There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio…
…than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Continue reading →Category Archives: Nature
Humans on the planet
Erle C. Ellis, associate professor of geography and environmental systems at the University of Maryland, writes that we’re fully in the Anthropocene, a proposed term to describe an era in which the environment has been heavily influenced by humankind: Earth’s … Continue reading →
Tornado in Springfield, MA
No part of the US is immune to tornadoes, although the well-known “Tornado Alley” in the midwest has by far the largest number in this country and the world. But New England has some, too, and yesterday Springfield, Massachusetts—a large … Continue reading →
Best friends forever
A pair of friends at the elephant sanctuary:
Continue reading →Earthquake and tsunami in Japan
The terrible earthquake and tsunami last night in Japan recalls the fact that tsunami is a Japanese word: The term “Tsunami” comes from the Japanese word for harbor (tsu) and wave (nami). The origins of the word are not surprising … Continue reading →
Nabokov and poetic justice: the artist as scientist
The news that Vladimir Nabokov, illustrious author and respected lepidopterist, came up with a theory of butterfly evolution that was poo-pooed in his time but which has now been vindicated by DNA research has made me unaccountably happy. Nabokov speculated … Continue reading →
Bracing for a blizzard
How does one get ready for the big stormstorm that’s predicted for the Northeast? First thing to do is to accept it. Then, make sure there’s enough food in the place—although after the almost nonstop eating fest of the last … Continue reading →
Hunting and the heaven of animals
This recent thread about Palin and hunting engendered a lively exchange in the comments section, including a discussion of the following comment by a liberal on another blog, “Only arrogant humans think it’s ok to take a life.” What could … Continue reading →
Mark your calendars for the sky show
There’s a pretty exciting week coming up in the sky starting next Monday. First, on Dec 13-14, we have the Geminid meteor shower. Then, on Dec 20-21, a total eclipse of the moon, visible in the entire northern and southern … Continue reading →
“Alien” life form…
…found on earth. In California, naturally. All joking aside, this is fascinating. It’s a bacteria that can incorporate arsenic rather than phosphorus into its DNA, expanding the possibilities for the basic building blocks of life.
Continue reading →We have the harvest moon
Last night was a rare “super harvest moon” (see also this), and I went outside to gaze at the lovely sight. And since I’m one of those people with a lot of poetry rattling around in my head, up popped … Continue reading →
Gaia and the oil spill
It seems the earth’s waters have a powerful capacity to repair themselves: Scientists said the rapid dissipation of the [Gulf spill] surface oil was probably due to a combination of factors. The gulf has an immense natural capacity to break … Continue reading →