The BLT Episode 9: Of Ice and Men
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.
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Mickey Mouse might be leaving the clubhouse
Disney’s beloved Mickey Mouse character was created in 1928. US copyright laws dictate that in 2024, after 95 years, Disney could be losing their exclusive rights to the fun-loving mouse as his copyright expires.
But before you include Mickey in your next cartoon, make sure you’ve got the right version. It’s the rat-like black and white Steamboat Willie version that is entering the public domain.
Mickey will be following Winnie the Pooh into the public domain. Who knows what his fate will be? Winnie, whose copyright expired in January, is already set to be the star of a dark new horror film “Blood and Honey,” in which he goes on a killing spree!
Mice cloned from skin cells
Speaking of copying mice, two mice have been cloned from freeze-dried cells that had been in storage for 9 months, and some even went on to have healthy babies. Though the process was inefficient and had a low success rate, conservations hope this technique can be developed in the future and used to revive dwindling populations of threatened species.
Adorable astronaut returns from space
In other rodent-related research, we’ve reached new heights.
A hamster ascended 23km into the second layer of Earth’s stratosphere in a balloon! Though some online have been calling the experiment cruel, KK Iwaya Giken – the company responsible – insists that the hamster was so cosy in its cabin that it snoozed for most of the journey. It landed in good health off the shore of Miyako Island in Japan.
The space-traveling hamster was used as a trial to pave the way for manned space-travel exploits. So, technically speaking, you could say the hamster was being used as a guinea pig.
‘Go Slow’ protesters take to the roads
Just like hamsters, fuel prices are on the rise. New records have been set this week. In protest, people have organised a “go-slow” protest across England, Wales, and Scotland. Mainly targeting three-lane motorways, convoys have been going at 30 miles per hour—the legal minimum—in the slower two lanes. At least 12 protesters were arrested on the M4 for going even slower.
The world’s first large-scale sand battery
Did you ever think sand could be used to heat our homes and businesses? When we think of green energy solutions, sand might not be the first that springs to mind.
Polar Night Energy, a Finnish start-up, is taking advantage of sand’s heat-storing properties. They have made the world’s first sand battery. It’s essentially a large steel container filled with hundreds of tonnes of sand. When it’s heated with wind or solar energy, it stays hot for months.
The battery is currently heating the Kankaanpää district of Finland, keeping homes and offices toasty.
You can see a video delving into the details here.
Drones speed up the delivery of chemo drugs
Another new tech innovation taking off this week is drug-delivering drones. By cutting four-hour journeys down to just 30 minutes, health providers hope this high-speed approach will solve issues related to the short shelf-life of many chemo drugs.
The good news was announced on the NHS’s birthday, too!
Bye Bye Boris?
Finally, of course, we had to mention what’s been happening in the UK government this week.
Following pressure to step down, along with a wave of over 50 resignations by Tory MPs and ministers, Boris Johnston has resigned as Conservative leader. But it’s not goodbye just yet; he remains in office as prime minister until his successor is appointed, which could conceiveably be months.
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