In the past, natural philosophers and wealthy patrons displayed oddities and curiosities in their homes and colleges. These cabinets played an important role in the beginnings of science by igniting curiosity! This curiosity led to a fervor of learning and a spirit of investigation that in turn led to more scientific discoveries. Join us as we scour the Internet, libraries, museums (coffee shops? forests?) to discover curiosities to include in our virtual curio cabinet!
Friday, March 23, 2018
Thursday, March 22, 2018
The Pyramids
The Pyramids
The pyramids have been a large point of magical speculation. Many people over many lifetimes have speculated on how exactly the pyramids were built. The Pyramids of Giza are so old that no one is entirely sure how they were constructed. While nobody truly knows how they were built, there have been many magical, and scientific theories regarding their construction
One of the largest and most popular magical theory for how the pyramids were built was, of course, aliens. This theory may seem farfetched, however the basis of the theory does bring up many questions on how exactly this ancient civilization was able to build these gigantic tombs. These pyramids were the tallest structures in the world for almost 4,000 years. The first reasoning that the pyramids could not have been made by man was because at the time the ancient Egyptians had not even invented the wheel yet. Doing the math, without the use of the wheel, the ancient Egyptians would have been able to transport, give or take, 10 blocks a day. 10 blocks a day would take well over 600 years to complete. However based on the most current data it only took the Egyptians 20 years to complete one of the pyramids.
The second reasoning has to do with the dimensions of the pyramids. If you divide the perimeter of the pyramid by twice the height, the number you get is pi. However the number pi had not even been discovered or calculated until the the 500's AD. The pyramids are also completely in line with the north pole, over 3,000 years before the invention of the compass. Lastly when it was finished the pyramid was in perfect alignment with the star that our solar system revolves around. There are also many features of the pyramids that are perfectly aligned with stars and constellations, such as the descending corridor that is aligned with the north star, and the southern shaft that points to the constellation Orion. It was these final points that led many people to believe that the pyramids were built with the help of some being that is not of this earth.
Many of the magical reasonings to how the pyramids were built heavily relies on the fact that the ancient Egyptians appeared to use technology and mathematical equations that were not yet invented, or proved. However there is evidence that suggests that they could have used a more primitive version of these equations and technologies. First the compass. The pyramids are almost exactly in line with the north pole, far before the compass was even invented. However finding an exact north is not that difficult. To find north in Egypt all that has to be done is to watch where any star rises and sets, and then cut that angle in half. The second is measuring a right angle. While the ancient Egyptians did not have as much mathematical equations as we have today, they did know that a 3, 4, 5 triangle created a right angle, thus that is what they used to create the angles of the pyramids.
Another question that arose was how were the Egyptians able to cut, and transport all the necessary stone to build the pyramids. The stone was actually dug right next to the pyramids, so there was not much distance to travel in order to get the stones to the site. Despite the wheel not being invented, it is known that the Egyptians often used sleds to transport large objects. It is theorized that they would pour water over the sand in front of the sled, creating a very slick surface, making it much easier to transport the blocks.
There is one important part that the ancient Egyptians never depicted and thus, can never be truly known, how the were able to transport the stone all the way up the massive structure. There are many theories that are held, and all of them are mathematically possible. Most of these theories involved a ramp being built. Some of these ramps could have been built alongside the pyramid, building the height of the ramp along with the height of the pyramid. However other scientists suggest that a spiral ramp was built up with the pyramid and these ramps were later deconstructed.
One of the largest and most popular magical theory for how the pyramids were built was, of course, aliens. This theory may seem farfetched, however the basis of the theory does bring up many questions on how exactly this ancient civilization was able to build these gigantic tombs. These pyramids were the tallest structures in the world for almost 4,000 years. The first reasoning that the pyramids could not have been made by man was because at the time the ancient Egyptians had not even invented the wheel yet. Doing the math, without the use of the wheel, the ancient Egyptians would have been able to transport, give or take, 10 blocks a day. 10 blocks a day would take well over 600 years to complete. However based on the most current data it only took the Egyptians 20 years to complete one of the pyramids.
