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Rounding Up the Week in Science, Sushi, and Season

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The annual holiday season brings many recurring events – reflections on the year gone by, get-togethers with family and friends, and the inevitable gaining of a few extra pounds. It’s a busy time of year, but science and sushi continues unabated. In case you missed it, here’s a quick recap:

Dreaming of SushiHot White Snow featured two articles. Dreaming of Sushi reflects on a documentary about Jiro Ono, an octogenarian sushi master, whose exclusive restaurant in the Ginza is tops on my list next time I’m in Tokyo. That We Here Highly Resolve, inspired by Abraham Lincoln’s famous words in the Gettysburg Address, takes a look back at New Year’s resolutions…and a look forward to future plans.

Thomas Nast 1863 ChristmasLincoln’s Christmas gift – and the role of Santa Claus in Civil War propaganda – get some attention on the Smithsonian Civil War Studies online newsletter and here in Science Traveler. The gift – a coastal city in the South. The propaganda – Thomas Nast introduces the version of the jolly old elf that we’ve come to know so well today.

Half Dome from Glacier Point

Abraham Lincoln also played an important role in another icon of American history – the establishment of Yosemite National Park. Set aside by Lincoln in 1864, the Yosemite Grant provided federal protection for Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove. Initially run by the new state of California, Yosemite later became a National Park through the efforts of John Muir and Robert Underwood Johnson.

You might recognize that last name. This is the same Robert Underwood Johnson who, as editor of Century Magazine, published the first serialization of Lincoln’s life by John Nicolay and John Hay. Johnson would also become close friends with a certain Nikola Tesla (as would Muir).

Wardencliffe Brick CertificateWhich gets us to Tesla in 2014 and Beyond. Nikola Tesla had a great year, including major progress on the rejuvenation of Wardenclyffe into a science center and museum. Science Traveler will be right there under your feet as you stroll the grounds after renovations are completed. Yes, I bought a brick for Nik. And you can too. You can also join Tesla fans and researchers at the 3rd Annual Tesla Memorial Conference coming up on January 11th in the New Yorker Hotel.

bluemarble12Climate Change got its own 2014 Year in Review on The Dake Page. It was a busy year indeed for the climate, with several major reports updated, some tentative but forward-looking gains made, and a historic agreement between China and the U.S., the two biggest carbon emitters across the globe. Ah, but major roadblocks still exist, not the least of which is how the media actually helps keep climate denial alive.

Finally, in a bit of sad news, I found out last night that one of my science teachers from high school passed away on Christmas day. Only last year did I reconnect with Rick Rafuse after many decades (along with other high school friends). His sudden passing is a shock. My condolences to his family and friends.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for over thirty years and is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and the e-book Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

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Science Traveling Yosemite National Park

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Yosemite National Park is arguably one of the most beautiful places on Earth. It certainly was inspiring enough to Galen Clark, John Conness, John Muir, and Abraham Lincoln – yes, Abraham Lincoln – for it to become our first federally protected land (later a national park). And having seen it close up, from the valley to the cliffs, I can see why they were so inspired.

El Capitan Yosemite National Park

El Capitan – Yosemite National Park

 

Studying the science of Yosemite is awe-inspiring in itself. A series of glaciers slithered down an ancient river valley to cut the canyon. Thirty thousand years ago the valley was filled with seemingly living ice, carrying sixteen types of granite rock as it slowly inched its way downward. About 10,000 years ago, after the glaciers melted, you would have found that a moraine had dammed the Merced River near Bridal Veil Falls and created a shallow lake. Eventually that lake filled with sediment to leave the flat valley floor of present day Yosemite.

Yosemite Falls (dry)

Yosemite Falls in drier times

El Capitan, the massive granite outcropping that epitomizes Yosemite, boasts the world famous Yosemite Falls. Except when it doesn’t. The thundering falls are actually quite ethereal, violently cascading over the cliff face in the spring as the winter snows melt, then dwindling down to nothing by late summer. As the photo above shows, the thin snow melt season, combined with California’s multi-year drought, has left its mark on the cliff walls where the falls once roared.

