If so, you might enjoy bagÂging some of the Pokeverse’s real world counÂterÂparts using Seek, iNaturalist’s new phoÂto-idenÂtiÂfiÂcaÂtion app. It does for the natÂurÂal world what ShazÂam does for music.
Aim your phone’s camÂera at a nonÂdeÂscript leaf or the grasshopÂper-ish-lookÂing creaÂture who’s camped on your porch light. With a bit of luck, Seek will pull up the relÂeÂvant Wikipedia entry to help the two of you get betÂter acquaintÂed.
RegÂisÂtered users can pin their finds to their perÂsonÂal colÂlecÂtions, proÂvidÂed the app’s recogÂniÂtion techÂnolÂoÂgy proÂduces a match.
(SevÂerÂal earÂly adopters sugÂgest it’s still a few houseÂplants shy of true funcÂtionÂalÂiÂty…)
Seek’s proÂtecÂtive stance with regard to priÂvaÂcy setÂtings is well suitÂed to junior specÂiÂmen colÂlecÂtors, as are the virÂtuÂal badges with which it rewards enerÂgetic uploadÂers.
While it doesn’t hang onto user data, Seek is buildÂing a phoÂto library, comÂposed in part of user subÂmisÂsions.
Ask anyÂone who’s purÂsued a career in the sciÂences what first piqued their interÂest in what would become their field, and they’ll almost cerÂtainÂly have a stoÂry. GazÂing at the stars on a campÂing trip, raisÂing a pet frog, foolÂing around with comÂputÂers and their comÂpoÂnents: an expeÂriÂence sparks a desire for knowlÂedge and underÂstandÂing, and the purÂsuit of that desire evenÂtuÂalÂly delivÂers one to their speÂcifÂic area of speÂcialÂizaÂtion.
Or, as they say in sciÂence, at least it works that way in theÂoÂry; the realÂiÂty usuÂalÂly unrolls less smoothÂly. On such a jourÂney, just like any othÂer, it might help to have a map.
Enter the work of sciÂence writer and physiÂcist Dominic WalÂliÂman, whose aniÂmatÂed work on the Youtube chanÂnel Domain of SciÂence we’ve preÂviÂousÂly feaÂtured here on Open CulÂture. (See the “RelatÂed ConÂtent” secÂtion below for the links.)
WalÂliÂman’s videos astuteÂly explain how the subÂfields of biolÂoÂgy, chemÂistry, mathÂeÂmatÂics, physics, and comÂputÂer sciÂence relate to each othÂer, but now he’s turned that same mateÂrÂiÂal into infoÂgraphÂics readÂable at a glance: maps, essenÂtialÂly, of the intelÂlecÂtuÂal terÂriÂtoÂry. He’s made these maps, of biolÂoÂgy, chemÂistry, mathÂeÂmatÂics, physics, and comÂputÂer sciÂence, freely availÂable on his Flickr account: you can view them all on a sinÂgle page here along with a few more of his infoÂgraphÂics..
As much use as WalÂliÂman’s maps might be to sciÂence-mindÂed youngÂsters lookÂing for the best way to direct their fasÂciÂnaÂtions into a propÂer course of study, they also offer a helpÂful reminder to those farÂther down the path — espeÂcialÂly those who’ve strugÂgled with the blindÂers of hyperÂspeÂcialÂizaÂtion — of where their work fits in the grand scheme of things. No matÂter one’s field, sciÂenÂtifÂic or othÂerÂwise, one always labors under the threat of losÂing sight of the forÂest for the trees. Or the realm of life for the bioinÂforÂmatÂics, bioÂphysics, and bioÂmathÂeÂmatÂics; the whole of mathÂeÂmatÂics for the numÂber theÂoÂry, the difÂferÂenÂtial geomÂeÂtry, and the difÂferÂenÂtial equaÂtions; the workÂings of comÂputÂers for the schedÂulÂing, the optiÂmizaÂtion, and the boolean satÂisÂfiÂaÂbilÂiÂty.
Based in Seoul, ColÂin MarÂshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities and culÂture. His projects include the book The StateÂless City: a Walk through 21st-CenÂtuÂry Los AngeÂles and the video series The City in CinÂeÂma. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall or on FaceÂbook.
