PHE Researcher Iddo Wernick published a review of ‘More from Less: The Surprising Story of How We Learned to Prosper Using Fewer Resources?and What Happens Next’ by Andrew McAfee in the Journal of Industrial Ecology
Blog
Yeti crab inspires Pokemon
Brazilian crustacean experts Rafael Rosa, Daniel Cavallari & Ana Vera-Silva suggest that the abominable Yeti crab discovered by the Census of Marine Life and described in 2006 by Macpherson, Jones & Segonzac inspired the Pokémon figure Crabominable in their wonderful article in the Journal of Geek Studies, Pokécrustacea: the crustacean-inspired Pokémon.
eDNA featured in Martha’s Vineyard Times article
An excellent article by Sam Moore in the Martha’s Vineyard Times and its magazine Edible Vineyard feature Jesse Ausubel’s views and his collection of eDNA at the Inkwell Beach in Oak Bluffs and elsewhere on the Island.
Best-
OneNOAA Science Seminar online
Mark Stoeckle presented recent eDNA work assessing marine fish diversity and abundance at OneNOAA Science Seminar Series on August 26, 2020. The recorded presentation and lively discussion is available online for “Trawl and eDNA Assessment of Marine Fish Diversity, Seasonality, and Relative Abundance in Coastal New Jersey, USA”
The recording for this webinar can be viewed here by clicking on the link below and then playing the file in your browser:
https//noaabroadcast.adobeconnect.com/ppciqa4wrhzh/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal
Intern Isabel Kirsch
Isabel Kirsch, a student at Yale College, has worked with PHE during the summer of 2020 as an intern exploring the immune system through the lens of human performance enhancement. While Isabel’s internship is drawing to a close, we look forward to continuing collaboration and thank Isabel for creatively expanding the scope of our research.
Shellenberger Book Review
PHE Researcher Iddo Wernick published a review of the recently released book Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All by Michael Shellenberger
Michael Shellenberger’s new book
We are long-time admirers of Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus, who co-founded The Breakthrough Institute in 2003. TBI award Jesse Ausubel its annual prize in 2014, and Iddo Wernick has served as a Breakthrough Fellow. Perrin Meyer has also participated in TBI activities, and fostered appreciation in TBI of diffusion and loglets. Michael, who founded Environmental Progress in 2016, has now authored a best-seller (it climbed to #5 among all Amazon non-fiction last week) Apocalypse Never. Jesse and ideas developed over the years in PHE figure significantly in the book.
Discoveries of the Leonardo Da Vinci DNA Project
Biologists in the Leonardo Da Vinci DNA Project have shared a trio of fascinating, innovative papers.
Manolito G. Torralba, Claire Kuelbs, Kelvin Jens Moncera, and Karen E. Nelson of the J Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, California, and Rhonda Roby of the Alameda California County Sheriff’s Office Crime Laboratory, used small, dry polyester swabs to gently collect microbes from centuries-old, Renaissance-style art in a private collector’s home in Florence, Italy. Their findings are published open access in the journal Microbial Ecology, “Characterizing microbial signatures on sculptures and paintings of similar provenance.”
Concurrently available are a pair of papers by David Thaler, of the University of Basel and a guest investigator in the Program for the Human Environment. David’s papers are
Thaler’s papers form part of a collection now in press as a book: Actes du Colloque International d’Amboise: Leonardo de Vinci, Anatomiste. Pionnier de l’Anatomie comparée, de la Biomécanique, de la Bionique et de la Physiognomonie, edited by Henry de Lumley, CNRS editions, Paris.
Two major newswires, Agence France Presse and Agencia EFE, each did separate stories:
Manny Torralba et al.
AFP Microbes Could ‘help Save Old Masters’ And Catch Forgers
Agencia EFE Identificar microbios en obras de arte abre la puerta a una mejor preservación
David Thaler
AFP Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘quick eye’ may be key to Mona Lisa’s magnetism
German version Forscher: «Schnelles Auge» half da Vinci beim Zeichnen und Malen
Agencia EFE La rapidez visual “súper desarrollada” de Da Vinci podría explicar la sonrisa de la Mona Lisa
LiveScience, United States Did Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘quick eye’ help him capture Mona Lisa’s fleeting smile?
By Leonardo Da Vinci DNA Project (summary)
Genetic detectives ID microbes suspected of slowly ruining humanity’s treasures
Book Review, A Question Power by Robert Bryce
PHE Researcher Iddo Wernick published a review of the recently released book A Question of Power: Why Electricity Will Remain the Essential Ingredient for Human Flourishing by Robert Bryce.
East Coast eDNA researchers
Our environmental DNA discovery of unusual fish is featured in the American Fisheries Society blog. The post highlights the growing complement of East Coast eDNA researchers, including our NOAA colleague Yuan Liu.