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The Year in Science Traveling – 2015

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Science TravelerSomehow I managed not to travel anywhere in February, June, and August. But for the other nine months I had at least one out-of-town trip. It was a very good year in Science Traveling. I’ve finished traveling for the year so it’s time for a quick recap.

January: Everglades, Key West, and the Dry Tortugas. Besides seeing the prison cells that held the Lincoln assassination conspirators I discovered that Ernest Hemingway was a crazy cat lady. I also discovered the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach.

March: A relatively local trip to the eastern shore of Maryland in which I unexpectedly came upon skeleton road at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. I also checked in to the marine biology lab I once worked in, plus a wine tasting in St. Michaels.

April: Another semi-local trip for the annual CPRC scientific conference, this one a full-day affair at the Robinson Nature Center in Columbia, MD.

May: I started May in New England on a writer’s retreat in my old home town. I ended May in Scandinavia on a tour of Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, and Bergen (with stops on the fjords). I even came across a few surprises.

July: The 4th of July brought me back to my home town for the holiday, then a road trip up to Quebec City and Montreal. On the way back the route took us on a quest for used book stores in western Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. One of the highlights was Montmorency Falls.

September: A busy fall began with a trip to New York City, where I got up close with the Statue of Liberty, saw the top of the world from the Empire State Building, the bottom of the world in the new World Trade Center Memorial and Museum, and some aircraft carriers/submarines/space shuttles.

October: Ah, Paris in the spring, er, the fall. For once the weather cooperated and the Eiffel Tower was amazing. In two short days we squeezed in a lot of venues, including Musee d’Orsay and the Pompidou Centre, then took the train through the Chunnel to London. Unfortunately I spent most of my time in the latter city hopping around on one foot.

November: The morning after returning from London I was on a plane to Salt Lake City for the annual SETAC meeting, where I picked up the award for Outstanding Regional Chapter Member. Ten days after my return I was in Gettysburg for the annual Lincoln Forum conference. And then my parents visited me for 10 days. November was a very busy month.

December: December seems low-key given that the sole trip was a long weekend to New Orleans. Okay, technically that isn’t the last trip of the year as we likely will drive up to Amish country in Pennsylvania for the Christmas weekend, but that will actually feel like a nice break from a year of science traveling.

And it was, in fact, science traveling. Every trip had some connection to a book I’m researching or a future book in the plans. It’s amazing how much science (and Lincoln and Tesla and Edison) there is when you look for it. The July 4th trip, for example, included stops in two of Thomas Edison’s most iconic laboratories, and New Orleans has a plaque at Thomas Edison Place. Lincoln was everywhere (including New Orleans).

When I wasn’t science traveling I was writing a book, two books in fact. Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World is finished and will be in Barnes and Noble bookstores in 2016. I also published an e-book available on Amazon: Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. If that wasn’t enough to keep me busy I also have read 94 books this year (with two weeks to go), chaired a scientific committee, attended various local Abraham Lincoln dinners, lectures, and symposiums, and served as a Vice President in the Lincoln Group of DC.

Next year should be even busier!

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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Rolling on the River in the City of New Orleans

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Steamboat NatchezYes, the allusions in the title are intentional. Creedence Clearwater Revival (aka, CCR) wrote a song called Proud Mary, though many know it by its famous refrain “rolling on the river” (and the remixed version by Tina Turner). It refers to a riverboat plying the Mississippi River. The City of New Orleans is a song by Steve Goodman made famous by Arlo Guthrie. It refers to the name of a train that traveled between Chicago and New Orleans. Both came to mind as I watched this:

The Natchez is the last authentic steamboat on the Mississippi River. Abraham Lincoln would have ridden a similar boat on his way back upriver following his second flatboat trip to New Orleans. I recently had the privilege of doing some research on the boat for my upcoming Lincoln book. It is the only boat left on the river that uses steam as its sole means of forward and reverse propulsion. Today the steam is produced by burning diesel fuel; in the past it would have been wood-, and then coal-, fired.

The two steam engines drive the pistons, which turn the rear paddle wheel, a 25-foot in diameter, white oak and steel behemoth weighing 26 tons.The boat itself is 265 feet long and weighs 1,384 tons. The pilot on the bridge uses a telegraph for communication to the chief engineer in the engine room. As the pilot turns the knob to the position he wants, it turns the corresponding dial in the engine room and sounds a bell. When the engineer moves his knob to the corresponding position it stops the bell, thus indicating to the pilot that the engineer received the signal. It’s a fascinating process to watch.

