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David Dobbs on science, nature, and culture.
I write articles on science, medicine, nature, culture and other matters for the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Slate, National Geographic, Scientific American Mind, and other publications, and am working on my fourth book, The Orchid and the Dandelion, which expands on my recent December 2009 Atlantic article. My previous books include Reef Madness: Charles Darwin, Alexander Agassiz, and the Meaning of Coral, which traces the strangest but most forgotten controversy in Darwin's career — an elemental dispute running some 75 years.
You're encouraged to subscribe to Neuron Culture by email; see more of my workat my main website; or check out my catch-all-streams Tumblr log.
Category: Environment/nature
"An eastern towhee belted out a plucky reeEEP! I kept spishing. A northern cardinal emerged and uttered its short, bright peek note. Two hermit thrushes popped onto a white oak branch, flicked their wings and repeated a couple of soft chuck calls.
Posted by David Dobbs at 9:59 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Nota Bene
Never thought I'd run an ad on my blog. But this is just so ... satisfying. And pretty.
Posted by David Dobbs at 10:50 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Journalism
was thrilled this morning to learn that this humble, erratic blog was named one of Top 30 Science Blogs by Eureka, the new monthly science magazine recently launched by the Times of London.
Posted by David Dobbs at 9:15 AM • 11 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Books
I can finally broadcast the news with which I've been bursting for two weeks now: Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt, publisher of many a fine book over the decades, will be publishing "The Orchid and the Dandelion" (working title), in which I'll explore further the emerging "orchid-dandelion hypothesis" I wrote about in my recent Atlantic story.
Posted by David Dobbs at 9:33 AM • 11 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Culture of science
He walked away from it cold, and went on to live a rich, fulfilling life. He and Moyers talk about something else for a bit. And then Moyers returns to the climb, "I know you did so much else, but I want want to return to that K2 climb again...," says Moyer. And Houston says, "The best thing I ever did."
Posted by David Dobbs at 7:20 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Nota Bene
Maybe best argument yet for expanding the US rail system.
Posted by David Dobbs at 10:06 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Nota Bene
Hubbard Park, Montpelier, Vermont, Sept 21, 2009. via Neil Young
Posted by David Dobbs at 3:06 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Journalism - rebooting (aka future of)
I think it helps to have a sense of the history of science, which embeds in a writer or observer a sense of critical distance and an eye for large forces at work beneath the surface. Machinations in government surprise no one who has studied the history of government and politics. Likewise with science.
Posted by David Dobbs at 11:16 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Art
Perhaps because I so enjoyed the time I spent at sea learning about fish, I particularly enjoyed this collection of Nick Cobbing's photos of ice, sea, and people who work them — scientists, fishermen, adventurers
Posted by David Dobbs at 1:54 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Culture of science
Nold came up with the idea of fusing a GSR machine, a skin conductance monitor that measures arousal, and a GPS machine, to allow stress to be mapped to particular places. He then gets people to walk round and creates maps detailing high arousal areas of cities.
Posted by David Dobbs at 7:14 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
