Fractals: Neverending Geometric Shapes

Ice crystals, tie-dye swirls, and lightning bolts all play by the same rules in fractal geometry. 

Ubiquitous in nature, the fractal is a pattern or shape that repeats itself progressively at smaller and larger scales.

First observed by Leibniz in the 17th century, the concept of self-similarity evolved for generations, until Benoit Mandelbrot coined the term 'fractal' in 1975. His invention of the Mandelbrot set, one of the most recognizable fractals, drew significant parallels between mathematics and the natural world.  He discovered that fractals could be found throughout the known universe, in everything from tree canopies to heartbeats.

Fractals became a popular theme in psychedelic art, often presented as infinite spirals in the famous Mandelbrot set. Their use long predates this, however, appearing first in African design and a variety of architectural schools.

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Fun facts: Over 50 works by the painter Jackson Pollock are considered fractal in nature; the novel Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace is also said to have a fractal structure.

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• Challoner, Jack. How Mandelbrot's fractals changed the world. bbc.com

• Fractal. wikipedia.com

Marijuana in the Modern Age

Originally grown as a medicinal plant, marijuana (Cannabis sativa) has come full circle as it gains its place in the world of modern medicine for pain relief, and as an antiemetic. Patients diagnosed with cancer, HIV, glaucoma, Crohn's Disease, and a number of other conditions claim that cannabis relieves their suffering. It is also used to control nausea induced by chemotherapy treatments.

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Marijuana use does have side effects. It is proven to increase heart rate, lower blood pressure, and cause dizziness. A dangerous side effect, if you are driving, is a slower reaction time. Car accidents more than double when a driver partakes of marijuana.

Marijuana has been long-feared to be a gateway drug toward the addiction of other illegal drugs, such as cocaine or opioids. Studies are now being done to see if marijuana changes the brain to make it more likely to become addicted to other substances.

No matter which side of the marijuana debate you are on, it is a fascinating and controversial topic. Scientist, educator, photographer and now author Ted Kinsman has delved deep into this topic on the microscopic and artistic level.  His images bring to colorful life the stunning beauty of this diverse plant, showcasing the unique and bizarre details of marijuana on the microscopic level. 

Science Source Images is proud to represent not only this Ted Kinsman Collection but to make available a broad range of his beautiful scientific photographic work.

Book: Cannabis: Marijuana Under The Microscope by Ted Kinsman

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• What is Medical Marijuana Used For, webmd.com

• Anne Harding. Medical Marijuana Uses, webmd.com

• Want to Know Some FAQs About Marijuana, drugabuse.gov

• Marijuana Gateway Drug, 2018, Feb 12, NIDA, drugabuse.gov

• Marijuana, 2018, April 9th, drugabuse.gov

• Jennifer Robinson, MD, Marijuana Use and its Effects, webmd.com

Alternative Medicine: Quackery or Cure?

Ancient remedies, herbal concoctions, and new-age cures reign supreme in the world of alternative medicine.

Although there is no accepted definition, alternative medicine usually refers to remedies and techniques on the fringe of established medical practice. Some include Reiki, ozone therapy, homeopathy, acupuncture and more. 

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Alternative medicine came to prominence in the west during the 1960s and ’70s, as people began challenging traditional norms and embracing divergent opinions. Since then, a new marketplace of remedies and treatments has sprung forth, offering everything from stone massages to color therapy. Cures range from the strange to the revitalizing to the downright unscientific. (Edzard Ernst Ph.D. claims that only 7.4% of alternative medicine is grounded in empirical evidence.)

Just quackery or the true cure? Whatever the case may be, alternative medicine is here to stay. See more below.

Unmodern Medicine: Unique custom Gifts

• Alternative Medicine, wikipedia.com

• Kiefer, David MD. "What is Alternative Medicine." webmd.com

The Unbreakable Bond Between People & Bees

Over thousands of years, bees and humans have forged an unbreakable bond. We find bees and humans on Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, and medieval manuscripts, traveling on the Space Shuttle, and more recently trained to sniff out explosives. 

Nearly one-third of our food is pollinated by bees. Without pollination, we would no longer enjoy the bounty of apples, cherries, cucumbers, and most other fruits and vegetables.  

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Bees also make honey and people can use honey to heal wounds. Even the ancient Egyptians knew that honey could help heal cuts and burns, without understanding its antibiotic properties. Today manuka honey is used in hospitals and doctors offices to treat severe burns. And doctors are still discovering new uses, such as fighting peptic ulcers.

Unfortunately, bees face many challenges today; from Colony Collapse Disorder, pesticides, mites, and even climate change. Many people are fighting to keep bees alive by preserving their health and environment.  There's even a smartphone app that warns beekeepers of disease in their hives. 

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See the Bee Exhibition at the Bruce Museum

• wired.com/2011/07/nasa-oddities-gallery/

• pri.org/stories/2015-12-02/what-we-can-learn-ancient-egyptian-practice-beekeeping

• ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2831240/

• sustainweb.org/foodfacts/bees_are_important/

• greendustriesblog.com/greendustries/2012/04/12/bees-and-survival-of-the-human-race/

• cnn.com/2018/01/15/health/honey-health-benefits/index.html

• guides.library.harvard.edu/c.php?g=310733&p=2072758

Hanami and Sakura Matsuri

From ancient Japan to hipster Brooklyn, Hanami has captivated the minds of artists, poets and naturalists for generations.

