Buenos Aires, Charles Darwin, and the Giant Ground Sloths

Darwin's giant ground slothI’m currently working on a travel memoir of a recent trip to Patagonia. Our first stop was Buenos Aires, where we toured the opera house, visited the cemetery (trust me, it’s the thing to do), and dreamed about Darwin and the giant ground sloths.

Giant ground sloths, you say?

As a scientist and historian I couldn’t help but think of Darwin as we wandered around the capital city of Argentina. I had hoped to get further south to the Mar del Plata Aquarium but weather and circumstances conspired to disappoint me. I took consolation in the knowledge that Charles Darwin, of Origin of Species fame, spent many months in the coastal areas south of Buenos Aires during his five-year voyage on the HMS Beagle. After general wanderings around Rio de la Plata, the estuary of which separates Buenos Aires and Argentina to the south and Montevideo and Uruguay to the north, Darwin headed to Bahia Blanca and Punta Alta. It was in Punta Alta that Darwin really became enamored of his adventurous investigations, which up until now had been mostly at sea during the long Atlantic crossing, and a few forays into the interior of Brazil near Rio de Janeiro and across into Montevideo.

Darwin's giant ground slothIt was also in Punta Alta that Darwin made one of his biggest scientific discoveries. Ranging about the landscape on horseback, sleeping in the open with guachos or staying in haciendas with local ranchers, Darwin stumbled upon the fossilized bones of, well, something. One specimen was “the head of some large animal, embedded in soft rock.” He thought it might be similar to a rhinoceros. It took a second visit several months later – FitzRoy and his crews were busy mapping up and down the coastline – to realize he had discovered a large number of large mammal fossils not previously known from previous scientific expeditions to Europe, Asia, or Africa. In all he found nine different types of “great quadrupeds.”

Dutifully shipping the fossils with the thousands of other samples collected to various collaborating scientists in Europe, these large mammal fossils ended up via a circuitous route in the hands of French scientist Georges Cuvier. Cuvier determined that these were the bones of what became known as giant ground sloths, some as big as elephants, which roamed widely in the ancient North and South American plains. Cuvier named the huge beast Megatherium, which is, appropriately enough, derived from the Latin for “huge beast.”

Darwin's giant ground slothHere is where the plot thickens. While Cuvier was working up his paper describing and naming Megatherium, workers in what is now West Virginia dug up some old bones and sent them to Virginia’s biggest paleontological expert, who just happened to be Vice President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson named these new bones Megalonyx jeffersonii, meaning “giant claw” (the jeffersonii species name is an affectation that many discoverers take when naming their new species). These too turned out to be giant ground sloths. Meanwhile, Darwin was digging up even more sloth species. Many of these ended up in the Museo Municipal de Ciencias Naturales “Carlos Darwin,” set up in Punta Alta by modern day Argentinian geologist Teresa Manera.

Why is the museum called Carlos Darwin instead of Charles Darwin, you might ask? The museum was established in the late 1990s, not long after the Falklands War. The Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas Islands, were a disputed territory off the coast of Argentina. The British had claimed them many years before and engaged in a war to protect their claim when Argentina tried to get them back. Not surprisingly, the museum wasn’t too keen on recognizing the English at the time so they used the Spanish form of Charles – Carlos – instead. Teresa Manera and her husband, by the way, also discovered giant ground sloth footprints on a beach near there and has been trying for decades to get it made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Darwin wasn’t finished in South America, of course; the Beagle gave him plenty of time to explore Patagonia, both in Argentina and Chile. My own travels in Patagonia included climbing up to the base of Cerro FitzRoy, the mountain in the lower Andes named after the Beagle‘s captain, with whom Charles Darwin spent five years living in a cabin not much bigger than a closet.

Meanwhile, our time in Buenos Aires was quickly coming to an end and we were headed out to Bariloche to start our big adventure. Darwin would make more appearances along the route.

For previous articles about Buenos Aires and Patagonia, this post is a good place to start.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, now available. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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Long Overdue Catching Up

It’s been a while since I did a catch-up post, in part because I was recovering from surgery and in part because of travel before and after surgery. Since a lot of posts have built up I’ll handle the three blogs in separate posts. Today, Science Traveler. Rather than go back in order, the posts can be broken down into categories.

