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Arne Naess, Norwegian Philosopher, Dies at 96
While deep ecology may still be on the outer edges of acceptability in environmentalism, Naess’ contributions as a thinker must always be recognized and celebrated for the diversity he brought to the question of nature. - How novels help drive social evolution
It isn’t everyday that Victorian literature is argued to have an evolutionary bent, but a new research project found that readers of novels “fell into groups that mirrored the egalitarian dynamics of hunter-gather society, in which individual dominance is suppressed for the greater good.” And I thought they were just boring! - Ice one! Walker discovers 10ft-wide, spinning frozen circle in British waters for the first time
Natural phenomenon, especially those geometric in formation, beg to be obsessed over; especially when they are as weird as a perfectly circular piece of ice slowly turning in a river in England. - Belize Larval Fish
Reef fish, just like humans, seem to be most spectacular in their larval form a fact best revealed in this photo slideshow from the Smithsonian. - Dark Green
Paleontologist Peter Ward has a bone to pick with environmentalists. Where everybody else worships the cyclical beauty of ecology, Ward argues instead that all “life is toxic,” with his Medea Hypothesis (named after a mother who killed her own children in a jealous rage) countering that it is the job of humanity to prevent nature from destroying itself once more and not the other way round.
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Victorian literature and social evolution, environmental philosopher Arne Naess dies at 96, the bizarre and beautiful larval stages of Belize reef fish, a paleontologist seeks to turn the Gaia hypothesis on its head, strange ice phenomenon found in British river…
Originally published January 15, 2009
