Not "Eureka!" but "That's Funny. . ."

Not "Eureka!" but "That's Funny. . ."

 

     "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but "That's funny. . ."

        Isaac Asimov's words resonate for me partly because of the humor but also because of the ellipsis at the end of his quote. It is in that space of wondering, of trailing off, of inviting discourse that is so appealing. Growing up I learned to search for the "Aha!" moment. . . when, really, leaving the space to find new discoveries in the . . . is more inviting and collaborative.

         Asimov also wrote that: "It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for subtlety." I took those words to heart in making this segue to Clarke Knight, Smith College Class of 2014 and newest Rhodes Scholar:

         Ms. Knight (Clarke Knight of the Soul :-) ), a chemistry major, crew member, and book author is pictured above in the infamous Lyman Conservatory of banana plant glass pushing fame. Ms. Knight is from Henderson, Nevada, south of the Golden E Triangle of Ely-Elko-Eureka(!), Nevada:

          It is an area of the Basin and Range where I did follow-up field-checking after photogeologic-geomorphic mapping and space imagery analysis. Tromping around in the horsts and grabens of the extensional (or pull-apart) geologic features of central and northern Nevada was a true treat. Amazing fossils and fascinating geology surrounded us. Clarence Dutton wrote of the Great Basin in 1886:
 

Whoever has examined, even cursorily, the map of Western America must have noticed the following arrangement of the mountain masses: The great belt of cordilleras coming up through Mexico and crossing into United States territory is depicted as being composed of many short, abrupt ranges or ridges, looking upon the map like an army of caterpillars crawling northward.

     Another Asimov quote: "I write for the same reason I breathe--because if I didn't, I would die." I am not sure of Ms. Knight's thoughts on writing but I share Dr. Asimov's thoughts. His personal papers take up 464 boxes or 71 meters of shelf space. He wrote over 500 books and over 90,000 letters and postcards. His books are in 9/10 of the categories of the Dewey Decimal System (just call Isaac Iceberg Writer. . . )

      Dr. Asimov's first quote above has made me quite conscious of using the exclamation point versus the ellipsis. . .I welcome your comments from New Jersey to California and Germany to Yemen (Partial Ellipsis of the Sun Blog Reader Data: That's Funny. . .")

Gratefully,

Word Woman (Scientific Steph)

Cheese Imitates Geology: Thin Vegetable Ash Layer and Thin Iridium-rich Clay Layer

Cheese Imitates Geology: Thin Vegetable Ash Layer and Thin Iridium-Rich Clay Layer

 

      There is a small, wicker cheese basket at my local grocery store filled with little snippets of cheeses--the ends of various imported wheels and logs. This one caught my eye:

 

          I unwrapped it last night and found this written on the wrapper (just so you know I'm not making this up):

     A hairline layer of vegetable ash?! Oh my. 

     Of course, the iridium-rich clay layer found at the boundary of the Cretaceous period (about 65 million years ago) with the overlying Paleogene sediments first documented by Luis and Walter Alvarez (shown below) in Italy, sprang to mind. The limestone layers beneath the red clay are full of numerous species of foraminifera (forams) and the thick limestone beds above contain only one foram species. In between is this iridium-rich later of clay. In Italy. In Germany. In the Netherlands. In the U.S. All over the world.

      Iridium is a rare, silvery, white transition metal of the platinum family found in meteorites. It was named for the Greek goddess Iris after the rainbow colors in its salts and less than 3 tons a year are mined world-wide:

     Iridium is associated with the massive K-Pg extinction including the non-flying dinosaurs and a huge, diverse, plant population. (The boundary was called the K-T boundary for Cretaceous-Tertiary when the Alvarezes discovered it. The International Stratigraphic Nomenclature Committee has recently deprecated the Tertiary Period though; it now must be called Paleogene.) [First Pluto is no longer a planet; now we can't call it the K-T boundary any more. Sigh...]  And the likely location of the meteorite hitting the earth in the Gulf of Mexico is also well documented.

       What strikes me (no pun intended, okay, maybe...) about naming conventions in geology and in all areas, actually, is the creativity and force in coming up with these descriptive terms. As Clementine says to Joel when talking about her newest hair color in the film Eternal Sunshine Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, "Naming hair colors. Somebody has that job. I want that job!"

