NATURAL

HISTORY
MUSEUM

Unfold the Story of Nature - from the Dawn of Life to the Present Day!
\
~WALLBOOK
AN FPJC: E.XPF.DITlON THROUGll Tl!E l-lISTORY OF NATU RAL SCIENCE
t'nttse tlle Ae,e11hl
Rclh'-l"n,·t·r ~l,,1hrr 'N:1 tutt'
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UllT'OT\.tC urn1111 COM
Verses tackle universal mysteries
Poet suggests that successful creatures are those best adapted for survival, and all
physical matter is composed offour elements - earth, air, fire and water
BY OUR ANCIENT GREECE DESK,
Sicily, c. 4fO BC
WHERE DO WE come from? What
is 1he Universe made oP. These baffiing
questions are just a few of the topics
addressed in an epic five thousand
lines of poetry released yesterday by
the multi-talented Greek scientisr and
philosopher Empedocles.
Mr Empedocles, who comes from
Acragas on the southern coast of Sicily,
has developed his ideas after studying
the works of trailbl:r,ing philosophers
such as Anaximander (died c. 546 BC)
and Pythagoras (died c.495 BC). Mr
Anaximander, a scholar of the influential
FOil TIIE 8/GGITT BANGS THIS
SIDE OF POHPE/1/
\ '11o m, '-' F111ru!',l", N," 1..1,
school at Milerns in Turkey, had argued
that many natural phenomena could
only be interpreted correctly through
proper observation and investigation.
He claimed that nature, like humanity,
is controlled not by the will of the
gods, but by a sec of laws chat keep the
Universe in balance. By arguing that
we can understand the natural world
better by looking more closely at it, Mr
Anaximander opened the way for
major new theories, such as those now
submitted by Mr Empedocles.
In his latest poem, Or1 Nature,
Mr Empedocles develops ideas taken
from Mr Anaximander, proposing that
fossils prove chat animals, including
humans, must in the past have come
SIC I LY
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No claim lflfl gory!
1-I00·CUll-N-HU ISll
from the sea, shedding their scales
along the way. He says some animals
were created with strange and awkward
features, such as arms without
shoulders, but these died out because
they were not built for survival, while
ochers chat had the right mix of body
parts lived on.
One of the most important issues
raised by Mr Empedocles is about the
fundamental substance of the Universe.
What is the real difference between
iron and gold, or between a sparkling
diamond and a lump of dull rock'
Mr Empedocles suggests that everything
in the Universe is made up of a set of
basic building blocks - four elements
- and that different combinations of
c. 4 fO BC
THE COLOSSEUM
SusoN T1cun Now ON SALt1
F1tr the hc,r •1cw 111 the h,,u~ 1 P,QOk cnly :<1
n,,ul cl"'PP'"n1mcn1 (or c.l1~mcmbermcn1)'
these elements account for all che
substances in the Universe. He names
these four elements as earth, air, fire
and water. For example, wood burns
easily because it is made mostly of fire,
while water and stone do not.
However, unlike Mr Anaximander,
Mr Empedocles does not believe that
observation alone is enough to reveal
all the mysteries of the world. He
maintains chat we only ever see a very
small part of reality, and that humans
also have to chink carefully to unlock
the secrets underneath. Mr Empedocles
believes this new rational approach
will be vital if we wish better to
understand the origins of the world
and of ourselves.
 I
' C
Glorying in the natural world
Celebrated philosophers grapple with the mysteries eflife during a unique summer vacation
BY O UR NATURE CORRESPONDENT,
Lcsbos, 1 J s BC
EVERYONE KNOWS that the Cruk is/mu.ls ,m the
pnfecr holida;, dcs1i11a tio11 for sunshine and sand, bw
few people renlisr that their mou precious artrnction
may well be rhrir indigenous flowers and auimal.s.
Our special nature corrrspo11de111 caught up with
the al,brnud zoologist Mr Aristotle nnd the famous
botanist Mr Theophrasrus after rhq spent the mmmer
investigming the Mediterranean florn and fauna.
In this imagiuar)' conversarion, he quizzes them
about their recm t research trip to the isln11d of Lesbos,
during which they made the first attempts to cl,m ify
plnnts and animals. By doing so, they aim to help people
ro undersraud the richness and diversi~y of the natural
world. He starred by asking why they specificnlly chose
Lesbos as the site of their sciemifir rest'llrch.
n,eophrnstus: Well, M r Arisrod e a nd I met wh ile we
were both students at Mr !'law's Acade my in Athens,
b ut I'm ac1ually a na1ive of Lesbos, so i1 was my idea.
I knew ir would be a great place co work.
Aristode: Things weren'1 go ing well fo r me at the
Academy a ny mo re. Afie r Mr Pla to passed away
_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _1_11_,_~_11_,1_1_1 _111_:>.:,:0:.:_K:_:1~·1~
-
there was a great deal of confusion and I simply
could n't gee a ny work d one. So it seemed the perfect
time fo r a sabbatical, and just at that moment my
old friend Mr Theophrastus appeared out of the blue
a nd said, "Wh y don't you come co Lesbos?" The
island, which is fa mous as the ho me o f the love- poet
Sappho, boasts a swn n ing lagoon, home rn a huge
variety of animal life. Ir was the perfect oppo ttunity
to get away fro m it all.
I was 1ocally captivated by the lagoon. I siarted
collecting specimens and q u izzi ng the fis hermen
about the animals they ca me ac ross. In the past
I had followed in Mr Plato's footsteps, writing
about philosop hy and po licies, but what m uck
me here was , he sheer variety o f species befo re me.
I sec about crying to undersia nd all the creatures on
,he island and in the seas around it, putting chem into
categories based o n their appearance and beh aviour,
and recording everything I could find .
\'(forking 011 the island hns led Mr Aristotle to some
rnrprising conclusiom. He realised thnt dolphins nre not
in fact fish but 111m11111als - they breathe air nnd give
birth to live young.
He hns nlso spent time drawing and describing
the biological str11ct11re of the animals he caught nnd
dissected. He hns even managed to look inside ,111 egg
L~SBOS "[lC
litnNr,,f I·
nnd watch nn embryo develop into n chick. Unlike
his mentor, Mr Pinto, Mr Aristotle hns come to the
co11cl11sion thnt theory and reason cnn only rnke scholars
sofar, and thnt to test om their ideas scholnrs mmt mnke
observations and carry out experimems to understand
the world.
Meanwhile, ns Mr Aristotle wns in hot pursuit of
creatures, Mr Theophrnstus wns busy making" detailed
study of rhe islnnd s plants.
Theophrnstt,s: I placed them in categories and made
110,es about t heir rep roductive cycles, how they were
used o n the isla nd and even how 1hey tasted . A lot of
these planes were used by the isla nd ers fo r healthcare,
so I felt it was especially important to make a list of
how to g row and prod uce medicines.
M r Theophmstt,s hopes thnt this medical information
might prove useful tof 11t11re physicinm and perhaps even
snve lives. His work also includes a theory on 'grafting'
which will be ofgrent interest to farmers. It allows a
'copy' ofn plnm with desirable fenrures to be grown by
attaching a cutting ofit to the roots of another plm,t.
M r Aristotle has now bem called bnck to his homeland
to tench the young prince Al,xnnder of Macedon how to
be tt lender, but he and Mr Theophrastus httven't ruled
0111 one day setting up an academy oftheir own.
 1 111 \HI I 110l1h C IIIIDSIC 11
N.,turc

Insatiable curiosity
kills man of nature
BY OUR ROMA N fD JTOR,
N,pics,AO,,
THE DE\'AST:\TIN G \'OLCAN IC
eruption which Jc~troyl'ti thr rnwn~
C'f Pompeii :inJ Hc.·m1bnt"l1m i~ nm\
kno,m ro haw clainwd rlw lifr of
on .1 lw.h.h .11 .St.1hi.1c.·. where.· IH· Ii.id
.1pp.1 rc-111lr dic-d fnun .~pl,yxiation. \'\/c
,1~1ke ro hi, nephew. also f.ilkd Pliny,
:1hou1 hi~ l:imous unrle.
.. Ir w.t, p.1rt rr., cuc rnis~ion, p.m
rc~L•,1rch trip," !-:lid the younger M r
Pliny. "~ly uncle.- li:1d friend!- nc.ir
Vc.-.,11\'ius .111d h<.· knew he h.1d 10

o ne of 1hr Roman Empin··~ lrJdinc.
nJtur.tlisrs. Gaiu!'I Plinius SrrunJus. ·
Pliny. J., hr i!'I bcucr known, made
lasring conrriburions ro rhe field
of narur.11 philosophv rh rough his
scienrific and philosophic.,J works.
When Mount Vesuvius blew its
top, it Sf>"wcd out hot gas. stones and
JSh imo the :iir. forming :1 tcrrifj·ing
dark cloud th>t fd l on the land bdow.
bombarding the densclv populated
r,gion around the Bay of Naples wi th
, hail of pumice stones. Whole cities
have been buried in the thick ash.
hdp. hut d1<." crup1ion w;B ;1l~o .111
opponuniry 10 oll~,crvc :111 incrnliblc
narur:il phenomenon clm.c up. He
even took his scribe wirh him to rake
nores along rhe way, right into rhe
hearr of the fire , nd ,sh. Ultinmcly.
I guess you could say he was :i victim
of his own curiosity. bm tha.1 w:t"i wh:it
made him so special."
The cider Mr Pliny's thirsr for
knowledge ma nifested irsel f in 311 epic
thirry-scven-volumc work, Nnturnlis include rhe organised societies of bees. sixteen volu mes of the encyclop,edil
Historinr, which has car.ilogucd the btcsr and the octahedral sh,pe and extreme to borany, the study of planrs.
wide hardness of natural substances such as Mr Pliny's work is l restamenr to
scicnrihc discoveries across :i

range of subjects including geography, diamonds. His book is rhe fi rs, to his towering inrellect and his insltiable
After warchi ng the growing cloud
geology, medicine, borany and zoology, describe amber 3S the fossilised resin of p,ssion for discovery. Air hough he will
JbO\'C Vesu\'ius, ivfr Pliny, who was .:1
to name just a few. Scholars regularly rrecs and t0 c:uegorisc miner:ils imo be much missed, his thirsr for knowledge
Roman na\':tl com mander s1:1tiont:d
rank it alongside the great works of the difterenr groups. He even outlines the , nd the sheer bre,dth of his inreresrs
on the coast. set out with his ships in
rm nufac rure of perfumes from exotic h,ve left a lasting legacy in his unique
a bid to rry ro help those fleeing the ancient Greeks for its sciencihc v,1luc.
Topics covered by rhe encyclopaedia planrs , nd spices. He has devoted encyclop,cdia of narurc.
disa;rer. Yesterday, his body was fo und

Gladiators hold keys to medical science

imporrancc of proper diet ,nd hygiene
BY OUR MEDICAL EDIT OR, for health. He has also dc,•ised new
PcrgJJ11on,AD 161 ways of helping broken bones heal
after injuries in rhc arena. Gladiarors
SJ)' they arc lucky ro have him - since
ROME'S MOST infamous and grisly
he starred looking after them four years
en rerrainment , gladiatorial combat ,
ago, only five have died, which is a
has become rhe surprising source of
significant improvement on rhe record
major bre:rkrhroughs in medicine , nd
of his predecessor, during whose rime
rn rgery. 11,e injuries sustained by the
sixry of their comrades died.
brave fighrers Jre giving the medical
Mr Galen believes that good doccors
genius G, len a close-up view on the
should also be good philosophers.
inner workings of the human body l! :t
In one of his most controversial works,
rime when curring up corpses is illegal
a study of the heart, he claims rhar this
rliroughour rl1c Roman Empire.
mysrerious organ isn't the selt of rhc
Mr Galen was born in rhe Greek
rreat all kinds of nasty wounds ,nd soul, as many orh«s believe, bur rnrher
ciry of Pergamon and learned his trade dissecring ,nimals such as apes , nd
dis,biliries you just wouldn't otherwise operates as a powerful pump that sends
rhrn· in rhe remple of Asclepius, the pigs, bL1r rhar ro trll i)' undersrand the
come across. By treating these ailmenrs, blood around rhe body.
god of medicine. He soon beg,n human anatomy scicnrisrs need to
I h,ve learned a great deal about rhe Mr Galen's medical knowledge is
travelling ar0l11td rhe Rom,n Empire, smdy human bodies. So when he w,s
body and what happens when you now in hot demand. Even rhe Emperor,
selling his skills to rhe we,hhy and offered a position as chief physician for
experiment with ir." Marcus Aurelius, has said he is "Primum
picking up loca l medical rechniques gladiators, Mr Galen saw rhe chance
for some exciting new research. Through observing the exhausting sn11e medicon,m roe, philosophonim a111e111
and rheorics wherever he wcnr.
"Looking afcer the gladiarors is and dangerous lives of the gladiators, so/11111" - "First , mong doctors, unique
Mr Galen says rJ131 many of his
medical discoveries have come fro m great fo r my work," he says. "I ger ro Mr Galen has come to understand the among philosophers".

