My wife Francesca has suggested that I’m a Bookaholic, but I think that’s a bit extreme. (I can quit anytime I want to …) I do have a lot of books and keep multiple copies of certain favorites so that I can share them with people I meet who I think would enjoy the content. Janine’s book, Biomimicry, is in this group—I […]
Smarty Plants!
With the traditional human bias for things that are somehow “like us,” we tend to favor demonstrations of intelligence that reflect our own intellectual assets: gorillas that have mastered sign language; dolphins that can communicate; tool-using apes; pig IQ tests. And we see those less-animate things (like plants) as, well, dumb. (There’s even a plant called the dieffenbachia that’s nicknamed “dumb cane,” though […]
The economics of bio-inspired design
In November, I participated once again in a conference I’ve spoken at in the past, in the Fourth Annual Bioinspiration Conference, hosted by the San Diego Zoo. From the title of this year’s conference– Accelerating Development of Nature’s Solutions—it was clear that the conference was focused on the scientific and economic realities of developing […]
A bit more about bees …
Just an update— found this on the BBC online site (though if you’re keeping an eye on the ongoing bee crisis, you may have seen this, as it’s from March): Neonicotinoid pesticides ‘damage brains of bees.’ Apparently two research papers were recently published offering substantial evidence that neonicotinoids and coumaphos interfere with bee brain activity, […]
Bees are having a moment
I mentioned bees in my last post, and here we are again. As part of an occasional series on their rooftop apiary, the San Francisco Chronicle’s August 15 Garden section highlighted a visit from Queen Turner, the head of beekeeping for the Ministry of Agriculture in Botswana. Meanwhile, the August 19 issue […]
Plant math with Vi Hart
More from Vi Hart on spirals, Phi, and how plants use math …
Congratulations, Sieta Beckwith!
Sieta Beckwith, currently living in Melbourne (but formerly from my hometown of Perth) provided this lovely spiral image and will receive a signed copy of The Shark’s Paintbrush as thanks!
When she posted it on Facebook, Sieta said,
This is a cactus-type plant that I saw […]
More spiral fun from Vi Hart
Another of Mathematician Vi Hart’s pieces on spirals (and plants). It’s clear from her video that Ms Hart would understand the young Jay Harman’s aversion to traditional classroom teaching!
Thank you, Vi Hart!
Mathematician Vi Hart appears to share my fascination with spirals, and made this charming video to help others become just as interested as we both are! Brainpickings calls this piece “doodletastic” and I quite agree — I am in favor of anyone who makes maths fun!
Paint drops …
Okay, it’s nearly May and things are heating up! The Shark’s Paintbrush will be published in June and there’s already an early review! If you haven’t visited our Facebook page, it’s here.
Here’s a bit from the book to whet your appetite:
Zoopharmacognosy is the long- winded scientific label for studying animal self- medication. You may have seen your […]