Amazingly, the boat draws only five to seven feet, which allows it to get up into the very shallow waters of the Mississippi.

Abraham Lincoln would have been happy that an authentic steamboat still travels the lower Mississippi, though he also would be happy that “internal improvements” have progressed so much further.

David J. Kent is 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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Lincoln (and Me) in New Orleans

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I’m science traveling in New Orleans. Somehow I’ve never been to the city before so am chomping at the chance to visit, in part because New Orleans played a role in Abraham Lincoln’s emerging world view. He traveled there twice, both times on a flatboat floating down the Mississippi River just before leaving the family home to set up a life as a young adult. I’ll have more on the trip when I return, but it got me thinking of a book I had read last year. I’m reposting the review of it here to whet your appetite for more. Enjoy.

Lincoln in New OrleansBook Review – Lincoln in New Orleans by Richard Campanella

An exceptionally well researched book recreating Abraham Lincoln’s flatboat trips to New Orleans. Campanella is an expert on New Orleans, and has expanded his expertise upstream to develop a detailed account of Lincoln’s two trips down the Mississippi River. No small feat given that the sum total of all the first person reminiscences of the trips by Lincoln and participants wouldn’t fill a page of text. Campanella’s recreation, like many efforts based on such scant direct information, is not however contrived in the least. On the contrary, the effort he has put into collecting and analyzing fragmented – and often contradictory or dubious – accounts is exemplary.

I would suggest the book is for the serious reader rather those with a casual interest in Lincoln, New Orleans, or the Mississippi River. It is extremely fact-dense, and the writing style is scholarly, yet accessible for thoughtful enthusiasts. Those expecting an exhilarating story of adventure won’t find it, though an adventure it does describe. To me that not only doesn’t take away from the book, it helps define it as scholarship to be taken seriously.

After a short introduction there are only five long chapters. The first explores Lincoln’s father Thomas’ own flatboat trip as a youth, along with setting the stage for Lincoln’s  desire to hit the muddy waters himself. “The 1828 Experience” is a massive undertaking; more than 100 pages of detailed research into the timing of his first flatboat trip while still living in Indiana, the building of the boat, the obstacles in the rivers and elsewhere, the arrival and lingering in New Orleans at the end, and the trip back home. Campanella teases apart the disparate accounts, provides a detailed analysis of the attack by slaves, and places Lincoln in the context of the technologically changing times.

Another chapter examines Lincoln’s second flatboat experience in 1831, including analysis of the mill dam story, the crew and timing of departures, and much more. While truncated so as not to repeat the riverine details well covered in the previous chapter, it still tallies about 40 pages. This is followed by a chapter speculating about what Lincoln may have seen and done in New Orleans, framed by extensive actual facts about what was going on there at that time. In his Conclusions chapter Campanella assesses what influences these flatboat voyages may have had on Lincoln’s views of slavery, internal improvements, and political philosophy. On top of all of this Campanella adds two appendices providing wonderful background material on commerce on western rivers and on New Orleans itself during the time period in which Lincoln was developing into the President he would become.

This is an extraordinary book of scholarship that deserves more attention that it has apparently received. It’s not for the casual reader, but it should be for everyone seriously interested in this critical period of Abraham Lincoln’s life.

More Abraham Lincoln book reviews can be read here (scroll down for more).

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David J. Kent is 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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Thomas Edison the Railroad Butcher

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Young Thomas EdisonFrom a young age Thomas Edison showed that he was not like most other boys. Tossed out of school after a few weeks because his teachers thought he was “addled” and “dreamy,” Edison learned mostly on his own by devouring scientific books. He questioned everything. His father began to think young Tom was a bit dim-witted because he asked so many questions. The reverse was true; inquisitive throughout his life, Edison had a knack for remembering virtually everything he read.

When he wasn’t conducting chemical experiments in his parents basement (and getting a public whipping after burning down the family barn), Edison was hanging around the local rail yard listening to stories from the lumber gangs and memorizing the rough songs from the canal men. He liked the railroad life so much he became a butcher.

A news butcher that is; generally shortened to just news butch. At only 12 years old he was riding the 63 miles of the Grand Trunk Railway. Each day Edison would hop the 7 A.M. train for Detroit, not returning until around 9 P.M. that evening. All day long he would wander up and down the aisle of the train hawking newspapers and magazines, along with candy, fruit, and anything else he thought he could sell.

