There is so much evidence to challenge Darwin's Theory of how the many species of life developed on earth but here are my three favorites so far. The strongest challenge is one I am learning about now from molecular biology. Stephen Meyer's book , Signature in the Cell, is a powerful refutation of evolution's claims of random mutations directed by natural selection as the primary cause of biodiversity.
Is there any intelligent design in the universe? book 1 chap 2Miguel Cano
Given the current confusion of values, it would be convenient to return to nature to find possible grounds on which to build a system of common and universal values that can harmonize the various conflicting and contradictory views today.
This book analyzes several classic controversies such as the conflict between materialism and idealism, the debate about the origin and evolution of life and the universe, the controversy between determinism and freedom, and the problem between the individual and the totality.
As conclusion, a number of general principles of nature are enumerated, which are very useful to harmonize the different scientific, philosophical and religious traditions.
0. Introduction
1. The emancipation of the problem from the legacy of Nietzsche and Heidegger
2. The origin of the super-humans from the humans as a prognostic direction
3. A prognosis for the frontier of the super-humans
4. The language of infinity in the reference frame of contemporary cognition
5. Conclusions
There is so much evidence to challenge Darwin's Theory of how the many species of life developed on earth but here are my three favorites so far. The strongest challenge is one I am learning about now from molecular biology. Stephen Meyer's book , Signature in the Cell, is a powerful refutation of evolution's claims of random mutations directed by natural selection as the primary cause of biodiversity.
Is there any intelligent design in the universe? book 1 chap 2Miguel Cano
Given the current confusion of values, it would be convenient to return to nature to find possible grounds on which to build a system of common and universal values that can harmonize the various conflicting and contradictory views today.
This book analyzes several classic controversies such as the conflict between materialism and idealism, the debate about the origin and evolution of life and the universe, the controversy between determinism and freedom, and the problem between the individual and the totality.
As conclusion, a number of general principles of nature are enumerated, which are very useful to harmonize the different scientific, philosophical and religious traditions.
0. Introduction
1. The emancipation of the problem from the legacy of Nietzsche and Heidegger
2. The origin of the super-humans from the humans as a prognostic direction
3. A prognosis for the frontier of the super-humans
4. The language of infinity in the reference frame of contemporary cognition
5. Conclusions
The natural friendship between science and spiritualitySuzanne Yada
Presentation given by David Brett Richardson of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley's Personal Theology series, December 4, 2011. Uploaded here with his permission.
Humankind at a Crossroads: A Call to Action!!! PART 2Lauren Tratar
Einstein stated: “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.” Thus, the multi-pronged attack being waged against Humanity: GMO's, fracking, chemtrails, foreclosures, loss of pensions, HAARP, unemployment, quantitative easing, the manipulation of gold and silver prices, Libor etc. has a higher purpose. These events are tests, catalysts designed to push us out of our comfort zones and take a stand for what we believe in. We have arrived at an evolutionary critical juncture the Ancients foretold; a Crossroads where our current methods of problem-solving would be ineffective thereby forcing us to find solutions at the next level of awareness. That knowledge was destined to be revealed at this precarious point so that we had the tools to resolve the myriad challenges we are now facing and to create a promising future. The question is: Have you had enough? Are you willing to learn what lies outside your comfort zone and make a difference?
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The natural friendship between science and spiritualitySuzanne Yada
Presentation given by David Brett Richardson of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley's Personal Theology series, December 4, 2011. Uploaded here with his permission.
Humankind at a Crossroads: A Call to Action!!! PART 2Lauren Tratar
Einstein stated: “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.” Thus, the multi-pronged attack being waged against Humanity: GMO's, fracking, chemtrails, foreclosures, loss of pensions, HAARP, unemployment, quantitative easing, the manipulation of gold and silver prices, Libor etc. has a higher purpose. These events are tests, catalysts designed to push us out of our comfort zones and take a stand for what we believe in. We have arrived at an evolutionary critical juncture the Ancients foretold; a Crossroads where our current methods of problem-solving would be ineffective thereby forcing us to find solutions at the next level of awareness. That knowledge was destined to be revealed at this precarious point so that we had the tools to resolve the myriad challenges we are now facing and to create a promising future. The question is: Have you had enough? Are you willing to learn what lies outside your comfort zone and make a difference?