TRAVEL

James JoyceThis is Science Traveler, right. So let’s begin with some recent travel posts. I recently returned from a tour of “Lincoln’s Illinois” where I visited Lincoln’s home in Springfield, his earlier village of New Salem, and several other Lincoln related venues. I even got to hear songs Lincoln listened to on the very piano on which he heard them played. Here are Part I and Part II.

Earlier in the summer I visited Nikola Tesla’s homeland, got to meet the Prince and Princess of Serbia, and toured the beauty of Montenegro.

Back here in the States, I also recalled my journey through the glidepath at Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach.

More travel posts here.

 

THOMAS EDISON AND NIKOLA TESLA

Thomas EdisonAnother major event this year was the release of my new book, Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World. This set up a competition, of sorts, between Edison and Nikola Tesla, the subject of my first book plus two subsequent e-books.

I posted some previews to Edison, including Thomas Edison the Movie Mogul and Thomas Edison and the Talking Doll.

 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Abraham LincolnIn addition to the travel out to Illinois, I’m currently working on a new book for the same publisher as Edison and Tesla on, you guessed it, Abraham Lincoln. That book will be released some time in the summer of 2017. Recently I wrote about the progression from Tesla to Edison to Lincoln. I also took a photo of all my books written to date, including the e-book I wrote called Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Finally, I wrote about a special event on the Election of 1860 sponsored by the Lincoln Group of DC, of which I am a Vice President. You can check out our upcoming events on the Lincoln Group website.

 

ONE MORE!

Candied hawthorns in Olympic Park, Beijing

Candied hawthorns in Olympic Park, Beijing

September 2016 marked my third year anniversary from when I decided to ditch the successful career job I no longer enjoyed and start a new career as an author and science traveler. It’s still the best decision ever.

Okay, that’s all for now. I’ll post catching up posts for Hot White Snow and The Dake Page in the next few days. Or simply click on the links to scroll down the most recent offerings. Thanks to all for helping to make this new career such a success.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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Catching Up with Life on the Blogs

I’ll shortly be heading out on another science traveling expedition. More on that in a bit. Be sure to check out recent travel-related posts here on Science Traveler (see below). In addition, here’s my monthly roundup of the other blogs.

Connected father and son fishingHot White Snow is where you’ll find my more “creative” writing, includiing responses to writing prompts, some memoir-ish works, and articles “On Writing.” Lately I’ve been writing responses to the Daily Post, a daily writing prompt feature on WordPress. Featured recently (click on the title to read the post):

  • It’s Just a Phase: “He’ll grow out of it,” she insisted, as blood oozed from her husband’s stab wound. And if that isn’t Monty Pythonesque enough…
  • The Circus of Life: A bit of social commentary blending The Lion King with The Lyin’ King.
  • Connected: A heartfelt reminiscence of connecting with my father while fishing on Lake Winnipesaukee many years ago.
  • A Struggle to Write: A painful day of non-writing.

Arctic_Antarctic sea iceThe Dake Page focuses on communicating science to the general populace, often with an emphasis on climate change. That said, this month’s features begin with chemicals law. Recent articles:

Beijing Aquarium jellyfishOf course, here on Science Traveler we focus on traveling to exotic lands and stories about Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, and other books I’m working on. Here are some of the recent travel posts:

Edison: The Inventor of the Modern WorldBut wait, there’s more. I also received my first advance copy of Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World, which will be in stores next month. And Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity has hit yet another success milestone (more on that soon)!

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in July 2016.

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Remembering the Alamo

Recently I was in San Antonio and visited the world-famous Alamo. I was surprised that the real-life Alamo and the battle was a little different than the Disney version I remembered as a kid. There was also some science.

My view of what the Alamo looks like was correct – it looks like this:

Alamo

But apparently it didn’t look like that during the famous 1836 battle in which between 182-257 Texians were killed in a siege and attack by General (and Mexican President) Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. The iconic bell-shaped top was only added much later. I was also surprised to learn that the Alamo complex was actually a much larger compound inside sturdy walls and a series of outer buildings. It was only after the Mexican army overwhelmed those walls that the few remaining Texians, including Davy Crockett, James Bowie (of Bowie knife fame), and William Travis, finally retreated to the mission chapel that stands as the symbol of the Alamo today.

