The Art of Science: Sticks and Swells

Marshall Islands Stick Chart, mid-19th century, Cambridge University Library
Marshall Islands Stick Chart, mid-19th century, Cambridge University Library

When I came across a photo of a Marshall Islands stick chart on Tumblr, I had no idea that it was anything other than an elegant piece of modern art. I was very surprised to discover that the stick chart was an important piece of navigational equipment that was in active use for thousands of years.

The Marshall Islands are a group of over a thousand small islands in the northern Pacific, which were settled in the second millennium BC. Stick charts were an ingenious way to navigate among the islands by canoe. The charts, made from coconut fronds tied together in an open framework, depicted major ocean swell patterns and the ways the islands disrupted those patterns. Shells were sometimes tied to the framework to represent the position of islands. Reading and interpreting the charts was a crucial skill handed down through generations.

The Marshallese continued to use canoes and stick charts for navigation until the mid-20th century, when they gradually switched to motorboats and electronic navigation systems. The charts survive not only as history, but as an art form deeply imbued with the values of an ancient, ocean-centric culture.

Have Science Will Travel, the Map

I know you have been patiently waiting, but, hey, I’ve been busy. At long last, the Have Science Will Travel Google Map is up to date. You can now virtually stalk Eva on her science-y travels to your heart’s content.

Science Caturday: Electrikitty

cation

OK, this one works for both Caturday and Punday.

photo via Cheezburger.com

Observing Science Caturday at Berkeley

Yesterday, our friends at the Berkeley Science Review published “Behind the Science: Infinite Russian Cats: Part 3 of Several” by Daniel Freeman, which appears, at first, to be nothing more than an infinite series of subtitles. It turns out, however, to be an insightful post that explains the central challenges that the Schrodinger’s Cat thought experiment addressed, illustrated with a Science Caturday joke that may already be in Brian Malow‘s set. It also does an excellent job of explaining the fundamental weirdness of quantum mechanics:

What’s interesting, though, is that Quantum Mechanics is correct, and matter absolutely can be interpreted as existing in simultaneous states, up until being “looked” at—this formalism allows us to calculate all kinds of absurdly precise quantities about atoms and molecules.  Reconciling whywe don’t ever see alive-dead cats (that is, macroscopic objects made of trillions of atoms simultaneously in more than one state) with the notion that reality does really follow these rules (that is, microscopic objects being describable as existing in simultaneous states) is actually incredibly nontrivial. Continue reading “Observing Science Caturday at Berkeley”

Breaking Bio

A few weeks ago, I talked with the crew at Breaking Bio for Episode 42, including The Finch & Pea‘s own Heidi Smith. We covered a lot of ground, including rugby and the oddity of regularly doing science with a black eye. The facts that I’m not exactly sure when they hit “record” and that it apparently required weeks of editing makes me a bit nervous to watch. But you should watch, and mock me in the comments.