Open Thread - Thurs 11 Apr 2024 - Domesticated Foxes!
Domesticated Foxes!
A couple days ago an article appeared on the BBC website about archaeological finds from South America which showed an extinct species of fox buried with human remains. Cool! But the article was very misleading, in that it seems to imply that foxes were domesticated before dogs. Here's the lead: 'Our ancestors may have kept foxes as pets long before domestic dogs came on the scene.'
Another article in the Daily Mail implies the same thing, that early man's 'best friend was the fox'. The problem is neither article states, at least in the headline, where 'early' man, or 'our ancestors' were from and how old 'early' is. The burial is from 1500 years ago. Dogs were domesticated tens of thousands, if not more, years before that. Of course, in that region of South America (Patagonia), foxes seem to have been domesticated before the arrival (to that area) of domesticated dogs, but, neither article says that.
An image of the extinct fox, from the New York Times.
I went searching and found an article in the Guardian and another in the New York Times (good article) about the same topic which are much, much better and do say that the burial of this fox predates the arrival of the domesticated dog in Patagonia (which was around 700-900 years ago). All the articles talk about the possible domestication of this fox species. And that, as I said above, is very cool!
The fox bones were found with human bones at the pre-Hispanic burial site of Cañada Seca, Argentina. The bones were recently given a DNA analysis and found to belong to Dusicyon Avus, a species of fox that 'was about the size of a German shepherd, and became extinct about 500 years ago' (quote from the Guardian article). The state and condition, and radio-carbon dating, of the bones indicate that the fox was buried at the same time and with ceremony along with the humans interred in the cemetery. Analysis showed that the fox had a diet similar to the humans, eating plants, perhaps even maize.
So foxes may have been kept as pets and were part of the humans' social group (like dogs), or had ceremonial value (like dogs), or both. It's awesome!
Thanks for reading! Here's the open thread - and remember, everything is interesting if you dive deep enough, so tell us about where you're diving!
Comments
Hope it's a great Thursday!
Hello, hello! Hope Thursday is doing good for everyone. For me, it's better than the past week. I developed an infection around one of my wisdom/molars in the very back of my mouth, over the weekend. And my goodness, it hurts! So last week I've been really out of it. Got an emergency visit to the dentist yesterday, late afternoon. She was able to diagnose an infection and got me antibiotics. So, that is helping already. And, I'm on ibuprofen and tylenol for pain killing, and that's working too. Finally able to get some sleep. Pheww. The pain for this infection has been worse than the pain I felt when I broke my ankle. It's nuts!
Anyway, enough of that. Post all the good, and bad, and interesting things that have been going on below. I'm gonna be reading that, and going through the backlog of unread blog posts that I've developed.
Have a great Thursday, Friday and weekend, everyone!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Good morning, sima!
Glad your infection is better.
I have a contested custody of children trial this morning, then another this afternoon. I expect to be out of town and out of picket all day.
I am hoping some commenters will post news about Russia bombing the hell out of Ukraine. My hope is the attrition of the Ukies does not continue.
The funding of proxy wars by the US is shameful beyond words.
If humans can live happily with foxes, we can live happily with Russia.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Hope all the days' work goes ...
smoothly. And yes, we can live happily with Russia! And we should. Heck, I live happily with slugs, rabbits, voles, mice, misquitos, flies, dogs, cats, goats, foxes, coyotes (now that I do the patrol), eagles, crows, ravens, songbirds... yea. We can live happily with Russia!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Iodine on a Q-tip
-
around the tooth / gum area where the infection occurs helps.
Antibiotics take longer. Good luck.
question everything
I'm gonna try that...
The dentist prescribed Amoxicillin. I've taken it, I think, 3 times and it's working. The pain relievers (ibuprofen and tylenol) are working too. But I think that's because I never take them, well, not up until now. So they are 'potent' because my body isn't used to them.
I have an amazing amount of swelling in my jaw now. I'm going to see if the iodine helps!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Opps made a double by mistake
Ignore this one! Typo!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Hi Sima, second QMS. There are other home remedies:
Logol's Iodine; sea salt water diluted to taste of ocean; Colloidal Silver; Aloe Vera juice; medicinal 3% Hydrogen peroxide.
We have found for internal as well as topical infections, these are surprisingly effective. Some experimentation will help find the best combination. We find using more than one is often the best approach.
Most of these are available (here in Europe) in bio stores (parapharmacies) or mail order.