Essay about Sci-fI Films
Science Essay
Scientific Theory Essay
Evolution of Science Essay
My Love For Science
Essay about Life Science
My Passion For Science
Environmental Science Essay
Essay on Forensic Science
What Is Earth Science? Essay
Dr. John Oakes taught a class on Modernism and Scientific Materialism at the 2015 International Christan Evidence Conference at York College in York, Nebraska, June 19-21. He gave a brief overview of the history of modern science and then give a world view critique of the philosophy, comparing it to Christianity. Here are notes and power points from the presentation.
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Ecological Society of America Science CommonsTom Moritz
Ecological Society of America
"Obstacles to Data Sharing in Ecology"
(NSF Workshop)
National Evolutionary Synthesis Center
Durham, North Carolina
May 30, 2007
Science and the limits of our current regime for intellectual property.
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WRI’s brand new “Food Service Playbook for Promoting Sustainable Food Choices” gives food service operators the very latest strategies for creating dining environments that empower consumers to choose sustainable, plant-rich dishes. This research builds off our first guide for food service, now with industry experience and insights from nearly 350 academic trials.
"Understanding the Carbon Cycle: Processes, Human Impacts, and Strategies for...MMariSelvam4
The carbon cycle is a critical component of Earth's environmental system, governing the movement and transformation of carbon through various reservoirs, including the atmosphere, oceans, soil, and living organisms. This complex cycle involves several key processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and carbon sequestration, each contributing to the regulation of carbon levels on the planet.
Human activities, particularly fossil fuel combustion and deforestation, have significantly altered the natural carbon cycle, leading to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and driving climate change. Understanding the intricacies of the carbon cycle is essential for assessing the impacts of these changes and developing effective mitigation strategies.
By studying the carbon cycle, scientists can identify carbon sources and sinks, measure carbon fluxes, and predict future trends. This knowledge is crucial for crafting policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions, enhancing carbon storage, and promoting sustainable practices. The carbon cycle's interplay with climate systems, ecosystems, and human activities underscores its importance in maintaining a stable and healthy planet.
In-depth exploration of the carbon cycle reveals the delicate balance required to sustain life and the urgent need to address anthropogenic influences. Through research, education, and policy, we can work towards restoring equilibrium in the carbon cycle and ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come.
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2. A Koan from “The Gateless Barrier”:
“Chao-chou’s (Joshu’s) Dog”
A monk asked Chao-chou:
”Does a dog have Buddha
nature?”
Chao-chou said:
"Mu."
3. A Zen koan is not an “intellectual exercise”
or a “thought experiment” [German: “Gedankenexperiment“ ]
but the fact that this question was even being posed by Chinese
Buddhist monks more than 10 centuries ago suggests the force
of the basic question about the distinctions/ relationship of
humans and animals…
The human place in the “great chain of being” has since been
explored by western science in great detail… and “descent with
modification” by natural selective pressures is now
an accepted fact:
human beings are clearly understood to be
In some kind of continuity with other life forms.)
4. Zhàozhōu Cōngshěn (Chinese: 趙州
從諗; Wade-Giles: Chao-chou Ts'ung-
shen; Japanese: Jōshū Jūshin) (778–
897) was a Chán (Zen) Buddhist
master especially known for his
"paradoxical statements and strange
deeds".[1]
7. “The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness”
“We declare the following: “The absence of a neo-cortex does
not appear to preclude an organism from experiencing
affective states. Convergent evidence indicates that non-
human animals have the neuro-anatomical, neuro-chemical,
and neuro-physiological substrates of conscious states along
with the capacity to exhibit intentional behaviors .
“Consequently, the weight of evidence indicates that humans
are not unique in possessing the neurological substrates that
generate consciousness. Non-human animals, including all
mammals and birds, and many other creatures, including
octopuses, also possess these neurological substrates.”
The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness was written by Philip Low and edited by Jaak Panksepp, Diana Reiss,
David Edelman, Bruno Van Swinderen, Philip Low and Christof Koch.
