from the outer rings of Sun Ra’s native Saturn to the depths of Drexciya’s undersea cities, the realms of afrofuturism provide a fertile space for forward-thinking imaginations. The Arts Catalyst’s next Kosmica night, guest curated by Jareh Das, explores the theme with guest artist Kapwani Kiwanga. beyond an amazing looking film/project about repatriating the aforementioned interplanetary jazz god to his home planet, Kiwanga will present AFROGALACTICA, a short history of the future mapping the progress of her imagined United States of Africa Space Agency
biomass
the first satellite able to ‘weigh’ the earth’s forest biomass has been given the go-ahead by the European Space Agency and will launch in 2020. the BIOMASS spacecraft will help give us a better assessment of forest cover, glacial melt, warming trends and climate change read more
gateways
Star Towers: Elysium Planitia
our new series of collage works feature monolithic structures set amid distant landscapes, connecting various locations around the known universe – in this case Gusev Crater on the edge of Mars’ vast Elysium Planitia with the centre of the Milky Way galaxy via three gateways, each imparting a different arrival velocity
spring
there are tons of photos of earth taken from space, but few as good as Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield’s recent series from the International Space Station, where he’s been living since November last year. while up there, he’s been posting photos on Twitter, answering questions from space and recording folky songs that aren’t entirely terrible. this photo from yesterday shows spring around Lake Balaton in Hungary
concrete
with the passing this week of visionary architect Paolo Soleri, I’ve been thinking about the time I spent at Arcosanti – his experimental desert settlement – last November while writing a piece for AnOther. one morning, up early to take photos with the rising sun hitting the concrete, I wandered through the empty city; home to 60 or so people but deserted at that hour, except for a bobcat which padded noiselessly past. inside the silent, sun flooded rooms and offices, Soleri’s visions of soaring arcologies hung on the walls and filled endless, carefully preserved scrolls. in one room, an architectural model of one of his hyperstructures caught the sunlight, its monumental scale lit up over the miniature landscape
sample of the week: Malachite
used to make green paint in ancient times, Malachite is a rich green copper carbonate hydroxide mineral with the formula Cu2CO3(OH)2. usually found deep underground, where hydrothermal fluids and water reservoirs can create Malachite stalagmites. this particular sample is from Zaire
stripes
from exquisite gemstones and the rings of Saturn to stripey tights and eye-popping prints, Patternity‘s first festival of pattern explores the enduring magnetism of stripes in all their forms. the jam-packed events programme includes workshops ranging from t-shirt printing to neuroscience, all investigating an aspect of this particular pattern
we’ve made a short film about stripes in space which will be screening on Sunday 14 April as part of science day
battlegrounds
stretching 3.7 million square kilometres across the Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and the Central African Republic, the Congo Basin is home to a vast rainforest covering over one and half million square kilometres. it extends from the ice-capped peaks of the Rwenzori range (also known as the ‘Mountains of the Moon’) down into lush lowlands, following the Congo River and its tributaries flowing down towards the Gulf of Guinea. home to thousands of unique animal and plant species, as well as indigenous forest-dwelling people, the region generates its own weather systems and sequesters massive quantities of CO2
now, like many of the world’s tropical forest areas, the Congo Basin is under threat from a new enemy: palm oil. in addition to logging, poaching and other pressures, the forests now face a rapid expansion of palm oil plantations to help fuel demand for this increasingly lucrative product, which is used in products like cakes, biscuits and chocolate Easter eggs. you can help by avoiding low-scoring products on the Rainforest Foundation’s list of chocolate brands and supporting work like WWF’s long running Congo Basin campaign
tropical ice
snow and ice may not be features you associate with Africa, but high in the Rwenzori Mountains, year-round subzero temperatures keep the top of the continent permanently capped in white. as the highest source of the Nile, the upper reaches of the range are home to about twenty glaciers – a precious treasure located less than a degree north of the equator. earlier this year, in a piece originally published in Bspirit! Magazine, we caught up with photographer Klaus Thymann – who set out to photograph the continent’s secret icecaps as part of Project Pressure…