!' [ RG,\.'ION AD•••

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Unlocking the scientific secrets of sight
('Xlll t:d 111 ,111)' .
. . \llt: lll i\1
Irr I11111111e, he 1, ·I·
1-'RO~IOL IR ~\AN IN TI-ii ~\A(;HRFB. I , r,·ve, i' · ll,i,'t
Caira. ic.1.1 ,c po,sihle In hc11d Ii •I ' "-'i ll ,,,,'c •I,,,
lonl, d o,cr. Schol gl " '" •l1;i1' I . <1,y
a I.10 I>c rn111loy ·'" 1
I c "1 1c• I I>a1 i1 ' 'Jc
. <1,
, r1.. 1ur v·1 . . 11111,1
mp11eno u.'i oh,· 1.:\'-'111~ d· n 11
,\·,,uld allf'" hum;m ... 10 ''""'m m ,., cc1, or ob 1,1:i,1
creature., in fine I _. 'rr\tj 11l, . 1
•
th-.·, -. l,ul,i '-{"{' 1hr ~h,,1n ~nd ?-t.l n- l Cl.11 1. , 11 11
Mr al -1 laytl,a,n I Y
•..1,,,'-. ua, .:., 1f the-, wc-n· m ,p.1,,.Y! 1hr
~m engineer in C . >cg:i,1 hi, ca
, .. H·1u1, 1lhn .tl-Ha,·th:im hC'lir,-..... (,nr wh.11 ..:n-;tt<·S tl1c in1,1µcs we sec. He 1>oi11ts (,.a 1·'I'I1. He Slant ~1ru, Work· • rt..•cr ;J.\
\..La· '-tKh .1 Tt..\:hnf'\op· nuv tx- ,,,,:-ihk. ~1r ,1-1b11h.1111 di:<.1~rw> wi1h 1hr . . I •
, experin "'g ro .
r the
"' tlw impl.iw,ihk notion 1h;11 the cyts o p11c., after die failure of ien1 ing "'iii
In bis r,wm &n (· ,!i" Or11s. 1hr classical pl.-il,,,,,1,I"" E11,·lid .rnd
~ 1u,1im h lh1ia1 rut, forw;\n.i :'I new 1'tolrnw. who .m:uC\{ ,h.u our (."~1.~ ~luxll
, ould li~ht up .111 arc.1 .is big as. 1hc to control the Rood·
r
a huge pr . 1
. •ng of th .
nifhl skr when I hey arc o pen; )I IS Arter avoiding ti,. C . c 1,. "Jcq
thco, clpl:unin~ the- !t-<.-icn1...-c l,1 h'-'" out pln1 · •d c-:- "'' lieht
:-- th ·II illu111in.11,·
much more likdr, he s,ys, that the Sun. e a1•pl . \Ive, N·t, c
r--·•oplc >«. S.:hnl,.,. l:,c-fiC'\·e his idr.t< nw· ('lhj('('ts, allo,,i n~ us [O SC'C' (hrm . l m,t_(';uL pretendin g to be rnad M 1• wra1l,, b·
~ loon .rnJ st~irs arc shini ng down on us. was able to focus I • • r al-Hay,t, Y
,,nc- da.,· lc~ci tC'I rhr dc,·dopmc-nt ni" h, ,_,,.,. ><'Ille ,,hjr-"I< rdk,:t li~hr !rum . . ·c. . 11s
tt"t...:h ni'?UC"' for vi{•,,;nc:; di~tant obj("('t~. the s·,m while other.; absorb i1. Ei th~r
Mr :11-Hayth:1111 also discusses the sc1en1111c mvcsrig . curios·>ty on J.rn h
. at,ons iha I c
roncepi of magnification, which has 10 l11s groundbreak fl • 1 have 1-d
pc.·rhar:- c·vt:n rhc- Mlr..'. clci:,.r up. "-a~·. th(' light that rc-.1ehrs our l·yrs IS •ng ook o>Jo . C
'Pt1r,_

House of Wisdom
leaves Europe in dark
Baghdad becomes ntru.J seat oflearning after
caliphs order trnnslation of ancient texts
BY OUR ~~IDDLE EAST EDITOR ,
B,gbd,d, , ~J
THE REDISC OVERY of ancient
G rttk and Ro mJ.n wisdom is spurring
nc:w discovc:rics in medical and scientific
thought througho ut the 1'.1iddle Eas1.
\Vhilc much of Europe h,s been prey
10 imdlcctual drought since ,he fall of
the Roman Empire, scholars across the
Muslim world are busily translating,
srudyi ng and developin g ide,s based
o n thc::.se classical ancient texts.
In Baghdad, a scholarly ins1im1io n
suppo rted by ,he caliphaie known ,s
the H ouse of \Xlisdom is now one of
the largest reposito ries of knowledge
from che ancient world. Si nce: the
inuoducrion of convcnienr , affordable
papcrma king techniques from C hino,
the u liphs hove commissioned the
translatio n of hundreds of 1cxts into
Arabic, ensuring 1hor the study of
science is a priority under their rule.
ll1e works of Gree k philosopher
Arisrode were ornongst the first to be
transb1cd , ,nd his philosoph y is now
basic reading for all Muslim scholars.
Earlier th is ye:ir, " docror from
Per.;ia called Avicenna w nounced the
release of his founeen-volume Cn11011
of Mrdicinr. This encydop ,edia draws
upon i.he discoveries and ideas of
Aristotle and Galen to investig•te ,he
body , nd irs various illnesses. le also
derails suggestions for healing and
mainraining good health.
Mr Avicenna believes rhar exercise
is key ro healthy living, helping ro
stave off disease. He also provides
informati on on how plants and herbs
can be used ,s painkillers, medici nes or
even comracepcives.
~1 r Avicenna says rigorous testing
must be c:i.rricd ouc before using any
new drug or medicine. Perhaps most
imporrantly, Mr A1·icenna says new
drugs should be 1cS1ed on huma ns, and spread across the Arab world.
New irrigation techniques are now
not just animals, sinee he believes leading ro the rise of orher cenrres
of being deployed across Iberia to improve
that what is good for an animal is 1101 Muslim scholarship, for example in
harvesrs and enable the culrivation of
necessarily good for a homan. Cordoba in Andalud:t. Here a rival
new crops such as watermelons, rice
Mr Avicenna's discoveries abom d1c government ro rhe rulers of
Baghdad and bananas. Commcncators consider
human body arc already being taught was esrablished in 756 by Abd
thor ever since the collapse of rhc
in libraries and schools across the ar-Rahma n, a prince of the
deposed Roman Empire in the fifth cenrury
Muslim world. Umayyad royal family who refused ro
AD, Christian Europe has been left far
O 1her Greek, Roman, Persian ,nd recognise 1hc autho rity of rhe Abbasid
Indian works have also bcl'n rransbtcd behind rhe Muslim world in terms of
caliph in Damascus. scientific understanding.

s,t,e.r-eellel/l ~ WISD OM HOUS E

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lel/sesl U U HEMIERS CLUI. ct. OLOCICAL
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MAPPING
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BA GH D A D 100 1

