25 Science Novels Worth Reading

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

Guest Post by Preity Smith

  • Silent Springby Rachel Carson: Introduce students to the core tenets of environmentalism and ecology with this undeniable classic. Rachel Carson heavily influenced the green movement by exposing the myriad abuses different companies heap upon the planet.
  • Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes: Although science-fiction, Flowers for Algernon still packs a heavy punch in its depiction of more terrestrial themes — specifically, ethics. The story of a mentally handicapped man receiving a controversial intelligence implant will certainly spark engaging classroom discussions about human experimentation.
  • The Botany of Desire by Michel Pollan: Watch human history and society ebb and flow thanks to the influence of four different featured plants — potatoes, marijuana, apples and tulips. Journalist Michael Pollan also peers into the way in which society’s intervention has come to impact the botanicals in turn.
  • Mendel’s Dwarf by Simon Mawer: The eponymous scientist, a descendant of Gregor Mendel himself, absorbs himself in discovering the genetics behind his condition. As the author actually holds a degree in zoology and worked as a biology teacher, his background pours into the fictitious narrative accessibly, informatively and provocatively.
  • E=MC2: A Biography of the World’s Most Famous Equation by David Bodanis: Introduce physics students to Albert Einstein’s highly influential formula through this easy-to-understand popular science novel. Not only does it open up knowledge of the relationship between energy and mass, but also how the equation has come to impact humanity for good and for ill.
  • Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam: Homer Hickam’s lauded memoir takes readers to a depressed West Virginia coal town and introduces them to his teenage self. With Werner von Braun as his inspiration, the young man took to making and launching homemade rockets with the hope of building a life for himself outside the dying city.
  • The Double Helix by James D. Watson: Learn all about the politics and peoples leading to the discovery of DNA’s structure through the eyes of one Nobel Prize winner behind it. As a memoir, history and popular science novel, The Double Helix has plenty to offer biology students both novice and seasoned.
  • As She Climbed Across the Table by Jonathan Lethem: Another science-fiction masterpiece that remains largely grounded and explores philosophical and personal issues as they relate to physics. Here, a professor who studies other professors slowly loses the love of his life to a mysterious, bizarre phenomenon known as “Lack.”
  • The Call of the Wild by Jack London: Appropriate for younger and older students alike, Jack London’s fictional tale of a kidnapped dog and his struggle between domestication and pure instinct. The author strove to reflect canine behavior and resilience as well as he possibly could, also reflecting some intriguing overlaps with more human tropes.
  • Carbon Dreams by Susan M. Gaines: Spice up lessons in ecology, environmental science, geology or climatology with the story of a geochemist’s quest for scientific truth — and love. Global warming and its impact on agriculture and humanity take center stage, however, so the book does have a place in science class.
  • The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells: In this haunting science-fiction classic, horrifically vivisected creatures challenge anyone perusing their narrative to think about experimental ethics. While H.G. Wells’ fantastical creations don’t have much footing in reality (yet), their creator certainly dredges up some moral and philosophical questions all science students should explore.
  • Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson: Cyberpunk master Neal Stephenson tries his hand at the high-tech espionage thriller genre, packing his kinetic read with his signature blend of math and computer science. History and cryptography come crashing into the mix as well, resulting in an excellent, informative mashup with plenty to discuss.
  • The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe: Read the compelling true story behind test pilots, astronauts, mission control specialists and their family members through one of the most notable New Journalism novels. The author hoped this read would challenge anyone picking it up to deeply contemplate the nature of heroism and the willingness to sacrifice oneself in the name of science.
  • Gut Symmetries by Jeanette Winterson: Love, metaphysics and physics overlap in Jeanette Winterson’s lush narrative about the growing relationship between two scientists — one of whom happens to be married. Using physics as a metaphor for deep romantic emotions renders this read helpful to both literature and science students.
  • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle: Undoubtedly the “hardest” piece of science-fiction listed here, A Wrinkle in Time frequently serves as a gateway drug for imaginative young readers. Madeline L’Engle packed her beloved young adult novel with plenty of very real math and physics concepts.
  • Wonderful Life by Stephen Jay Gould: Read the biography of an absolutely incredible natural marvel, one with some amazing connections to today’s living organisms. The Burgess Shale, nestled in a British Columbian mountainside, serves as sort of genetic Rosetta Stone helping scientists unlock evolutionary mysteries.
  • Dirt by David R. Montgomery: David R. Montgomery works as a geomorphologist and pulls from his training and experience to dish the dirt on…well…dirt. This humble substance perhaps unsurprisingly played a major role in shaping human history and culture, which the author compellingly discusses here.
  • A Hole in Texas by Herman Wouk: Satire meets science in this parody of the Superconducting Supercollider, shut down thanks to a lack of funding. A physicist finds himself in an absurdist race against time to discover the legendary Higgs Boson before his Chinese rivals.
  • Gold Bug Variations by Richard Powers: Richard Powers provides an incredibly complex, multilayered read tossing subjects as diverse as art history and genetics into the twisty narrative. Despite the simple love story at the core, the intertwining themes and educational concepts give readers plenty to talk about.
  • Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver: Mix things up in environmental science class by introducing a fictional portrayal of very real ecological issues. Tobacco, herbicides and subsistence farming comprise some of the core themes The Poisonwood Bible author Barbara Kingsolver explores.
  • Starlight Nights by Leslie Peltier: Introduce astronomy and physics students to the romance and wonder of stargazing through this beautiful memoir. Leslie Peltier made a name for himself as the discoverer of 6 novae and 12 comets, pulling from his observational experience to pen a love letter to all things astronomical.
  • Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson: Galveston, Texas felt the ravages of one of the deadliest hurricanes ever recorded in 1900, and this lauded work of creative nonfiction explores both the human cost and scientific phenomena behind the tragedy. Eponymous Weather Bureau climatologist Isaac Cline, stationed in the doomed city, serves as the story’s central figure.
  • Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman: Thirty little vignettes reflect hypothetical dreams by the acclaimed scientist, relayed with provocative whimsy by an MIT professor. As both a physicist and a writer, Alan Lightman hopes to blur lines between fiction and nonfiction, science and the humanities.
  • Galileo’s Daughter by Dava Sobel: Surprisingly enough, Galileo Galilei’s eldest daughter, Sister Maria Celeste, is not the central figure of this historical work. Rather, Dava Sobel focuses a little bit on their relationship and frequently delves into the famed scientist’s struggles between the faithful and natural realms.
  • Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond: History and a plethora of “hard” and “soft” sciences converge into an incredibly popular narrative about human evolution and experience. Its multidisciplinary nature makes Guns, Germs and Steel a compelling read in many different classroom settings, perfectly illustrating how science often converges with other fields.