So empathize with your pain and hope that you can get this under control fast.
If you are taking western antibiotics, take Kefir for the probiotics to restore gut health. Also Saccramyces boulardii for lower gut. Keeping the biome healthy will help overall.
Bonne courage, bon chance.
A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.
Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.
Hey Dawn second your homegrown remedies
-
-
forgot to mention the importance of swishing out the mouth
with water after applying Iodine. Don't want to swallow too much
of that medicine. As a general mouth hygiene treatment, an
occasional diluted Iodine gargle and swish is helpful to gums.
Seawater strength mouthwash or light Peroxide mix are good
if you can't handle the strong stuff.
Cheers!
question everything
Great advice!
I'm gonna swish out the iodine with water, as you said. After eating this probiotic yogurt
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Am eating yogurt right now...
for probiotics. We have raw milk, so going to drink that too for the probiotics. I wish it were goat milk, but haven't bred the goats in a few years
I slept all day, and I mean all day, from like 5 am when I was finally able to fall sleep (the pain meds started working), to 5 pm. Woke up, pain has localized but my lower jaw under the tooth is hugely swollen. So, gonna try iodine on a q-tip and maybe hydrogen peroxide. Lots of rinsing with water after!
Thank you for all the good advice. I hope you are having a good day/week/month... heh, everything
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
I have gotten into the habit of starting my day by scanning the
newswires to see how they attempt to distort reality. The info they produce gets picked up by the MSM and is spread to the gullible public.
A few excerpts that caught my attention that left me SMH.
I will post them without comment but they surely are in an alternate reality.
AFP
AP
Reuters
No longer bother with MSM garbage
-
it is enlightening to see how very far
they have fallen off the cliff of reality.
Thanks.
question everything
Zelensky is RARELY in his own country
How anyone can say that he takes rare trips abroad is beyond me.
OJ has died. Boy he sure got lucky with his trial didn’t he? Fitting the gloves was a joke. And the white bronco chaser. Brings back memories.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
This was my first thought...
Zehlooniezky is seldom in his home country. Doesn't he have a villa or something in Italy and... well, he visits other countries all the time, as we plebs have to hear.
Didn't know OJ died. Not gonna say I'm sorry, I gotta admit.
Have a great Friday and weekend! Ohh, as a real OT question, do you use a harness when you walk Sam? If so, what kind? Yes, I'm planning gear for our new puppy (puppies even)... Jaska sez it's very important.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
I have a training collar for Sam
She was pushing her boundaries when I told her to stay and it took only once for her to understand the message. Now when she gets too far away from me I just have to "ring her doorbell."
I always thought they were cruel, but I’d highly suggest one. It’s one reason why we get so walk off leash at the cemetery. If I need to leash her I just use a leash. And she doesn’t pull me, but jumps straight up when she is connected. People crack up when they see her doing that. I can easily hurt my back if Sam pulls too hard on a leash. Or fall because the cane is on the other side. When I train puppies to walk with me I let their leash drag on the ground and I can catch them easily if they take off. 5 dawgs later and it seems to be a good system.
What type of dawg are you getting? I suggest a beagle.
My favorite dawg and boy did Schultz nail the attitude. I spent 2 lonely months before I got Sam. First time in 40 years I didn’t have a dawg.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
I had to look them up...
Training collars came into being a bit after Jaska was a pup, I think. But I found a review of a bunch of them on Chewy, so I'm looking at them. I used a no-pull harness for Jaska when she was a puppy. It worked really good. She was so energetic she would run up the walls in the house, so the no-pull was very necessary. She was also very smart like Sam, and learned quickly not to pull.
As for kind of dog, I'm getting another Finnish Spitz, although I have considered other breeds like beagles! I actually have a puppy in mind, he's under two weeks old right now though, so we'll see. I couldn't be without a dog, just can't do it. Like you, two months without a dog is too long. It's been 30 years of having two Finnish Spitz's so far, and 12 years before that of having a Samoyed. I figure I'll add another 14-15 years with this last Finnish Spitz and then I'll get a rescue dog. I miss Jaska so very, very much, but I am looking forward to getting the new pup. Jaska would highly approve, I know that. She loved other dogs.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
I know that you miss Jaska
The worst part of having a dawg is losing them, but for me what they bring to my life is worth it. I’ve been lucky knowing that I’d be losing them soon and appreciated the extra time I had with them. But Charlie was gone in 2 days and it took only one to know she was leaving. But her spirit stayed with me for weeks. She was still sitting on the couch and coming into the bathroom with me…such a gift. Walking with the ghost dawgs was the hardest. We had covered every inch of the cemetery.