The Declaration was Publicly proclaimed in Cambridge, UK, on July 7, 2012, at the Francis Crick Memorial
Conference on Consciousness in Human and non-Human Animals , at Churchill College, University of Cambridge, by
Low, Edelman and Koch. The Declaration was signed by the conference participants that very evening, in the
presence of Stephen Hawking, in the Balfour Room at the Hotel du Vin in Cambridge, UK.
http://fcmconference.org/img/CambridgeDeclarationOnConsciousness.pdf
8. A Second Koan: “The Original Face”
A Zen master asks:
“Show me your Original Face, the face you had before your
parents were born.”
COMMENTARY [by Clark Strand] :
“What face did you have before your parents were born? The question isn’t hard. It’s like asking
a sunflower what it was before it was a sunflower, or the wind before it was wind? A true Zen
master never asks to see something that isn’t already there.
“That’s one way of saying it. Another is this.
“Millions of years ago, a snub-nosed fish roamed the watery shelf below the continents wearing
a face that had been passed down to it by countless species through deep time. That fish passed
its face to amphibians, and amphibians passed it to reptiles. Reptiles passed it to mammals, and
mammals passed it down in exact accordance with the dharma—from the great apes to
Australopithecus, and from Australopithecus to Homo habilis, and from Homo habilis to Homo
erectus, and from Homo erectus to Homo sapiens, and from Homo sapiens to Homo sapiens
sapiens, who became so sapient (or “wise”) that they discarded it—or tried to. Because really,
how can you throw away your face?”
https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/green-koans-case-12-the-original-face/
9. “FACELESS” composition by Lara Jade
(An 18 year olld British artist (at the time of this composition)
10. This Japanese scroll
calligraphy of
Bodhidharma reads:
“Zen points directly
to the human heart,
see into your nature
and become Buddha.”
It was created by Hakuin Ekaku (1685-
1768)
11. BUT -- Humans have long made an basic
distinction –
a claim for human exceptionalism –
Based on the human capacity
for self-consciousness –
this capacity has also been identified with an
individual human “soul” or a “self”…
12. “Man is the Measure of All Things.” –
Protagoras (5th Century BCE)
https://renresearch.wordpress.com/2011/10/07/leonardos-measure-the-genitals-of-vitruvian-men/
13. “Man is the Measure of all things.”?
“Protagoras is the only sophist to whom ancient sources
ascribe relativistic views, and even in his case the evidence
is ambiguous. A key text is the famous ‘Man the Measure’
sentence, the opening sentence of his work entitled ‘Truth’,
which runs ‘Man is the measure of all things, of the things
that are that they are and of the things that are not that
they are not’ (Plato, Theaetetus 151e, Sextus Against the
Mathematicians VII.60 (=DK 80B1)). In the Theaetetus (our
principal source for this aspect of Protagoras' teaching) this
is interpreted as a claim of the relativity of the truth of all
judgments to the experience or belief of the individual
making the judgment, i.e., as subjectivism. On that
interpretation, the way things seem to an individual is the
way they are in fact for that individual. “
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/sophists/#Pro
14. “Anatta: Not-Self”
“The Buddha is not trying to define what you are. He's
not trying to fit you into a box. He's more concerned
with helping you. He tries to show you how you define
yourself so that you can learn how to use that process
of self-definition in a way that leads to the ultimate
goal of his teaching: the end of suffering and the
attainment of ultimate freedom, ultimate happiness. In
this way the teachings on self and not-self are part of
the answer to the question, ‘What when I do it will
lead to my long-term welfare and happiness?’ ”
-- Thanissaro Bhikkhu
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/selvesnotself.html
17. A very well-known American Buddhist – Robert Aitken
Roshi – used to say: “Don’t wait for the oxygen mask.”
(to begin the process of understanding who you are in the
world… and to begin your meditation practice…)
The time to prepare for an earthquake or a tsunami
is NOT when it is happening…
(For example, climate change IS a tsunami but is
happening over a period of decades not seconds.)
18. And… “Right” & “Wrong”? / “Justice”?
Above all else, our sense of justice is rooted in a
sense of fairness
“Justice” can not be an endless cycle of
perceived/felt outrage at harm and of
retribution…
Justice must be based upon a “level playing field” –
the conscious and continuous effort to give all
people a fair chance -- to allow merit – not
privilege – to earn fair rewards…
23. “In 1858, geographer Antonio Snider-Pellegrini made these two maps showing
his version of how the American and African continents may once have fit
together, then later separated. Left: The formerly joined continents before
(avant) their separation. Right: The continents after (aprés) the separation.
