Four things you should know this morning

IT’S never too early to learn something new like do you know the new dog laws coming into affect next year and who were the Scottish women who shaped society?

The lives of incredible Scottish women

From scientists and athletes to singers and socialites, Scottish women have shaped the world we live in. One of those women was Mary Somerville. She found fame by translating scientific works into language that ordinary people could understand, and published a number of books herself on the science of mathematics and astronomy.

Mary Somerville and Caroline Herschel, sister of Sir Herschel, the astronomer who discovered Uranus, were the first women to be admitted to the Royal Astronomical Society, in 1835.

Indirectly Somerville became the first ‘scientist’, when William Whewell invented the term in a review of her 1834 tract ‘On the Connexion of the Sciences’.

Oxford University’s Somerville College is named after her.

What other great women are there?

20 per cent of Scots are unaware of new dog laws

A new microchipping law has highlighted how Scottish people are struggling to keep up with new legislation.

Dogs will have to be microchipped by law from April 6, 2016 - yet one third of dog owners in Scotland are still unprepared for the change.

New research from Dogs Trust has shown that 32 per cent of owners still don’t have their dogs microchipped.

Dog owners will soon have to ensure that their pets are chipped and keep the registered address details up to date.

Owners who do not microchip their dogs within 21 days of being served notice will be liable to pay a fine of up to £500.

What is the microchip?

GPS app tracks Scots using green energy routes

Scottish renewable energy tracks have helped cyclists and runners clock up more than 13,000 miles in less than four years – the distance from Glasgow to Sydney.

GPS app Strava data shows that Scots are clocking up the miles on tracks built for wind farms and hydro stations.

They’ve also climbed and descended more than 290 miles – the equivalent of conquering Mount Everest 54 times, or 358 ascents of Ben Nevis.

The statistics were collected from outdoors app Strava, and only include 82 tracks at 23 Scottish wind farm and hydro developments with significant levels of activity.

Where are the locations they’re using?

Campaign for princess funeral for five-year-old

An online campaign to give a five-year-old girl, who died of cancer, a funeral “fit for a princess” has been launched.

Michaela Hunter died on Boxing Day after battling a cancer that affected her brain and spinal cord. She slipped into a coma after suffering a rare form of cancer for the past three years. Now it is hoped £8,000 can be raised to give Michaela a send off “fit for a princess”.

Michaela’s mum Carol, from Dundee, said she was “humbled” by the backing the family has received.

She said: “I just want to thank everyone for the support they have shown.

“I just want to thank everyone, including Charlie Kean, who helped and supported us. It’s like a dream. It’s still not really set in.

“At least there’s no more pain for her now. She’s at peace.

“She was a happy, bubbly and brave girl — she was a fighter.”

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