In the grounds behind the chapel I came across a surgeon with his tools of the trade.

Alamo doctorThe good doctor regaled us with stories of the medical practices of the day. You can see the hacksaw on the table used for amputations. There are also leeches for bloodletting, stiff brandy for medicinal painkilling, and a variety of other instruments that range from precursors of today’s instruments to objects that seemed more appropriate for the Marquis de Sade.

Great-Tailed Grackle

Interrupting the demonstration was a beautiful Great-Tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) with its iridescent feathers, rudder-like tails, and haunting yellow eyes. These birds are much bigger than the Common Grackles (Quiscalus quiscula) I normally see, or even the much closer Boat-Tailed Grackles (Quiscalus major) that are less common and hang out near marshes. While the male Great-Tails were getting all the attention, the less iridescent and smaller females were busy grabbing plant material to repair the nests and grubs to feed the young.

Doctor at Alamo

By now the doctor was finishing up his presentation. Little did I know he wouldn’t be the last doctor I would see that day. But that’s a story for another time.

That’s all folks! At least for now.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in July 2016.

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Science in Charlottesville

In the final years of his long productive life, Thomas Jefferson established what is now the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He wanted a place where students could get a science education.

Today the Chesapeake and Potomac Chapter of SETAC comes to UVA to show what we have learned.

The photo below is the Poe Room maintained by the Raven Society on campus just as it was when Edgar Allen Poe was a student.

You can soar with eagles here on campus.

More on the conference and other events this week.

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

Writing Bulgaria, Traveling Serbia, Mourning Brussels, Tesla, Edison and More

It’s been a hugely busy month of writing, traveling, mourning, Tesla, and Edison. Here’s a quick catch up in case you missed anything.

Writer pyramidHot White Snow: My more “creative” writing, responses to writing prompts, some memoir-ish works, and articles “On Writing.” Featured recently:

IrelandThe Dake Page focuses on communicating science to the general populace, with a sometimes emphasis on climate change. Recent articles:

KotorScience Traveler: Here on my author website I focus on my non-fiction works (Tesla, Edison, Lincoln), plus tips and tales about traveling the world. Several recent posts:

This past month also so a draft cover for my Thomas Edison book due out in July, and I’ll share that with you all shortly. Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World is in the same style and format as my Tesla book. And while I continue with the sample chapters of my Abraham Lincoln book, another potential book offer arose. More on that later.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in July 2016.

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Book Review – The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom

Man Who Loved ChinaRenowned author Simon Winchester has written a wonderful book about a scientist most people have not heard about, but should have. Joseph Needham was a biochemist, nudist, socialist-leaning British scientist at prestigious Cambridge University. He was devoted both to his wife and his mistress, the latter of whom was a visiting Chinese scientist who introduced him to the culture he would obsessively love and study the rest of his life.

That obsession led to a series of epic volumes (now 7 “volumes” in 24 books, and counting) called “Science and Civilisation in China.” In it he documents in great detail how most of the inventions and scientific we have come to know as western were actually originally invented and envisioned in China (step aside Gutenberg, the printed book predated you by several centuries).

Winchester touches on some of those inventions, but mostly the book traces the man, his journeys in China during the Japanese occupation and second world war, his socialistic leanings (including meeting Chou Enlai and Mao Zedong), and the trials of creating his masterpiece, which was only partially finished at his death at 95 years old. At one point, soon after Mao has taken over China and the western world (including his campus) are in the midst of the “red scare,” Needham finds himself duped by his former friends in China, which nearly crashes his career and book project. Winchester examines that blunder and Needham’s slow climb back to acceptability, then the great success of creating one of the greatest treatises on the history of science.

An eye-opening book in many ways, exceptionally well-written by one of today’s most successful non-fiction writers. Of interest to scientists, to those who are interested in China, and anyone who wants to learn more about both.

More on “Science and Civilisation in China” can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_Civilisation_in_China.

More book reviews on Goodreads.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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Locked

 

Science Traveling – The Sailing Cruise

One of the joys of science traveling is the opportunity to try new adventures. I started my career as a marine biologist so spend a good number of hours on boats and ships, but it was only a few years ago I took my first actual pleasure cruise (a gift to my parents). That ship was a huge cruise liner the size of a large hotel or two, with stops in Roatan (Honduras), Belize City (Belize), Costa Maya and Cozumel (both Mexico).

