Learning to handle how kick-butt reality is
March 6, 2015 9:17 AM Subscribe
Spending time with geologists recently makes me want to find ways to live in the universe as it actually is (to the best current knowledge). I know, in a shallow way, that my body is a thriving microbial ecosystem, that the planet is billions of years old, that I'm (partially) breathing products of photosynthesis, that the universe is unimaginably vast, and so on. I'd like to find experiences, practices, places, and reading and other media that can help me internalize and understand more deeply what we actually know to be true.
A few examples that provoked this train of thought:
- Learning to notice the lines of glacial scouring and other fairly obvious geological traces to try to orient myself in terms of deeper time
- R. Buckminster Fuller saying "sunsight" and "sunclipse" rather than sunrise and sunset to remind himself -- to keep literal -- that the sun was becoming visible to his position, rather than rising and sinking
- Learning more about Charles Ross's Star Axis installation (which I'm hoping to visit eventually)
- Visiting a grove of Kentucky coffeetrees to learn about their adaptations to now-vanished megafauna
- Picking up the vocabulary (in a very basic way!) of things like cloud and botanical identification, which helps bring the complexity of weather and plant life out of the background, to the forefront of awareness
I apologize if this question is a little odd. I was so struck by spending time with people for whom the age of the planet was a matter of daily awareness, and I'm curious -- as someone who's not a professional scientist -- to see if it's possible to live, or at least experience more directly, some of the things that we know. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
(and yes, the title is a joke from Adventure Time!)
A few examples that provoked this train of thought:
- Learning to notice the lines of glacial scouring and other fairly obvious geological traces to try to orient myself in terms of deeper time
- R. Buckminster Fuller saying "sunsight" and "sunclipse" rather than sunrise and sunset to remind himself -- to keep literal -- that the sun was becoming visible to his position, rather than rising and sinking
- Learning more about Charles Ross's Star Axis installation (which I'm hoping to visit eventually)
- Visiting a grove of Kentucky coffeetrees to learn about their adaptations to now-vanished megafauna
- Picking up the vocabulary (in a very basic way!) of things like cloud and botanical identification, which helps bring the complexity of weather and plant life out of the background, to the forefront of awareness
I apologize if this question is a little odd. I was so struck by spending time with people for whom the age of the planet was a matter of daily awareness, and I'm curious -- as someone who's not a professional scientist -- to see if it's possible to live, or at least experience more directly, some of the things that we know. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
(and yes, the title is a joke from Adventure Time!)
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.
Field guides (birds, insects, geology, clouds, fungi)
posted by hydrobatidae at 9:44 AM on March 6, 2015 [6 favorites]
Field guides (birds, insects, geology, clouds, fungi)
posted by hydrobatidae at 9:44 AM on March 6, 2015 [6 favorites]
Jane the Brown: alas, where I live, lying on grass, weeds, or rocks offers a direct experience with ticks and the tenacious virus they transmit!
My suggestion is travel. Even short distance travel via car can transport you to a very different geological/biological environment. We inure to this stuff in daily life, and the surest way to focus attention is to change the subject of that attention. So....change your setting as much as possible, always paying attention to this (what is for most people) background layer.
posted by Quisp Lover at 9:57 AM on March 6, 2015
My suggestion is travel. Even short distance travel via car can transport you to a very different geological/biological environment. We inure to this stuff in daily life, and the surest way to focus attention is to change the subject of that attention. So....change your setting as much as possible, always paying attention to this (what is for most people) background layer.
posted by Quisp Lover at 9:57 AM on March 6, 2015
I thought of emailing because this list makes me look crazy, but just in case there is one person that might actually do one of these things.
I'm just putting a list of highlights of things that have really enjoyed seeing/touching/thinking about and that I know adult students really liked. Not everyone, and probably not most people, YMMV.
I think that some of these things would be hard to do if you don't/can't get deep access to a university, so I tried to come up with other ways that you could see or do these things. I'm not going to put what you are supposed to see/experience, because part of the magic to me was observing, asking questions, looking it up. Discovering it in the moment and over and over again in the future when you run across similar material.