11II I\ ~ 11 lll'llk l 'II l!ONI I I I
Bleeding
and plants
are keys co
healthy life
BYOUR Ml:DICAL EDITOR.
Bingen. German)', Tl 50
4 I ·1., 10.\" 4R) f nnnlr rhrolog,r.ri. 1hr
nf 8u~ern. l1t1.{
,/lMl mu;' ,,·u 11h.t1 Hildrg,nrl
.1usr ,·nmp irrrd ,, nnr u•tJrk tin rl1r /,umr.
n - long ,lf.!11 1his w.1~ an :m:a of coastline
u•nrk c{'!
hnd_, t:'1ll m 111/mr ,u, 7hr r rom,_
ro /,,fr alln ·1,ur m01~1 nf rhr u•orld's mo.,;
flrnur w11..• afjh,·1101:c,wd dr.frlun
.
. .V , Hddrgr.rd ha., nlre,,dr r m,•rd
/.rr
,;mplr h101,,/rdgr o( 1/.r 11aruml ""''Id
rr. Ph~-si~. a 1vork rhnr fan,sr) 0 11 rhr
mrdi,'"lnnl pmprr11r.1 ofplnnr.t. minrmls
nntl ammr.ls. l1f; l-11/drgard! ltursr worl·,
Causes Jnd Curo, lnrs 0111 hrr sprrialisr
mrdiral and r.1101om1rol thinking.
..
. --·- - --
.
H!lDt:GAAOIS
. [I. ..
~
--· . .-
. ~l(
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- _:~ __ _
--- - -- -
1-
In Im- work, MsHi/,bgard rrcommmdJ
'bkrding' a porin11 m n cure for many
ro11diriom. 7his uchnique, which involv
es
lrrti11g bad hlood flow 0111, ha, bun in
wt sincr ancient Cruk rimes,
but Ms
Hi/,bgard tksrrib,s in great drtail how
it should b, don,, i11cl11ding how much
blood 10 1ak, 011d ,vm whirh phase of
rh, Moon it should b, p,rform,d under.
Siu also presems rm1edie1 for burm
, In Mr Galen's time, the Roman
frnrw rrs, dirlocarfom and cu/I.
M, Hi/,bgard, stro11g belief is rhnt
si11rr e11rry•rhi11g wm put on &rrrh by God
for humam 10 usr, it is 110 wonder that
cureJ for a wide vnrirry ofdiunses can be
found in various pfantJ and minernlr. In
Im book, Ms Hildegard has developed 11
clnssijic111io11 'Y""" for 1111 th, organisms
mentioned in rh, Book ofGm,sis.
Ms Hiltkg11rd '"JI her inspiration hm
come from n series ofviiions that she hm
experienetd 1hro11gho111 her lift, a, well
as through 1hrjive s,mes - sighr, h,aring,
1111re, smell a11d touch - 11/I ofwhich ,he
claims 11re gifts from God.
BING EN l l fO
Renaissance man says fossils
no proof of Biblical Rood
BY OU R R[ Sll"'FNT rot Y~l,\Tl-1
•' \onrc Roq, S"ir::crlanJ, 1f;O •
KHAT'~ A l·OS~II ' 1hr ori1:i11 111
1h~t-- \l r.tn~r \ h,lJl<'\ found in mch
:im1111d 1hr t,:.l<,hr i\ ~ mn1cn- 1h.11
h.1,
long pllnlcxi ~\· ir1111q,. () ftcn. dH-v 1.1kc
the ,h,1pc- nf ;111im.1b. .rnd pl.1111·., 1101
~111nd li"ing 011 1hc F.mh, :-n·111i11g.ly
tro1cn in tilllt'. Now .1 ncwcxpl,111arion
been proffrrcd hr ,he ,rkbr.11ed
1,,.,
halia n polym.11h Lron:irdo d:1 Vinci.
,\ 1r cb Vinci h.is ckd irated much of
n~
his profcs.,ion:11 c1rccr 10 drawi
ms for bizarre i1wcnrio11s such :ts
diagra
hdicoprcrs. src:1111 -powcrcd c.rnnons
and mechJn ical soldi<rs. Now he has
turned his curiosity ro die: natural
to
scic.nces, observing birds in order
design his own Ayi ng machines :tnd,
1hrough fossils, srndying the anciern
his<ory of the E,rnh itselr.
Perplexed by the many fossilised
marine molluscs 1hat are found high
in the Alps bordering Switzerland and
lialy, Mr da Vinci has pondered how
these sea creatures came to be so fur
from water. Two common explanations
exist: tha, a great Rood sent by God
submerged the mountains as in the
Bible; or thai these are forma tions that
have simply grown in the rocks. Mr da
Vinci disagrees with both theori es.
"A worldwide Rood is quite simply
an impossibility," he says dismissively.
"Where did all the water go? And as
Dissections reveal body's secrets
T HE GRUESOME DISSECT IO N
of a human corpse 100k place yes<erday
in Basel, Switzerland , when radical
surgeon Andreas Vesalius invited ,he
public tO warch him explain the inner
workings of the human body. Mr
Vesalius cut open the cadaver of local
criminal Jakob Karrcr von Gebweiler,
preserving the skelet011 for public
display, wriw our medical editor from
Switurln11d 011 13 May I 543.
Mr Vesalius claims that dissec<ing
humans, which is a long-standing
taboo in many European countries,
is
a necessary technique for the proper
study of anat0my. The Belgian surgeon
hit the headlines rwo years ago when
he poinred out that the anatomical
MO NT E RO SA •t • o
of
l11r thc~r hc111g .111 111di11.n y lc,11urr
d1r l.rnch t,1pr. nrH' l ,111 dc.11/y ~cc ft0111
1hr di.q i1H I l.1ycr~ of rock, whid1
.1rr
t..111 down dir1111gl111111 l·..inh', life, tl,.11
i11
d1c., r u r.1111 rt''i ,1ppe.1r only ,II ,, u rr.1
ro
li mr in hh111ry .11ul hc,1r .1 ,:;imil.irity
f~"'il' 1;11111d hr the co.,q ~...
~fr d,1 Vim.i 111.1i11 1.1im rh.u rl1csc
11s
111011111.li m were no[ .1lw:1ys 111011n1ai
or ocean , now r;lisrcf high. In his view,
fossils provide l'Vidc ncc w suggest rh:11
1hr E.inh'sshape i,conS<andychanging.
, For exam ple, he has fou nd ,har
works of the Greek physician Galen
long considered rhe ulrimate aurhority,
are based on flawed animal dissec tions.
Empire banned all dissec<ion of human
bodies bm now, although controversia l,
such research is permitted. Thanks IO
his human dissections, Mr Vesalius has
idemified errors in Mr Galen's work.
N 11lJ rr
Mr ,I., Vu,u I,,,. also hn·n « udying
!111111.111 .rn.11u my. even crc,11i 11g rhe
fir,:; t
muly of .1 lncrus in d1t· wo mh,
help him improve his p.,in« ng.
JII ro
"A~.111 ;uriq," he ~,1y,:;, '·undcro:;r,rndi ng
rhc ,kdcw n ;iml mmdcc. ro dr.,w
rc,1/io:;rit figure~ is jmr ,1c; imporranc
,l'i
r
ir i.< for a doctor rn give ,he prope
medicine. f h;ive heen working wi,h
physician, aero~, haly ,o create dctJiled
drawing., of ,he h11ma n body that will
110< only inform my work
bur also,
I hope, funhe r medic.ii knowledge.-
human jawbones are made of one
hinged bone, n01 rwo as proposed by
Mr Galen. As a result of Mr Galen's
failings Mr Vesalius is now scep1ical of
relying <oo heavily on rhe classical
thinkers, feeling ,hat rheir lack of·
carefully repea ted exam inatio n, and
thei r merging of philosophy and
medicine, has led t0 serious mistakes.
Mr Vesali us has also debunked some
comm on misunderstandings about
1he body, includi ng rhe belief ,hai
n,
men have one rib fewer rhan wome
a myth originating widt rhe st0ry of
Adam and Eve. Mr Vesali us plans 10
publish his discoveries accompan ied
by dciailed illuma1ions.
B AS E L •t<l
 Pope puts man o f science u
nd~r
arrest for astronomical cha
ll enge
lvl r C;i lilc i I,." ,.,d .
BY ();_• i; \ 'A Tl CAN LT' 11 .
IT~~K. Il CII' prnvt: rh c hclic <.' t,11~C.nv ,
"-,;•me . lun~ U •J 1 . l' r1 ('.., th.u
>Ct'l l{q L
he corre ct. I
. I . I Ii,.;; oh,;;c rvar 1011 . rn 11dt1 r,,
,lil t , 1.... L 1:1n ~ ,;; uf V
h II, \I-\ '\) l ·1 '-: Tl . 111 v ,h . cnu,
orb11 s th e Sun , n 1 <l'-C,;; lihow h
' Rll '- pc,11,lc .
h:;\ \ '-''ll"\..L,.-r\'\.i 1h1.·rn..,1.·h 11 111 th e F t ,It ir
-t.~, t<' he ;tt tt-w di,c ovc ri cs in cl ude . 1
• ,.: n~r~ ,,: l ,n,i ,,. rr:1 t1Pn . . . • rth . Oth er
. th<.· l ·niv,.:r, t . ·1
'i<.: ncs of
H'"'" ,.:l,t ._,,uld i; h. .; h-c circl111 g roun d th e i•ia
n mc,rnm~ and mountains and o•n t p Ianct Jrnr"m .
s
iht· '.\ u11 app1..·~1r-- h' n,t . lipi tt r,
m the C;t'-l :rnd
th t..· w ~ ,;. t, while thl' I .;i.nh crossi ng th e surface of can yo ns .
, ..-: in
rcm :-11n:-. . . h M criss_
'l:t: ion ;tn ,h<.· lvlr Ga lil c, has now tu c. i oon
d~ ,:cnrrc . d ·
Ru: . a,w,u,hmc. a:-, it ,0 111 a new work, Dialou, nne his I'd
C ca,
Tiuo Cl,i ef World o ,e oncern ·
11nd:,, . C'\'C't\
rhi, mos: apr ~ir~nrl~
nlwiou~ fact Svst e,n h· "'g the
ma, no:. ht· what it sup por ts hcl,. occ ntri
J '· w 1ch fi I
:-.cc m, S .. ·icnrih.: ciry H "" Y
Ch arac tcr O f a foo ·
d1,..::ovene:-. ;1rt· wus ing
~nm t' s.:hobr:,. l ca ll d cs· uses t he
ro da1m th:.11 rhc ~n co recite the Chu rch' ' C 1mp j·1 ·
h i:-. :t ~inf:.lc s a c10,
pianct m a \JSt :-.olar
~~·sn:m. and d1Jt rh c Sun goin g roun d· th rgum ents ~
E.
our g.iohe ma~- itsdfbc: spi Ch urcI1 has resp ond e an h or
nning roun d ed d .. · 1he
on 1rs axi:-. once a da~-
and orhiring. the infl amm ator y work ecis1vcly
. . . , arresti.ng Mr to
rhc Sun cn=-ry year. In
orher words. r.hc Ga 1I1e1 and placing him
• d fi .
Eanh 1~ goit1f:. rou nd rhe und er ho use arrest.
Sun . not in e nnely
rhc Sun orc l ing the Earr 1 The C hurch sees helioce
h
Such bdic.:fs arc- causing Challenging the Church's teach a threat to man y of
. .
ntnc 1ty as
in ecck-siasr:ical circles.
uproJr
as the lralian
ings Officials say that God
its teachin
phv,icisr: and phil oso
phe r Gali leo
amounts to heresy, say officials . . mad
His own . image, separate e man in
gs.
Galilei fou nd our ves,erda from other
-·, when he heretical in 1616. Officials livin g thin gs and supe
w,s arresrcd bv fear such Mr Galilei is not the first rior to them
Chu rch officials who ideas may shake ,he very exp ert co It thu s follows chat the
fo und atio ns argue against such a syst E.an h
arc r:n-ing to halt the spre
ad of these of C hristianity, since Chu em. Mu ch of hom e, mus t be at the , as man ,'s
rch teachings his wo rk is based on that , very ce
new ideas. The Cat holi
c Chu rch fi rst have always scared that of the Poli sh .
God s Universe. 1he sugg ntre 0 f
declared ' hdio cem rici r:y' the Earth is astro nom er Nicolaus Cop cscion that
- the belie f stationary in the centre of erni cus nine ty the C hur ch may be mist
char che E.arr h orb its the the Uni verse, years ago. But now, than aken in its
Sun - to be a concept known as 'geo ks co maj or teac hin gs is, say relig
cenrriciry'. deve lopm ents in telescop ious offic ials
e technology, tant amo unt ro heresy.
'