Hanami or the Japanese tradition of flower viewing began in 9th century Japan when Emperor Saga began hosting cherry blossom festivals, attended by artists and poets of the court. Hanami became a metaphor for life – vibrant, beautiful, and ultimately fleeting.

The Shinto tradition held that Kami or spirits resided in the cherry trees, until the flowers bloomed and dispersed, heralding the beginning of spring. During the Edo period, Hanami spread beyond the court and became a nationwide event.

Today Hanami is enjoyed throughout the world, notably at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, where the festival, Sakura Matsuri is hosted yearly in March and May.

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A Tragic Family of Diseases: Neurodegenerative Disease

There is a family of diseases with two things in common – they involve the death of nerve cells over time and have no known cure. They are called neurodegenerative diseases. 

Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), and Huntington's are a few of the more universally known ones.

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What they have in common is the progressive loss of structure, function or death of nerve cells - called neurons. Neurons are the building blocks of your brain and spinal cord. The body cannot replace or reproduce them, so once they are damaged, they are lost.

Drugs and treatments are available to provide palliative care. Some may slow the progression or relieve or minimize symptoms such as shaking or pain. As these diseases progress, often over the course of years, they become debilitating and lead to the eventual end of someone's life.

Sadly, at this time there is no known cure for any of the diseases in this family.

The only hope lies in fully understanding the mechanism of these diseases on the sub-cellular level and the neuron circuitry of our bodies on a system-wide level.

Celebrities have brought light to this terrible and tragic condition to help move research forward. These include Stephen Hawking, Michael J. Fox, Neil Diamond, Muhammad Ali, and Janet Reno. Many of them have used their celebrity to increase awareness and thereby encourage hope for the future.

Alzheimer Foundation of America

ALS Association

Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research

NEURON THEMED PRODUCTS

• Kiaei, Mahmoud. New Hopes and Challenges for Treatment. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. 2013.

• Neurodegeneration. Wikipedia.

• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ALS Fact Sheet. www.ninds.nih.gov.

Stephen Hawking – A Brief History

While confined to a wheelchair for most of his life, Stephen Hawking revolutionized modern astrophysics by uncovering the mysteries of black holes – areas of space with such gravitational strength that not even light can escape them.

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In his early twenties, Hawking contracted ALS (or Lou Gehrig's disease)  – an illness that would slowly paralyze him throughout his life. Despite his condition, he rose to prominence in Cambridge as a leading theoretical physicist. Inspired by the work of Roger Penrose, he began doing research on black holes and their relationship to the structure of the universe.  He discovered that black holes emit radiation, now called Hawking Radiation, which causes them to shrink gradually, countering previous theories that they remain fixed. 

 

In 1988, Hawking published the classic "A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes," in which he outlined the history of cosmology and attempted to devise a unified theory of the universe, connecting General relativity and Quantum mechanics. The work sold over 10 million copies and became a cornerstone of modern physics and cosmology.

Stephen Hawking died on March 14th 2018 – the 139th anniversary of Albert Einstein’s birth.

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• Stephen Hawking, Wikipedia.

Step Out into the Wild!

Exposure to nature lowers stress levels and

can boost your immune system

A weekly jaunt to your local park or forest can do more than satisfy your wanderlust – science shows it can improve your health.

A 2010 study found that people who hike regularly have lower blood pressure and cortisol levels (or stress hormones.) Stepping out into nature can also protect you from seasonal colds and cases of flu, which often circulate around offices and other communal spaces.

Joint pain and stiffness are common results of sedentary lifestyles, especially desk jobs, and weekly activity is a simple, yet effective solution. "Being outdoors is generally associated with activity, and being physically active keeps joints loose and helps with chronic pain and stiffness" says Jay Lee, M.D, of Kaiser Permancente.

On a more spiritual level, unwinding from a long work week by stepping out into the wild, can give you a greater sense of connection with nature and a broader perspective on life.

So do what the doctor and the guru order – give the monitor a rest and set off into the great outdoors.

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Nature has been shown to reduce stress, and boost your immune system.

So send someone you love a little touch of nature.

• How the simple act of nature helps you de-stress. nbcnews.com. Jan.07.2018

The Invention of Climate Change

One man first recognized man-made Climate Change inspired Charles Darwin’s journey into the Galapagos and revolutionized the concept of nature while braving the wilds of 19th century Central & South America.

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Alexander von Humboldt set off to survey the new world, scaling volcanoes, exploring jungles, and changing scientific thought. His radical theory that nature was a complex and interconnected global force and not merely a tool for human civilization laid the foundation of environmentalism. 

Along with his theories, he was the first to suggest that South America was once connected to Africa and the first to propose that human activity could explain changes in the earth’s climate – which he reiterated in 1800 and 1831.

Charles Darwin would cite Humboldt as his primary influence for pursuing a vocation in Biology, leading to his theory of evolution. Humboldt’s influence extended across disciplines, placing him in social circles with Goethe, Schiller, and Thomas Jefferson. 

Even today, he is a significant influencer in biogeography, environmentalism, ecology, evolution, and many more.

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1.) Alexander von Humboldt. Wikipedia.