Material Matters
housing everything from delicate fulgurite structures created by lightning strikes to an ultra-dense ball of silicon nitride which can dent concrete, the Institute of Making is home to some of the world’s most wondrous substances. tomorrow, after years in an increasingly-crowded university basement, the collection and its curators are moving to a bigger, brighter more public space where you’ll be able to handle samples, experiment with new materials and create stuff in a state-of-the-art workshop read more
species of the week: Xanthoria parietina
an uncommonly beautiful example of common orange lichen aka Xanthoria parietina, maritime sunburst lichen or shore lichen. it thrives in sunny hardwood forests and on exposed seacliffs, where bird droppings provide a rich source of nitrogen. incredibly tolerant of air pollution and heavy metal contamination, it can be used as a bioindicator to measure things like air quality
atmospheric
located 254 metres above sea level with gas intakes at 116m and 232m above the streets of San Francisco, the Sutro Tower acts as a climate sentinel, stretching up into the atmosphere to measure CO2 levels. the first US sampling site to be located in an urban centre, it’s equipped with automated flask sampling systems that provide daily measurements of a suite of greenhouse gases, carbon isotopes, halocarbons and other compounds. together with other stations, it has witnessed a steady rise in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, with recent figures from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration making for grim reading. there’s a good summary of the new data on The Guardian and a great apocalyptic climate disaster round-up on Motherboard
Gemma Anderson: Isomorphology
among the endless array of forms, functions and designs found in nature, a series of repeating patterns and similarities have emerged over the eons. spirals, hexagons and branches appear throughout the biological and mineralogical world, forming a kind of visual identity for the planet. could other worlds contain different, but similarly repetitive motifs?
neonicotinoids
scientists at the European Food Safety Authority announced this week that they have identified a number of risks to bees from neonicotinoid pesticides – adding to the growing consensus that such chemicals are behind the worrying decline in bee populations. the insecticides work by messing up insect nervous systems and can remain active in the soil for years – harming birds, fish, amphibians and other species. you can get involved by adding your signature to UK, European and US petitions calling on governments to act on the mounting evidence
2O12 in 12 seconds
from the Transit of Venus, laser fusion and Himalayan glaciers to jellyfish, crystals and hypergiant stars, here are some of the images we transmitted via our weekly email this year, along with a few from the cutting room floor. we hope you’ve enjoyed – have a lovely holiday and we’ll meet you back here for more visual science in 2013
♡ s/c
the art of Apollo 17
forty years ago tonight, mankind’s last mission to the moon touched down in the Taurus-Littrow valley, located in the Taurus mountains just east of the Sea of Serenity. for the next three days, commander Eugene Cernan and geologist Harrison Schmitt lived and worked in this most dramatic of Apollo landscapes, collecting a record haul of moon rocks, taking measurements, setting up experiments and taking pictures on a range of cameras. some, like this one showing Schmitt next to big boulder, became well-known while hundreds of others languish in the archives. here is just a small sample…
pioneer
on this day in 1973, NASA’s Pioneer 10 made a close fly-by of Jupiter, plunging through the gas giant’s magnetic fields to beam back the best images yet of the distant planet. fittingly, tonight sees Jupiter at opposition: the point in space where its closest to earth and brightest, so look out for it in the eastern skies on your way home tonight
Comet ISON next to Lecar
Erik Bryssinck‘s observations show the movement of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON), on the right side you can see the minor planet Lecar (4417)
printed projects
starting in 2013, we’ll be returning to our roots in publishing with a series of lovingly-crafted science projects printed on our RISO RP3700. a cross between a photocopier and a screen printer, Risograph printing uses eco-friendly soy inks and we only ever print on recycled paper from Paperback, a UK pioneer in recycled papers