Half Dome from Glacier Point

Half Dome from Glacier Point

The other iconic feature of Yosemite is Half Dome. Never a complete dome, it nevertheless has been shaped by millennia of glacial action, erosion, rock falls, and earthquakes to reach the smoothed and cut shape it has today. Just one of many domes in Yosemite, which hosts more domes than anywhere else on Earth, Half Dome is the result of a geologic process called “exfoliation,” where huge slabs of curved rock split off and fall to the valley below.

Mariposa Grove

Mariposa Grove

But Yosemite shouldn’t all be taken for granite; the Park also encompasses the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia trees. Once widespread in North America, Europe, and Asia, the Giant Sequoia now are limited to a few dozen sites on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Joined by their close cousins, the Coast Redwoods, these huge trees inspire one to gaze skyward and contemplate the majesty of the heavens.

I’ll pick up on the great trees in future posts as Science Traveling explores other National Parks…and beyond.

David J. Kent is an avid traveler and is currently working on a book about his experiences traveling in Argentina. He is also the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and the ebook Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

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Science Traveling Through Climate Change Denial

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5 stages of denialMan-made climate change has been described by scientists and policymakers as one of the greatest challenges of our time. It has also been called a hoax by fossil fuel industry lobbyists and oil-state politicians. The fact is that human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels and the release of carbon into the atmosphere and oceans, is warming our planet. This has both short- and long-term ramifications for economic, political, ecological, and social structure. No amount of denial will stop that, only action to reduce carbon emissions.

The Dake Page has been reporting on science issues for many years and recently began a series exposing climate denialism. The goal is to discuss the tactics and tall tales of those who deny the science of climate change. Links to The Dake Page will be periodically posted on this Science Traveler site for those who are interested.

The first in the current series relates to an internet communication campaign by a website called Skeptical Science, and the resulting “rebuttal” by climate science deniers. Others in the series can be found at this search term: exposing climate denialism. Earlier posts on The Dake Page are also relevant to the discussion.

David J. Kent is the author of 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. His next book, Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, is scheduled for release in summer 2017.

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Reflections on My Anniversary (or, Why I Became a Science Traveler)

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The Traveling ScientistOne year ago today I left behind the first half of my life.  After more than 30 years as a working scientist I had decided to give up a comfortable salary for a life of (essentially) no income. I would become a poor starving writer.

It was the best decision I ever made.

I loved my previous life. Well, most of it. But the parts I didn’t like had grown in proportion to the parts that excited me. Using my skills, my knowledge, and my personal connections with colleagues and clients, I made a large amount of money – for others. Sure, my salary was nice enough, but increasingly the benefits of my labor went to others, and those others seemed decreasingly appreciative of that fact. Abraham Lincoln’s line from his Second Inaugural Address about  “wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces” kept popping into mind. Not a perfect analogy, but close enough.

I learned a lot during all those years – about science, about business, about people. I also learned that science is often trumped by business concerns and people’s perceptions. I felt there was a growing need to communicate science to the public, and that scientists weren’t always very good at meeting that need. I decided to do something about that.

Coincident with this desire was some serendipity that led to publication of my first professional book, Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. As the old saw grinds, “the stars aligned, angels’ voices rang down from the heavens” and all that not-so-scientifically-accurate metaphorical interlude. In real terms, stuff fell into place and it became clear this was the time to take the risk. So I did.

So where am I this one year later? I’ve traveled a bit, though not as much as I would have liked. One highlight of 2014 is an amazing trip to Argentina, with several smaller and more local trips throughout the year. I’ll squeeze in a few more jaunts before New Year’s and am busy planning for 2015 (Peru? China? Rushmore?). Science Traveling will play an increasingly important role in my future.

I’m also writing. Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity was back in Barnes and Noble stores mid-summer and was selling faster than it did last year (in fact, sales in the first 6 weeks already nearly matched all last year). To this I added a second book, an e-book exclusive to Amazon called Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time. More books are in the works, including my opus on Abraham Lincoln’s interest in science. Add in some manuscript editing, magazine articles, newsletter writing, and even some grant requests (plus my blogs, which I’ll reveal more about later), and yes, I’ve been keeping incredibly busy. All in an effort to bring science to the public – to make science fun again.