(Reproductions of the original maps courtesy of University of California,
Berkeley.)”
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/historical.html
“Continental Drift”
24. “Plate Tectonics”
“In geologic terms, a plate is
a large, rigid slab of solid
rock. The word tectonics
comes from the Greek root
"to build." Putting these two
words together, we get the
term plate tectonics, which
refers to how the Earth's
surface is built of plates. The
theory of plate tectonics
states that the Earth's
outermost layer is
fragmented into a dozen or
more large and small plates
that are moving relative to
one another as they ride
atop hotter, more mobile
material. “
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/historical.html
25. “The layer of the Earth we live on is broken into a dozen or so rigid slabs (called tectonic plates by
geologists) that are moving relative to one another.”
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/slabs.html
26. “As noted by Snider-Pellegrini and Wegener, the locations of certain fossil plants and
animals on present-day, widely separated continents would form definite patterns
(shown by the bands of colors), if the continents are rejoined.”
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/continents.html
35. From Rick Hanson, “Buddha’s Brain: the practical neuroscience of happiness, love & wisdom,”
New Harbinger, Oakland, CA 2009, p. 25
“NEOMAMMALIAN”
“REPTILIAN”
“PALEOMAMMALIAN”
Brain Modularity
as defined by
evolutionary sequence
36. “The Evolving Brain”
"Life began around 3.5 billion years ago. Multicelled creatures first appeared about 650
million years ago. (When you get a cold, remember that microbes had nearly a three-
billion-year head-startl) By the time the earliest jellyfish arose about 600 million years
ago, animals had grown complex enough that their sensory and motor systems needed
to communicate with each other; thus the beginnings of neural tissue. As animals
evolved, so did their nervous systems, which slowly developed a central headquarters
in the form of a brain.
“Evolution builds on preexisting capabilities. Life's progression can be seen inside your
own brain, in terms of what Paul MacLean (1990) referred to as the reptilian,
paleomammalian, and neo-mammalian levels of development (see Figure 2; all figures
are somewhat inexact and for illustrative purposes only).
“Cortical tissues that are relatively recent, complex, conceptualizing, slow, and
motivationally diffuse sit atop subcortical and brain-stem structures that are ancient,
simplistic, concrete, fast, and motivationally intense. (The subcortical region lies in the
center of your brain, beneath the cortex and on top of the brain-stem; the brain stem
roughly corresponds to the "reptilian brain” seen in figure 2.) As you go through your
day, there's a kind of lizard-squirrel-monkey brain in your head shaping your reactions
from the bottom up. "
From Rick Hanson, “Buddha’s Brain: the practical neuroscience of happiness, love & wisdom,”
New Harbinger, Oakland, CA 2009, p. 24
37. “The Evolving Brain” (cont.)
“"Nonetheless the modern cortex has great influence over the
rest of the brain, and it’s been shaped by evolutionary
pressures to develop ever-improving abilities to parent, bond,
communicate, cooperate and love. (Dunbar and Shultz 2007).
The cortex is divided into two “hemispheres” connected by
the corpus callosum. As we evolved, the left hemisphere (in
most people) came to focus on sequential and linguistic
processing while the right hemisphere specialized in holistic
and visual-spatial processing; of course, the two halves of
your brain work closely together. Many neural structures are
duplicated so that there is one in each hemisphere;
nonetheless, the usual convention is to refer to a structure in
the singular (e.g., the hippocampus)."
From Rick Hanson, “Buddha’s Brain: the practical neuroscience of happiness, love & wisdom,”
New Harbinger, Oakland, CA 2009, p. 25
39. “The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness”
“We declare the following: “The absence of a neo-cortex does
not appear to preclude an organism from experiencing
affective states. Convergent evidence indicates that non-
human animals have the neuro-anatomical, neuro-chemical,
and neuro-physiological substrates of conscious states along
with the capacity to exhibit intentional behaviors .