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Spatial data should be integrated:NATMO

Posted on June 25, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

There should be an agency in India to bring all spatial data like census maps, wetland maps, geological maps, etc together. It is important to deal with emerging threats like terrorism, observed Dr. Prithvish Nag, Director, National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO), India. He acted as the chairperson of the plenary session, National Mapping Policies: Implementation, Challenges and Way Forward, during Geointelligence Asia 2011 in New Delhi, India.

read it here

Posted in map making, opinions, Remote Sensing 101, Satellites | Leave a comment

Loktak lake:Largest Freshwater Lake of India and Only Floating Lake in the World

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

Loktak Lake, the largest freshwater lake in India, also called the only Floating lake in the world due to the floating phumdis (heterogeneous mass of vegetation, soil, and organic matters at various stages of decomposition) on it, is located near Moirang in Manipur state, India.The etymology of Loktak is Lok = “stream” and tak = “the end”.The Keibul Lamjao National Park, which is the last natural refuge of the endangered sangai or Manipur brow-antlered deer (Rucervus eldi eldi), one of three subspecies of Eld’s Deer, covering an area of 40 km2 (15 sq mi), is situated in the southeastern shores of this lake and is the largest of all the phumdis in the lake.

Phumdis are a series of floating islands, exclusive to the Loktak Lake in Manipur state, in northeastern India. They cover a substantial part of the lake area and are heterogeneous masses of vegetation, soil and organic matter, in different stages of decay. The largest single mass of phumdi is in the southeastern part of the lake, covering an area of 40 km2 (15.4 sq mi). This mass constitutes the world’s largest floating park, named Keibul Lamjao National Park. The park was formed to preserve the endangered Eld’s Deer subspecies, called Sangai in the Manipuri language, indigenous to this area.

