Smithsonian Science » Book Review

Book Review: Planetary Tectonics examines otherworldly landforms

John Barrat — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:06:19 +0000

In recent decades, manned and unmanned spacecraft have taken hundreds of thousands of detailed photographs of the terrestrial planets in our solar system, the distant outer planets and various asteroids, comets and planetary satellites. Much of the geology that has emerged from the study of these photographs is spelled out in the new book Planetary Tectonics, edited by Thomas Watters, senior scientist at the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, and Richard Schultz, Professor of Geological Engineering and Geomechanics at the University of Nevada.

Image right: A moasic photo of part of the Moon’s southern Mare Serenitatis showing wrinkle ridges.

This new book is a primer on the many different surface features that exist on the planets in our solar system, the internal and external forces that created these features and what they reveal about the conditions on the planets where they are found. From the wrinkle ridges of the moon, to the surface grooves of an asteroid or the fracture belts of Venus, Planetary Tectonics is a studious look at the complex interplay of powerful forces that act upon planetary crusts and the mechanical properties of the crusts themselves.

The number and diversity of tectonic landforms in our solar system “is truly remarkable,” Watters and Schultz write in the preface of their book. Photographs of these structures have stimulated a range of scholarly investigations, “from the characterization and modeling of individual classes of tectonic landforms to the assessment of regional and global tectonic systems,” the scientists write. Planetary Tectonics is an overview of the major themes of this research as they relate to each planet and small body. The book contains methods for mapping and analyzing planetary tectonic features and is illustrated with many diagrams and spectacular images. Planetary Tectonics, which is extensively referenced, provides a springboard to other sources of information, and is an essential reference for researchers and students alike. Published by Cambridge University Press, additional information about this new volume can be accessed at the Web address: www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521765732

Medieval book is important resource for how plants were once collected, treated and used

John Barrat — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:52:09 +0000

Among its treasures, the Bibliothèque de France in Paris holds a great many splendidly illustrated books on medieval herbs and medicines. One of these manuscripts is latinus 9333, which recently was reproduced in facsimile with a volume of study. Alain Touwaide, Historian of Sciences in the Department of Botany at the Smithsonain’s National Museum of Natural History, contributed three chapters in the study volume highlighting the history, importance and originality of the manuscript.

Latinus 9333 is the Latin translation of the so-called Tacuinum sanitatis, a medieval handbook on wellness written in Arabic by the 11th-century physician ibn Butlan. It deals with factors influencing human health: from the air, the environment and food, to physical exercise and sexual activity.

Image: The manuscript of Paris, Bibliothe`que nationale de France, latinus 9333: f. 36 verso: Ocimum basilicum L.; and f. 37 recto: Mandragora officinarum L.

In contrast to the Arabic original, several copies of the Latin version are illustrated. Characteristically, these illustrated Tacuinum sanitatis come from northern Italy and date to the 14th century. Their illustrations include scientific representations of plants and other substances used as medicines, as well as illustrations featuring other factors that influence human health. The illustraions offer snapshots of medieval daily life, environment and activities.

Such images are of particular importance to the history of botanical knowledge and illustration, Touwaide points out in the study volume. Plants are represented here in great detail, inserted into their environment, be it natural or human. Many of the images include human figures and illustrate the way plants were collected, treated, used, or were embued with cultural meanings. They constitute material of great interest for the study of the interaction between men and plants.

The manuscript encapsulates a knowledge and wisdom gained by trial and error over centuries, often going back to a much earlier period. The archeology of its text brings to light the odyssey of medicine and science in the Mediterranean and beyond, as latinus 9333 moved from Italy further north, where its Latin text was translated into German.

Researchers compile colorful on-line guide to marine algae of Panama

John Barrat — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:32:44 +0000

A new, online identification guide to more than 120 marine algae of the Pacific Panama has been developed by Smithsonian marine biologists Diane and Mark Littler in conjunction with the bioinformatics office at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. The guide is designed to make it easy for non-specialists to accurately identify seaweed species around Panama´s offshore islands from Las Perlas in the Bay of Panama to the Gulf of Chiriqui. More than 158 stunning underwater photographs and 445 photomicrographs showcase the major seaweeds. The treatment also documents 87 new records of marine macroalgae for Panama and 32 new records for the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The database can be accessed at the Web address: http://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/pacificalgae/

Image right: Mark and Diane Littler (Photo by Barrett L. Brooks)

“We have seen rapid degradation of reefs worldwide. It is of paramount importance scientists–from geologists to chemists–and for school kids, tourist guides and conservationists to understand the local reef environment and its foundation species,” say the Littlers. “Our guide celebrates the beauty of some of the most attractive inhabitants of Panama’s undersea realm and provides an indispensable, easy-to-use tool for their identification.”