The news butch biz was so successful that Edison rapidly became an entrepreneur, setting up stores in town and hiring other boys to do the selling for a share of the profit while he continued to hawk newspapers on the train. Before long he started his own newspaper, becoming the first person ever to gather news and print it up right on the moving train.

The trains gave Edison access to another budding technology of the day – the telegraph. He would telegraph ahead with the headlines and have a swarm of customers waiting for the train to buy up all of his editions at ever-growing prices. Edison’s love affair with trains and telegraphs led to his first real job as a telegrapher during the Civil War, and improvements to telegraphy were his first inventions as a young man out on his own when he was only 22 years old.

Thomas Edison

Edison led a fascinating life, in both the good and bad meanings of that term. He built a reputation as an innovator, invented the “invention factory,” and tussled with the likes of Alexander Graham Bell and Nikola Tesla. Edison didn’t always win those battles, and some would say he didn’t always play fair, but he remains today one of the best known and revered inventors of all time.

There is much more on Edison’s new butch days – and all his other best known and little known inventions – in my new book Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World due out in 2016 from Fall River Press. Check back here for updates and a first glimpse of the new cover as soon as it happens.

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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Abraham Lincoln is in the House

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Abraham Lincoln was in the house, and in the flesh, at our most recent Lincoln Group of DC event. Fresh off his recreation of the Gettysburg Address last month, George Buss brought Abraham Lincoln to life again for those lucky enough to be in attendance.

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Well known for his portrayal of our 16th President, Buss was in town to give a press conference the next day downtown for Illinois Statehood Day. He also gave a special event for Congressmen in the capitol building. Accompanying him was Bob Lenz, a prominent Illinois attorney, former president of the Abraham Lincoln Association, and playing the role of Lincoln’s chief-of-staff.

The Lincoln Group was honored to have President Lincoln join us for dinner and then entertain questions from our members. Below he catches up on the latest news from the war front from Lincoln members John O’Brien, Wendy Swanson, and John Elliff.

John O'Brien, Abraham Lincoln, Wendy Swanson, John Elliff

As is common with press conferences, President Lincoln gave a stirring opening statement, part of which was captured by fame photographer Mathew Brady (played by yours truly).

The consensus among attendees was that George Buss’s Lincoln was an amazing event. He looks, sounds, and feels like your in President Lincoln’s very presence. From a personal perspective, I first met George last year in Gettysburg and was honored to join him at his dinner table the final night of the Lincoln Forum conference, along with several fans that made the trip from Illinois. I’m looking forward to seeing him again in the future.

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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Nikola Tesla – Power from the Rain

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Rain“…if this part of the natural process were under the control of man he could transform the entire globe.” – Nikola Tesla

 

To Tesla, harnessing the power of falling water was not limited to locations such as Niagara or areas where dams could be built. One of his wilder ideas was to foresee getting electrical power from the rain. He thought the theoretical energy of falling water from rain was essentially unlimited, despite some inherent inefficiency.

Assuming for the rain clouds an average height of 15,000 feet and an annual precipitation of 33 inches, the power over the whole area of the United States amounts to more than twelve billion horsepower but a large portion of the potential energy is transformed into heat by friction of the rain drops against the air so that the actual mechanical energy is much smaller.

In a more practical sense, Tesla argued that “most of the water comes from a height of something like 2,000 feet, and all in all represents over one-half a billion horsepower.” This was more than six times greater than the total horsepower that could be garnered from harnessing all of the waterfalls in the United States.

How exactly would one harness the natural energy of the rain? Tesla believed that the precipitation of moisture could be controlled, sort of geoengineering a hundred years ahead of the current feeble attempts to control weather. First, he described the natural cycle of water between the atmosphere, the land, and the hydrosphere:

The water is evaporated and thus raised against the force of gravity. It is then held in suspension in the vapor which we call clouds. Air currents carry this vapor, hither and yon, often to distant regions, where it may remain for long periods at a height, in a state of delicate suspension. When the equilibrium is disturbed the water falls to earth [in the] form of rain and through rills and rivers flows back to the ocean.

He then suggested that “the energy necessary to cause the precipitation of the rain, compared to that rain’s potential energy when released, is like that of the spark setting off a charge of dynamite compared to the dynamite.” He never specified exactly how that could be done, but did speculate that “if this part of the natural process were under the control of man he could transform the entire globe.”