-Dissect a cow eye. The eye you can actually take apart piece by piece and look at how it works (and read about it of course, too). But I promise you, dissect a cow eye and you will understand how humans and other animals see and do the things that they do. There are biological companies that let you order a cow eye, sheep brain, etc.
-Dissect a sheep brain. People discuss anatomical parts of the brain, but I think it brings it to an entire new level of understanding if you see these structures. A sheep brain is not gross at all (no blood) but there are chemical preservatives, so use gloves.
-Get access to skeletons of different animals and compare them. Ideally, if you can get access to a comparative anatomy lab or class (someone who teaches it), it would be better because they can show you things and have access to much more, but if you can't - you can walk into museums and compare the bones/skeletons of different animals. Compare the nares/nostril area from different animals. Look at the sockets for the eyes. Look at the front limbs (bones) for different animals and ask why there are differences. Seriously, you will pick up on differences and start to look up why there are those differences.
-Disease organs and accommodations/repairs that are made. So this is looking at things like a heart and looking at the size of the heart in someone who was diseased, or things like the pacemaker (and also historically, the size of a pacemaker from 50 years ago vs now). Once again, an anatomy lab(human) is best of the this, but if you dont have access to that there are some exhibits that show diseased organs, such as Mutter museum, surgical museums, etc.
Finally, everyone is different, but I still believe if you want to have a deep understanding of a topic, pick a few and identify when you will have some time. Now download several review articles, peer reviewed research, etc., and go through them. You can start to understand what were the questions, debates, where are the weaknesses of the science, blah blah blah, but I don't think you can come close with a popular press book or a science magazine or whatever. But its a lot of fun to put together the pieces and get an understanding for topic of your choice, YMMV.
posted by Wolfster at 10:12 AM on March 6, 2015 [2 favorites]
I'm just putting a list of highlights of things that have really enjoyed seeing/touching/thinking about and that I know adult students really liked. Not everyone, and probably not most people, YMMV.
I think that some of these things would be hard to do if you don't/can't get deep access to a university, so I tried to come up with other ways that you could see or do these things. I'm not going to put what you are supposed to see/experience, because part of the magic to me was observing, asking questions, looking it up. Discovering it in the moment and over and over again in the future when you run across similar material.
-Dissect a cow eye. The eye you can actually take apart piece by piece and look at how it works (and read about it of course, too). But I promise you, dissect a cow eye and you will understand how humans and other animals see and do the things that they do. There are biological companies that let you order a cow eye, sheep brain, etc.
-Dissect a sheep brain. People discuss anatomical parts of the brain, but I think it brings it to an entire new level of understanding if you see these structures. A sheep brain is not gross at all (no blood) but there are chemical preservatives, so use gloves.
-Get access to skeletons of different animals and compare them. Ideally, if you can get access to a comparative anatomy lab or class (someone who teaches it), it would be better because they can show you things and have access to much more, but if you can't - you can walk into museums and compare the bones/skeletons of different animals. Compare the nares/nostril area from different animals. Look at the sockets for the eyes. Look at the front limbs (bones) for different animals and ask why there are differences. Seriously, you will pick up on differences and start to look up why there are those differences.
-Disease organs and accommodations/repairs that are made. So this is looking at things like a heart and looking at the size of the heart in someone who was diseased, or things like the pacemaker (and also historically, the size of a pacemaker from 50 years ago vs now). Once again, an anatomy lab(human) is best of the this, but if you dont have access to that there are some exhibits that show diseased organs, such as Mutter museum, surgical museums, etc.