up first will be AS001, the first in a series of ‘briefings’ covering timely science topics like the two comets currently headed our way. also in January, we’re proud to present Gemma Anderson‘s introduction to Isomorphology – a creative science classification system developed during her time sketching specimens at the Natural History Museum. a book on particles by Sister Arrow will follow, and we’ll also be putting out an open call for issue 1 of super/collider magazine
sign up to our mailing list and we’ll keep you posted
dark
techniques and devices used to detect nuclear weapons are being deployed in the search for dark matter – the mysterious material that makes up perhaps 25% of the universe but which we know almost nothing about. located in an abandoned mine nearly a mile underground beneath the Black Hills of South Dakota, the LUX experiment is shielded from cosmic rays by the rock, and immersed in a tank of ultra-pure de-ionized water to keep out stray radiation. beyond observing dark matter particle interactions, which have so far eluded direct detection, the experiment could lead to smaller, more capable devices for searching for rogue nuclear material
plant
an annual event since the early 1970s, the Tree Council’s National Tree Week has seen thousands of volunteers planting trees up and down the country. originally a response to the widespread devastation caused by Dutch elm disease, this year’s celebration takes place under the looming shadow of the Chalara fraxinea fungus – which threatens to wipe out most of the UK’s ash trees. you can help fight back by planting a tree, or for extra credit, becoming a tree warden
cretaceous
like dinosaurs? get yourself down to Protein‘s Hewett Street space for GIF masterminds Reed + Rader‘s first solo show in the UK – ‘Cretaceous Returns’. expect dubstep dinos, prehistoric paper foliage and primitive animation – plus signed Mini Dinosaur sculptures, limited edition video pieces and prints of the Brooklyn-based duo’s prehistoric world for some early Christmas shopping
prototype
an urban laboratory in the desert north of Phoenix, Arcosanti is a living prototype for architect Paolo Soleri’s vision of a city set in – and in tune with – nature. combining architecture and ecology, the ‘Arcology’ is designed to eventually house 5000 people on 15 acres of land, instead of the usual 500 acres required by your average sprawling suburb. we’ve spent the past few days here interviewing the people who live here for a forthcoming piece in AnOther, so stay tuned for more photos soon
neighbours
big news this week from the La Silla Observatory in Chile, which has detected an earth-sized planet in the star system next door, Alpha Centauri. using the HARPS fibre-fed high resolution echelle spectrograph (as you do) the team monitored star Alpha Centauri B over the course of four years, watching for tiny fluctuations that reveal the presence of orbiting bodies. though the planet is far too hot to visit (and not yet 100% confirmed) news of a new world just 4.37 light years away has already got folks discussing the possibility of sending an interstellar probe to the system
crystalised
we’re not entirely sure what to expect from Cosmicmegabrain‘s group show in London this weekend, but if nothing else Emily Candela‘s krustapseudicals alone should make it worth seeking out. created live on the night, the (theoretically) edible crystals contain vitamins, minerals, proteins (harvested from the artist’s hair) and tiny amounts of skin and dental care products like lip gloss and mouthwash – what Emily calls “basically crystallisations of magazine articles offering beauty advice”
info on the event here, hat tip to (and full interview on) Dazed Digital
Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON)
Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) imaged by Rolando Ligustri on September 25, 2012 from New Mexico with system IT11 of ITelescope.net
Comet ISON
Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) appears as a faint blob in this image taken at the Remote Astronomical Society Observatory near Mayhill, New Mexico. credit: E. Guido, G. Sostero, and N. Howes
Tristram Lansdowne: islands in the sky
we first came across Canadian artist Tristram Lansdowne when his surreal island paradise graced the opening pages of Landfill Editions’ epic Mould Map project. now we’re wishing we lived in Toronto, as a retrospective of his meticulously hand-painted works opens, showcasing a breathtaking series of imagined worlds. since we don’t, we caught up with him via email to find out more about the natural inspiration behind his paintings
read more
radio silence
couldn’t not post an image from Derek Mead’s photographic tour of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s facility in West Virginia: a series of telescopes nestled amid lush forests and hills read more
Jiggling Atoms
October 2012