The second reasoning has to do with the dimensions of the pyramids. If you divide the perimeter of the pyramid by twice the height, the number you get is pi. However the number pi had not even been discovered or calculated until the the 500's AD. The pyramids are also completely in line with the north pole, over 3,000 years before the invention of the compass. Lastly when it was finished the pyramid was in perfect alignment with the star that our solar system revolves around. There are also many features of the pyramids that are perfectly aligned with stars and constellations, such as the descending corridor that is aligned with the north star, and the southern shaft that points to the constellation Orion. It was these final points that led many people to believe that the pyramids were built with the help of some being that is not of this earth.
Many of the magical reasonings to how the pyramids were built heavily relies on the fact that the ancient Egyptians appeared to use technology and mathematical equations that were not yet invented, or proved. However there is evidence that suggests that they could have used a more primitive version of these equations and technologies. First the compass. The pyramids are almost exactly in line with the north pole, far before the compass was even invented. However finding an exact north is not that difficult. To find north in Egypt all that has to be done is to watch where any star rises and sets, and then cut that angle in half. The second is measuring a right angle. While the ancient Egyptians did not have as much mathematical equations as we have today, they did know that a 3, 4, 5 triangle created a right angle, thus that is what they used to create the angles of the pyramids.
Another question that arose was how were the Egyptians able to cut, and transport all the necessary stone to build the pyramids. The stone was actually dug right next to the pyramids, so there was not much distance to travel in order to get the stones to the site. Despite the wheel not being invented, it is known that the Egyptians often used sleds to transport large objects. It is theorized that they would pour water over the sand in front of the sled, creating a very slick surface, making it much easier to transport the blocks.
There is one important part that the ancient Egyptians never depicted and thus, can never be truly known, how the were able to transport the stone all the way up the massive structure. There are many theories that are held, and all of them are mathematically possible. Most of these theories involved a ramp being built. Some of these ramps could have been built alongside the pyramid, building the height of the ramp along with the height of the pyramid. However other scientists suggest that a spiral ramp was built up with the pyramid and these ramps were later deconstructed.
Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52V9jmrgSbI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2118KSUSF8
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/travel-interests/arts-and-culture/ancient-sites-built-by-aliens/
Friday, March 2, 2018
The Milky Way
The galaxy of which the sun and the solar system are a part of and which contains the myriads of the stars that create the light of the milky way. Understanding the structure if the milky way has long been challenging . The solar system sits on the outer edges of one arm in a disk material and no one can see across the dense center to the other side, it is about 100,000 light years across and about 10,000 light-years thick.
Greek Mythology//Magic View
One legend explains how the milky way was created by Heracles, when Zeus let him drink the breast milk of Hera. Heracles was feeding himself during Hera's slumber, once she awoke to the event that was taking place she immediately push the baby off her breast. Heracles drank the breast milk for him to become immortal and the milky way is nothing but split milk. The belief is the same in Roman mythology and other myths that the milky way is nothing more than breast milk from a Goddess that is how the galaxy got its milk soft appearance.
Science View
described by the ancients as a river, as milk, and as a path among other things the band has been visible in the heavens since the Earth first formed. In reality, the milky way like all galaxies is surrounded by a vast halo of dark matter, which accounts for some 90% of its mass. It was none other than the wonderful Galileo to prove that the galaxy is nothing more than a bunch of stars. Cassiopie A is a famous supernova remnant the product of a gigantic explosion of a massive star about 550 years ago. Although discovered in radio observation 50 years ago, now we know that its emitted radiation spans from radios through high-energy gamma rays. The precise knowledge of its nature makes Cassiopie A one of the most interesting and investigated objects in the sky and in the particular the study of its connection with the cosmic rays, sub-atomic particles that fill our galaxy with energies higher than anything achievable in labs on Earth.
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2017/09/magic-telescope-sheds-light-on-the-cosmic-ray-sea-that-fills-the-milky-way-origin-still-a-mystery.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milky_Way_(mythology)
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mario-livio/our-home-galaxy-myths-and-facts_b_1914174.html
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Devil's Hopyard
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Photo Credit: Vincent Sapone |
In East Haddam, Connecticut lies a gorgeous state park eerily named
Devil’s Hopyard. This is a favorite place for hiking and camping, despite the
spooky legends surrounding the crown jewel of the park – Chapman Falls. The park gets its name from a local legend dating back to
the early Puritan settlers. There were several fields of hops and a malt house
in the area during the 18th century.
