Eggplant.place

8d

This week's #NewBooks at the library: Some classic literature that I bought second-hand.
- A Plague of Sheep: Environmental Consequences of the Conquest of Mexico, published by Cambridge University Press (which was removed from the holdings of the University of Plymouth Charles Seale-Hayne Library just down the road from me!)
- Carl Safina's classic Song for the Blue Ocean: Encounters Along the World's Coasts and Beneath the Seas, published by Henry Holt
- and Extinctions in Near Time: Causes, Contexts, and Consequences, published by Springer.

#Extinction #Biodiversity #Palaeontology #Paleontology #NaturalHistory #NatureWriting #EnvironmentalHistory #Books #Scicomm #Bookstodon @bookstodon

A photo of three books standing on a small, brown, wooden table. The out-of-focus background shows black shelves full of books.

On the left, A Plague of Sheep, showing a black cover with the title in large font.

In the middle, Song for the Blue Ocean, showing a colour photo of a calm ocean with a breaching dolphin.

On the right, Extinctions in Near Time, showing a black cover with the title in white front and a white diagram of a world map with small drawings of various species of now extinct megafauna dotted around the map.

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2d

A Massive Eruption 74,000 Years Ago Affected the Whole Planet

Archaeologists use volcanic glass to figure out how people survived.

By: Jayde N. Hirniak

https://daily.jstor.org/a-massive-eruption-74000-years-ago-affected-the-whole-planet/

Full article:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/27052512?mag=a-massive-eruption-74000-years-ago-affected-the-whole-planet&seq=1

Volcanoes at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=volcanoes

#NaturalHistory #archeology

Roman fresco showing Bacchus (on the left) and serpent (Agathodaimon) from the Casa del Centenario in Pompeii. Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Naples).

Bacchus / Dionysus appears on the left side, depicted in youthful form. He holds a thyrsus (a staff wrapped with vines) and a kantharos (wine cup). A panther, one of his favored animals, is near him feasting or drinking.

A serpent (identified as the Agathodaimon, a guardian spirit associated with prosperity and the locale) is shown approaching a small cylindrical altar.

In the background, a mountain rises, covered in vegetation, vines visible on its slopes, suggesting vineyard cultivation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano#/media/File:Pompeii_-_Casa_del_Centenario_-_MAN.jpg

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1y

Italian ornithologist and botanist Ulisse Aldrovandi was born #OTD in 1522.

He was the moving force behind Bologna's botanical garden. His most important work is a series of volumes on natural history, collectively known as "Historia Naturalis". These encyclopedic texts covered a wide range of topics, from birds and insects to minerals and plants.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulisse_Aldrovandi

#naturalhistory #scientificillustrators

lisse Aldrovandi (1522 – 1605). Oil-painting on canvas, attributed to Agostino Carracci.

Aldrovandi is shown as an elderly man, likely in his late 70s or 80s, with a weathered yet thoughtful expression. His face bears the signs of age, with deep lines and a slightly furrowed brow, indicative of a lifetime spent in study and contemplation. His eyes, though aged, retain a sharpness and focus, suggesting a mind still actively engaged in intellectual pursuits. His white or gray beard, trimmed and neatly styled, frames his face, emphasizing his scholarly appearance.

Aldrovandi is dressed in formal, academic attire, likely a dark, heavy robe or cloak, befitting his status as a professor and scientist. The garment may have subtle decorative elements, such as a white collar or cuffs, but the overall tone is somber and modest, aligning with his role as a man of knowledge.

In the painting, Aldrovandi is seated or standing in a composed and dignified posture, symbolizing his role as a teacher and observer of the natural world.

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Ornithologiae, hoc est de avibus historiae libri XII. (De avibus), Bologna, 1599.
Ulysse Aldrovandi - Aldrovandi, Ulisse (1599) Ornithologiae [Tome 1]. apud Franciscum de Franciscis.
Ulysse Aldrovandi's cover page of Ornithologiae

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349d

Oops,

Pocket mammoths really existed. I only knew them from Elder Scrolls Online:

https://en.m.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Pocket_Mammoth_(pet)

But according to @wikipedia, they also existed on Crete:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammuthus_creticus

Image from @uesp

#Mammoth #Mastodon #Gaming #Science #Paleontology #NaturalHistory #ElderScrollsOnline

The illustration shows a small pocket mammoth with light-coloured stripes on its flank. The screenshot is from the computer game "The Elder Scrolls Online"

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Edited 349d ago

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97d

Stonechat. Finished wood engraving, first test print, which I'm very pleased with and the photo that the engraving is based on, taken on one of our regular walks on Ilkley Moor.

#birds #NaturalHistory #nature #art #PrintMaking #WoodEngraving