Richard Feynman won the Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking work in particle physics – namely drawing diagrams. his magical insight was to visualise the complex mathematics of particle interactions as a series of simple paths on a page. Feynman was also a keen educator and was great at getting even the most ardent non-mathematicians to comprehend the many aspects of physics, which is exactly what the Jiggling Atoms team set out to do. they got a bunch of illustrators to attend a series of physics lectures and now they’re showcasing the work made in response in a big exhibition. there will also be a series of accompanying talks and workshops – look out for the Feynman Diagram Print Workshop and Handcrafted Particle Accelerator talks we are co-hosting on Thursday and Saturday. all the events are free and will take place at the Rag Factory from 1-7 October
tara
after a voyage of more than 62,000 nautical miles, the French environmental research vessel TARA will next week dock in London as part of an ongoing educational sailing. we’ll be co-hosting an exclusive evening tour and talk onboard the ship with AnOther Magazine, and there are also a series of other events and an exhibition at the Covent Garden branch of agnès b, who have sponsored the two most recent expeditions: a two-year drift through the Arctic pack ice and a circumnavigation of the globe to study plankton. the following article appears in Issue 23 of AnOther, on newstands now
view
after touching down on the western side of Mars’ Chryse Planitia in 1976, the Viking 1 lander beamed back the first images from the surface of another planet read more
species of the week
the Shield mantis is just one of millions of species found in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador – one of the most biodiverse places on earth thanks in part to the fact it never froze over during the last ice age. the rainforested area is home to an incredible array of wildlife ranging from fish and birds to reptiles and amphibians, as well as several uncontacted human tribes read more
measure
our nearest star may be 4.2 light years or 39,900,000,000,000 km away but how do scientists know that? there are lots of clever methods for measuring these insane distances, one of which relies on the Transit of Venus – part of the reason we were all so excited about it earlier this year read more
Neptune rising
with the skies darkening and the most distant planet in our solar system shining high in the sky, we thought the next few weeks would be a good time to launch our new Pop-Up Astronomy Club – a series of impromptu events around East London that take place when there’s something good to see and the skies are clear. our first target will be Neptune, which reaches opposition tonight – making it brighter and easier to see. if you’d like to come see it with us in the coming weeks, check out the project page for more
ps: it will look nothing like this image
descent
early next Monday morning, 154 million miles from earth, a white and gold UFO-shaped spacecraft will hit the Martian atmosphere traveling at nearly 6km per second. after some hypersonic aeromaneuvering (as you do) NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory will deploy this parachute – the largest ever made to fly on an extraterrestrial flight – and start its treacherous final descent. if all goes to plan, a series of rockets will then fire to slow the craft down, enabling it to lower a 1-ton rover called Curiosity towards the surface. if it makes it, the SUV-sized rover will spend the next Martian year (687 Earth days) exploring the Gale Crater for signs of life
you can watch the landing, scheduled for 6:31am GMT on Monday August 6, on NASA TV
colonisation
from a solar-powered tanning bed to a lunar ‘scratch and sniff’ card, UK/German duo Sue Corke and Hagen Betzwieser’s work together as We Colonised The Moon explores outer space in a charming, playful way, combining Sue’s love of performance and printing with Hagen’s use of scientific artifacts and instruments. if you missed their recent installation as part of Republic of the Moon, a retrospective opening today at Ebb & Flow showcases just a few of their far-out projects
image: Figoris (2012) by Sue Corke and Hagen Betzwieser
higgs
on Tuesday night, physicists began camping out at CERN to await an announcement that’s been nearly five decades coming: the potential discovery of the Higgs boson. researchers at the Large Hadron Collider have spent the last fourteen years working towards finding the elusive elementary particle – which fills the universe with an invisible energy field, giving every other particle its mass and so allowing us, the stars and indeed everything to exist read more
airspace