Of all the sciÂence classÂes required throughÂout priÂmaÂry and secÂondary school, most stuÂdents seem to like biolÂoÂgy the best. Maybe, dealÂing as it does with such familÂiar things as plants, aniÂmals, and human beings, the popÂuÂlarÂiÂty of biolÂoÂgy has to do with its clear relÂeÂvance to their life — or more to the point, to life itself. But any biolÂoÂgy-lovÂing youngÂster who decides to go take their studÂies more deeply into their favorite subÂject must soonÂer or latÂer make a difÂfiÂcult choice: what kind of biolÂoÂgy will they focus on? BioÂphysics, celÂluÂlar biolÂoÂgy, ecolÂoÂgy, enviÂronÂmenÂtal biolÂoÂgy, bioÂmeÂchanÂics, molÂeÂcÂuÂlar biolÂoÂgy, bioÂchemÂistry, evoÂluÂtionÂary biolÂoÂgy… the list seems endÂless.
It begins with “the most basic unit in the founÂdaÂtion of all life,” the cell, conÂtinÂues on to molÂeÂcÂuÂlar, chemÂiÂcal, and physÂiÂcal processÂes, then to genes, popÂuÂlaÂtions, anatoÂmy, the immune sysÂtem, genetÂic engiÂneerÂing, paleÂonÂtolÂogy, and even the search for life in outÂer space, with many othÂer stops along the way besides.
“If there’s one word that describes biolÂoÂgy, it’s comÂplexÂiÂty,” says series creÂator and narÂraÂtor Dominic WalÂliÂman. “There’s a huge amount we still don’t underÂstand about how life works, how it startÂed, and how it endÂed up with intelÂliÂgent apes like us who are able to look back and try and work out. I feel like we’ll be makÂing new bioÂlogÂiÂcal disÂcovÂerÂies for many, many years to come.” EncourÂagÂing words for those stuÂdents now conÂsidÂerÂing going into one of the many bioÂlogÂiÂcal sciÂences, although they’ll still have to decide exactÂly which bioÂlogÂiÂcal sciÂence to go into — bearÂing in mind how many of those subÂfields have yet to emerge. It doesÂn’t take that intelÂliÂgent an ape to underÂstand that, before long, biolÂoÂgy’s going to need a bigÂger map.
Based in Seoul, ColÂin MarÂshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities and culÂture. His projects include the book The StateÂless City: a Walk through 21st-CenÂtuÂry Los AngeÂles and the video series The City in CinÂeÂma. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall or on FaceÂbook.
AttracÂtive young female singer-songÂwritÂers who shuck their shoes onstage someÂtimes find that this small attempt to pass themÂselves off as folksy and “real” has the oppoÂsite effect.
Mandy HarÂvey, howÂevÂer, is above reproach. The deaf singer-songÂwriter perÂforms bareÂfoot out of necesÂsiÂty, using her unclad soles to pick up on the vibraÂtions of varÂiÂous instruÂments through the floorÂboards. It allows her to keep time and, in so doing, helps her to stay emoÂtionÂalÂly conÂnectÂed to the othÂer musiÂcians with whom she’s perÂformÂing, as she told NPR earÂliÂer this year, when she was one of 10 finalÂists on AmerÂiÂca’s Got TalÂent.
“I’ll feel and conÂcenÂtrate on the drums through the floor, through my feet and then the bass through your chest,” she said in an interÂview with ColÂorado PubÂlic Radio. “And then if a saxÂoÂphone playÂer is next to me then it will be on my arm. So you just desÂigÂnate difÂferÂent parts of your body so you can conÂcenÂtrate on who’s playÂing what and when.”
Born with near perÂfect pitch and a conÂnecÂtive tisÂsue disÂorÂder that impaired her hearÂing, she was able to purÂsue her love of music by relyÂing on hearÂing aids and lip readÂing until 18, when she finalÂly lost her hearÂing for good, as a freshÂman Vocal Music EduÂcaÂtion major at ColÂorado State UniÂverÂsiÂty.
While she has nevÂer heard felÂlow songÂbirds Adele or TayÂlor Swift, she has gotÂten over the stage fright that plagued her when she still retained some hearÂing. VocalÂly, she turns to musÂcle memÂoÂry and visuÂal tuners to see her through.
Her talÂent is such that some lisÂtenÂers are conÂvinced her deafÂness is a pubÂlicÂiÂty stunt, a misÂperÂcepÂtion that eats at Wayne ConÂnell, founder of the InvisÂiÂble DisÂabilÂiÂties AssoÂciÂaÂtion, a non-profÂit with whom HarÂvey is active:
We’ve creÂatÂed an idea [of] how peoÂple are supÂposed to look when they’re broÂken and so when you don’t fit that imagÂiÂnary mold, then it’s a trick, or you’re a liar — or you’re not realÂly broÂken, so you shouldÂn’t be doing cerÂtain things.