Finally, everyone is different, but I still believe if you want to have a deep understanding of a topic, pick a few and identify when you will have some time. Now download several review articles, peer reviewed research, etc., and go through them. You can start to understand what were the questions, debates, where are the weaknesses of the science, blah blah blah, but I don't think you can come close with a popular press book or a science magazine or whatever. But its a lot of fun to put together the pieces and get an understanding for topic of your choice, YMMV.
posted by Wolfster at 10:12 AM on March 6, 2015 [2 favorites]
Becoming a scuba diver could be very rewarding for you.
posted by oxisos at 10:13 AM on March 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by oxisos at 10:13 AM on March 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
I've always loved the late Stephen Jay Gould's books. This one about the Burgess Shale is excellent. He has many more books as well.
posted by Klaxon Aoooogah at 10:21 AM on March 6, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Klaxon Aoooogah at 10:21 AM on March 6, 2015 [2 favorites]
Get a compass. An old school magnetic compass. Glue it to a spot in your car.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 10:24 AM on March 6, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by St. Peepsburg at 10:24 AM on March 6, 2015 [2 favorites]
Oh also try this book about the stars; you will be able to point out constellations and notice their trajectory across the sky as the days and months pass by.
Learn about phases of the moon.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 10:28 AM on March 6, 2015
Learn about phases of the moon.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 10:28 AM on March 6, 2015
On the "dissecting things for fun and knowledge" side of things, I learned a lot about how vertebrates are put together by taking apart whole chickens for cooking purposes.
Get one of those apps that tells you the names of stars and stuff in the night sky.
Learn about how the chemical makeup of things affects how they feel (eg why soap is slippery) and look (whats the difference between a shiny/dull/coloured/whatever surface)
Read On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee.
posted by quaking fajita at 10:28 AM on March 6, 2015
Get one of those apps that tells you the names of stars and stuff in the night sky.
Learn about how the chemical makeup of things affects how they feel (eg why soap is slippery) and look (whats the difference between a shiny/dull/coloured/whatever surface)
Read On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee.
posted by quaking fajita at 10:28 AM on March 6, 2015
Also, get an Audubon weather guide. It's quite portable and has great info and lots of photos.
posted by Klaxon Aoooogah at 10:39 AM on March 6, 2015
posted by Klaxon Aoooogah at 10:39 AM on March 6, 2015
One more: this article about supernovas and relativity kind of pushed that button for me.
posted by quaking fajita at 10:42 AM on March 6, 2015
posted by quaking fajita at 10:42 AM on March 6, 2015
Read "The Eternal Frontier" by Tim Flannery. It's basically an ecological History of North America. Assuming you are in North America. Since I moved to the US I love it because we can be hiking & think I know why these types of trees are growing here, why the animals that are in this area are the ones that are here etc. It also ties in how geology/ecology has effected human movement & early settlement of the North America. While it doesn't tell you what things are, it tells you why those things are where they are & how they got there.
Start a garden, even if it's just a few pots, grow things from seeds, be it food or just something pretty. Actually watching a plant grow from nothing to something. A living breathing something, if you really watch it & nurture it will blow your mind. I love to garden, I start all my plants from seeds because the miracle of that seed becoming a huge freaking tree, or beautiful flowers, or some beans I'll eat for dinner makes me feel more connected to the world than anything else I've found.
posted by wwax at 10:59 AM on March 6, 2015 [3 favorites]
Start a garden, even if it's just a few pots, grow things from seeds, be it food or just something pretty. Actually watching a plant grow from nothing to something. A living breathing something, if you really watch it & nurture it will blow your mind. I love to garden, I start all my plants from seeds because the miracle of that seed becoming a huge freaking tree, or beautiful flowers, or some beans I'll eat for dinner makes me feel more connected to the world than anything else I've found.
posted by wwax at 10:59 AM on March 6, 2015 [3 favorites]
I did a mooc on the Origins of Life on coursera a few months back. It covered from the big bang right through the emergence of life and evolution. It was really fascinating, and I think the best one I've done with coursera so far. It seems to be running again in April.
posted by Fence at 11:44 AM on March 6, 2015
posted by Fence at 11:44 AM on March 6, 2015
Have you ever actually seen the Milky Way? Really seen it?
