shimmeringwindtour

NotesfromDeepTime:AJourneyThroughOurPastandFutureWorldsHelenGordonProfile(2021)Iftherewereeveragoodtimetothinkaboutdeeptime,it'snow.
TheCOVID19pandemichasunmooredusfromtherhythmsoftheBeforeTimesandleftusscramblingfortemporalperspectiveasthedaysblur.
Insuchasituation,geologyoffersamentalanchor—theknowledgethatrocksrepresentuntoldeonsduringwhichanimals,plantsandevenvirusesarose,evolvedanddied.
FrommyCOVID-19-confinedhomeinColorado,Icanseemineshaftspuncturingthemountainsides,tappingintodepositsofgoldandothermineralsthatbegantoformferriedelementstowardsthesurface.
Thetrialsoftheserocks—heat,pressure,violence—puttheeventsofthepastyearintobroadcontext.
Sodomanyotherlocationsveneratedfortheircontributionstogeologicalknowledge.
TakeSiccarPoint,acliffinsoutheasternScotlandwhereeighteenth-centurygeologistJamesHuttonsawtworocktypesjammedagainstoneanother—andrecognizedthattheyrepresentedenormouslydifferenttimeperiods,andthatlong,uniformprocessesmusthaveshapedEarth.
Orconsiderthefossil-richcliffsofLymeRegis,onEngland'ssouthcoast,wherethemineralizedbodiesofammonitesandotherlong-vanishedcreaturescollectedbyfossilhunterssuchasMaryAnninginthenineteenthcenturyforcedustotakethelongview.
InNotesfromDeepTime,writerHelenGordonexploresmanyofthesecelebratedspots.
Facingbigchangesinherpersonallife,shesetsouttogroundherselfinthestoryoflandscapesacrossEuropeandNorthAmerica.
Theresultisawhirlwindtourofourplanet'sdeeppastandfarfuture.
Geology,sheshows,offersanodysseythroughunfathomableamountsoftime.
Touchafragmentofanancientmeteorite,andyou'refeelingmetalthatcoalescedaroundthenewbornSunmorethan4.
5billionyearsago.
VisitCanada'sNorthwestTerritories,andyoucanhikeonachunkofEarth'sancientcrustdatingbackfourbillionyears.
TimecapsulesThat'sthedeep-timeperspectiveGordoncraves.
Andshecramsalotin.
InCopenhagen,shevisitsarepositoryoficecores,preciousfrozencolumnsthathavebeencarefullydrilledfromicesheetsinGreenlandandelsewhere.
Theyaretimecapsulescontainingbubblesofprehistoricairandlayersofpollutantssuchaslead—fromwhichscientistscandeducetheamountsofcarbondioxideintheatmosphereinthepast,andunravelthehistoryofmetal-smeltinggoingbacktotheancientGreeks.
Elsewhere,GordonexplorestheurbangeologyofLondonandNaples,Italy,wherethemarbles,limestonesandgranitesthatmakeupmajorbuildingsareaportaltomanypastworlds.
(Aswellastootherpartsofourcurrentone:thebustofformerSouthAfricanpresidentNelsonMandelaonLondon'sSouthBanksitsonatwo-billion-year-oldpieceofigneousrock,ashimmeringblackstoneoriginallyfoundnearPretoria.
)Gordonwrapsinthefanfavourites:around75millionyearsago.
TheirstorybeganwhenonegreatplateofEarth'scrustshovedbeneathanotherinwhatisnowwesternNorthAmerica,meltingrocksintomagmathatDeeptimebringscomfortinhardtimesAwhirlwindgeologicaltourinwhichthepastmeetsthepresentandthefuture.
ByAlexandraWitzeCanada'sNorthwestTerritoriescontainsomeoftheworld'soldestknownrocks.
SHERRYGALEY/GETTYNature|Vol591|18March2021|3632021SpringerNatureLimited.
Allrightsreserved.
eruptions,dinosaursandearthquakes.
AvisittothevolcanoCampiFlegrei,nearNaples,islessameditationondeeptimeandmoreananalysisofhowscientistsmonitoractivevolcanoesandworkwithlocalofficialstotrytokeepthefire-mountainsfromkillinganyone.
AtriptoUtahlumpsavisittoafamedbonebedwithruminationsonthesaleoffossils,anddinosaurs'enduringappealtochildren.
AndadrivearoundsouthernCaliforniawithseismologistsexploresquestionsofjusthowlongweneedtostudyageologicalfault,suchastheSanAndreas,beforewecanforecastitsbehaviour.
It'shardnottocomparethiscollageofjauntswithaccountssuchasMarciaBjornerud's2018bookTimefulness,whichsynthesizesideasofdeeptimeinamoreholisticway.
AndGordondoesnotexploreinsightsfromnon-Westerncultures,suchasAboriginalAustralians'perspectivesondeeptimeand—apartfromoneortwonods—themanypalaeontologicalandgeologicaldiscoveriescomingoutofChina,IndiaandotherplacesacrossAsia.
