As much as I love the desert (with ocean included
nearby of course) I am fortunate to have an old and very pleasant memory of the
forest. I spent much of my childhood discovering the “magic” of a forest
particularly when my mother took my brother Peter and me to Yosemite for our
annual camp out and hike. The above picture, though fanciful, reminds me of
that magic. Yet it is not so fanciful at all really. Recent research by a
German forest ranger has pretty much verified the research of decades ago suggesting
that the forests of the world communicated with each other by a network of
fungi and were capable of a degree of “awareness” that seemed magical. This
concept was central to the movie Avatar and is now being investigated with
greater interest than ever before. It too is part of “The Great Mystery” and
the science behind it just makes it so much the more magical.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/30/world/europe/german-forest-ranger-finds-that-trees-have-social-networks-too.html?_r=1
The forest is the home for so many colorful
creatures too, check out this Azalea Lace Bug!
It’s also the home of the grizzly bear – yes, that’s
a real paw!
The bear is tranquilized to be tagged in order to
track their movements because they too are in danger of habitat destruction. We
must protect our life partners on this planet – tracking their movements, not
unlike with the whales, allows us to understand their ability to cope with
changes mitigated by we humans.
I would like to introduce you to Sabrina Pasterski, an MIT graduate student that is
considered the next candidate for the accolade “The Great Physicist”. Her
mathematical genius is truly extraordinary and deserves to be watched as she
helps color the gray of ignorance – there is such magic everywhere in the
Universe to be discovered and enjoyed.
Perhaps this is what she looks like in full color?
Staying with science a bit longer, here’s an
interesting article about a possible other means of genetic transfer than that
limited to our current concepts originated by Watson and Crick in the 50’s.
Smacks of Lamarckism but WE MUST keep all
avenues open for new knowledge, without that we stagnate.
It appears that this post will be pretty much
science oriented. My recent trip to The US and the political craziness really
soured me on the mass intellect of the American people – REALLY? TRUMP a contender! That’s even more ludicrous
than Reagan or George W. Bush. Sooo, I am going to stay on the science track and
enjoy all the really good stuff that is also part of our reality. Not denying
the seriousness of the matter but leaving it in the hands of those devoted to
the task of fighting The Matrix – including my son Zack – I honor you dude!
“Feel the Bern”
I will add just one other thing – or let The Great
Scientist Carl Sagan say it for me more eloquently:
I have a special place in my heart for Dr.
Sagan. When I
started this NGO I sent him a personal letter describing what I had in mind to
do with the information I was to disseminate. I told him I was going to present
the softer more personal side of science in my presentations. I also asked him
to come to dinner if ever in Mendocino County and told him that my wife (Dana
Crumb) was an extraordinary cook. Damned if he didn’t reply with a hand written
personal letter of encouragement and apology for being to busy to attend what
he knew what be a delightful evening. It really hurt when he died so young.
OK back to “the cool stuff”! Yet another ancient
ruin has been found in Turkey. Gobekli Tepe is
the latest of a number of very ancient ruins (10,000 BPE) unearthed in the past
few decades in that area of the world. This “complex is made up of a number of
separate but adjacent “temples” with sophisticated carvings and structure. Once
again indicating a much, much more ancient history of our species as a sentient
and aware organism.
What is this now? A design created on a dry
lake bed with all lines EXACTLY 3” deep and 10” wide and EXACTLY straight. The
whole compromising a length of 13 MILES? No tire tracks, back hoe tracks etc.
One day not there, the next day there! Some of you will recognize it.
And a smaller but significant find regarding
our species ancient capacity to find and then develop nutrient resources to
insure our evolution.
Some cool stuff in space too – big surprise:
Gravity waves – colossal perturbations in
space creating giant waves (Tsunamis) of gravity rolling and flowing through
the universe have been more clearly verified. Oh man, anyone who does not
include these in their vision of the universe is just not exercising their gift
of imagination and wonder.
And then there is this! An object in space that is 570 billion
times brighter than the SUN!! That is so cool. What is it? Are there more? How
far away? Who’s in charge here? Whose on first?
Just some cool pics:
My daughter Kersti, third from left, and friends from an article
in Sacramento’s Delta Living
Magazine. If they were
a “girlband” (their term) what do you think would be a good name?
Had he known?
Nice whale pic
I am back in Mexico again and starting my tracking season as soon
as the winds die down a bit. Anyone wishing to contribute please do: checks can be sent to MioSah, C/O
Susan Janssen, 20 Highland Court, Ukiah, CA, 95482 or donate online at https://www.gofundme.com/6j0prg.
I
am working diligently (but not particularly hard) on improving my physical
being. I’ve gained some weight and muscle and my coordination is for the most
part returning. Not the same old Urmas but clearly recognizable. With the
sensitive and loving attention of my family back in The States, my attitude is
also improving. I am really looking forward to being with The Whale People
again – HooHah!