Miniature world revealed

LIFE ON RS?
MA · , I
BY OU R OPT ICA L COR
Am studam , 1677

A lv! I N IAT UR E WO RL
RES PON DEN T,

D of living crea tures and

Now Mr van Lee uwe
closer at these cells wi
mo re pow erfu l mic rosc
wat er he fou nd mes mer
nho ek has looked even
th a new generation of
opes. In a vial of slim y
isin g mic roscopic alga e
srill
pond
pro tozo a swi mm ing thro and
plan ts has been discover ugh the use of tin y hai
WI TH GA LIL EO' S ed by the Dut ch scientis rs.
FAN TAS TIC Ant on ie van Leeuwenho t Obs ervi ng yeas t, whi ch
ek usin g rapidly imp rovi is used to make alcohol
OPT ICA L ENH AN C
ERS ! 'microscope' technology. ng and brea d, he saw that
Mr van Lee uwe nho ek says each gran ule was in fact
min usc ule plan t-lik e org ,
he can observe li ving orga anism .
nism s and thei r com pon
on a scale far too small for ents He has also deb unked
the nak ed eye to see. the myt h of spontaneous
-n,e microscope's pote ntia gen erat ion, whe reby livin
l was first dem ons trat ed g thin gs are thought to
by the English scie ntist eme rge out of iner t che
Rob ert Hoo ke in his 166 mic als, by observin g that
wo rk Micrographifl, a boo 5 in alm ost all species
k of spec tacularly intr icat males and females are
e necessary for successful both
drawings of min ute livin fertili sati on and birtl1.
g things. For exa mpl e,
picture has to be folded out one Mr van Lee uwe nho ek
over four pages, revealin made his most exciting
the im age of a Aea on whi g disc ove ry earlier this year
ch .eve ry hair is visible. whe n he discovered wha
look like tiny crea ture s t
Thr ough his obse rvations in hum an sem en. He calle
, M r H ooke inve stig ated d
the fun ctio ning of life them 'ani mal cules' - Lati
on this small scale, coin n for ' littl e ani mals' . Ar first
the term 'cell ' for the tiny ing he was not sure whe re they
stru ctures that are visible cam e from , thinking rhey
in all livin g thin gs whe were perh aps som e kin
VIA DE L PIE R0, n they are viewed und d of parasite. However,
er a wid espr ead app eara nce che
PAD UA , !TA LIA microscope. He suggeste of these animalcules in
d these cells act as buil ding both
blocks, bind ing toge ther sick and hea lthy sub ject
like a ho neyco mb to form s sho wed they were somethi
the bod y tissu es of plan ts mor e. Now he says thes ng
and anim als. e tiny swi mm ing cells
inte gral to fert ilisa tion are
and the crea tion of new
life.
RO ME , 6JJ -- -- -- -- -- -- --
AM ST l:R DA ~\ • 6 1:'
 1111 \\ II J lll ' llh ( ll illl'll J J
Wise man gives humans a new name
BY OUR TAXONOMYCORRESPONDENT,
Stockholm, •7fS
AS EVER MORE NEW SPEC IES are found in fa r-
Hung corners of the globe, one botan ist has pioneered
a method of ca1egorising living things so ,hey can
be arranged in groups based on related observable
featu res. This nami ng system is now beginni ng to
carch on among scientists all over che world , creating
a new srnndard fo rm of nomenclature or taxonomy.
The Swedish bocanis1 Carolus Linnaeus says his
system helps show the close relationships berween
livi ng thi ngs, includi ng humans, even if their natural
habims are thousands of miles apan .
Past naturalises such as 1he Bri tish plantsman John
Ray have ,ried ro organise rhe natural world in to
an understandable, structured order. The current
cumbersome sysrem uses a series of scientific names
for each species, rypically co nsisting of a description
of rhe orga nism in La rin. Someti mes these can be
many words long, maki ng chem almost impossible
to remember and tedious to wri1e down.
Plants key to imperial success
FOLLOWING T HE DISCOVERY of Austra lia,
rich in its own un ique Hora and fa una, botanists have
been looking for ways ro ex ploit new species for the
benefit of rhe Bri tish Empire, reporis 011r i11d11Stria/
correspo11de111 from London in 1789.
President of the Royal Society Sir Joseph Banks
has led the way. He first made a name for himself
on Captain Cook's first voyage co Australia on the
l:11dm11011r. Sir Joseph bro ught back numerous plant
I ( \{ t 11 ( l J 1·•\ I LONnON
Mr Linnaeus' system uses a maxim um of rwo
words fo r each species. The first word acts like a
surname and places the organ ism in a group with
similar animals or plants. The second word is
always used to distinguish it fro m other members
of the group. For example, rhe hooded crow, in Mr
Linnaeus' system, is Corvl/S comix, while the more
common carrion crow is Corvus corone, sharing rhe
same group name.
Scientists say rhe benefits of chis system are
significant. Clear, two-word names are easy to
remember and overcome the pro blem of diffe rent
names being used by scientists from different places.
Ir also provides a framewo rk fo r naming the countless
new species currently being discovered, as well as
an easy way co recti fy mistakes. For example, if an
organism turns our co have been placed in rhe wrong
group, scientists simply change the group name and
transfer the animal or plant to its new family.
Mr Linnaeus has made regular expeditions into
the isolated reaches of his homeland of Sweden in
search of new species. In 1753 he published Species
Planramm, an extensive catalogue of plants, in which
speci mens fro m this trip, the most important being
eucalypttts, a gum-prod ucing tree native to the new
continent. Rapidly growing eucalyptus plantations
now provide much-needed wood and charcoal for
Britain's ever-expanding industries.
The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, in London,
are being developed to ensure Britain's botanical
pre-eminence. Promising species include Assam tea,
indigo, coffee, chocolate, va nilla and cotton.
fL
he used his new system of taxonomy co name and
describe more than seven thousand species. Now in
its tenth edition, coday's updated Sysrema Na111me
describes and names all forms of known plant and
animal life, including people.
Humans are grouped, accord ing co Mr Li nnaeus,
beside apes and monkeys in rhe category he initial ly
named Amhropomorpha- 'man-like'. While scient ists
are applauding Mr Linnaeus fo r establishing such a
superb naming convention, some are sceptical of
man's inclusion in a book of natural hiscory.
Religious leaders have made it clear ,hat man
is above nature, nor a part of ic, and is unique in
God's creation. Mr Linnaeus has restated his bel ief I
that significant similarities do exist berween people
and apes. In response to cri ticism, he has now placed
humanity in its own separate group, labelling it
Homo sapiem - 'wise man'. In a fu nher controversial
move, Mr Linnaeus has further subdivided humans
based upon race, drawi ng divisions berween people
from different regions around the world.
1- •,
 New map of Britain rocks
I I I I I rl•r (·n·
I \II /lhil • 'f I •
/II ,.,11/n,t,1111/111,(
BY 0l1R ~~Fl'LOIJY rr-1nw.
,,., Ln~« ,,,.n\' I' ·'"''
.
r ·r"
I
odim~ rmvr
' • Ii
trn1t.' Mr ~\,,uth r/1cftll'<IT'd th.rt /,r ~'()".;.
u•<.fi,~1/, ,,, ., "'-'J' ,,, tlatr l,,_rrrs '!I'''' ~·
'\ \'F\\- \f...f/' ()/ R.lxlr•HS ,ll1tl• r11
llr rt,H,,nt d 1/i,,1 ,f tl,r $11111( ,rro~s 0
,ri-.,.,:I t I~ ,n:.•Mn ,,...,,./n''/Jl'nr,:tI, m,r_ftY
. t 1,·,.... ,'lJ ,..
· ·,·ur"' n,i"l·, l,,,·,,ud di diljrrtnlt
/
.,i.. ,,v,·.ir \\ ·,/1,.;m ·'"""' \ -~l'()l.~,-,zl m.:r 'rL1a, rJ.nw.~hout tbr aumt,-y. ', ,q Ul/15 I
r.'n,ttL:,, ti~ m,urn ,:I m,:t·,~up ,f rht hr ,,f 1/,r Mmt .,.~r. /~11 wing, 1/w ""'l~o, I
l:,:ri ll'ztl· .: ,:rr.plr ,"tll11ur-,-,:)(/u:.r:. .•)~ttm ,11; S111irli ,,.,,., ,,/,Ir Ill rlri•rlop ,r grolog1<·,1
11,r nr,.· ,,,.;,. nu:tt/T\ bri-,w.- t ;U rn.1rlr m,tf cf 1/,r itrr,1 ,mmud HtZth. ,w ,r
mrnr ,ltrtrr ,ml. d«prr m .-t.in·I, of ,..1,,., l,r /i,·rd. . .
matm.1L, tll dnr·r :J,r n,zt1011 ·, ind14Jrri,z/ Nort' ,\fr Smilh hm nuulr " s,n11/,1r
m'Olu::m:, 1mdm1,71:dm.~ our grol~•/,,IS
l 1ra1mr morr mzpQrt,uu th.m n,rr.
"'"P for l:'11gLmd, Wl,,/rs ,mrl p11rt
Srorl,,,r/. 1'1isfiisri1wri11g dommrnt ,,,~,,~s
"!
.Air Smuh brgan Ins ua•rstiglltious rhr exrmts of difjfrmt rork farmt1t 10IIJ,
r:-hilt u·orbng far ro.,/ rompm:in rn u•ith MrlJ 'J'P' of mrk· shoum in fl
Sommer, obsm·ing rlir lr.ym of rork 111 diff(rmt colour. Som< scitmists J,111,t brrn
rlir romrn,rrion of 1hr Sonurut Coal dumiSJirit of A,fr Smith$ map, howr~rr.
CmnL .-Is I,;, u'Clrl: rook l,im nrro11 rlaimiug thnt hr l11cks sujficim t ttlumtwn
BriMin . hr krpr drwil,,I arrounLS of ,md rrni11i11g to br mponsibl, for sud, flll
rlir
/om/ grok,g)· whrrn'tT hr wn1t. Hr rralutd ambitiow project .

Earth is much older than you tliink

says geological man of Principles~
BY OUR EARTH SCIEN CE EDITO R, layers of rocks and C .
London, Janu.ry 1 t Jo beI.,eve I Iicy can lea ossi\s " I
. rn a boUt' Ih
o'O 0oisi
o s
h1s1o ry of rhc E.arr\ d
. . , an cv, eInatural
11s age. en< Cciphcr
HOW O LD IS EART H? Ask a priest
and a scientist and you will get very Mr Hutton was I
.
naturaI1s1 10 suoocsi th a soI th• e
different answe rs. Nearly two hundred
ye.rs ago, follow ing a deiailed study of a molten core He ,\· aq= .d d
• e 11rs1
ie Ea h
rt
. ,v, e rock, .has
the Old Tes1amen1, the Irish archbishop three types. f-irstly J·
'se m1e111a ' 11110
James Usshcr pronounced the Earth's this is rock hid dow . 'Y rock _
date of binh - the night of Sunday out of water, mixinr, n as .I ,
ir prcci .
Pltatcs
o w111
creatures 10 form . si\1and dcad
22 October, 4004 BC. 11rne.11onc
However, scitntists are beginning sandsrone. Secondly . and
. . •
10 question this date. By examining 1hIS IS molten rock ch•g11eo11s b
rock
-
shifts in the Eanh's rocks, they have from beneath the Eaa1 h'ubb\cs up
. .
hardening into stones rt s surfa
concluded that our planet may in
SUCl asb ce,I
I
fact be far more than a few thousand and granite, often \ifti asa 1
years old. The latest study, Principles of
h · h ng up and
s aping t e sedimentary rocks F'
C,ology, released yesterday by geologist .
metamorpIuc rock - this is • ·1nally
_ d •
Ch>rles Lyell, estimates 1hac Eanh intense heat and pressurcreate e
from
.
must be many hundreds of millions or her rock layers into new C squc.,.,, n..
0

of years old if science is to account as marble and slate. onns such

fo r some of 1he rock fo rmations 1har
puncture the world's landscape.
Mr Lyell's work builds on centuries
of study of the Earth's geological
history. Some of the earliest revelations
came from fossil studies undenaken
in Italy by the Dane Nicola us Steno
in the seve nteenth century. After
examining the remain s of a huge shark
caught ofT Tusca ny, Mr Steno noticed
that its teeth looked very similar to
triang ular shapes so metimes found in
rock. At rhe time it was believed 1ha1
these for med naturally in the rock,
but Mr Steno realised that the teeth
must be the remains of ancient marine
creatures, encased in the layers of rock.
After further studying the rock
layers or 'strata' of the Italian hills,
Mr Steno made a radical proposal: these
layers had not always been here, 1hey
had changed over time. He proposed
1ha1 each layer had once been 'Ruid',
gradually settling into a solid state.
Living creatures have been encased
within each layer, says Mr Steno, with
each new layer sm ling successively on
top. Deeper layers therefore represent
Mr Lyell's new 1exc develop d
rhe most ancient rocks as they contain
builds on Mr Hullon's ,h . s an
the oldest fossils. eones, and
further divides the Earth's h·,,
Mr Steno's theories then caugh t the , 1ory .into
clearly defined geological epochs.
anention of Scottish geologist James
Most importantly, Mr Lyell
Hutton, whose work in the eighteenth
supports the scientific notion known
century helped co establish geology
as 'unifo rmirarianism', which proposes
as a proper field of scientific study.
that the processes shaping the world
Mr Hunon realised that processes
today are 1he same ones that have
responsible for rock fo rmatio n are still
shaped it in the past and will shape it
taking place, and therefore the Earth
in the future. This idea has significanc,
10day is, as it has always been, in a state
far beyond geology, and is inspiring
of perpetual creation.
scientists in all fields to look to na1u1t
By understanding these processes
to better understand both 1he history
and looking at clues hidden in the
and the future of our precious planet.