Finally, as I wind down my final year of the presidential cycle for the regional SETAC Chapter, I begin my first year in a leadership role with the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia. As the director of outreach and education for LGDC I’m working with an engaged group of Lincoln scholars and aficionados to celebrate the life of Abraham Lincoln and ignite a new generation of interest. His “science geekiness” bridges my lifelong interest in Lincoln with my lifelong career in science. A perfect prelude to my forthcoming book. 🙂

I can confidently acknowledge that it’s a very happy anniversary indeed. The first of many.

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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Book Review – Lincoln & Darwin: Shared Visions of Race, Science, and Religion by James Lander

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Lincoln and DarwinAbraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were born on the same day, February 12, 1809. Both became icons of change and are will be remembered throughout history for their contributions. The book is subtitled: Shared Visions of Race, Science and Religion. While their views were not so much shared as contrasted, author James Lander deftly flips back and forth between Darwin’s and Lincoln’s lives as they experience their separate travels, coming of age, development of ideas, and eventual breakthroughs into the public eye as they dramatically change history.

While the same age, the two men have very different lives. Lincoln is born poor in the frontier with few resources and little formal education, then takes charge just as the country is rendering itself apart. His travel is entirely domestic, flatboating down the Mississippi River as a young man, traveling the circuit in Illinois as a lawyer, and the northern part of the United States as a legislator and political speaker. Darwin was born into a wealthy family, married into an even wealthier family, received the highest educational opportunities, and after spending five years traveling the world on his famous studies, became sickly and largely reclusive the rest of his life.

Still, Landers points out that while Lincoln is remembered for his fight against slavery, he also had a significant interest in science. Likewise, while Darwin is known for his Origin of Species and contributions to science, he also was an adamant abolitionist and carried on fervid correspondence with American botanist Asa Gray, in which he debated the slavery issue in depth. In fact, Landers brings us into how the academic debate raging over the singularity of man’s creation (vs multiple creation of man) influenced the ongoing discussion of equality of white and black men. “Scientific racism” becomes a common theme as it was espoused both by Lincoln’s main foil, Stephen A. Douglas, and Darwin’s scientific nemesis, Louis Agassiz.

The 26 chapters unevenly look at Lincoln and Darwin as these three main issues – race, science, and religion – pervade each of their lives. Landers does a good job of balancing the discussions of these two men for each of the issues, comparing and contrasting where applicable. Overall, this scholarly work published by the Southern Illinois University Press is well done and deserves more attention than it seems to have received.

David J. Kent is a lifelong Lincolnophile and is currently working on a book about Abraham Lincoln’s interest in science and technology. He is also the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and a soon-to-be-released ebook on Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

Other Abraham Lincoln book reviews:

Lincoln’s Boys by Joshua Zeitz

Lincoln Unbound by Rich Lowry

Lincoln in New Orleans by Richard Campanella

Lincoln’s Other White House by Elizabeth Smith Brownstein

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Science Traveling – Sandy Hook Laboratory and Hurricane Sandy

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Sandy Hook has survived major fires, budget cuts, and neglect. To that list of afflictions can now be added its namesake, Hurricane (aka, Superstorm) Sandy. On my most recent trip I stopped off at one of my old haunts, the Sandy Hook Laboratory in New Jersey. I worked there as a young marine biologist many years ago, so this visit was, in a sense at least, both science traveling and time traveling.

Officially known as the James J. Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory at Sandy Hook, the lab is a facility of the National Marine Fisheries Service, part of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). A devastating fire destroyed my building when I was there, necessitating my move on to another job. Eventually, after many years, a new laboratory building arose. It was that lab that I visited.

My first stop, however, was in Union Beach, NJ. I had owned a house there in a previous life, and it was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. Recently a half-destroyed yellow house has become an iconic image of Sandy – that house was down the street from mine. It no longer exists. In fact, very little of that row of houses and restaurants survived Sandy. Some are slowly being rebuilt; others remain just reminders of what used to be.