Along with the coelenterate corals, the algae are the major primary producers and builders of Panamanian Eastern Pacific reef systems. Marine plants from four diverse evolutionary lines dominate. Now there is a way to accurately identify the marine plants that form the basis of this food web and maintain living reef structures.

Image left: Spectacular marine algae like this specimen of Dictyota humifusa are easily identified using the new marine plant guide. (Photo by Dianne Littler)

Image left: Identification keys distinguish one species from another based on easily observed characters. This guide provides keys to genera and species within each phylum of macroalgae. The keys utilize a double numbering system that enables the user to work a key backwards as well as forwards. A specimen can be “picture-keyed” initially, then positively identified by using the dichotomous keys and the photomicrographs.

New book reveals tidal freshwater wetlands are on frontlines of global change

John Barrat — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:25:10 +0000

Certain obstacles must be embraced to edit a book on tidal freshwater wetlands, including mud, mosquitoes and leeches. Smithsonian plant ecologist Dennis Whigham has surmounted all three and then some.

Whigham, along with colleagues Aat Barendregt from Utrecht University and Andy Baldwin from the University of Maryland, are editors of the new book Tidal Freshwater Wetlands, an indepth examination of how wetlands work, the animal and plant life they support and the threats they face.

Tidal Freshwater Wetlands focuses on wetlands found in North America and Europe near the mouths of rivers that flow into estuaries like the Chesapeake Bay. Perhaps the best studied of these wetlands is Maryland’s Jug Bay. Here – as in all these wetlands – the tides essentially force the Patuxent River to flow backwards twice a day. What separates Jug Bay from its saltwater marsh brethren is a lack of…salt.

Tidal freshwater wetland plants are as productive as the most productive agricultural crops. They generate enough leaves, seeds and rhizomes to feed a range of insects, birds and fish. Wetlands plant communities also earn their keep by improving water quality. During rainstorms they filter runoff before it enters the estuary.

Tidal Freshwater Wetlands describes the wildlife in these ecosystems and also explores the daily and seasonal cycles of the plants. Plants are Whigham’s area of expertise. When he walks through a marsh, he notes the subtle changes in gradient. Among other things, gradient affects hydrology, flooding and oxygen levels.

Throughout the book, Whigham and the authors remind readers that these unique coastal ecosystems are on the frontlines of global climate change and rising sea levels. This could cause brackish water to migrate upstream and into the freshwater zone. An increase in salinity could make these wetlands inhospitable to some of the plants and animals that call them home.

A sense of urgency underpins much of Tidal Freshwater Wetlands. Each chapter bubbles forth with new questions to research. There’s a sense that scientists have only just begun to understand the role and function of this delicate environment. —Tina Tennessen

Smithsonian botanist writes book on his discoveries in the secret land of Myanmar

John Barrat — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:36:26 +0000

Adventurous travel and discovery of rare, beautiful and scientifically unknown plants in the little-known country of Myanmar (also known as Burma) are the cornerstones of a new popular press book, The Weeping Goldsmith: Discoveries in the Secret Land of Myanmar, by W. John Kress, curator and research scientist in the Department of Botany at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. The 288-page book, featuring more than 200 color photographs of exotic plants, landscapes and Buddhist temples taken by Kress, is published by Abbeville Press and due out in bookstores Sept. 29.

Photo: W. John Kress

The Weeping Goldsmith, written as a first-person narrative, follows Kress over the course of nine years as he surveys Myanmar’s teak forests, bamboo thickets, timber plantations, rivers and mangroves to document its incredible botanical biodiversity. Home to some of the world’s most striking landscapes, Myanmar is enchantingly remote, nourishing thousands of exotic plant and animal species and a range of unique indigenous cultures.

Kress’ travels included study of several plant species not researched since their discovery more than a century ago. Among his many finds was “the weeping goldsmith,” a ginger flower and the namesake of his book. Legend has it that the local goldsmiths were brought to tears by the blossom because their creations paled in comparison to its beauty.

Photo: “Padeign gno” is the Burmese name for this flower. It’s name literally means “weeping goldsmith.”

“The weeping goldsmith was one of the most beautiful flowers I found in Myanmar, yet it had never been scientifically described,” Kress says. “This country, which has been neglected by outsiders for so long, is a lovely land with a rich history and culture as well as a unique and vast biodiversity.” The people and culture of Myanmar are highlighted in the book through Kress’ understanding of their country’s flora, natural habitats and human-dominated environments.

The book includes excerpts from Kress’ journals that serve as counterpoints to the accounts of earlier plant explorers. In addition to Kress’ photographs, the book includes 30 archival images of Burma taken by these past explorers.