1\ .\'l'I , "',
LIJ.,D •)N
--
lllE\\ ','1,IJ10 01\ CIIRONI CI.£
- Nature

Life on Earth theory about Po tty monk in

the survival of the fittest inheritance laws
"From so simple a beginning endless forms mos breakthrough
t beautiful and
most wondeiful have been, and are being, evolved BY OUR HORTICULTURAL EDITOR,
, " says author Brno, 9 Fcbnmy I U f

BY OUR NATURECORRESPONDENT, conditions thrived (he calls them the 'fines

Downt, Kent, ~1 November 111,
A REMARKABLE NEW book has sparke
d hcaicd
scirntific and religious debate about the
origins of
life on E:mh. 011 thr Origin of SprcirI by
Mrnm of
Nnruml Srlrctio11 by the natunlist Charles
Darwin,
published yesterday, suggests that all forms
of life -
including humans - are related t~ one anoth
er and
that they have, over millions ot years, divers
ified
into myriad species thanks to a mechanism
that Mr
Darwin refers to as evolution by 'natural select
ion'.
Mr Darwin is already well known for the popul
ar
accou nt of his five-year voyage aroun
d South
Amerit:1 and the Pacific aboard HMS Br11glr
. This
long journey provided much of the inspir
ation for
his new work, allowing him to observe at first
hand
the incredible variety oflife on the planet.
On 1he Galapagos Islands, hundreds
of
miles off the western coast of South
America,
Mr Darwin studied the subtly diffcrem
species
around the archipelago. When visiting the
islands,
Mr Darwin observed slight variations in specie
s of
giant tortoi ses, finches and mocki~gb_irds.
_ who have denounced Mr Darwin's ideas from
His explanation for such <l1vers1ty IS that shghtl
y pulpit , since traditional Church teachings
differing environmental conditions on each
island
have, over many years, led to the variat
ion in \he
spec,·cs he observed · Over time, those creatures with
the most favourable attributes to the preva1, .
l111g
t') while THE HUMBLE PEA mny ho/,/ thr kry
those least well suited 10 the local conditions to
have 1111Jmta 11Ji11g how chil,/rm inherit ftnt11m
declined. Over many genera tions th is mecha from thrir pnmllI. /11 n pnpapmmtrdymmiay,
nism,
which Mr Darwin calls 'natural selccti Amtrin11 friar Gl'tgor Mmdrl dnrribN how
on', has
accoumcd for the different species of birds rxprrimmtJ i11 hiJ monmtic gnrtk11 havr hr/pd
and
lOrtoises on each of the islands. him drvrkp n b,uir Jr/ of m!rJ winch ~pla11
1
Although Mr Darwin is n0t the first to sugge how charncttriiticI from o11e gt11rrn11011 are
st
that evolut ion is the dominant proces pt1Jud 011 to thr 11rx1.
s in the .
creation of life, he is amongst the first t0 /11 nn rxtrnordinttry displny of11whodokg1
develop c11/
the theory of 'natural selection' as the mecha pmiJrt11cr, Frinr Mrnd,I, working nt thrabbry
nism
that governs it, in Bmo, ill thr Arutria11 Empirr, ht1J 11r1dud th
'
Mr Darwin has published his evolutionary tkvrlopmt11/ of morr 1ha11 29,000 prn pla11u
.
theory after presenting evidence in a paper Hi1 mrnrchJonueI on 1rut11 rhnrncttriiticI, 1ucl1
last
year in collaboration with fellow naturalist tlJ thuolorirofthr podJ nnd
Alfred IJ01v high thr plam
Russel Wallace. Mr Wallace's researc h dealt growI, n11d oburvN !J01u thm trniu do or do 1101
with a
curious division of plant species between Indon rrnppenr i11 mbuq11t111gman llow.
esia
and Australia along a natural border now known
as
the 'Wallace Linc'. 11,is division led Mr Walb
cc to
draw the same conclusions as Mr Darwin
that the
evolution ofspecies is related t0 their enviro
nmental
conditions and circum stances.
Many people are findin g the idea that
all
living things arc related to each od1er profou
ndly
disturbing. Anglican priests arc amongst
those
the
suggest
that humanity is unique and separate
from any
form of evolutionary hierarchy. Mr Darwin
believes
humans have evolved from great apes,
a charge: 1hrollgh hiJ work with 1hr pen pln,w,
many people today would u11«ly refute. Friar !vlmdel found t!Jfll some ch,1mcrtriI~ic
s
were pa.sud down rn the 11exr gmem
1w~1
imm,dituely, while othm did 110111pprnr 111111/
subsequent gmermiom. For exmnp k, he found
that when brudillg a plant 1hn1 produm yellow
prnJ with o11r that prod11w grun praJ, III
offipring produced 011/y yr/low praJ. Howevrr,
in thr nat genrration, thr pla11u producrd
yr/low a/Id gru11 praJ in a ratio of011, grm, 10
eutry thru yellowI.
Friar Mendrl propom that the yelww cowur,
thrrtfore, is 'dominant', whik 1hr r;rer11 _"
'rectssi11t', which is why it appear1 only m ctrt~m
cirmmstancts. He Ju~ ests that this mtch,m
um
ofdominam and rtctssivt characteristics
can be
sem at work acroIS nil theplanu he haJ studird
Friar Mmdeli hypo1he1i, contradictI the
Icitntific co,umsw oftoday - th~, partnt l
"~ii!
are 'bkndrd' i11 their offiprmg, producmg
something in bttwem tht parents' charac1tr1mc
1.
Friar Mentkli txperim tntf unn to show
that
cmain traits are capa bit of'pushing oul othm,
although the trait pushed into the backgro_und
{'rtassivtJ may resuifaa in lattr gmtra1
1om.
With inttrtil in evolutionary tht~ry
mort
,,. ad h •
wuuspre I an ~v~,, _ l'riar Mend,/1 mMrc h
will inspire fmh debau abo111 ,hr powerful
procmts that influence ,wv lift.

" •,JI I I 6
 l""i n ('~ il 11 r tll \J sctl tll
c ~ta1, tis11 <: d as a
< cati1rdral to na tu re '

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,,., ,.,,,, ...,,,, I, .•• ,.,,

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• 11, !1 • IIP11, 111,I, •t ·I'''•'"'
111 l11d, •• ,111, 1,r 1....1 ,., ,., ,,
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h, vol..,fd tfi1n i :. ,.., ,i..

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II 1111.. 1111111,I,
' '" "' ,11111~. ,ti, i111 h\ \\ ",,, d '''''t"I