        Calling the thin layer of vegetables in the Humboldt Fog Cheese "Vegetable Ash" is truly inspired to this geologist and cheese eater.

         Last week: puddingstones that look like pudding. This week: Cheese that looks like limestone layers with a hairline layer of ash. It doesn't get much better than that full circle.

        Thanks for reading. I look forward to your comments, thoughts, and cheesy ideas.


Until then, "say cheese!" (And mean it).

Humboldtly yours,
Word Woman (aka Scientific "Vegetable Ash Layer" Steph) 

Puddingstones: Plum Wonderful!

Puddingstones: Plum Wonderful Stones filled with "Berries & Currants" of Jasper & other Pebbles

 

     For some reason, all sorts of stones have been on my mind the past few weeks, including the wonderful Michigan puddingstones pictured above. Their name comes from the resemblance to English suet or pudding filled with berries and currants, and, well, they do look good enough to eat!

      Puddingstone, or  plum-pudding stone, is the name given to conglomerates (of different origins, compositions, and locations) that consists of distinctly rounded pebbles whose colors (in this case, Jasper chalcedony red) contrast greatly with the color of the finer-grained matrix (or cement) surrounding the pebbles. The Michigan puddingstones pictured above are likely associated with glacial activity of fairly recent origin.

     In contrast, I cut my geologic teeth in the Northampton and Boston, Massachusetts, area where we drove miles and miles from little scraps of outcrops to other little scraps of outcrops to look at the Roxsbury Conglomerate of the Boston Basin:

     Originally thought to be associated with shallow river and lake basins, the prevailing hypothesis is that these puddingstones or conglomerates are associated with very deep marine basins in a suite of rocks known as turbidites, associated with deep-sea submarine fans. They are also much, much older (and they look it!), dating from 570 to 595 million years ago.

      There are other puddingstones, such as the Hertfordshire Conglomerate in merry old England :

 

     And the Jelly Bean Conglomerate of Arizona and the western United States:

      I had the good fortune of attending geologic field camp in Arizona where we could see the Jelly Bean comglomerate stretching out for long distances (no driving needed, it was strictly a walk in the geologic park).

      Naming stones or rock formations based on their similarities to foods we eat is decidedly more fun than the geologic convention of naming formations based on the locale where they were first discovered. It is a sense of whimsy I shared with Robert W. Hickman, my first geologist boss, amazing teacher, and good friend. I am also writing Bob's eulogy today. Bob would have enjoyed this:

   

        

     Thanks for all you comments and suggestions. I look forward to a bit of puddingstone discussion with you. If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding (Pink Floyd), but you may surely have some puddingstones.

Dessertedly,

Word Woman (aka Scientific Steph)

     

Life Imitates Metaphor: Banana Plant Pushes Through Glass Ceiling at Smith College

Life imitates Metaphor: Banana Plant Pushes Through Glass Ceiling at Smith College

        A banana plant busted through one of the ceiling panes at the Lyman Conservatory at Smith College over the weekend. Smith College has witnessed many women pushing through glass ceilings over the past 100 plus years. Now, we have actual evidence that a pane of glass can be broken through, literally overnight, in this article featured in today's Hampshire Gazette, Northampton, Massachusetts.

          http://www.gazettenet.com/home/9182534-95/banana-plant-goes-through-the-roof-at-smith-college

     In this bizarre case of life imitating metaphor, Smith College has a most fitting symbol (living mascot?) of breaking through those clear barriers. A banana plant at Smith has many commonalities with Julia Child, Gloria Steinem, Otelia Cromwell (Otelia Cromwell Day at Smith is today!) and many other Smith College graduates. And, in so many cases, the women broke through the ceilings almost overnight...but it did take over 100 years of growth to get to the point where the pane could be shattered. The push came in the middle of the night with no witnesses. And yet, the push came. . .


     And, in an odd presaging, Marshall Schalk, professor emeritus of geology at Smith College, and I had a conversation standing near the very same banana plant in 1978 (it has been at the conservatory since at least 1904). He told me that banana plants were remarkably strong and forceful and that he would not be surprised if, one day, the plant pushed through the glass ceiling! "Just like a Smith!" he said (He called us Smiths, not Smithies).


     So, today, Marshall, life imitates metaphor. This photograph is for YOU!