Union Beach after Hurricane Sandy

Further down the road is a hook of sand called, appropriately enough, Sandy Hook. I wrote about my fragrant memories of the Hook in a creative writing piece named “The Scents of Sandy Hook.” Additional background on the piece and the Hook (plus a throwback photo of me imitating Jacques Cousteau) can be read in this previous Science Traveler article.

Sandy Hook Officers Row

Long ago Sandy Hook was an Army hospital, and the Officers Row, now in depressing disrepair, still lines the bayside road (see photo above). The old hospital was turned into the fisheries laboratory; the one that was burned to the ground in a sad case of arson that deserves its own story some day. If you look at the chimney on the second house to the right in the photo above you’ll see an osprey nest. Several of the old, abandoned yellow brick houses now serve as stands for these magnificent birds. I caught sight of one of a pair flying off below.

Ospry Sandy Hook

Because of the historical value of the site, the new laboratory externally mimics the same yellow brick style. The inside largely mimics the old lab design that I spent so many memorable days maintaining.

32,000 tank Sandy Hook

The centerpiece, then and now, is a 32,000 gallon concrete tank used for behavioral studies. When I was there we mainly used it for studying bluefish (made famous by Hiroshima author John Hersey’s book, Blues). An old colleague of mine from that era, now Branch Chief, said that the tank is now used for Black Sea Bass research. She also showed me some of the other facilities, including the ocean acidification lab where the effects of climate change on spawning and behavior are studied.

Ocean Acidification Sandy Hook

Scientists are also studying metabolism and digestion in monkfish, known to many as frogfish or goosefish (photo below). Wholly unattractive to look at, these are anglers – they dangle a “lure” from the tops of their heads to attract dinner to their large mouths. These fish are themselves becoming more important as dinner for humans as they increase in commercial catches. This shift in species is a concern for fisheries managers, hence the research focus.

Monkfish Sandy Hook

It was great to have my old friend Beth give me an inside tour of the facilities, something most casual visitors would not be able to do. At the same time it was sad to see that many of the buildings on the Hook are not being maintained due to lack of interest and financing by the federal or state governments that control the site. The fisheries research being carried on at the lab has taken a severe funding hit to the point where the staff has shrunk in recent years from over 60 to only 27 people. The short-sightedness of legislators and Governors is simply irresponsible given that it is this kind of scientific research that provides the critical information necessary to make informed, wise decisions that affect us all every single day.

David J. Kent is an avid traveler and the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies at Barnes and Noble bookstores, as well as online at B&N.com and Amazon.com.

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Traveling, talking, and tripping through memories

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I hope everyone had a great 4th of July holiday. I’ve been doing a little science traveling, mostly without internet access. But I did stop off at Sandy Hook to see the marine lab I worked at many years ago.

The 32,000 gallon aquarium has been recreated (the lab burned to the ground when I was there and was rebuilt). I’ll talk more about this in the future.

A bit rainy but managed to get in the Independence Day parade in Manchester-by-the-Sea.

And the beautiful weather at the Ipswich River. Tomorrow I give my Tesla presentation at the Ipswich Museum if you’re in town at noon.

I’ll have more once I have internet access.

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The Scents of Sandy Hook – Science Traveling

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Science traveling is a big part of this website. I’ve written on various trips taken to date, always with some sense of the science surrounding the majesty of the locations. And there is much more to come. I’m sure Nikola Tesla and Abraham Lincoln, both science travelers themselves, will be along for the ride. With this post I’ll introduce the Scents of Sandy Hook, along with a new writing endeavor.

The Scents of Sandy Hook is a short memoir-ish piece writing in response to a writer’s prompt. You can read it on my new creative writing blog, which I call Hot White Snow.

As you can see, the Hot White Snow site is specifically for short pieces of fictional, creative, and experimental writing, including responses to writing prompts. Heck, there is even a prose poem, a preview into some other poetry writing I’ve done and will do. The name of the site comes from the first piece I posted. Indeed, the very existence of the site is the result of requests from other writers to publish more of my creative writing side. Since this Science Traveler site focuses on non-fiction works related to Tesla, Lincoln, Aquariums, and of course, Science Traveling, creating a new site for fictional and memoir work was the obvious choice. I hope you like it.