Am~rican researchers in fossil face off

J-.
,. ,1. I,.'-: J . lo.! ; • \o• ! l"" 1. ---1< • u..,! , r, j .c h.u.J i ,n,n n11l or When .\.Ir ( ,1pt· n... 11,cd \.Ii \.l.tr,h
•.t •.t,;~ii, 1 n1! ruiJ:. L!J~c:ncd
f,)r o r trc,p,t.v.. rn~ 111 h 1, Ii~. hr !,. l'r
, ,•...J, ., l·tt.!.-Jl"i~,hu.. 11
h.u! dh· r1,...._,1J-. 1h:,uo vnl w11h ,l\'n,,n-
!r.e ..! ...... 1,~,1 ·, ,f 1t,,. . 11Wnt hnn1h ~J 1111
r.,1hcr ch,111 la.:1 them r.•111 111(, :1h n r,
1 1
•, ,L .. , , l ,,mo Blurf 1n h.11\ll.\ . Hi.: il•,u ,111.:aka.:d l lltf,:!..i
l:{I brn ,
. -= t • , .:.: ; ....1, ,,, • ulwJ;,- ,,..,,ck.er, 1
tr.,~uh :nc.-. IIHu \ t r l 11pc. !11,,1!
i,,11, 11
! - •· .:t ... 14,lr.c-: Jh,., b.-rrch lr~ to urnt-.h ht!'r. w1>1"k.
.:.., , r'" ,. -. y••..1..J .....cJ nu.Jtc th.an .\.11· ( upc t~ known ro he , ,uppc,th·r
: r..... ...:, n1..1.lun15 1L i ,,i L j m.u<-k t!irn, the tha.:c.1 v 1tij1 \i1,11\J.i
,_ __ • ':''~• .1 • •,.: r,.,, t• i~d hu,,cc.:r-,. uri:;.1 nt'lm·: ~.,11
p.t!i. duwn tr,\11:. he1.
Jcvdu p tha.:tr lircum..: t 11 01f,pnr11;.
111
\lrtlh1lc \h M.11"lh , whu 1!'1. ,l fJal'\v1n
1.tn,
"ltron~ lv J1:-i.1grcc"I.
fn .,pm: ut thi.:1r tcu<ltnb, .\.11 l .;pc
JnJ ~t1 \ l.11"lh h,1vc ntJJc !l\jl\\
.. 1. .. 11n p ,ln:111 r .._, HHflb LH h H1~ tu rhc nd1I .Jt
11J rnul hi"ILOf'i. l~1gi:tha.:r the\· h.t1,.:
unc:1n hcJ rhu1!.':,H1J!J1Jt hn~1l .,pcu n11.:1h
Jrn.l 1<l.cnu licJ hunJ rcLb ,1r pre\. 11,u.'lh
u11kr11Jwn 'ljJci.tc"I. l hc:c hJ.•1c Uh..llllh:11
IIIJ !;;1Htii.:c111. J111,J!i,1Ur<i, "lliLh .u chi.:
l11nb-
... •'• hi., • , 11ci...krJ D 1plododo , th~ '!ugul.J u n u wuh
tr'l :,pilu:J bJ..,k, 111J thc th, c-.c h1mi.:d
J.fllHJU I pb 11..:J / rtu!)i.lll Jp1.
>
nu \\'\ I I f\()0 1' CIIRONlCI I
fi1 ule slip
leads to
big fossil
discovery,
IT 1.1 BEf,\'C, HAILED a, thr most
m111 ,11 11g 111nn11rfoml di.<rm•r•)' ofall
fll/1(. H,gl, 111 1hr Ror(J'
Mm111tni11.<
111 C,,uul
a, 111 ,111 nrrn ~( ,l111lr mrks
tf,,,r fi,.· l11111drrd 1111llio11 yrm, ago
(on11~dp,m ofrhr m1 floor. 11rw_{ossil
finds ,,rr ,/,rdding light 011 mmr ofthr
rarbr..r fan,~ ~( animal lifr, writes
our Cinada corrcspondenr in 1910.
7/,r B11rgm 5/,alr For111ario11, i11
Brimh Columbia, 11w disro,,crrd last
rear by 1hr Amrrwm palaeontologist
·C/,arks Dooli11lr \'(la/ro11 afirr his
muk slipped 011 a rork, exposing 1111
o:quwlf fossil Fo/kJwi11g cxtrllSiiK
rrsearrh. the scientist has n.n1101111ctd
t/,r disco11rry of all fouls of 111ari11r
a1111110/s from rhe Ca111bria11 Period,
one ofthe earlicsr eras of11111/rial/11/,,r
lifto11 &mh.
It is 1hough1 rhar 1he a11imals
died quickly, perhaps buried i11 a11
,mdmvater avalanche ofmud which
has pmer11rd exaptionallyfine tktai/s
of1hr s/Tl/cture ofrheir soft body parts.
Scie111ists hope 10 leam more abour
1hr origins of today's living creatures
by studying rime remarkably well-
prtserved mari,uJonils.
\Ylolrorrljinds i11cludt Hallucigenia,
a wbr-li/u crearure nbo11t 011 inch
long wirh rhomy ,pineJ n/011g its back
and claWI 011 its many leg,, mggming
ir lived ar 1hr bo110111 of rhe ,ea,
Palaro111ologim are ,rilldebt11i11g which
iI ill from md. Othrr discoverieJ
include Anomalocaris, n one-metre-
long 111ari11r prerlaror wirh ro111po11nd
,ya on ualk, and rwo l11rge 'arms'
near ill hrnd. Prrhap , rhe moit nlim
cr,arure fo1111d i11 thr B11rgm Shale i,
Opabinia, a ,oft-bodied crea111re with
Ji,,, ualky rye,, a backward,-ji1ci11g
1110111h 1111drr i11 h,atl and a long
probo,ri,, whirl, may ha,1r been 11,ed
for picking 11p food along the ,ea floor.
represellf a major
Tlusr rre11111rrs
,hift i11 1hr ,tory oflife 011 Etirth and
arr 1ho11gh110 br 1hr earlim a11cmors
of ma,q fa111ilirs of vrrtebmte and
mvrrtrbmtr creatures living today.
/1/r Wlalcorr jirsr made hi, 11a111t
w,dyi11g rrilobi11· fouil,, a gro11p of
widesp rmd marine creatureJ with
sturdy exoskeletons 1hat were amongst
the most successful animals on the
pln11r1 11111il th,y di,apprared 11ro1111d
250 millio11 )'rnrs ago.
1
, lH 1'.\ :'-\OU N IAIN S 19Jo
N:i.rurc
Palaeontologist puzzles out
cestor
mystery of pig-like an
. .
Peers rebul,.,
~
cla,·,11 that landmasses were once a gl(lnt supercontment
h,l\'('hcl'n f(rnnd 011 111.111y lo11ti 11c111,, moved hy forces gencr.11ed hy rh c
rur arion of rhe E,111h; and ,ecunrlly,
BY OUR PUZZLES EDITOR , ugg<.•,;ting .1 l.11H.I con11cclio11 m11q
Berlin, , j.lnua') 191 :.
'
h,:,·c once ,·xisred, given the in,1bili1y rl,ar hor magma rise, up in dcep-
of rh,·sc lif~for ms rn cross rhe ocean,. se,1 rre11che1, ca11sing the ,pread ing
l'H E EAR 1'1 I'S l:111dm"'.,c, beh."·,· ~Ir Wegenerye." erday propo ml in ., apart of rhe sea noor. ,\s yer, neirher
like a gi.1111 jigs.tw pua.lc un ,he loo."·' knurc th.11 rhi, ,uperconrinem - which of rhese <11gges ri on1 is backed up hy
!liar\ the bi,-trre theory or pol.,r e, i,tcd some 250 million year< Jgo ;rro11g enough proor.
researc her and p.,la,·onrologi>t Alfred mu;r have split up, with each fragmenr Some expcrrs believe ,\!Ir Wegener's
\'\'cgcncr. lhc Gcrm.tn ~cic.:mi~l <.'Vl'n becomi ng one of the continents we theory could provide an explanarion of
bdic,·es rh.11 millio ns of ye.,rs .,go all rt·cognise today. However, his theories how mounrain.1arc formed (when land-
the E.,nh's landmasses collided into a have fuiled to persuade many in rhe masses collide) as well as providing
single su pcrcontinem c:illcd 'l'ani;ac:i' scient ific community, largely because a rarionale for earthquakes (when rhe
- me.1ning All E.1nh'. he is currenrly unable IQ provid e pressure berween landmasses reaches
Mr Wegener spent his early career enough evidence for the mcchan ism breaking point). His ideas may finally
crossing hundreds of miles of the thar might drive the process. provide a grand unifying rheory rhar
North Pole, srudying weather systems, So fur Mr Wegener has offered underpins all Earrh science, in a similar
two potential explanations. Firsrly, way 10 Charles Darwin's evolutionary
and he was one of the first people ro
overwimcr on che polar ice sheet. he suggests that the landmasses are rheory for rhe life sciences.
He began invest igaring his new rheory
of geological science after noticing rhe
curiou s shapes of the conrinenrs and
how rhey seemed IQ fir togerher on
a map like a jigsaw: rhe wesr coam
PALE 0 - ~ •i: T ff Y S
of Africa and Europe fining snugly
oc/AN
against rhe easr coasts of South and
North America respectively, wirh
India, Madagascar and Antarctica
slotting in nearly on the orher side.
Af,er srudying rhe rock types
on both sides of rhe Atlanric,
Mr Wegener was intrigued by rhe
similari cies between the rwo coasts. Ir
was al mosr as if they had once been
bound IQgether, he rhoughr. However,
the grearesr evidence for his rheory -
dubbed 'Conrinenral Drift' - has come
from srudyi ng rhe appearance of
similar fossils on scpara1e conri ncnrs.
Cre:11ures such as rhe pig-like reprile
Lymo,aurusand theseed-fe rn GloIIoptrris
r
Inheritance theory: a load of flies divides (a process known as mirosis),
the common frui t Ay, Dmophila
EXPERJM ENTS in a room full offlies an idenrical dupl icate chrom osome is
melanogasur, an ideal specimen for
at an American university have shed created . Bur during sexual reproduction
research inro generics due IQ che speed
new lighr on rhe physical mechanism chromosomes from each parenr combine
wirh which it reproduces.
of generic inheritance, reports our (a process known as meiosis), leading
However, being so small, Aies are
invt'rtehrate rorrespondem from New ro offspring wirh a unique blend of
difficult to exam ine. so Mr Morgan's
York in October 1916. characceriscics from borh pare111s.
research has focused on a few easily
Through his research, rhe biologist
observable characreristics, such as eye
Thomas Morgan has concluded rhar
colour and wing size.
minure biological componems called
Mr Morgan's findings appear to
chromosomes are the: physicaJ structures
confi rm rhar chromosomes, tiny
1hat regul:ue rhe traics we inherit from
biological srructures observable in the
our p3rcnts, from hair colour ro heighL
cells of most organi sms, are rhe carriers
Mr Morgan scr up a special 'Hy
of genetic information. When a cdl
room' at Colum bia University to study
Nf\V YORI-,: fJIO
lll-R LIN ,,,,
 Nl ,:1· 1-.-
~ - - - - - - -- ~"~ ~ - -ll<1ql(
<.1111

Eagle-sized dragonflyj oss <1~,,

il foun d
!W f ' UR C() Al l'C•RR Sc1cn1ist s 1,clicvr
f-Sf'~.,Nt-,r-NT.
ah lc to <>row .
• i:, tq It ~ I M,?.)f/11r,
111 crc;1"icd level, of nx 1t-,,
=i rgc ;i-,,. rl i,,~;
atm osph ere at ti . Y~cn
. c in •he '" ,,,
ea.si cr ,nr thcrn 6 i,. t1rn 1.,, I
h:11. hN'n 11 nr.1n hc-d
nrar Rnl(;CH'C'I. in
h to reac h ,c, .'ll ak·•n,,, ,,
P ~1l-nl 11r,- . l nr.laml. re1·c " so rh oxygen th
-alini: a wC1 rld c. '> •ntc . 'i "
cxoskcl e1on lo Irr111 gh h
,"'I t ~lli.f: C r1ttl11t
,r.· in'-C'\- (~ millictn .. nl
evcI, rrile, In · '"'•<11
,.f'C H\ ~o . ,, hc-n hiµhr, lc-,-r oxyge n' as ' wew ha o arlll,,,ph ,,,
•h
l-. ("'If n,.:·p.rn th f
m the air alJC' W\.""1.1 invC"rtch cm rom growing ' vc tod er;,
ra1c-:,. 1n g,row "' I ay,
irn n f:t:t nt , . M eg11ncu.ra wo I I argc P•c•,c .
. llr
Th, r.in· fossil i, an ..
,am plr C1f t hc on ly giant ·u < nor h
ave L
\ frgm m,m . i:iant pred ato 0 t her eno rmo u •nseq of . uec 11
r. dra~onAic.<
c,f the C arl>o nifc mu; s creatures •ts .
f
inie,
Pcric,d with two -me tre-long arrn oure
" ; n~- ,pam of up ro -~, d lnclu d,rj
m - a.' hroad and spiders as wid
lll 11iipcrj
a., ~o ,nt' t"a£1e., . h~
size would have ex pert s beli eve this eas arn c,
mad e ir c., p.ab k of cam may ex plain why M cornpcci ctrc. .
Son,
c
i ng off sma ll reserved it for the past t I I I I RcJJ tilcs dev I d I d tion of
n,p rib and amphibi P ,rec wn< rct e ope 1ar -s hc II cd eggs , sue h Iiuge pro pore · eganeu,
si,
ans as prey. million years or so. 1l1e L c allo wi ng' rhem to rcpr oc uce in I I cl t
,",f~ ,mr orr. i, amo • Carnonirero us d a grcv, t
ngs t the la rgest Period saw huge evo lutio nary c Ii:rng ,. , ·,g •ficant adva ntag
an ' an prey too k part .ions as o
insects <:'\Tr rn have live es, " · 111 e in the age of a ' Prcdato
d on the Earth. incl uding the arrival f . arm s race to in an cv I r
o
I fi st sing le sup crco ntin O O
Utio na
The dr.igonA _,. foss il was -pn'lcs, 'crcaru = rhat t ,e r ent , Pangaea. Wa ter- utgrow each
disco,·c rcd " c,·o lvcd fossil has bee n nick 0 ry
-
b~- min e r.- in a coal scam " ·' 1. from right skin s also helped ther. The
narn
.......... .. .............. ......... ........
. whi ch has rhc aqu atic amphiui from water, avo icl mg
them
' d c h d live away Bolso ver_' a~e r the coaled the 'B 1
. .... ... .................. .............. ans.
....... ................. ..................... y ran·on. c 1ose to 11s place of -rn ·,n·,n eas of
. ................................... ....... d' g tow
.. ....... .. .. ...... ... ..................... rscovery. 0
...... ... .... ........ .. .. .. .. .....
.. .... .. .. .. ............... ..............

Gigantic asteroid wiped .....