  


       As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments on glass ceilings, Smith College or...,

       Word Woman (aka Scientific Smithie Steph) 


   

Franklin, my dear, we DO give a damn!

                

                  "Franklin, my dear, we DO give a damn!"

     Rosalind Franklin's First Photograph of DNA structure

 

  

           Rosalind Franklin's extraordinary 1953 photograph of the DNA double helix was the impetus for Watson and Crick realizing the helix supports were on the outside of the structure with the phosphate "rungs" pointing inward. Until then, both Watson and Crick, Linus Pauling, and other researchers hypothesized the phosphates were on the outside. Franklin's research and extraordinary photograph 51 (shown below)

 were pivotal in understanding the double helix model. Yet, Rosalind Franklin received no credit for her pioneering work in x-ray crystallography of the DNA, or for the amazing photograph. Watson and Crick both later wrote that her photograph was "key" to their understanding of the structure of DNA. PBS has chronicled her story in a documentary entitled "Secret of Photograph 51:"

                                http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/photo51/

            And Brenda Maddox has also written Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA.

            My Halloween costume will be of Rosalind Franklin, complete with photo 51 emblazoned on a t-shirt, microscope, a DNA model, and a lab coat.

          I decided this was a wise choice after making DNA models with the kindergarteners on Friday. They asked me more than once "Was she a girl?" Yes, Rosalind Franklin was a girl/woman who, sadly, died at age 37 of complications from ovarian cancer. She did not receive credit for her amazing x-ray crystallography work on the DNA helix. Most (but not all) people I have shared her story with over the past week or so were completely unaware of her contributions.

           The kids and I also worked together on one giant table making a very long double helix. I (oh so subtly) mentioned that working on scientific discoveries and models together is the way to go.

          To you, Rosalind Franklin, thank you for your extraordinary x-ray crystallography, your methodical, detailed research, and for Photograph 51.  

           Frankly/Franklin, my dear, we DO give a damn!

 I would enjoy hearing your thoughts about Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958).

Fifty-one-derfully,

Word Woman (aka Scientific Steph)

P.S. My trusty canine pup is considering accompanying me as Helix, the Dog. :-)



       

        

SHOW, not tell; Bird and Dinosaur chromosomes; and To(o) funny

         SHOW, not tell; Bird and Dinosaur chromosomes; and To(o) funny

    NPR's Science Friday discusses the art of displaying data in a user friendly and fascinating way in the article "Show, not Tell." The "infographic age" is here.


     http://sciencefriday.com/blogs/10/18/2013/show-not-tell-the-rise-of-the-infographic.html?series=20

          

     Above, New York's carbon emissions are shown in real time. Clear, dramatic, understandable: data you can sweep right up ;-). 

     And 85 dog breeds are shown below based on four categories of herder, hunter, mastiff-like or wolf-like. Showing large amounts of data in a way that is quickly understandable has moved leaps and bounds from bar graph and pie chart days.

      On Fridays I leave the fascinating world of oil and gas and environmental geology for a few hours to work with 14 brilliant kindergarteners doing hands-on science. We made giant dinosaur nests and edible coconut bird nests and talked about clades. We made our own infographics last week showing bird and dinosaurs differing by a chromosome (simplified but effective as the kids ran around on the playground after looking at the chromosome bracelets saying "You're a bird!" or "You're a dinosaur!")

      If a had a really good infographic person I'd make these data into a fascinating SHOW:

 Organism                                   Number of Chromosomes


  Adder's Tongue (plant)                                   1260              
  Dogs                                                               78               
  Cats                                                                38               
  Birds                                                               78 - 80              
  Humans                                                           46               



    ...And tell you that none of the kids were at all concerned that the plant has so many chromosomes and that, (whew!) no one asked HOW the mom gives the X chromosome to her kid or the dad gives the X or Y to his kid.

       The kids in kindergarten don't do show and tell any more. They just DO.

       And finally, I believe I will need to sign off now. I am on a quest to find funny:

As always (4 whole weeks!), I enjoy hearing from you.