David at Sandy Hook

Tagging flounder off Sandy Hook (me, in disguise)

Getting back to The Scents of Sandy Hook for a moment, let me give some background. In college I studied to become a marine biologist. I was a huge fan of Jacques Cousteau, having watched all his television programs as I was growing up. Soon after graduation I worked two summers at the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) laboratory in Oxford, Maryland. After the second summer I got a full-time job with NMFS at the Sandy Hook laboratory in New Jersey. I was there for 2-1/2 years, leaving only after arson had destroyed the laboratory building housing all of the fish tanks used in our research, thus putting my continuing job prospects into limbo.

Now, all these years later (I won’t admit to how many), I’ll be dropping by Sandy Hook on my way to see the family for the holidays. I’ll get a tour of the new laboratory facility, which largely recreates the systems we had back in the day. Even more fortunate, the tour will be given by a colleague who was a co-worker at the time and is now the director of my former department at the lab. It was anticipation of this trip in which The Scents of Sandy Hook was born.

So if you’re interested in creative writing, check out Hot White Snow. For a science traveling follow up to my Sandy Hook visit, come right back here to Science Traveler.

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. His next book, Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, is scheduled for release in summer 2017.

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Science Traveling in Argentina – The Route

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I’ve recently returned from a science traveling expedition to Argentina. The trip was an incredible experience and I’ll be writing about it more here and elsewhere over the weeks. You can already read about drinking mate and other highlights beginning here (scroll for more).

The trip was a long time coming. I first met my friend Pablo in Connecticut in 1980, where we joined a dozen other students for a semester at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research. We’ve been friends ever since despite the distance, and he’s been inviting me to visit him in his native Argentina for many (many) years. This year I finally did it.

After two flights and more than 14 hours in the air, Ru and I arrived in Buenos Aires, the first time south of the equator for either of us. We would go a lot further south before we were finished, but first there was two rainy days in the capital. Buenos Aires is more European than South American, and seemed to want to copy other cities more than innovate. Then the real trip began. We flew to Bariloche. [Hover over each stop in the map below, and click on the arrow button to follow the travel route.]

Bariloche, to be exact, is San Carlos de Bariloche, in Rio Negro Province, the northernmost part of Patagonia. Pablo has been a Professor at the National University there for the last 25 years, where he is Director of the fisheries resources group. We arrived in the late morning of an extremely windy day in late-summer, a refreshing change from the long, cold, snowy winter of February back home. One night to relax, then off to begin a road trip that would end up being over 3500 kilometers.

I’ll talk more about them in future posts, but Bariloche and environs boasts two amazing geological features – mountains and lakes. The views were extraordinary. And yet, they were only a preamble to what we were about to experience.

Bariloche - Nahuel Huapi Lake

Bariloche – Nahuel Huapi Lake

With short stops in the scenic towns of El Bolson (“the best ice cream in the world”) and Esquel, we drove some of the most inhospitable “roads” in Argentina. Called a highway, much of Ruta 40 is actually a long gravel road. Long as in we drove a couple of hundred kilometers on piles of rocks in which tracks were our only guide. Pablo’s previous explanation that he, like most Patagonians, had installed metal plates on the underside of his SUV, suddenly became all too rational. Besides the constant clanging of rocks, the road would often detour into oblivion. It reminded me how whiny we Americans can be over a few potholes. Perspective is everything.

In any case, we finally arrived at Los Antiguos after midnight, then couldn’t find our lodgings. Eventually the owner came to get us and we settled in for a short, but comfortable, rest before our next day’s adventure. After much awe at the surrounding mountains and lakes we headed over to the amazing colors of the rocky desert, where we stayed the night at the Estancia Cueva de las Manos (The Cave of the Hands Ranch).

Near Cueva de las Manos

Near Cueva de las Manos

We visited the actual caves the next morning. After a long 17-km drive on gravel roads, gawking at choiques (ostrich-like birds) and guanacos (llama-like camelids) along the way, we hiked down, then up, a deep valley to reach the amazing caves full of painted hands.

