18 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
The Laws of Anthropology
Anthropology has reached that point of development where the careful investigation of facts shakes our firm belief in the far-reaching theories that have been built up. The complexity of each phenomenon dawns on our minds, and makes us desirous of proceeding more cautiously. Heretofore we have seen the features common to all human thought. Now we begin to see their differences. We recognize that these are no less important than their similarities, and the value of detailed studies becomes app...Folksonomies: natural history anthropology
Folksonomies: natural history anthropology
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notes
notesAnthropologists need a firm and accurate grasp of history before they can begin to induct laws from it.
06 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
The Appalachian Mountains as the "Wreck of the World"
The great Appalachian Mountains, which run from York River back of these Colonies to the Bay of Mexico, show in many Places near the highest Parts of them, Strata of Sea Shells, in some Places the Marks of them are in the solid Rocks. 'Tis certainly the Wreck of a World we live on!
[...]
Such changes in the superficial parts of the globe seemed to me unlikely to happen, if the earth were solid to the centre. I therefore imagined, that the internal parts might be a fluid more dense, and of g... 1 notes
notesJuly 1747, Ben Franklin wrote to Jared Eliot, a Connecticut clergyman about the Appalachian mountains, where he found sea shells mixed in with the dirt and concluded that the mountains were the Earth after a cataclysm.
30 AUG 2011 by ideonexus
Study Nature for Truth, Not Usefulness
It must be for truth's sake, and not for the sake of its usefulness to humanity, that the scientific man studies Nature. The application of science to the useful arts requires other abilities, other qualities, other tools than his; and therefore I say that the man of science who follows his studies into their practical application is false to his calling. The practical man stands ever ready to take up the work where the scientific man leaves it, and adapt it to the material wants and uses of ... 1 notes
notesPractical people will take the truth and make something productive of it.
30 AUG 2011 by ideonexus
A Great Summary of Taxonmy
Branches or types are characterized by the plan of their structure,Classes, by the manner in which that plan is executed, as far as ways and means are concerned,Orders, by the degrees of complication of that structure,Families, by their form, as far as determined by structure,Genera, by the details of the execution in special parts, andSpecies, by the relations of individuals to one another and to the world in which they live, as well as by the proportions of their parts, their ornamentation,... 1 notes
notesClasses, orders, families, genera, and species are defined for their defining classification method.
10 JUN 2011 by ideonexus
Study nature to find your voice
Study nature to find your voice. One reason
the natural history genre thrives today is the
tremendous variety of voices it makes possible: the
wild exactness of Annie Dillard, the calm
thankfulness of Terry Tempest Williams, the scientific
precision of Bernd Heinrich. But again, this is not just
the province of professional writers or exceptional
talents. No matter how dry or literal an amateur
naturalist’s field notebook might be, sooner or later it
begins to fill up with descriptions of her... 1 notes
notesNatural History as a genre thrives because the variety of voices contributing to it.
08 JUN 2011 by ideonexus
Tracking the Trails of Ancient Glaciers
On an outcrop of volcanic bedrock near the paath sit half a dozen erratic boulders, some weighining as much as twenty tons, of a coarse-grainned pink granite. Once, I chipped off a sample of)f the rock and followed the bedrock scratches northth, looking for the source. Like an Indian trail of bent twigs. le scratches led me several miles out of Easton into the town of Stoughton, where I found what I was looking for, a south-facing ledge of bedrock that under the hand magnifier was identical t... 1 notes
notesBy tracing the scratches on boulders, it is possible to trace the direction a glacier carried them from, and find their source.
08 JUN 2011 by ideonexus
Everything Comes from Stars
What gravity is and why it is, no one knows. Albert Einstein spent most of his life trying to figure it out, but the secret eluded him. it is simply a fact that everything in the universe with mass pulls on everything else. If it weren't for the initial outward impetus of the Big Bang, gravity would have caused the entire universe to collapse into a heap. (Indeed, someday the cosmic collapse may happen, if and when the initial impetus is expended, although the best evidence suggests that the ... 1 notes
notesThe Big Bang to the formation of stars, which formed the elements crucial to life. It takes 1,000 calories of sunlight to evaporate one thimbleful of water.
08 JUN 2011 by ideonexus
The Evolution of Photosynthesis
When the first single-celled organisms appeared on Earth, more than 3 billion years ago, they fed upon carbohydrates—sugars—dissolved in the sea. The sugars had their origin in chance chemical reactions. Life, however, multiplied exponentially; one cell made two, two made four, four made eight, and so on. Self replication is the essence of life. It was inevitable that burgeoning organisms in the sea would outstrip their catch-as-catch-can food supply It would seem that life was doomed to a de...Folksonomies: evolution natural history
Folksonomies: evolution natural history
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notesIf a microorganism did not evolve this trait, then early life would have quickly consumed all the naturally occuring sugars in the ocean.