“Consequently, the weight of evidence indicates that humans
are not unique in possessing the neurological substrates that
generate consciousness. Non-human animals, including all
mammals and birds, and many other creatures, including
octopuses, also possess these neurological substrates.”
The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness was written by Philip Low and edited by Jaak Panksepp, Diana Reiss,
David Edelman, Bruno Van Swinderen, Philip Low and Christof Koch.
The Declaration was Publicly proclaimed in Cambridge, UK, on July 7, 2012, at the Francis Crick Memorial
Conference on Consciousness in Human and non-Human Animals , at Churchill College, University of Cambridge, by
Low, Edelman and Koch. The Declaration was signed by the conference participants that very evening, in the
presence of Stephen Hawking, in the Balfour Room at the Hotel du Vin in Cambridge, UK.
http://fcmconference.org/img/CambridgeDeclarationOnConsciousness.pdf
40. “Evolution of Morality” ?
http://www.ted.com/talks/frans_de_waal_do_animals_have_morals?language=en#t-
220969
41. “Altruism”?
“the belief in or practice of
disinterested and selfless concern
for the well-being of others”
42. Alfred North Whitehead
“God is that function in the world by reason of which our
purposes are directed to ends which in our own
consciousness are impartial as to our own interests.
He is that element in life in virtue of which judgment
stretches beyond facts of existence to values of
existence. He is that element in virtue of which our
purposes extend beyond values for ourselves to values
for others. He is that element in virtue of which the
attainment of such a value for others transforms itself
into value for ourselves. He is the binding element in
the world.”
-- Alfred North Whitehead
“Religion in the Making” p.158
http://books.google.com/books?id=nZKOeHtW2IAC&q=factor#v=snippet&q=factor&f=false
43. “Evolution of Morality” ?
http://www.ted.com/talks/frans_de_waal_do_animals_have_morals?language=en#t-
220969
51. “The image
shows the
network of
collaboration
across research
papers on the
topic ‘hepatitis C
virus’. Each of the
8,500 spots is a
single author, and
the lines between
spots represent
co-authorship
across scientific
papers.”
– Andy Lamb
http://social-physics.net/tag/science/
56. “Data” – a philosophical definition
The ‘Diaphoric Definition of Data (DDD)”:
“A datum is a putative fact regarding some
difference or lack of uniformity
within some context.”
Luciano Floridi <luciano.floridi@philosophy.ox.ac.uk> “Semantic Conceptions of
Information”
(First published Wed Oct 5, 2005) Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/information-semantic/ [visited 11/12/09]
61. [Laetoli Diorama ], Hall of Human Biology, American Museum of Natural History,
(Courtesy Special Collections, AMNH Library)
AND SEE: http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/behavior/laetoli-footprint-trails
62. “What Genes and Fossils Tell Us”
“Scientists have long held that modern humans originated in
Africa because that's where they've found the oldest
bones. Geneticists have come to the same conclusion by
looking at Africa's vast genetic diversity, which could
only have arisen as DNA mutated over millennia. There's
less consensus about the routes our ancestors took in
their journey out of Africa and around the planet. Early
migrations stalled but left behind evidence such as a
human skull from 92,000 years ago at Qafzeh, Israel.
Those people may have taken a northern route through
the Nile Valley into the Middle East. But other emigrants
who left Africa tens of thousands of years later could
also have taken a different route: across the southern
end of the Red Sea. Scientists say these more recent
wanderers gave rise to the 5.5 billion humans living
outside Africa today. "I think the broad human
prehistoric framework is in place," says geneticist Peter
Forster of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological
Research in Cambridge, England, "and we are now fitting
in the details."
“1. African Cradle
Most paleoanthropologists and geneticists agree that
modern humans arose some 200,000 years ago in Africa.
The earliest modern human fossils were found in Omo
Kibish, Ethiopia. Sites in Israel hold the earliest evidence
of modern humans outside Africa, but that group went
no farther, dying out about 90,000 years ago.
“2. Out of Africa
Genetic data show that a small group of modern
humans left Africa for good 70,000 to 50,000 years ago
and eventually replaced all earlier types of humans, such
as Neandertals. All non-Africans are the descendants of
these travelers, who may have migrated around the top
of the Red Sea or across its narrow southern opening.