If you folÂlow the ongoÂing beef many popÂuÂlar sciÂenÂtists have with phiÂlosÂoÂphy, you’d be forÂgivÂen for thinkÂing the two disÂciÂplines have nothÂing to say to each othÂer. That’s a sadÂly false impresÂsion, though they have become almost entireÂly sepÂaÂrate proÂfesÂsionÂal instiÂtuÂtions. But durÂing the first, say, 200 years of modÂern sciÂence, sciÂenÂtists were “natÂurÂal philosophers”—often as well versed in logÂic, metaÂphysics, or theÂolÂoÂgy as they were in mathÂeÂmatÂics and taxÂonomies. And most of them were artists too of one kind or anothÂer. SciÂenÂtists had to learn to draw in order to illusÂtrate their findÂings before mass-proÂduced phoÂtogÂraÂphy and comÂputÂer imagÂing could do it for them. Many sciÂenÂtists have been fine artists indeed, rivalÂing the greats, and they’ve made very fine musiÂcians as well.
And then there’s Ernst HeinÂrich HaeckÂel, a GerÂman biolÂoÂgist and natÂuÂralÂist, philosoÂpher and physiÂcian, and proÂpoÂnent of DarÂwinÂism who described and named thouÂsands of species, mapped them on a genealogÂiÂcal tree, and “coined sevÂerÂal sciÂenÂtifÂic terms comÂmonÂly known today,” This is ColosÂsal writes, “such as ecolÂoÂgy, phyÂlum, and stem cell.” That’s an impresÂsive resume, isn’t it? Oh, and check out his art—his brilÂliantÂly colÂored, eleÂgantÂly renÂdered, highÂly stylÂized depicÂtions of “far flung floÂra and fauÂna,” of microbes and natÂurÂal patÂterns, in designs that inspired the Art NouÂveau moveÂment. “Each organÂism HaeckÂel drew has an almost abstract form,” notes KatherÂine Schwab at Fast Co. Design, “as if it’s a whimÂsiÂcal fanÂtaÂsy he dreamed up rather than a real creaÂture he examÂined under a microÂscope. His drawÂings of sponges reveal their intenseÂly geoÂmetÂric structure—they look archiÂtecÂturÂal, like feats of engiÂneerÂing.”
HaeckÂel pubÂlished 100 fabÂuÂlous prints beginÂning in 1889 in a series of ten books called KunÂstÂforÂmen der Natur (“Art Forms in Nature”), colÂlectÂed in two volÂumes in 1904. The astonÂishÂing work was “not just a book of illusÂtraÂtions but also the sumÂmaÂtion of his view of the world,” one which embraced the new sciÂence of DarÂwinÂian evoÂluÂtion wholeÂheartÂedÂly, writes scholÂar Olaf BreiÂdÂbach in his 2006 Visions of Nature.
Haeckel’s method was a holisÂtic one, in which art, sciÂence, and phiÂlosÂoÂphy were comÂpleÂmenÂtary approachÂes to the same subÂject. He “sought to secure the attenÂtion of those with an interÂest in the beauÂties of nature,” writes proÂfesÂsor of zoolÂoÂgy RainÂer WillÂmann in a new book from Taschen called The Art and SciÂence of Ernst HaeckÂelÂ, “and to emphaÂsize, through this rare instance of the interÂplay of sciÂence and aesÂthetÂics, the proxÂimÂiÂty of these two realms.”
The gorÂgeous Taschen book includes 450 of Haeckel’s drawÂings, waterÂcolÂors, and sketchÂes, spread across 704 pages, and it’s expenÂsive. But you can see all 100 of Haeckel’s origÂiÂnalÂly pubÂlished prints in zoomable high-resÂoÂluÂtion scans here. Or purÂchase a one-volÂume reprint of the origÂiÂnal Art Forms in Nature, with its 100 gloÂriÂous prints, through this Dover pubÂliÂcaÂtion, which describes Haeckel’s art as “havÂing caused the accepÂtance of DarÂwinÂism in Europe…. Today, although no one is greatÂly interÂestÂed in HaeckÂel the biolÂoÂgist-philosoÂpher, his work is increasÂingÂly prized for someÂthing he himÂself would probÂaÂbly have conÂsidÂered secÂondary.” It’s a shame his sciÂenÂtifÂic legaÂcy lies neglectÂed, if that’s so, but it sureÂly lives on through his art, which may be just as needÂed now to illusÂtrate the wonÂders of evoÂluÂtionÂary biolÂoÂgy and the natÂurÂal world as it was in Haeckel’s time.