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Photo Credit: Vincent Sapone |
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Photo Credit: Vincent Sapone |
While not quite as spooky, the scientific explanation is
that these potholes are formed by stones being moved downstream by the flowing water
become caught in an eddy, a swirling current of water. As the stone spins, it begins
to wear away the rock beneath it creating a hole. The original stone will
eventually wear away, but other stones are often swept into the same pothole
and, through similar spinning action, will enlarge it. These have left behind perfectly
cylindrical holes the rocky waterfall.
Works Cited:
http://www.damnedct.com/devils-hopyard-east-haddam
http://www.vincentsapone.com/trips/dh/dh.html
https://www.toyotaofcolchester.com/blogs/901/community/colchesters-own-haunted-legend-devils-hopyard-state-park/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Hopyard_State_Park#/media/File:Devils_Hopyard_Sign_2_Kevin_Pepin.jpg
Peyote
PEYOTE
(Lophophora williamsii)
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Peyote cactus |
The peyote cactus is a small and spineless cactus native to the most southern half of North America. They are typically found in Texas and Mexico. They also flower intermittently, producing fruits within the crown (pictured). The name originates from the Aztec language: Nahuatl, which translates peyote to the words "glisten" or "divine".
Peyote has been used among Natives of Mexico for thousands of years. The practice of Peyote or Peyotism has spread north among Native American tribes within the United States for the past few hundred years. The practice of this religion involves ingesting the fruit of peyote, which is cut from the crown (also called Peyote button or bean) and then chewed, ground, or made into a tea. The ingesting of peyote is similar to a sacrament, in which the native practitioners used in rituals to worship God or create a mind frame in which they could communicate with God directly. The peyote fruit was also used among these natives as medicine - to cure disease or (fever, toothache, pain in childbirth) or usher in a dying person to the afterlife.
Chemical understanding of the plant allows us to understand that peyote consists of psychoactive alkaloids. Alkaloids are naturally occurring compounds of nitrogen and carbon, making them a basic compound able to absorb acid or hydrogen ions. Alkaloids are most commonly found in plant life, which have been long time used in modern medicine (morphine) but are even as common as caffeine. The most noteworthy psychoactive compound in peyote is mescaline which is known for its hallucinogenic effects (LSD). Psychoactive compounds operate by affecting neurochemistry (mood, cognition, perception or behavior). There are an array of ways in which psychoactive compounds affect a person due to the affect it may have on different neurotransmitters in the brain.
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Mescaline compound |
Given the scientific understanding, it is likely that the natives and practitioners of Peyote were experiencing the psychoactive effects of the mescaline alkaloid which commonly produces hallucinations. These hallucinations were then attributed to something divine as they didn't have the chemical understanding needed to understand the plant's effects.
Works Cited:
Peyote: The Divine Messenger (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2018, from https://www.viceland.com/en_us/video/hamiltons-pharmacopeia-peyote-the-divine-messenger-full/59cd5c5d59d9ab5c3d5074a2
MAROUKIS, T. C. (2013). The Peyote Controversy and the Demise of the Society of American Indians. American Indian Quarterly, 37(3), 158-180.
Mescaline. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2018, from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/mescaline#section=Top
Wiedman, D. (2012). Upholding Indigenous Freedoms of Religion and Medicine: Peyotists at the 1906-1908 Oklahoma Constitutional Convention and First Legislature. American Indian Quarterly, 36(2), 215-246.
Peyote: The Divine Messenger (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2018, from https://www.viceland.com/en_us/video/hamiltons-pharmacopeia-peyote-the-divine-messenger-full/59cd5c5d59d9ab5c3d5074a2
MAROUKIS, T. C. (2013). The Peyote Controversy and the Demise of the Society of American Indians. American Indian Quarterly, 37(3), 158-180.
Mescaline. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2018, from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/mescaline#section=Top
Wiedman, D. (2012). Upholding Indigenous Freedoms of Religion and Medicine: Peyotists at the 1906-1908 Oklahoma Constitutional Convention and First Legislature. American Indian Quarterly, 36(2), 215-246.
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