Cueva de las Manos

Cueva de las Manos

Another long drive split between paved and gravel roads brought us to El Chalten, the “Trekking National Capital” of Argentina. Dominating the skyline is Mount Fitz Roy, named after the captain of Darwin’s HMS Beagle. The five of us hiked over 5 kilometers, the last 1.4 km of which were essentially vertical, to reach the picturesque lake below the peak. Four of us hiked all the way back. Pablo hiked back all but the last couple of kilometers, after which he was carried out on a stretcher. But that’s a story for another post.

El Chalten

Mt. Fitz Roy is top right.

The next day we drove from El Chalten to El Calafate (well, Pablo’s daughter drove, I rode in the ambulance with Pablo), then spent a much needed relaxed night in a dormis, complete with an Argentine-style lamb cooked over an open fire. Then, the glacier.

Perito Moreno glacier

Perito Moreno glacier

The Perito Moreno glacier may be the most famous glacier in the world. It’s massive. And better yet, it is situated such that it splits two lakes and pushes up against an accessible island where visitors can get up close. As the glacier retreats slightly during the summer melt, it provides a front-row seat for thousands of people to see huge chunks of ice calving off the face. A truly unforgettable experience.

All of this so far occurred in just one week of traveling. The final week was less busy – a long two-plus day drive across lower Patagonia, up the coast, and back to Bariloche for several days of local flavor. Twice I came close to going into Chile (within a few kilometers at one point), but that pleasure will have to wait until my next visit.

And there will be a next visit. Pablo and I have begun discussing possibilities that would result in more frequent visits on my part. Besides seeing Chile I also still need to get to Argentina’s Iguazu Falls, the Mendoza wine region (I love malbec), and Ushuaia (the southernmost city in the world).

Come back for more detailed stories and photos from the trip. You won’t want to miss them.

David J. Kent is an avid traveler and the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores.

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Science Traveler and Science Traveling

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Candied hawthorns in Olympic Park, Beijing

Candied hawthorns at Olympic Park, Beijing

I call this site Science Traveler. And I’m currently out science traveling. So, what is science traveling? I’m glad you asked. Though the answer isn’t as clear cut as it might seem.

I’ve been a scientist for many years, and as a result have done a little bit of travel. Emphasis on “little” and “bit.” Besides the many wonderful days spent in luxurious locales such as oil refineries, sewage treatment plants, and mud bogs, I regularly attended scientific conferences in cities around the United States and Canada. A delightfully drenched week in Vancouver spent entirely inside a convention center epitomizes the excitement of that annual opportunity. For the last 15 years, however, travel has became a lot more interesting.

I’ve been lucky enough to live overseas on three different occasions, in St. George’s, Bermuda; Edinburgh, Scotland; and most recently, Brussels, Belgium. I’ve been to Asia several times, tootled around a good part of Europe, and currently am trekking through a couple of countries south of the equator. Now that I’m writing books and freelancing full time, my travels will become more frequent and more adventurous. They will also become story lines. And those story lines will usually contain some science angle.

Science traveler. Like asking whether Galileo actually did drop balls from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and if he did, was someone at the bottom to catch them? Like, how is it that I could carry on a conversation with an elderly (and slightly inebriated) Japanese gentleman when neither one of us spoke the others language? Like, how many Argentinian students does it take to get a visiting scientist to wade into a stream alongside an electroshock fisherman?

Of course, science traveling can also mean simply appreciating the ephemeral beauty of a sinking sunset over a Mexican beach, the astonishing talent of a renaissance artist in the Vatican, or the portentous river of water sluicing down a melting glacier in Chile. It might also include crawling through caves in Tennessee after overlooking one of the Civil War’s most infamous battle sites, admiring the orchids of Tenerife, or visiting the latest in a long list of aquariums.

Science traveling most definitely includes photographs. Thousands of photographs. And with each photo comes a story…or many stories. Science traveler will tell those stories.

So while I’m out science traveling I’ll post some photos, some stories, and hopefully some scientific insights that will bring the world closer to everyone.

David J. Kent is an avid traveler and the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores.

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.