Fossils show
out dinosaurs, say experts dinosaurs still
BY OU R SPACE CO RR
B,rkd<)', Ca!ifomi2, , so
9
ESP ON DE NT ,
ever found on the Ear
means ir sinks below oth
th's crus t, since irs wei
er metals towards the mol
ght flying high
core . However, a far larg ten
er amCJUnt of irid ium rhan
WH Y DIN OS AU RS mig ht be expected can FOSSILS OF REPTILES
SU DD EN LY disappeared be fou nd at the bou nda recently discovered
sixry-five mil lion yea rs ago between layers of Cretace ry in north-eastern China con
has lon g puzzled scientis ous and Palaeogene rock firm a long-suspected
but now fath er and son ts, - exactly the period whe s evolutzonary lmk between
researchers Luis and Wa n the dino sau rs van ishe birds and dinosaurs,
Alvarez have put fo rwa lter and mammals began to d writes our Asia corr esp ond ent
rd a radical new theory. rake over as the dom ina nt . in August 1996
The US physicist and animal lifeform on rhe Theories that birds and dino
his geo logisr son believe planer. saurs might be
colossal asteroid imp aa a So where did all rhis related have been circulat
changed the climate and irid ium
ing amongst scientists
three-q uan ers of all spec killed come from? The elem ent for more than 130 year
ies across the planeL The is fou nd in s. One of Cha rles
say rhey have fou nd unm y asteroids, leading the Alv Darwin's supporters, Thomas
ista kab le pro of of arez ream to Hux ley, drew up
thei r hyp oth esis - large con clud e rhar one suc a series of comparisons betw
concenrratio~ s h extraterrestrial een them , 11oti11g in
of a rare metal from out obje ct calamitously coll ided 1868 the many similarities
er space. wit h the between the bipedal
The super-d ens e silver-w Ear th, bringing wit h it dinosaur Com pso gna thu s
hjte ~ the irid ium . and the then recently
met al irid ium is hardly The initial blast wou ld hav discovered 'first bird'. Arc
e caused gian t haeopteryx, meani11g
waves and widespread 'ancient wing'.
fires , dep end ing on
where it stru ck. But the However, the existence ofa
mos t deadly effect of the bipedal feathered
imp act wou ld have bee dinosaur, the first of its kin
n the imm ense clou d of
dus t
d, was revealed after
thrown up into rhe atm its discovery by Chinese farm
osp here. Thi s clou d wou er Li Yi,mi,z. The
have blocked out the sun ld 65cm-kmg feathered rept
ile has been named

--
light, cau sing tem per atur
1 es Sinosauropreryx, meaning
~ '.. to dro p and killing
off plan ts dep end ent on ligh 'Chinese lizard wing'.
~ - as well as the creatures t The creature is thought to
have been smothered
.;.. ~
chat grazed on chem.
Mose

• ., ~"'<
din osa urs wou ld have died in volcanic ash millions of

~
from star vati on after rhe years ago, preserving
(P l imp act. lhe sud den incr its delicate feathers.
,. ease in varietie s of mam
soo n after the disa ppe aran mal s For most scientists, the foss
ce of the dino sau rs can
be
il find confirms
explained by their varied that birds are part ofthe sam
~
diets and the fact rha t e family as theropod
were well ada pted to hun they dinosaurs (the samefamily as
.
~ ., \ tim e, to avo id the thre at
ting in the dark , at n igh
t- sharing not only feathers
Tyrannosaurus tex),
-.. 1 of din osa ur attack.
from bone structure to hard
but other similarities,
,.,\.:.-· Alth oug h the theo ry answ
~

___,..,..,,;.,,
... .iM- '/
/
surr oun din g the mysteri
end of the C retaceous Per
ers man y of the que stio ns
ous mass exti ncti on at
rh e
Experts believe that the
may have first evolved from
-shelled eggs.
dino saurs' feathers
iod , som e scientists are fish-like scales as a
not convinc ed . Ma ny still method of body insulation
have sugges ted ocher and were only later
incl udi ng volcanic eru ptio causes , adapted by some creature
ns and clim ate cha nge . s for the purposes of
flight in a bid to escape pred
ators.
BO LS OV f'R 1 716
---- -- -- -- -- -- --
BE RK EL EY 1 9 90
-- -- -- -- -
LIA ON !NG i99 •

:;.:--- .:.:.: .::..- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- _!~~~~'-
JOI\ c 111u> NIC I.F
f JI EWJl l.1.111 ·
Climate change: the biggest
scientific chal~enge of all time
-
- RCLl ' \ATECHAN GE EDI TOR,
5y OLJ '
Gcnc\'a, <f. N ovember l,O J-f
DESPITE MAN KI ND'S knowledge
r rhc Earrh being grea ter th an eve r.
;he bchaviourof irs human inhab irams
. d , <cems ro place m health 111
eve~ a) -
furt her jeopardy.
Widespread fears about th e future
of rhe planer were yesterday co nfirmed
in rhe larest reporr fro m experts on the
Inrcrgovernm ental Panel on Clim ate
Change (I PCC). It fo un d that the
Earth's cl imate is gem ng warm er,
posing a major threat to ecosystems
around the globe. The repo rt concl udes
thar it is 'exrremely likely' that humans
are the dominant fo rce behind global
remperarure rises.
The JPCC report is rhe fi fth in
a series of warnings about the Earth's
climate. Global warming is causing
melting ice caps, rising sea levels and
changing weather patterns.
Coastal communities can expect
increased fl ooding and hurricanes, and
many species are under threat as their
change.
habitats start to
Across
3) T. _ , king of the di nosa urs (3)
4) AriSlo~i s mentor (5)
6) Heavy mm l from outer space (7)
7) Danish geologiSl (5)
10) Plani used by curious monk (3)
u ) Arguably, whac made humans
inco 1op predacor (4)
I J) Ancient supercomi ncm (7)
14) Shi p 1hai wo k Charles Darwin
arou nd 1hc world (6)
I J) Mary _, fossil humer from
Lyme Regis (6)
I 7) Fossilised resin common in
Bahic pines (5)
..'
· ~
The planet Earth has experienced
many cycles of warming and cooling
befo re. Howeve r, none of the geological
and environmental facto rs which have
historical ly triggered these changes,
such as supervolcanic eruptions or
violent bouts of mountain-building,
are this time present.
It is thoughtthat human populations,
which have become addicted to large-
Down
1) Pioneering fi sh able tO do
a press-up (9)
i.) Cambrian-era, beede-like sea
creatu re wi,h eyes (9)
f) Famous American foss il treas ure
trove (4, 5)
6) A ty pe of rock (7)
7) _ Ean h, epoch when the Eanh
nearly froze over (8)
S) Cambrian crcaru re with fi ve
prorruding eyes (8)
9) Greek city and home of famous
Roman-era medic (8)
x J) Original name fo r microscopic
life (I 1)
16) Wood ha ve been m es, a long
ti me ago (4)
GE N EVA
N atu ro
up from 280 pam per mill ion (ppm )
to more than 400 ppm toda y.
Th e IPCC report ~ays that reducin g
globa l wa rming trends will rely on
scientists devel opin g cl ea ner sources of
energy such as wi nd and solar power.
Howeve r, cl im ate change is a hard
poli tica l, social and cultural issue, and
progress cowa rds a global solution has
repeatedly stalled. Heated discussions
often erupt ove r wh o should rake
greater res ponsibili ty: the developing
nations, who are more incli ned to turn
to cheap, poll uting energy. or the
wealthier developed nations, who can
more easily affo rd to develop cl ea ner
alternative sources of energy.
Experrs believe that not enough
progress has yet been made towards an
scale agriculture and industry, powered international solution that can protect
fut ure generations from the poten tially
by the burning of foss il fuels - coal , oil
cli mate change.
and natural gas - are to blame fo r disastrous effects of
It is a chilli ng fact that when all the
today's global warming.
ted, the seas wi ll have
Such reckless consumption produces ice caps have mel
large quantities of harmful greenhouse risen by at least sixty metres, submerging
the ico nic British clock
gases, particularly carbon dioxide, rwo-thi rds of
which trap the Sun's energy in the rower containi ng Big Ben, along with
in many of the
atmosphere, warming the planet. Since ocher tall build ings
dioxide levels have gone world's most populous cities.
1850, carbon
All the correct answers can be fo und somewhere in this book!
2,0l•f
 • ~()!lh (]lR()NI CI.I
--- ~~a~t~u~r~I'.
-N
r ~-':· :::; .:.. ..-- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
1
111 1
' ,::A

Climate change: the biggest

scientific chaUenge of all time t ~

up from 280 parts per milli on (ppm)

sr oLJRCLI MATEC HANGE EDITOR,
Gcn C\'.a, <f. N o\'cmbcr :.<u<f
DESPITE MANKIND'S knowledge
. h "-rrh beino oreare r. rhan . ever,
ol t e u ""
the behaviour ofirs human rnhab, ra nrs
av seems ro place ,rs health 111
eVCf'\' d ~
further jeopardy.
\'(lidespread fears about the future
of the planer were yesterday confi rmed
in the larest report fro m experrs on the
Intergovern mental Panel on Climate
Change (I PCC). . Ir fo u_nd char the
Earth's climate ,s gemng warmer,
. 0 a maJ ·or threat ro ecosystems
posm,,
around the globe. The report conclud es
char ir is 'extremely likely' char humans
are che dominant fo rce behind global
temperarure rises.
Tue !PCC report is rhe fi fth in
a series of warnings abour rh e Ea rrh's
climate. Global warmin g is causing
melting ice caps, rising sea levels and
changing wea ther patterns.
Coastal communiries ca n expect
increased fl ooding and hurricanes, and
many species are under threat as their
habira1s srart to change.
to more than 400 ppm today.
The IPCC report says chat reducing
global wa rming trends will rely on
scientim developing clean er sou rces of
energy such as wind and solar powe r.
However, climate change is a hard
political, social and cultu ral issue, and
progress cowards a global solutio n has
repeated ly sralled. Heated discussions
often erupt over who should cake
greater responsi biliry: the developing
nations, who are more incl ined co turn
to cheap, polluting energy, or rhe
wealthier developed nations, who can
more easily afford ro develop cleaner
alcernarive sources of energy.
Experts believe thar nor enough
progress has yet been made cowards an
that can protect
1l1e planer Earth has experien ced scale agriculture and industry, powered internat ional solution
oil furure gene rations from rhe pore nrially
many cycles of warming and cooling by rhe burning of fossil fu els - coal ,
blame for disastrou s effects of climate change.
before. However, none of rhe geological and natural gas - are to
Ir is a chilling fact chat when all rhe
and environmental factors which have today's global warming.
tion produces ice caps have melted, che seas will have
historically triggered these changes, Such reckless consump
metres, subme rging
such as supervolcanic eruptions or large quantities of harmful greenho use risen by ar leasesixry
two-thir ds of the ico nic British clock
violent bouts of mountain-building, gases, particularly carbon diox ide,
rower containi ng Big Ben, along with
are this rime present. which trap the Sun's energy in che
s in ma ny of che
Ir is thoughtthar human populati ons, atmosph ere, warming the planet. Since other tall building
gone world's most populou s cities.
1850, carbon dioxide levels have
which have become addicted to large-

Across Dow n

J) T. _, ki ng of the dinosaurs (3) l) Pioneerin g fish able IO do

4) Aristotle's rnenwr (5)
6) Heavy metal fro m outer space (7)
7) Danish geologist (5)
10) Plan, used by curious monk (3)
u ) Arguably, whai made hu ma ns
inw 1op predator (4)
I J) Anciem superconr inenr (7)
14) Ship ,ha, wo k Charles Darwin
arou nd ,he wo rld (6)
IJ) Mary_, fossil hun ter from
Lyme Regis (6)
I 7) Fossilised resin common in
Bal,ic pines (5)
a press- up (9)
;i,) Camb rian-era, beetle- like sea
creature wi1h eyes (9)
J) Famous American fossil treasure
,rove (4, 5)
6) A type of rock (7)
7) _ Earth, epoch whe n 1he Eart h
nearly froze over (8)
8) Camb rian creature with five
prouudin g eyes (8)
9) Greek city and home of famous
Roman-e ra medic (8)
ll) O riginal name for microsco pic
life (I I)
16) Wood have been trees, a long
rime ago (4)

Alf 1/ • corrw 1111.stvm crm be jimnd somewhe re in this book!

