TODAY IN SCIENCE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER • 29 MARCH
On 29 Mar 1921, John Burroughs died. As a naturalist and author, his writings were after the manner of Henry David Thoreau. You can enjoy his reflections on nature with this short sample, an excerpt from Under the Apple-Trees (1916), the chapter called “The Friendly Rocks.”
It’s a quick read, but let it sink in, and on the next on the next walk you take in the country, the simple stones and rocky outcrops you see will pleasantly remind you of Burroughs’ words.
On 29 Mar 1900, Charles S. Elton was born. He is credited with describing the “sociology and economy of animals,” thus outlining the basic principles of modern animal ecology. Elton thought of the “community” as the group of species in a habitat. Today's book pick is: , by . The devastating effects on the local ecosystems that invasive species cause are explained in this book.
Just like Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was a call to action against the pesticides that were devastating bird populations, this classic by Elton sounded an early warning about an environmental catastrophe. He gives numerous examples, from kudzu to zebra mussels to Asian long-horned beetles. Around the world, nonnative species are colonizing and taking over habitats at an alarming rate. This leads not only to extinctions of native animals and plants, but there is financial damage costing billions of dollars.
Charles S. Elton was one of the founders of ecology, and readers of this book will find his foresight was prescient. It’s a good read.
It is available from Amazon, typically about (As of earlier time of writing - subject to change.)
 | Life became a science when interest shifted from the dissection of dead bodies to the study of action in living beings and the nature of the environment they live in. — George A. Dorsey, American anthropologist and ethnographer (died 29 Mar 1931).  |
| | The floating vapour is just as true an illustration of the law of gravity as the falling avalanche. — John Burroughs, American naturalist and author (died 29 Mar 1921). |
| | Food is the burning question in animal society, and the whole structure and activities of the community are dependent upon questions of food-supply. — Charles Elton, English biologist (born 29 Mar 1900). |
| Before you look at today's web page, see if you can answer some of these questions about the events that happened on this day. Some of the names are very familiar. Others will likely stump you. Tickle your curiosity with these questions, then check your answers on today's web page. | |
| Births | |
| | Charles Elton, born 29 Mar 1900, was a English biologist. In 1927, he described the way plants get energy from sunlight, plant-eating animals get their energy from eating plants, and meat-eating animals get their energy from eating other animals. Elton’s pyramid of numbers shows how energy flow links those successive tiers of organisms to form the biological community. By what name is this sequence of energy transfers known? |
 | Edwin Drake, born on 29 Mar 1819, was an American who drilled the first productive oil well that launched the modern U.S. petroleum industry. He used an old steam engine to power the drill. On 27 Aug 1859, he struck oil at a depth of 69 feet. After his well began to produce oil, other prospectors drilled wells nearby. Other men, with better business sense, grew rich from the oil boom, yet Drake died in poverty. In which State did Drake drill to make his oil strike? |
| Deaths | |
 | An American cellular geneticist (1918-1997) conducted research (1950s-60s), with which she altered the prevailing view about where genetic material was within the cell. In particular, she recognized that a second set of genes were found outside of the cell’s nucleus. Even though they were nonchrosomomal, these genes also influenced inherited characteristics. Before her work, only the chromosomal genes had been considered to control genetic behaviour. What is the name of this scientist? |
| Events | |
 | On 29 Mar 1886, Dr. John Pemberton brewed a concoction over a backyard fire. He created it as a cure for “hangover,” stomach ache and headache. He advertised it as a “brain tonic and intellectual beverage,” and first sold it to the public a few weeks later. Pemberton’s product led to which present-day beverage? |
Fast answers for the previous newsletter for March 28: He designed a vast sewer system, serving all of London, to solve the huge problem of sewage pollution in the River Thames • Jean-Maurice-Émile Baudot • Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania • UNIVAC.
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