Stuff that occurs to me

All of my 'how to' posts are tagged here. The most popular posts are about blocking and private accounts on Twitter, also the science communication jobs list. None of the science or medical information I might post to this blog should be taken as medical advice (I'm not medically trained).

Think of this blog as a sort of nursery for my half-baked ideas hence 'stuff that occurs to me'.

Contact: @JoBrodie Email: jo DOT brodie AT gmail DOT com

Science in London: The 2018/19 scientific society talks in London blog post

Tuesday 10 November 2015

Things about cows that have amused me

This is a stub...

This was never intended to be thematic (see my equipedia 'Things about horses that have amused me') but while searching my own tweets for an article I read on cows in Switzerland I realise I've tweeted or retweeted enough entertaining articles on cows to create a post for them.

What do cows think about? (~November 2013)
https://www.quora.com/What-do-cows-think-about
Tim Zweber's answer is delightful. A later answer also included the video embedded below.

Cows might fly: what Swiss flying cows tell us about the environmental future (17 December 2013)
http://aeon.co/magazine/science/what-swiss-flying-cows-tell-us-about-the-environmental-future/
"When the land is all filled up, it’s time to get creative with it, as small countries like Switzerland already know"
Due to changes in Swiss agricultural policy affecting payments that could be made to farmers the Government tried a different tactic and instead paid farmers for their guardianship of the land and cows.

"[They are] paid for, among other things, keeping the mountain pastures clear of trees, keeping the forests clear of the cows, and keeping the water clean. They would be paid for keeping land in agriculture, for treating their animals well, and for maintaining the social structure in rural areas. It is a way of thinking about the use of the land that environmental scholars and policymakers call ‘payments for ecosystem services’. In essence, the Swiss government rewards farmers for the maintenance of the landscape — both environmental and cultural."

Ninety flatulent cows start fire at dairy farm in Germany (28 January 2014)
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ninety-flatulent-cows-start-fire-at-dairy-farm-in-germany-9089801.html

Cows chasing a small radio-controlled car


How not to get killed by a cow (2 February 2016) Inkfish
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/inkfish/2016/02/02/how-not-to-get-killed-by-a-cow/
"Murderous cattle are an understudied phenomenon" so the authors of a scientific study had a look at newspaper reports of walkers killed or injured by cows over a 22 year period (1993 to 2015) to see what patterns might emerge, and they also looked for information on "best practice for walking among cattle". Cows, particularly those with young calves, can feel threatened by humans but particularly by dogs. If your dog spooks cattle and they start charging don't pick your dog up or they'll attack you, let go of the dog's leash and let it run away.

Cow walks on wild side with Polish bison (24 January 2018) BBC News
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-42803471
A cow ups and leaves her own herd and heads off with some bison, in Poland.

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Things about horses that have amused me

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