 A sc/.('ction ~( kttcrsfrom Spectacularly vu /gar l.i @ •l~~
would-be readers down tbe ages
. Al'l'RF CIATE ihc med ic:1 I import an ce
\'>:iti 11 I·. I · · . . I was surprised IO
. ct· .
;,,,,.
h11m ltl ca<1ave rs, , ..
nl rsscc11n ~ . 1.',h·u Mr Vesaliu s has bee n lcnin
rcaJ in )'0111" :HII C c · g What's in a na
•t, ,-:;.. .
DISSECTION - 1.tf~
-.- ~(---c,.~ rr,<..·•
. ·..
_.,.,,..,
rI
. J · . · s Th e
,uhlic att end hrs issec11o n . llle~
members o _, ,e ll r ,ffcrin g th ese demo nstratio '

I
~ci cntiflc..: rat1011:1 c ,or l ns THE INTR IGU ING new .
devised by Mr C arolu., I insystem f
10 ord inary people trul y escapes_ me. . b, . .
. °
Ca teg0 , 1 .

Calling time on N01 on I)' docs· Mr Vcs:1l1u s appea r to c

r .
tr:rn.;;1onn111 g 1 .
·
I is dcrnon str:ttion .1 into l'trle
r
more
.., n~
q11cs 11 0 11s for biologi sts 1-1'
1cu,'i raj

import an ce o f having a so lid d f, .. hrgl,ligh

~:Jtr<)
. rs Work Scs. man y nc,,n
~ '
rl;a,; vu l ar spcct:1clcs , he shows no rc~pc~l - dc . h c1•f1i
w I11 c to I crcntr.ate organ · c rnrtron 0 f ' Pee·,s the
corpse taboos previous ~nld1i1:1111s or
lO
rh csc bodies b_y rn v11111g the
,
mu ch debate d . Above all it
.
rsms a .
k' notion al,
' 111 a es us c . ca. dyy
c,,,, o0
public to g:isp ,md g:iwk :ti th em in d isgust. own p Iace rn nature - o r abov . · IUCStion
C It, Our
But I do believe that Mr L·
1 \X'AS SO EN THRA LLED bv vour arriclc . .
on NORA NONPLUSSED drffc rcn cratc betwee n human s binnaeus .
d · rs Wrong
Mr An dreas Vesalius last week rha~ l immcd ..
iarcly our a bI1rty to commu nicate a.sc 0 r
d 11 ace. Su,
lo
booked a place at his next public dissccrion.
·n,c people all over the world show h cooperate e1y
an
human body is a fascinaringly complex creario With
c
a nd there is still so much to learn abo ut ir.
n HELIOCENTRICITY - 16H berwcen us are rar s t at the
greater than the difli sim,·1aritie.,
are clearly one people , and we sh ercnccs' '%
h is such a shame rhar rhe dissccri on of human .
cad ave rs is often frowned upon . 1 do unders cowarcl s unity rat her than separation. ould be
movi ng
tand
rhar the examin ation of co rpses can be unpleas
ant,
a nd I dare say it is unacce ptable to many
on NiCKN AMcr
religiou s ground s. Bur if we are to learn more
about =AKE
the bod y and how to protea the living from
injury
and disease, human dissection is a necessity.

CATH Y CUTT ER
Please don't cal/ me
an animal!
Keep bodies sacred I WAS SHOC KED byyour reporro fM L·
..
cl ec1S1on l
ro p ace man alongside the r · 1nnaeu.s'
I am relieved to hear that he has changedan1ma 1s so
h· '.
. . is rnrnd
MR VESA LIUS ' dissection of human corpses Revolu rronary though h,s system may be a b . ·
. .. . ' no v1ous
is comple tely inexcusable. It is a violation of d1v1S1on does exist_between mankind and
rhe the lesser
sacred nature of rhe body and should be outlaw creatures. Our ~oc1erres, our languages, our religions
ed.
I am distressed ro discove r that it is nor only and techno logies - all these differentiate us from
legal
bur also available as a rwisted form of public other animal s.
enterta inment . Anima ls can't think the way we do, they .can'r
Mr Vesalius may claim char it is integral to read, write or invent th ings. In fact, there is simply
his
medica l work, but al] he has accomp lished no sensible compa nson between the imellect
is to of a
create a vile spectacle. Physicians across the human and any other creature, be it a monkey
world or a
still srand by Mr Galen's extensive works, in which
he was able co make valuable contrib utions
to his
Wh at on Earth next! mouse. Mr Linneaus' project co classify living things
is fine with me, as long as he respects the special
field withou t resortin g co the desecra tion of status of human kind.
the
human body. I WAS EXTRE MELY upset to read your report
yesterday about the plight of Mr Galileo Galilei
and the religious and legal quagm ire in which SIMON SAPIEN$
SIMON SOLEMN he
has found himsel f due to his remarkable scientif
ic
work. As an amateu r astrono mer myself, I
have
also found many of my observations clash
with
established opinion.
Scholars investigating the mysteries of the
Universe need greater protect ion from frustra
ted
leaders who find their discoveries 'inconv enient'
.
We should not be so hasty to lock up those who
put
forward ideas we are not comfor table with -
they
may have stumbl ed across import ant truths.
Proper scientific debate is the only way
to
confro nt new ideas. If Mr Galilei's helioce
ntric
model does prove co be true, no amoun t of effort
from any church or govern ment will be able
to
suppress it.

HENRIETTA HELIOCENTRIC
 I
, I
if.' I

Age of scientific lnsu!Ticftn( evidence!

rta nts forprog ress atulysis has arrived
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,f \ltl'l ,t I FN( F Sci(ncc kty to avoiding
effects of global warm ing
11
,, '" ,~ll::tr'k.lh1, ,.,.,,,,.,,,,..,,,,

I ~11· I ,\ f'FS I RFl'OKT from cht II'( ( "nhrm,

wh ,ll tho,,· wht • h,,vc fo llowe,I rhe deh ,1r , ,vr
knPw11 f( ,r yt,,r'-: d i11111tc Lht111ge- •" rt·dl. ,111d hum.1n,

It's all exploil4 rion Genius idea that may ,m: thl· l,lll'•,c. i l(,wt·vc r, 11 ,,1~<1 make.;: dw 1r<~e-n,
1.. .ast• for \ 11,r,11ncd ..,c.rit,n ''H·'lll"-r cHm.1tl' ~ h.u1gc
from ,, 11111ccd i\lohal comff111111t v.
~~"' th< h 1111J I m1>11, w t:t.l..r pl:a.nt,
\\ '
1
' change Earth sciences If we ,iCI now, tCl!,\Cthcr we rnay yer N· ,hi,· cc,
tl,iPh H A~1>-u~I, . .Jth.i ~• •m :hc--u1 d ~ 1wtt prcvcnr rhc worse 1rnpact$ 1>f di maic ch,,n1:c We
h)J

, t)i1HHM, u' jUHJk)~ hut tu~ JU ~t)ll(' u,n.M.drt~ will nor have co dr:t,ncally ,,lt,· r c,ur w,w ,,r lik
I WA~ SO l'l. b \ SF. D co sec \'I r Wegener'~
Oh ,..:u,~, 1111pl, . . .itwn, ,,i t!u:,, poltt, ... f.uc.Jvpru 1 nr resign oursclvc.< co clcsrruction chro11~h ~k,h.t!
u ~ ... tU l--,.,uru.pc- :and a.oung new theory reported in your blc, 1 issue.
tr:.\..... .. r, 1M. 1,JturJ ch.or warming ,ind mi ng ,ca levels. Howewr. ·•'<· ""
\X1,i.le he may no1 fu ve Jn amwcr for all rhc
\l!,.'t)ftl-U~ ;!fflY. d m~ ~uft:""h uHt1 c· J.I du· ~ ~ of need 1c, make ,omc 11npop11lar .;ha ngc.s w rhc w.1,
qucstiom i1 raises, hi, ideas offef a nan ing poim fo r
,r.,l.!?en,)u, ,p~- •e:- rh; . l;~c.>.pcncn1..Co! defending we produce encr1,,y, grow c.rop, and b111lcl .:1t1c.,, 1II
a fucin.a 1ing di5Cussion cha1 could transform our
rhct11..cho J~.lttbl m'-' tu~hh ~!!To.-,Jvc pb.nt. of which will need leadership lnd 1nnovauon by
undemanding of che 11a1ural world.
I llllltl ' " ,n,wla pru,crd vnt:h o.trcmc crnrion ,cienci•t• and ensinccrn. If we work coge1hcr :1., .1
Na1ural ~iencim 1urdy cannot ignore ,\ Ir
,.1,er, ,: u.1me,, 1,1 in rrndu-1n.g ,pt:cic, ta!O habirats global community, perhaps we c.m -.·we chc planet
Wegener', kc.en ob.5-rvaciom aboul che uncxpeucJ
mn 1rt n o! UC>l~cd 1,11 urhcr\\'l:,C \\C mar end up before ic i• coo lace.
pr<cScnc.c of Lyrrro1aurw a.nd G/onop1ai, on
ut'..llll>F, .111 11nb.1hno..cd ,m pO\ erishcd ,~orld.
unconne~,ed cominem;. He is righl rn su.,pccr HELEN HOPE
some unknown force is a1 work here; hi, theoric,,
GEMMA GREEN
however unlikely they may seem, may well provide
tl1e answer. In my experience, ic is always bene1 ro
- -
create a cheory ouc of unexplained daca manse-arch
raEAG EOF~ WORt D- mo for da1.a to , uppon an unproven theory. Shocking la.ck ofaction
PENNY PANGAEA
Oh, yeoflittle faith ... AFTE R READING your arciclc abom chc la101
LPCC rcporc on clinuce change, I w·.i., muck by
how liccle progress h.t, been made over che Jccade.,
TH L I NTHU)IA~M 11,ch which rocks and
chac chis group h.i,; been proJ ut:ing its rcpom.
10,i1I; arc Lcmg embraced ior answers about du·
Clirnace .:lunge :111d ic, te rrifying im plications have
Lmh'; pas, " wcnr)'lll!;- -n,e,t scicnLis1s c.i.:pec, u1 been unJ crscood For many ye;in, ) ec govcrnmem,
w bdi"11c in a molLcn wit nobody has ncr sten,
concinuc to wi lfully ignore whlr is wichuu( doubc
proca-st.1 tl1a1 1akc 1.bousand, of year> w show anr die mosr pressing i5sue fa,ing che worlJ rnJ :tv.
rc,uh,. and fo,s ih~ed ,ea 111011,ier.' now m1·s1eriousi'\' Soon ic will be coo !are rn rum b.11.:k chc dock
abscm fmm 1bc world 's " a1e1> . · .
on th.e puUuting li tesrylc ch.ic i, demuyi ng our
Meanwhile , solid wnclmions fo und in die Bible plancc. lf we arc io arrcsc dim.ire cluJ1ge, we need
m,elf h.,c been siddined. lfahop James UsshcI co drascically ch.1n1:1c suciery now in very unpopular
crt:a1ed hi, own hhwry of Ult E.a.nh from wrinen ways, and make chc c11 viru nmc11 r chc pri ncipal
Ictu1ds and die Bible. die wurd of God. 'Jhh IO 111c focu.s of :ill govcru mc 111al p,, lic-y.
>t:tm, • fa, more ,diable rewrd .
ARCHIE ACT IVIST
FAJTH FAITHFUL