“3. The First Australians
Discoveries at two ancient sites—artifacts from
Malakunanja and fossils from Lake Mungo—indicated that
modern humans followed a coastal route along southern
Asia and reached Australia nearly 50,000 years ago. Their
descendants, Australian Aborigines, remained genetically
isolated on that island continent until recently.
“4. Early Europeans
Paleoanthropologists long thought that the peopling of
Europe followed a route from North Africa through the
Levant. But genetic data show that the DNA of today's
western Eurasians resembles that of people in India. It's
possible that an inland migration from Asia seeded Europe
between 40,000 and 30,000 years ago.
“5. Populating Asia
Around 40,000 years ago, humans pushed into Central Asia
and arrived on the grassy steppes north of the Himalaya. At
the same time, they traveled through Southeast Asia and
China, eventually reaching Japan and Siberia. Genetic clues
indicate that humans in northern Asia eventually migrated
to the Americas.
“6. Into the New World
Exactly when the first people arrived in the Americas is still
hotly debated. Genetic evidence suggests it was between
20,000 and 15,000 years ago, when sea levels were low and
land connected Siberia to Alaska. Ice sheets would have
covered the interior of North America, forcing the new
arrivals to travel down the west coast.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0603/feature2/map.html
63. “Our species is an African one: Africa is where we first evolved, and where we have spent the majority of our time on
Earth. The earliest fossils of recognizably modern Homo sapiens appear in the fossil record at Omo Kibish in Ethiopia,
around 200,000 years ago. Although earlier fossils may be found over the coming years, this is our best understanding of
when and approximately where we originated.
According to the genetic and paleontological record, we only started to leave Africa between 60,000 and 70,000 years
ago. What set this in motion is uncertain, but we think it has something to do with major climatic shifts that were
happening around that time—a sudden cooling in the Earth’s climate driven by the onset of one of the worst parts of the
last Ice Age. This cold snap would have made life difficult for our African ancestors, and the genetic evidence points to a
sharp reduction in population size around this time. In fact, the human population likely dropped to fewer than 10,000.
We were holding on by a thread.” https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/human-journey/
The Human Journey
67. Utrilla, P.; Mazo, C.; Sopena, MªC.; Martínez-Bea, M. & Domingo, R. 2009:
"A palaeolithic map from 13,660 calBP: engraved stone blocks from the Late
Magdalenian in Abauntz Cave (Navarra, Spain)".
Journal of Human Evolution, 57: 99-111.
Earliest Known “Map”?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/5978900/Worlds-
oldest-map-Spanish-cave-has-landscape-from-14000-years-ago.html
68. “Micronesian stick charts show wave patterns and currents. The shells represent
atolls and islands. Using stick charts (also called rebbelibs, medos, and mattangs)
ancient mariners successfully navigated thousands of miles of the South Pacific
Ocean without compasses, astrolabes, or other mechanical devices.”
http://education.nat
ionalgeographic.com
/education/media/m
icronesian-stick-
chart/?ar_a=1
71. The 1602 map, that measures 5.5 feet tall by 12.5 feet wide, drawn by Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci
(1552-1610). a missionary in China. - Photo courtesy of The James Ford Bell Trust
Http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2010/10-002.html http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/arts/design/20map.html?pagewanted=all
AND SEE:
72. Vera Totius Expeditionis Nautica(Map of Drake's Voyage Around the World), 1579
(Source: Library of Congress)
http://www.loc.gov/item/97690001#about-this-item
73. Alfred Russell Wallace “Oriental Biogeographic Region” 1879 http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/artic
le/history_16
74. "Berkeley researchers Cook and Borah spent decades reconstructing the population of the former Aztec realm in the wake
of the Spanish conquest. By combining colonial-era data from many sources the two men estimated that the number of
people in the region fell from 25.2 million in 1518, just before Cortes arrived, to about 700,000 in 1623 -- a 97% drop in
little more than a century (Each marked date is one for which they presented a population estimate.) Using parish records,
Mexican demographer Elsa Malvido calculated the sequence of epidemics in the region, portions of which are shown here.