This one is different. The ship is smaller (300 guests instead of 2300) and has sails. Yes, sails.

Wind Surf

The cruise starts in St. Maarten, sails each night, and stops each day at a new Caribbean island, none of which I’ve ever seen before. Between margaritas on the terrace bar we’ll have excursions into the rainforests and beaches and mountains and reefs of Barbuda, Dominica, St. Lucia, Guadeloupe, St. Kitts, and St. Barts, before heading back to St. Maarten (where we hope to see the planes land over Maho Beach).

Caribbean

I’ll be taking tons of photos and collecting more than a few stories. I’ll also be on the lookout for remnants of the slave trade, of which most of these islands played a significant role in the decades leading up to the U.S. Civil War.  The information is important for my Abraham Lincoln research.

More soon.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

Follow me by subscribing by email on the home page.  And feel free to “Like” my Facebook author’s page and connect on LinkedIn.  Share with your friends using the buttons below.

Around the Blogs

A lot is going on…and planning is in progress for a lot more. To get everyone up to date here is a quick round up of the blogs.

photo 3

Hot White Snow: A place for my more creative writing endeavors, writing prompt responses, erotica, science fiction, a couple of specialty series, and articles on how to improve the reader’s writing life.

Recent posts include an intriguing Microfiction post marrying Bogie, Bacall, and the Old West, plus an “On Writing” episode focused on Writing Through Writer’s Block.

Air and Water GaugesThe Dake Page: A science blog focused on communicating science to the general populace, examining climate change (both the science and the denial), and providing relevant book reviews.

Recent posts include the role of climate science in the State of the Union address and the upcoming election year, plus parsing the arrogance of ignorance in climate denial.

...and Tesla TV

Science Traveler: My author website focused on non-fiction books (Tesla, Edison, Lincoln), plus tips and tales about traveling the world.

Recent posts include the Aquarium in New Orleans, the connection between Davie Bowie and Nikola Tesla (hint: The Prestige), and a combined post on how my preparation for an upcoming trip to Machu Picchu reminds me of a previous trip into Argentinian Patagonia.

There is much more beyond this, including many activities with the Lincoln Group of DC, the Bull Run Civil War Round Table, a lot of book reading, and even more book writing.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

Science Traveler – Wrapping Up the Wrap Ups of 2015

This morning I realized my watch was set for 1 hour behind the actual time. It took me a while to realize what had happened,* but it was a reflection on the amazingly busy/productive/exhausting/exhilarating year it has been. It’s time to wrap up the wrap ups.

David J. Kent drinking mateHere on Science Traveler I’ve recapped a year in the writer’s life. Two books written, a few articles for magazines and newsletters, and a ton of blog posts. I also summarized a year in science traveling that included everything from some major capitals of Europe to some alligator-infested National Parks to a prison on an island (no, not Alcatraz, the other one). I also cataloged my 2015 acquisitions of Abraham Lincoln books.

Near Cueva de las ManosOn Hot White Snow I summarized all the books I read in 2015 – all 96 of them…and I recapped what I can confidently say was a very good year.

On The Dake Page I reviewed the year in climate change, a year in which 2015 blew past 2014 as the hottest year in global temperatures on record. I also laid out the four things you need to know about the recent Paris climate agreement.

Science smartphoneThere was a lot more, so click on the blog names above and scroll down to see other articles of interest.

So what does 2016 hold for us all? Check back later for plans and predictions (and big changes to this website)!

Finally, thank you all for participating in this adventure with me. I appreciate your support, your loyalty, and your interest. I’m looking forward to providing more content in 2016 to give each and every one of you a reason to keep coming back.

Happy New Year!

*About the watch thing: I had set the watch back an hour for my trip to New Orleans, which is in the Central Time Zone. I never reset it. Since I work at home (when I’m not on the road), I generally don’t wear the watch at all, relying mostly on the clocks on my computer and smart phone. Only this morning as I sat in Panera did I notice the time was off. 🙂

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

Follow me by subscribing by email on the home page.  And feel free to “Like” my Facebook author’s page and connect on LinkedIn.  Share with your friends using the buttons below.