, brainstorm ideas, and enhance creativity.
When done well, the ingredients in an explainer video combine to create powerful animations that inform, entertain, inspire and stay with viewers. In this post, we look at how they are made.
Explainer videos take your vision, message and story and transform them into a feast of storytelling, visual thinking and inspiring communication. This feast is served in the perfect way to capture your complexity and depth, and serve it up to your audience.
When it comes to your brand, video offers a whole range of ways to feature your brand both subtly and more directly.
Whiteboard videos can be a powerful way of telling your story, but their effectiveness very much depends on their quality. When picking the right whiteboard video production company, there are some essential steps and considerations.
In today’s digital era, explainer videos have become indispensable tools for businesses, educators, and creatives to convey complex ideas in a clear and engaging manner. These videos, whether animated or utilizing techniques like whiteboard animation, captivate audiences and simplify intricate concepts.
As visual aids go, whiteboards are like old friends. Whiteboard videos have developed from them, making ideas and messages understandable, clear, engaging and memorable.
In today's digital era, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to engage their audience and effectively communicate their messages. One such powerful tool that has gained popularity is whiteboard animation videos.
We’ll explore the captivating world of animation and how it unleashes the power of storytelling. Join us as we delve into the mesmerising world of animation and uncover the magic that lies within its animated tales.
In a world inundated with news and information, it's becoming increasingly difficult to separate fact from fiction. That's where BBC Explainers come in. With a commitment to demystifying complex topics, the BBC uses We Are Cognitive explainer videos to provide a deeper understanding of the world we live in.
Give us the week’s offbeat news stories, and we’ll sum them up in an image, bringing them into the same universe.