Ultimately,however,shesucceedsingroundingourexistencefirmlyinthecontextofgeologicaltime.
Thisisespeciallyapparentintheongoingdebateaboutwhetherhumanityhasenteredanewgeologicalepoch,theAnthropocene.
Clearly,Homosapienshasalteredtheplanet.
ButhowandwhendidthisbecomeblindinglyobviousWasittheslowadoptionofagriculturesome10,000yearsagoTheriseofindustrialisminthelateeighteenthcenturyThepastcentury'saccelerationoffossil-fuelburningTheimprintofnuclear-bombfalloutintheworld'ssediments,startingwiththeterribledawnoftheTrinitytestin1945Scientistsdebatethisinextraordinarydetail,asiftheparticularsofhowweaffecttheplanetarelessimportantthanthefactthatwedo.
Lookingtothefuture,Gordonskipspasttheplanet'simminentclimatereckoning,andinsteadvisitstheplannednuclear-wasterepositoryinOlkiluoto,Finland.
Itismeanttoholdradioactivedebrisfromnuclear-powerplantssafelyfor100,000years—theultimategeologicaldisposal.
Deep-timerockscanatleasthelptoisolatehumanity'sbiggestmesses.
AlexandraWitzeisacorrespondentforNaturebasedinBoulder,Colorado.
ThisIsTheVoiceJohnColapintoSimon&Schuster(2021)In2013,journalistandformeramateursingerJohnColapintopublishedanarticleaboutStevenZeitels,vocalsurgeontopopstars.
ThepiecedidnotmentionthatColapintohimselfhadavocalpolypthatcausedpeopletomistakehis"crackling,static-riddledvoice"onthephoneforhisansweringmachine.
Zeitelstoldhim:"Youarenotbeingtransmittedbyyourvoice.
"TheincidentspurredColapintotowritethisexcellent,polyphonicstudyofthehumanvoice,frombabytalktoswansong.
Butitdidnotpersuadehimtoundergosurgery.
AFunnyThingHappenedontheWaytoStockholmRobertJ.
LefkowitzwithRandyHallPegasus(2021)Cardiologist-turned-biochemist,RobertLefkowitzwonthe2012NobelPrizeinChemistryforshowinghowadrenalineworksthroughstimulationofspecificreceptors,withhugeimplicationsfordrugdiscovery.
Yethecallshimself"anaccidentalscientist",becausehetrainedasaphysician.
InsteadofbeingdraftedtotheVietnamWar,heservedattheUSNationalInstitutesofHealth.
Hisautobiographyisavividlyanecdotalaccount,influencedbyasupervisor'slessonthatdatadonottellastory:"Astoryissomethingyouimposeonthedata.
"HowToFeelSushmaSubramanianColumbiaUniv.
Press(2021)"Ifwetrulywanttolivewithmorefeeling"post-pandemic,saysscienceandhealthjournalistSushmaSubramanian,"weneedtofirstgetintouchwithourselves.
"Butassheenjoyablyshowsthroughinterviewswithphilosophers,massagetherapists,haptictechnologists,amanwithnosenseoftouchandothers,touchisourleastunderstoodsense,itsmanycomponentstrickytoisolate.
Thus,Japaneseteaceremoniesinspirefeelingthroughthetongueandthroughfingersonpottery,butalsovisuallyandaurally,throughfloralscrollsandboilingwater.
ACuriousBoyRichardForteyWilliamCollins(2021)Thesonofanaceanglerandtackle-shopproprietor,RichardForteywasexposedinhisyouthtonatureandpeople.
Incompetentatcatchingfish,hediscoveredapassionforfungiandfossils.
"Thelatterbecamemylivelihood,whiletheformerhaveremainedmyhobby,"hewritesinhismemoiroffindinghisnicheasapalaeontologistatLondon'sNaturalHistoryMuseum.
Todayheisanexpertontrilobitesandasuccessfulsciencewriter.
Hisbook'spunningtitledistilsbothitsirresistiblecharmandadeeptruthaboutscience.
TheGhostofGalileoJ.
L.
HeilbronOxfordUniv.
Press(2021)GalileoGalilei'sbiographerJohnHeilbronstumbledonalittle-knownportraitinacountryhouseadecadeago.
Paintedin1643–44,duringtheEnglishCivilWar,itshowsayoungRoyaliststudentandhistutor,withhishandonaglobe.
Up-frontisanopenbook,Galileo'sreligiouslycontroversial1632DialogueConcerningtheTwoChiefWorldSystems—makingthepaintingprobablytheearliesticonographicreferencetoGalileo,whodiedinItalyin1642.
Heilbron'swide-rangingscholarshipattemptsto"unriddle"this"Galileanhieroglyph".
AndrewRobinson"Touchafragmentofanancientmeteorite,andyou'refeelingmetalthatcoalescedaroundthenewbornSun.
"364|Nature|Vol591|18March2021Booksinbrief2021SpringerNatureLimited.
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