Dates are approximate, because epidemics would last several years. The identification of some diseases is uncertain as well;
for example, sixteenth-century Spaniards lumped together what today are seen as distinct maladies under the rubric
"plague," In addition, native populations were repeatedly struck by “cocoliztli,” a disease the Spanish did not know but that
scientists have suggested might be a rat-borne hantavirus -- spread, in part, by the postconquest collapse of Indian
sanitation measures. Both reconstructions are tentative, but the combed picture of catastrophic depopulation has
convinced most researchers in the field. "
From: CC
Mann, “1491:
New
Revelations of
the Americas
before
Columbus”
Knopf, NY, 2005
p.141
The Collision of Cultures
75. “The drawing on left is New York City in the 1800s when the protocols and
current standards where still being developed. The photo on the right is the
same street 10 years later.”
http://www.delanceyplace.com/view-archives.php?p=2344
76. Van Gogh: “Factories at Asnieres, Seen from the Quai de Clichy “
http://www.wikiart.org/en/vincent-van-gogh/factories-at-asnieres-seen-from-the-quai-de-clichy-1887
77. The Factory at Asnieres, Vincent van Gogh (1887)
http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/121/Factory-at-Asnieres,-The.html
78. L.A. Civic Center masked by smog on January 6, 1948. Courtesy of UCLA
Library Special Collections - Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive
http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/history/los-angeles-smoggy-past-photos-31321.html
SMOG
79.
80. Highland Park Optimists Club 1954
http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/history/los-angeles-smoggy-past-photos-31321.html
https://www.dropbox.com/s/b4tnbv7m5rsgxd
y/Screenshot%202017-09-
05%2008.33.12.png?dl=0
84. US EPA:
“Benefits and Costs of the Clean Air Act:
Retrospective Study”
“Using a sophisticated array of computer models, EPA found that by 1990 the differences
between the scenarios were so great that, under the so-called "no-control" case, an
additional 205,000 Americans would have died prematurely and millions more would
have suffered illnesses ranging from mild respiratory symptoms to heart disease,
chronic bronchitis, asthma attacks, and other severe respiratory problems. In
addition, the lack of Clean Air Act controls on the use of leaded gasoline would have
resulted in major increases in child IQ loss and adult hypertension, heart disease, and
stroke. Other benefits which could be quantified and expressed in dollar terms
included visibility improvements, improvements in yields of some agricultural crops,
improved worker attendance and productivity, and reduced household soiling
damage.
“When the human health, human welfare, and environmental effects which could be
expressed in dollar terms were added up for the entire 20-year period, the total
benefits of Clean Air Act programs were estimated to range from about $6 trillion to
about $50 trillion, with a mean estimate of about $22 trillion. These estimated
benefits represent the estimated value Americans place on avoiding the dire air
quality conditions and dramatic increases in illness and premature death which
would have prevailed without the 1970 and 1977 Clean Air Act and its associated
state and local programs. By comparison, the actual costs of achieving the pollution
reductions observed over the 20 year period were $523 billion, a small fraction of
the estimated monetary benefits. “
http://www.epa.gov/oar/sect812/design.html
87. “Atmospheric CO2 at Mauna Loa Observatory”
http://www.earthonlinemedia.com/ebooks/tpe_3e/atmosphere/atmo
spheric_composition.html
88. “WHO Warns Beijing of Hazardous Pollution Risk
Urges Residents to Stay Indoors on Sixth Day of Hazardous-Level
Air Pollution” Wall Street Journal Feb 25, 2014
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303426304579405092877173138?mod=e2fb
As of Tuesday night, levels of tiny,
hazardous particulate matter known as
PM2.5 averaged 452 micrograms per cubic
meter over a 24-hour period, according to
readings from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
That was more than 18 times the WHO's
recommended level of 25 micrograms per
cubic meter.
Heavily pollution has plagued much of
northern and central China since Thursday.
Since the weekend, governments in the
northeastern city of Tianjin and northern
Hebei province have taken steps that
include reducing the number of cars on the
road and suspending some production in
industries such as steel.
96. Caption: Composite image of beta-galactosidase showing how cryo-EM’s
resolution has improved dramatically in recent years. Older images to the
left, more recent to the right.
Credit: Veronica Falconieri, Subramaniam Lab, National Cancer Institute
http://directorsblog.nih.gov/2016/01/14/got-it-down-cold-cryo-electron-microscopy-named-method-of-the-year/