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
Are we truÂly in the midst of a human-caused sixth mass extincÂtion, an era of “bioÂlogÂiÂcal anniÂhiÂlaÂtion”? Many sciÂenÂtists and popÂuÂlar sciÂence writÂers say yes, using terms like “Holocene” or “AnthroÂpocene” to describe what folÂlows the OrdoviÂcian, DevonÂian, PerÂmiÂan, TriÂasÂsic, and CreÂtaÂceous periÂods. Peter BranÂnen, author of extincÂtion hisÂtoÂry The Ends of the Earth has found at least one sciÂenÂtist who thinks the conÂcept is “junk.” But BranÂnen quotes some alarmÂing staÂtisÂtics. ChillÂing, even. “Until very recentÂly,” he writes, “all verÂteÂbrate life on the planÂet was wildlife. But astoundÂingÂly, today wildlife accounts for only 3 perÂcent of earth’s land aniÂmals; human beings, our liveÂstock, and our pets take up the remainÂing 97 perÂcent of the bioÂmass… almost half of the earth’s land has been conÂvertÂed into farmÂland.”
This state of affairs does not bode well for the milÂlions of remainÂing species getÂting edged out of their enviÂronÂments by agribusiÂness and cliÂmate change. We learn from extincÂtions past that the planÂet rebounds after unimagÂinÂable catÂaÂstroÂphe. Life realÂly does go on, though it may take milÂlions of years to recovÂer. But the curÂrent forms of life may disÂapÂpear before their time. If we want to underÂstand what is at stake besides our own fragÂile fosÂsil-fuel based civÂiÂlizaÂtions, we need to conÂnect to life emoÂtionÂalÂly as well as intelÂlecÂtuÂalÂly. Short of globe-hopÂping physÂiÂcal immerÂsion in the earth’s bioÂdiÂverÂsiÂty, we could hardÂly do betÂter than immersÂing ourÂselves in the traÂdiÂtion of natÂuÂralÂist writÂing, art, and phoÂtogÂraÂphy that brings the world to us.
The BioÂdiÂverÂsiÂty HerÂitage Library (BHL), an “open access digÂiÂtal library for bioÂdiÂverÂsiÂty litÂerÂaÂture and archives,” has for many years been makÂing it easy for peoÂple to conÂnect to nature through nature writÂing and illusÂtraÂtion. In 2012, they announced the “sucÂcess stoÂry” of their Flickr streams, both conÂtainÂing thouÂsands of illusÂtraÂtions and phoÂtographs uploaded by the BHL staff and readÂers from their huge colÂlecÂtions of books.
The first stream, curÂrentÂly at 122,281 images, has been careÂfulÂly curatÂed, and includes searchÂable galÂleries and albums dividÂed by book title or subÂject, such as “ExotÂic botany illusÂtratÂed,” “The Birds of AusÂtralia v.1,” and “Bats!” The secÂond stream, conÂsistÂing of over 2 milÂlion images, is a masÂsive grab-bag of phoÂtos, illÂlusÂtraÂtions from nature, adverÂtiseÂments, and imagÂiÂnaÂtive renÂderÂings.
Though far less useÂful for the scholar—or the very purÂposeÂful user—this secÂond phoÂtoÂstream offers more potenÂtial for chance disÂcovÂery, through the aimÂless wanÂderÂing that often leads to serendipÂiÂtousÂly subÂlime expeÂriÂences. The forÂmal BHL stream does not disÂapÂpoint, though it may offer fewÂer surÂprisÂes. Both of these image archives offer expanÂsive views of humanÂiÂty’s encounter with the natÂurÂal world, not only through staÂtisÂtics and acaÂdÂeÂmÂic jarÂgon, but through the artisÂtic recordÂing of wonÂder, sciÂenÂtifÂic curiosÂiÂty, and deep appreÂciÂaÂtion.
When Charles DarÂwin laid out his theÂoÂry of natÂurÂal selecÂtion in 1859, litÂtle could he have imagÂined that, a good 150 years latÂer, this corÂnerÂstone of evoÂluÂtionÂary theÂoÂry might help us form a menÂtal picÂture of what alien life looks like. But that’s preÂciseÂly how a group of researchers from Oxford UniÂverÂsiÂty have done: In a research paper called “DarÂwin’s Aliens,” they’ve applied DarÂwin’s theÂoÂry to alien life, positÂing that aliens–like humans–adapt to their enviÂronÂment, underÂgo natÂurÂal selecÂtion, and move from simÂple to comÂplex life forms. And, by the end, they could plauÂsiÂbly look someÂthing like a “colony of Ewoks from Star Wars or the Octomite” picÂtured above.
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
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