I have, but only once in my life. I've lived my whole life at low altitude, but when I was a kid my family took a vacation in Colorado, and I saw the night sky at high altitude (6000 feet) in a place with no city lights.
That's also the only time in my life I've ever gasped audibly.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 12:02 PM on March 6, 2015 [3 favorites]
I have, but only once in my life. I've lived my whole life at low altitude, but when I was a kid my family took a vacation in Colorado, and I saw the night sky at high altitude (6000 feet) in a place with no city lights.
That's also the only time in my life I've ever gasped audibly.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 12:02 PM on March 6, 2015 [3 favorites]
You definitely need to watch the Cosmos remake with Neil deGrasse Tyson. It filled me with awe.
posted by delight at 12:12 PM on March 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by delight at 12:12 PM on March 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
I like paying more attention to the sun and to take the daytime less for granted, i.e. I think many humans think of daylight as the default state of existence, with nighttime interrupting it. But it seems to me in the universe darkness is really the default state, and on Earth we have the lucky privilege of existing close enough to a star to get enough light to see by. I try to picture us in the dark but with a giant flashlight illuminating us half the time.
posted by TheRedArmy at 1:30 PM on March 6, 2015
posted by TheRedArmy at 1:30 PM on March 6, 2015
The Cartoon Guide to Physics is a fun and approachable textbook on the subject. If you don't have calculus anxiety I'd have a go at the Feynman lectures as video and text after that, or some Open University courses.
You may have a local amateur astronomers or naturalists society around.
Some friends of mine are rock hounds and pick up a lot of the local geography that way.
posted by sebastienbailard at 3:31 PM on March 6, 2015
You may have a local amateur astronomers or naturalists society around.
Some friends of mine are rock hounds and pick up a lot of the local geography that way.
posted by sebastienbailard at 3:31 PM on March 6, 2015
Ferment some foods for consumption to bulk up that thriving little ecosystem you're supporting. Pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, carrots, yogurt, kefir.. whatever works for you. Marvel at all those little bits of microscopic bacteria working hard transforms things.
Buy a microscope (doesn't have to be overly expensive) and stuff anything and everything under there to look at it on a level that you have never seen before. I did this as a kid and it blew my mind to look at my own hair, saliva, etc.
posted by VioletU at 4:00 PM on March 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
Buy a microscope (doesn't have to be overly expensive) and stuff anything and everything under there to look at it on a level that you have never seen before. I did this as a kid and it blew my mind to look at my own hair, saliva, etc.
posted by VioletU at 4:00 PM on March 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
Machine by Peter Adolphsen is a short novel about, among other things, the slow interaction of biology and geology. I had a marvelous time reading it.
posted by Handstand Devil at 4:36 PM on March 6, 2015
posted by Handstand Devil at 4:36 PM on March 6, 2015
Go on a float trip down a bluff-lined river. Learn a little bit about the geology of the area before you start. Notice how the gravel on the riverbottom is a mixture of the rocks that have slowly tumbled down there from dozens or hundreds of feet above your head, and from thousands--millions--of years in the past. Think about the cast of animal species that has come and gone as those rocks slowly tumbled down to the river. Some of those rocks were already old and starting to weather when dinosaurs lived nearby.
All really truly right there in that valley. And now you are there.
posted by General Tonic at 7:35 AM on March 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
All really truly right there in that valley. And now you are there.
posted by General Tonic at 7:35 AM on March 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
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As an adult we spend most of our time on our feet, or on our butts, but not often lying on surfaces other than a bed or a couch. You will find out a lot of things about your environment if you you explore it with your body, not just your eyes.
The obvious thing is to lie on the grass. But what about lying in the snow? Or in clumpy, dirty patches of weeds and rocks?
When you lie on things and crawl on them you experience them in ways that you can't while your are standing. You also experience your own body in different ways and get different sensations, kinetically, olfactorily and through touch.
posted by Jane the Brown at 9:30 AM on March 6, 2015 [3 favorites]