Phumdis in Loktak Lake

Phumdis are used by the local people for constructing their huts for fishing and other livelihood uses, and are inhabited by about 4000 people. Athapums are artificial circular phumdis, built by the villagers as enclosures for fish farming; aquaculture has caused proliferation of the phumdis in the lake.

This ancient lake plays an important role in the economy of Manipur. It serves as a source of water for hydropower generation, irrigation and drinking water supply. The lake is also a source of livelihood for the rural fisherman who live in the surrounding areas and on phumdis, also known as “phumshongs”. Human activity has led to severe pressure on the lake ecosystem. 55 rural and urban hamlets around the lake have a population of about 100,000 people.

A rich biodiversity with habitat heterogeneity has been recorded during a scientific survey carried out between January 2000 and December 2002 in different habitat patches of the lake. The lake’s rich biological diversity comprises 233 species of aquatic macrophytes of emergent, submergent, free-floating and rooted floating leaf types.

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Indian Wetlands Under Threat

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

Wetlands are defined as transitional  between terrestrial and aquatic eco-systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or  the land is covered by shallow water .

Wetlands have been categorized both as biomes and ecosystems. A patch of land that develops pools of water after a rain storm would not be considered a “wetland” though the land is wet. Wetlands have unique characteristics: they are generally distinguished from other water bodies or landforms based on their water level and on the types of plants that thrive within them. Specifically, wetlands are characterized as having a water table that stands at or near the land surface for a long enough season each year to support aquatic plants. Put simply, wetlands are lands made up of  hydric soil.

Wetlands have also been described as ecotones, providing a transition between dry land and water bodies. Mitsch and Gosselink write that wetlands exist “…at the interface between truly terrestrial ecosystems and aquatic systems, making them inherently different from each other, yet highly dependent on both.”

An ecotone is a transition area between two adjacent but different patches of landscape, such as forest and grassland. It may be narrow or wide, and it may be local (the zone between a field and forest) or regional (the transition between forest and grassland ecosystems).An ecotone may appear on the ground as a gradual blending of the two communities across a broad area, or it may manifest itself as a sharp boundary line.

The word ecotone was coined from a combination of eco(logy) plus -tone, from the Greek tonos or tension – in other words, a place where ecologies are in tension.

  Wetlands are under severe threat from the real estate lobby and industry as they are easy to lease out, said Jairam Ramesh, Environment Minister, Government of India. Ramesh was at the Space Application Centre (SAC) at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) campus in Ahmedabad to deliver an address on ‘National Wetland Inventory and Assessment Project’ (NWIA).

“Wetlands have ecological and social value. But a large area of wetlands in India is under threat from real estate lobby and industries such as highways, cement plants and power plants. Now, with a database on the inventory of wetlands being available with the help from the SAC, the Centre can take action on its own to designate important wetlands in the country based on the satellite images,” added Ramesh.

The NWIA project findings noted that the total wetlands area in the country is estimated at 15.26 million hectares, 4.63 per cent of the total geographic area of the country. Of this, Gujarat holds the largest area under wetland with over 3.47 million hectares of area, about 18 per cent of the state’s total geographic area. Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra are some of the other states having more than one million hectares of area under wetlands.

Biodiversity At Shekha Jheel

A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. Such areas may also be covered partially or completely by shallow pools of water.Wetlands include swamps, marshes, and bogs, among others. The water found in wetlands can be saltwater, freshwater, or brackish. The world’s largest wetland is the Pantanal which straddles Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay in South America.

Wetlands are considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems. Plant life found in wetlands includes mangrove, water lilies, cattails, sedges, tamarack, black spruce, cypress, gum, and many others. Animal life includes many different amphibians, reptiles, birds, insects, and mammals.

In many locations, such as the United Kingdom, Iraq, South Africa and the United States, wetlands are the subject of conservation efforts and Biodiversity Action Plans.

Shekha Jheel in Aligarh,UP,India

The Sheikha Lake in the Aligarh District of Uttar Pradesh is a perennial lake alongside an irrigation canal that is surrounded by farmland on all sides. Every year during winters the lake is thronged by thousands of ducks, geese, terns and waders traversing from wide ranges. It is situated at the distance of 17 kilometers from Aligarh City.

Links and Sources:

read here

Urban Wetlands

Wikipedia

Conservation of wetlands of India – a review(Paper)

Posted in Ecosystem, opinions | 7 Comments