Creative Destruction: Think like a Forest! The phrase “creative destruction” has become a common one as economies and nations struggle to adjust in the aftermath of the Crash of ’08. It was Joseph Schumpeter who coined the expression to describe the workings of capitalism, and citations of the maverick economist seem to have soared in recent years. Schumpeter himself has been called a “living contradiction”, oscillating as he did between the twin poles of political economy – history and theory. In the early years of the 20th Century, a great battle was fought between the two. Theory won, leading eventually to the emergence in America of neoclassical economics, with its emphasis on equilibrium and the use of abstract models to study the real economy. Schumpeter refused to reconcile himself to this outcome and all his life he fought against what he called the “Ricardian Vice”, the tendency of neoclassical economists to mistake their models for reality. Turn to Nature Nature supplies an answer. Destruction and Renewal David K.
Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Ritter von Schelling (* 27. Januar 1775 in Leonberg, Herzogtum Württemberg; † 20. August 1854 in Bad Ragaz, Kanton St. Gallen; 1812 geadelt) war ein deutscher Philosoph und einer der Hauptvertreter des Deutschen Idealismus. Leben und Werk[Bearbeiten] Jugend und Studium[Bearbeiten] Inschrifttafel an der Nürtinger Lateinschule mit einem Zitat von Eduard Mörike Schelling stammte aus einer alteingesessenen schwäbischen Pfarrersfamilie. Mit einer Sondergenehmigung konnte Schelling 1790 bereits im Alter von knapp sechzehn Jahren in das Tübinger Evangelische Stift, das zur Universität gehörte, aufgenommen werden. In seinen philosophischen Anfängen wurde Schelling auch durch die Philosophie Johann Gottlieb Fichtes stark beeinflusst, der damals in Jena lehrte und einen an Kant angelehnten subjektiven Idealismus vertrat. Im August 1798 reiste Schelling zum Studium der dortigen Kunstsammlung nach Dresden. Forschungs- und Lehrtätigkeit[Bearbeiten] Jena[Bearbeiten]
9-2 (2003): Visualization in Medieval Alchemy Barbara Obrist* Abstract: This paper explores major trends in visualization of medieval theories of natural and artificial transformation of substances in relation to their philosophical and theological bases. The function of pictorial forms is analyzed in terms of the prevailing conceptions of science and methods of transmitting knowledge. The documents under examination date from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century. In these, pictorial representations include lists and tables, geometrical figures, depictions of furnaces and apparatus, and figurative elements mainly from the vegetable and animal realms. 1. Visualization in medieval alchemy is a relatively late phenomenon. The notion of visualization includes a large spectrum of possible pictorial forms, both verbal and non-verbal. Figure 1: Venise, Biblioteca nazionale Marciana, ms. gr. 299, fol. 188v (tenth to eleventh century). Figure 2: Nürnberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, ms. 80 061, p. 158 (ca 1420). 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Notes
Symbols in books of alchemy Sources: Wd1426, Wd1421A, Wv149, Ws2541A Wd1426, a book of alchemical recipes, has caused us to add some additional symbols to our inventory of character entities: signs for substances antimony and sal armoniac; the elements fire and water; and the syllabics "subli-" and "precipi-" (found in sublimate, precipitate, etc.). We've also gone ahead and added the elemental symbol for earth, on the assumption that it will eventually appear in our books as well. The new symbols will soon (March 2002) appear in the latest online version of the primary keying instructions as reproduced below. (Examples of the symbols in context follow further on below.) Addendum, June 2002: Wd1421A employs the same set of symbols. Addendum, February 2003: Wv149 adds symbols for sulphur, oil, and ? Addendum, December 2003: added two symbols found in a strange non-chemical book Ws2541A, viz. salt and saltpetre Addendum, Sept 2011: added some symbols from a chart of abbreviations from WB1088 Some sample transcriptions
the pleiades in mythology In the clear and unpolluted night skies of antiquity the Pleiades star cluster was an object of wonder and interest. It was the subject of myth and legend in almost every culture on the planet. As the Pleiades cluster is close to the ecliptic (within 4°) in the constellation of Taurus it is a spring and autumnal 'seasonal' object in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Being close to the ecliptic, there are frequent occultations of the cluster with the Moon and planets. To our superstitious ancestors these were, no doubt, portentious events. The Pleiades are among the first stars mentioned in literature, appearing in Chinese annals of about 2350 BC. The Bible contains three direct references to the Pleiades in Job 9:9 and 38:31, and Amos 5:8, and a single indirect reference in the New Testament. The etymological derivation of the name Pleiades (Πλειαδεσ) is uncertain. The Seven Sisters Only six stars are distinctly visible to the naked eye. North American legends Other names Notes
Spleen The spleen synthesizes antibodies in its white pulp and removes antibody-coated bacteria and antibody-coated blood cells by way of blood and lymph node circulation. A study published in 2009 using mice found that the spleen contains, in its reserve, half of the body's monocytes within the red pulp.[5] These monocytes, upon moving to injured tissue (such as the heart), turn into dendritic cells and macrophages while promoting tissue healing.[5][6][7] The spleen is a center of activity of the mononuclear phagocyte system and can be considered analogous to a large lymph node, as its absence causes a predisposition to certain infections.[8] In humans, the spleen is brownish in color and is located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen.[4][9] Structure[edit] The spleen, in healthy adult humans, is approximately 7 centimetres (2.8 in) to 14 centimetres (5.5 in) in length. Surfaces[edit] Visceral surface of the spleen Like the thymus, the spleen possesses only efferent lymphatic vessels.
How do fireflies light up Fireflies or lightning bugs make light within their bodies. This process is called bioluminescence and is shared by many other organisms, mostly sea-living or marine organisms. Fireflies light up to attract a mate. To do this, the fireflies contain specialized cells in their abdomen that make light. The cells contain a chemical called luciferin and make an enzyme called luciferase. To make light, the luciferin combines with oxygen to form an inactive molecule called oxyluciferin. The luciferin combines with adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is found in all cells, to form luciferyl adenylate and pyrophosphate (PPi) on the surface of the luciferase enzyme. The wavelength of light given off is between 510 and 670 nanometers (pale yellow to reddish green color). The luciferin-luciferase chemical reaction has been used for years to measure the amount of ATP produced in cells and by various chemical reactions.
Predicting what extra-terrestrials will be like: and preparing for the worst 1. Introduction ‘Astrobiology is the study of things that do not exist.’ But all is not necessarily lost. Too much excitement; time to settle down. 2. (a) Terrestrial limits What we find here, therefore, will be a reliable guide to what we will find anywhere. Figure 1. Diagrammatic sketch of the carbaquist habitation box with respect to some principal parameters (pH, pressure, salinity, temperature). So far as the thermal tolerance of eukaryotes is concerned, while much has been made of certain polychaetes inhabiting hydrothermal vents (e.g. [13]), both the dynamic nature of this environment and the difficulties in obtaining accurate measurements suggest that for short-term exposure the upper limit lies at about 55°C, and the ambient preference is of the order of 40–50°C [14,15]. This is evident at the other end of the temperature spectrum. (b) Beyond the Earth (c) Beyond the Solar System
Etymology Dictionary