ABSTRACT We present a cake with layers representing the five Kingdoms according to Whittaker (1969; Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista, and Monera; Figure 1). The cake is shaped as a pyramid embodying the dynamic and complex trophic interactions within ecosystems and also symbolizing to the volcanic Galapagos Islands where Darwin travelled and developed his evolutionary and ecological theories (Darwin, 1859; in particular the volcano Mt. Darwin). Also on the cake (Figure 2) you will find: Darwin’s boat the SS Beagle, a nest, egg and finch representing Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection, Gus the Giant Tortoise, and fissures in the cake layers…
The Science Creative Quarterly
From archive
ON SYMMETRY (AND ITS DESIRABLE, POSSIBLE, AND ACTUAL CONSEQUENCES WITH RESPECT TO THEOLOGY, PARTICLE PHYSICS, AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT)
I’ve been thinking lately about the prevalence of symmetry in so many philosophies, ideologies, and such. It seems like just about every major world religion, if not every major religion, has some concept of good versus evil; light versus dark — dancing an endless waltz; a delicate, fragile deadlock, which, despite all odds, never loses its equilibrium. There must be some subtle gyroscope at work, maintaining the balance. A god beyond God? The thing is, all these varying belief systems seem to agree that this balance exists, that there is a counteraction to each action, that there is a shadow…
THE FUTURE OF CANADIAN MEDICAL CARE IN 2050
The following passage describes a hypothetical transcript of a conversation in the year 2050. This is between a patient Dr Jones (a retired doctor) and his grandson Care Consultant Jones, a doctor of the future. It outlines several possible changes that could take place in Canadian medical care in the next 40 years. Care Consultant Jones: Good morning grandfather. I have washed my hands in the cleansing pod [1]. The entry button should be flashing so you can let me in. Dr Jones: (searches around frantically) Found it! (Care Consultant Jones enters the room) I sometimes despair at all this…
A BLUNDER OF MAN
Help wanted- Vigilant and patient people wanted for an extremely tedious job over about six months. The job involves repetitive work and some lifting. Experience using scanner equipment would be advantageous. Commitment to literature and science essential. Good pay for the right people. Apply Monday, September 6, at the Personnel office, sixth floor of the University of Toronto undergraduate library. (PRIVATE) Database First of its Kind at U of T (Toronto Star, April 12, 200-). Librarians at the University of Toronto have excitedly unveiled their latest toy- a huge database containing not only an index of the over one million…
RANK: ANIMAL ILLNESSES
Chicken Pox This is the Frank Sinatra of animal-themed sicknesses. A timeless classic, although the younger generations might not appreciate it. I remember fondly going to a Fourth of July Parade as a child, just recovering from the pox, and my mom not letting me look around too much lest other parents see my pox and get upset for contaminating everyone else. I also have a few choice scars from the ol’ poxy. Drawback: Some children are getting ‘vaccinated’ for this. Wimps. Avian Flu While this is the hot disease of the moment, it still can’t measure up to the…
SUGAR AND DEMONS: A SCIENTIST’S FIELD NOTES
Day 1: While changing my thirteen month old son’s diaper, he begins to spin around and around on the bed at an extremely fast pace and giggles loudly to himself, like a madman. This is not his usual behavior. I decide to investigate. Day 2: After spending all night breaking down the circumstances that led to my son’s bizarre behavior as well as pouring through numerous scientific journals on-line, I’ve narrowed it down to two possibilities: 1) he ate too many Dannon Children’s Yogurts right before I changed him, thus consuming a high amount of sugar. Or 2) demonic possession.…
POLIO: A VIRUS’ STRUGGLE
Download the pdf (14pages, ~2.7Mb) (Originally published on October 24th, 2005)
DARWIN: BEWARE OF JUMPING THE SHARK
In case, you weren’t yet aware, you’re currently caught in a year for scientific giddiness. A year where a collective hurrah can be heard from those who make it their business to hypothesize, analyze, and formulize. 2009 is the year of Darwin. It’s a double whammy – his 200th birthday, and also the 150th anniversary of the publishing of the “On the Origin of Species.” Both celebratory events because, if you remember, Darwin is the dude that said we were descended from apes, themselves descended from this and that creature, and so on, and so on – all in a…
AGING AND CALORIC RESTRICTION: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION
Aging and death are prominent sources of concern for individuals of North America (Neimeyer 2004). It is not surprising that longevity and immortality have pervaded almost every culture at some point in time. The ancient Egyptians believed that preserving the body of the deceased would lead to preservation of the physical form in an after-life. More recently, the arts of western culture have addressed the cost of immortality in a fantastical fashion, for example, in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. The signs of normal aging, especially through the later decades of one’s life are clearly…