On the Quest,

Word Woman (aka Scientific Steph)

The Brain Continued, A Reassuring Lie, and a Keychain Carabiner

 The Brain Continued, A Reassuring Lie, and a Keychain Carabiner

   
    I started a new Quality Assurance project this week for a subcontractor doing work for the EPA. That's all I can say about that...But this cartoon about confirmation bias came to mind:

      

 It is from an article published on Fast Company's website. It's a long article but worth it:

http://www.fastcompany.com/3019903/work-smart/8-subconscious-mistakes-our-brains-make-every-day-and-how-to-avoid-them

      We tend to agree with what we already know, hang out with people who think like us, and support causes like us. We would rather hear a reassuring lie than an inconvenient truth.

       And sometimes, just sometimes, a new lighted LED keychain brings such a smile to my face about a reassuring (?), convenient absurdity:

 Enjoy. And be careful climbing out there!

As always (third post--wahoo!), I would enjoy hearing from you. . .

Word Woman (aka Scientific Steph)

Einstein's Brain, the Corpus Callosum and Its Connection to 60's Bumpy, Wild VW Vans vs '10's Flat Screen "Smart Phones"

Einstein's Brain, the Corpus Callosum, & Its Connection to 60's Bumpy, Wild VW Vans  vs. '10's Flat Screen "Smart Phones"

 

       New research in the journal Brain describes measuring the connective tissue in and around the corpus callosum connecting the left and right hemispheres of Albert Einstein's preserved brain:

             http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/09/24/brain.awt252

     The researchers describe their technique of measuring the thickness of the bands of nerve fibers that connect one side of the brain to the others. Einstein had more connections between the sides and his brain was more crenulated and bumpy according to researcher Dean Falk of Florida State University:

        “He did thought experiments where he’d imagine himself riding alongside a beam of light, and this is exactly the part of the brain one would expect to be very active in such thought experiments." Einstein's brain was bumpy, crenulated, full of folds and connections.

      I mentioned last week that I wanted to explore the evolutions of avatars from the VW Bus of the 60's to the Smart Phone for the 2010's. The tie-in with this new brain research is interesting. We have gone from a world of bumpy, interesting, crenulated interconnections and interactions via the avatar suggested by the '60's VW bug to our much flatter, screen-connected connections of the 2010's. I imagine Einstein would not think it good for our brains. The illusion of connection over flatter and flatter worlds must be affecting our brains. We might be losing our wrinkles...

       The change has been gradual...After the 60's VW bus, the 70's smiley face still connected us humans. In the 80's, the Rubik's Cube showed a shift from bumpy and crenulated to flat screens...but at least there were six, colorful, flat surfaces and they could interconnect and change and rotate. 

        It has been the increase in technology in the 90's (with the cell phone as avatar) that has accelerated the flatness trend. Ipods of the 2000's and Smart phones of the 2010's have continued that flatness.

        Enough blogging for today. My pup and I are going out to do a little exploring on this gorgeous autumn day. We might even imagine riding a beam of light :-).

         Here's hoping your ride today is bumpy, crenulated, and full of connections. I welcome your thoughts.

Crenulatedly,
Word Woman (aka Scientific Steph)

Welcome to Partial Ellipsis of the Sun...

               Welcome to Partial Ellipsis of the Sun! 

                                            

                                   

Hello fellow scientists, writers, countrymen and countrywomen, lend me your years…years of experience of enjoyment of both science and writing. Both sides of your brain are…well, developed. :-)

You are the geologist who offers to write the reports accompanying exploration proposals because the proposed solution to the puzzle without commentary is only half of the story. You know that yes, a picture is worth a thousand words, but if you place well a mere seven words and just a comma or ellipsis, it can tell a remarkable story. 

You are the writer fascinated by every new development and discovery. Plate tectonics, older bristlecone pines, clades, dinosaurs with feathers discovered in China send you into orbit—perhaps to a partial ellipsis of the sun…Yes, ellipsis, eclipse, it’s all part of the story…

 I welcome your ideas for topics and commentary. I welcome input on how to make a blog fun and lively. I even welcome different ideas for the name (I’m not married to it)…Maybe just a tad too obscure? 

Next up: Volkswagen Bus to Smiley Face to Rubik’s Cube to Cell Phones to iPods to Smart Phones: What is wrong/right with this progression of decade avatars from the 1960’s to the 2010’s?! 

 I hope to post on Tuesdays. We’ll see how it goes. Happy belated National Punctuation Day…and Happy October! What an amazing month in which to launch a blog! 

Thanks for checking in… 

Word Woman (aka Scientific Steph)