BTW it’s not one filled with above ground headstones, but just the plaque type ones and it looks like a park. And there are rarely any people there. If there’s a funeral I stay out of line at site. And it’s the owner who gave me permission to walk there off leash. Just so people don’t get the wrong idea.
Hopefully you can get the puppy soon. Such joy a puppy brings. But boy they grow up too damn fast. Charlie was the best minded beagle because she took her cues from Abby and she rarely wandered off like most beagles do. Well except for the times she escaped from the yard. You really have to know what you’re getting into with beagles. Very stubborn.
I was looking at Sam’s puppy pictures…
Find time we met and first day home
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
These were funny!
Thank you! I have noticed such strange takes on the news in my local news, mostly about stuff the cops or TPTB do. The propaganda is rampant and unending, isn't it?
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Actual good news
wow!
To quote Al Capp's Lil' Abner:
Or maybe it was Walt Kelly's Pogo. I slept since then...
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Yes, that is actual good news...
Makes me happy to hear it, thanks for posting it. I was not expecting Congress to do the right thing. But then, it seldom does. It's weird saying, 'Go Matt (Gaetz)' for once.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Even though I am fundamentally against the death penalty I
might make an exception if this was adopted to those who have been getting away with screwing the public and merely getting a soft slap on the wrist.
https://www.barrons.com/news/vietnam-property-tycoon-sentenced-to-death-...
Wow, they gave her the death penalty...
Considering the amount she swindled and robbed, it makes sense. And yea, the death penalty, or even long sentences in prison, would be more acceptable if they were applied evenly, across all economic strata.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Hola Sima, best of luck with the teeth.
Having teething problems myself, but not tooth related. Consolidating assorted commware providers and neworks is turning into a major project which has taken the better part of 2 days so far. A PITA, but not real pain, like tooth pain, so I'm lucky.
get well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
That definitely sounds like a PITA
Heh, and I think I'm doing good code-wise if I update a website to be more 'modern' or remember how to run a unix/linux program from 20 years ago. Hah.
The tooth pain is being held back by the pain meds, finally. So I feel 'better' except for the hugely swollen jaw under the tooth and any biting or pressing. Still, it's better than yesterday. I hope the coding pain passes into success and feeling accomplished soon!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Trials scheduled were postponed
because the court reporter could not get out of her subdivision/gated community. The entire subdivision is without power, and the gate will not open.
Still, I worked out a little agreement with opposing counsel this morning, was present for an announcement in the afternoon.
The drive back and forth was actually beautiful with wildflowers blooming alongside the road. Very low traffic.
For the downside of being in the country, there is always an upside.
My secretary likely got food poisoning at a local diner. I finally had a "discussion" with the pompous old woman who specifically takes her dog walking in my office parking lot to take a shit, and leave it. I must research the elder abuse crimes listed in the Criminal codes. If a 71 yr old bitch slaps a 72 yr old bitch, is that elder abuse or defense of property as allowed and defined in our Castle Doctrine?
What a damn day!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Sounds like the drive was good...
That's crazy, why the trials were postponed. Just crazy. I think the gated community needs to have some solar power and/or battery backup on the gate! Yeesh.
As for the dog pooing in your parking lot... what the heck? I mean, when I took Jaska for a walk, I always, ALWAYS had at least 3 or 4 poo bags. I only ever needed them about 3 times in her entire life (she preferred pooing in the fields at home). I double bagged the literal crap and carried it while we finished our walk. Then I dropped it in the trash can. This is not a hard thing to do, and it's not that awful, it's just life. I'd be shouting at the old lady, at least. And I don't know, maybe I'd start dumping all the poo on her property, if she has any... heh, or at her doorstep? Hah. Bet that's not abuse like a slap might be? (Slap is warranted too).
Ok, have a good Friday and weekend, at least!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
As her poodle mix peed on my property, and she was
on my property, reserved for me and city use, on only, ...
My property rights are encumbered the city for transportation, not dog shit.
Bitch. If male, Bastard. If other, No good people!
Nobody, I mean NOBODY, will shit on my property, themselves or their surrogates.
I HAVE LITIGATED PROPERTY LINES AND EASEMENTS FOR DECADES.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981