the city’s streets can seem like a no-fly zone sometimes, but the air around us is alive with often-unseen fellow urbanites – and this week brings two chances to learn more about species who overfly us daily and nightly. the first is Jeremy Deller’s new collaboration with bat scientist Kate Jones for Invisible Dust: a series of walks around East London’s Greenway to look for (and listen to) bats. then on Thursday lunchtime, The Honey Club will be outlining their plans to create the biggest bee-friendly community in the world in King’s Cross. the event is the first in a summer series at the King’s Cross Filling Station – a new public space and pop-up restaurant which will also see events from Wired, Wallpaper* and something called super/collider
hello
good news for native wildlife this week with the release of 34 frankly adorable dormice into the Warwickshire countryside as part the PTES National Dormouse Monitoring Programme – the world’s longest running national mammal monitoring project. such reintroductions are only done in areas where historical populations of dormice have become extinct and where the woodland and hedgerows have been managed to encourage native species like this little fella. if you don’t know the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, check out their wildlife encounters programme, where you can go walking with wolves, hedgehog tracking or cruising for basking sharks
image: British Wildlife Centre
class
if you missed the first-ever interim show from Central St Martin’s new MA Art and Science course, there’s another chance to see some of the artists (whose inspiration ranges from the occult sciences to neuroaesthetics to nanotechnology to astrophysics) at V22 Workspace later today and tomorrow, including Rafaela Miranda Rocha‘s study on the visual interpretation of the concept of Abiogenesis, pictured above
guest post: waiting for Venus
our friends and collaborators over at Floda 31 have been busy getting ready for our upcoming Worlds In Transit event – creating outdoor kitchens and toilets, salvaging ovens and building an incredible Transit of Venus observatory from reclaimed wood. here’s a summary of what they’ve been up to so far…
transit
with only a few hours left to go until the final Transit of Venus in our lifetimes, the weather is looking decidedly cloudy in London – but that doesn’t mean you can’t see it. a number of ground and space-based telescopes will be tracking the event; something early astronomers could only dream of. most webcasts begin just before 10pm GMT – Sky & Telescope has a good list of sites. enjoy – we’ll be the last people to see it until 2117
guest post: Why Observe the Transit?
Dr Suzanne Aigrain was our guest at Science Fair™ in May, and is with us in Sweden for Worlds In Transit. this is the second of her posts for Exoclimes.com – in which she explains why modern science is interested in this Transit…
space camp
Mars missions have already been simulated in the Canadian Arctic, off the coast of Florida, in the deserts of Utah and most recently inside an Austrian ice cave, but none look as fun as the one currently underway on New York’s Upper East Side read more
species of the week
Lycoperdon perlatum (syn. Lycoperdon gemmatum) (common puffball, warted puffball, gem-studded puffball)
the surface of this mushroom is described, variously, as being covered in warts, spiny bumps, jewels or spikes. early on, when still crisp and white, these mushrooms are edible, with an apparently aromatic taste to them. when older, the matured and now slightly brown-colored puffball reproduces by opening its upper surface to liberate and disperse spores
warning: super/collider does not recommend eating wild mushrooms unless you are an expert, as many poisonous varieties resemble edible ones
image: Daniel Ullrich
life on Mars
In this exclusive excerpt from Dazed & Confused’s forthcoming space-themed June issue, Dr Pascal Lee writes about his time on Mars
For the past 15 years, I have been going up to the Arctic every summer to study one of the most Mars-like places on Earth: Devon Island. Devon is the world’s largest uninhabited island. It is about the size of Croatia. When we are on Devon, we are its population.
The island is home to Haughton Crater, a mighty 20 km-wide meteorite impact crater that formed 39 million years ago when an asteroid or a comet – we are still not sure – slammed into our planet. Haughton is the only known crater on Earth that is located in a polar desert, an environment that is at once very cold, dry, rocky, dusty, packed with underground ice, and drenched in UV light. The similarities with Mars don’t stop here. Aside from Haughton Crater, Devon Island offers us an astounding array of other geologic features that look just like what we see on Mars: canyons, gullies, valley networks, rock glaciers, polygonal terrain, ancient lakebeds, and more read more