Unfortunately, there were just too many practical limitations to exploit these ideas. Tesla himself noted that most of the rainfall would be inaccessible because it falls over the “three-quarters of the earth’s surface covered by the oceans.” He even considered the possibility of artificially producing rain. In the end, though “many schemes have been proposed,” none of them “offered the remotest chance of success.” Tesla did say encouragingly that he had “ascertained that with proper apparatus this wonder can be performed.”

By this time Tesla was nearing the end of his productive period of invention, so perhaps we can forgive him for not figuring out all of the problems of science. Clearly he was someone who thought in terms of completely new technologies rather than simply tinkering with the old ways. Sometimes his grandiose ideas worked out, and other times they would be left for future generations to solve. And some, like this one, may likely never be found practical.

With the idea of extracting electrical energy from rain fading liking a rainbow on the horizon, Tesla thought again about how to derive energy from nature. Perhaps the tides?

[Read more in Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time, from which the above is an excerpt]

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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From New York to New Orleans

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In the last two months I’ve been on the road – and in the air – a lot. I started out with a week in New York City, squeezed in some local time researching Abraham Lincoln at the National Archives, then zoomed off to Paris, then London, then Salt Lake City without a break. About 10 days to recover and then off to Gettysburg. Now a few breaths before my parents arrive tomorrow for 10 days of Thanksgiving festivities.

The weather in New York City was generally dreary. Every day was overcast and cold. Rain threatened at all times, and sometimes it carried out that threat. The sun came out on the first day there for about an hour, and that hour was while we were at the Statue of Liberty! Perhaps it was an omen, especially given the frightful events of Paris.

Statue of Liberty

As a Marine Corps V-22 Osprey (a VTOL aircraft reminiscent of one designed by NikolaDSC04468 Tesla) circled the boat, we stopped at Ellis Island on the way back, just long enough to remind us that immigration is the fabric of our nation. From there we visited One World Trade Center, called “Freedom Tower” by many. Sitting on the site of the World Trade Towers that fell September 11, 2001, the new building overlooks two reverse pools surrounded by the names of those lost. A museum brings you down into the nightmare that was that day, and also the heroism. It’s a must visit.

One World Trade Center

We also visited John Lennon’s Imagine circle at Strawberry Fields, the American Museum of Natural History, the Lincoln statue outside the New York Historical Society, checked out Nikola Tesla Corner at Bryant Park and the New York Public Library, took in the view from the top of the Empire State Building, wandered the deck of the aircraft carrier Intrepid, saw the Space Shuttle up-close-and-personal, and squeezed through a submarine. Oh, and walked several miles of Manhattan – the lower, the mid-town, and the park (and west side).

Phew. No wonder we were beat by the end of the week. And that was just the beginning.

Edison Place New OrleansAfter hosting the Thanksgiving visit the only trip left on the calendar this year is a 4-day weekend in New Orleans. I’ve never been there. After lobbying SETAC for ten years to hold a meeting there they finally scheduled one – for the time that I was working in Brussels and my company refused to allow me to come back for it. I’m looking forward to it, especially now that I know there is a plaque highlighting Thomas Edison in the French Quarter.

BTW, because of my time in Brussels and having just been in Paris I spent a good amount of anxious time trying to see if my friends and colleagues were safe when I heard about the Paris attacks. The focus on Brussels as a source of the terrorists raised the anxiety level even more. As far as I’ve been able to determine everyone I know is safe. This is a frustrating topic and I haven’t decided if it’s something on which I want to speak on further, but needless to say it’s difficult, especially after also being recently in New York City and living not far from the Pentagon. Perhaps more on this at another time; or perhaps not.

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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A Few New Abraham Lincoln Books

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Lincoln Forum CakeI’ve just returned from the annual Lincoln Forum conference in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This was the 20th anniversary event, complete with cake. The Forum fills two and a half days with presentations by renowned Abraham Lincoln scholars, great camaraderie, and books. A lot of books. As usual, my bag coming home is filled with new books picked up at the conference bookstore.

This year I tried to restrict my book buying, so the total was only six (yes, only). In addition to all the new books there are opportunities to buy older tomes from Chuck Hand, collector extraordinaire. And then there is the unparalleled Dan Weinberg of the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop, who always has an amazing showing of Lincoln photos, signed documents, and other artifacts. To this elite group we can add the beautiful sculptures of John McClarey.

Villainous CompoundsNow the books. New additions to my collection include an essay compilation book edited by Frank Williams and a second similar book edited by Joseph Fornieri. I also picked up an edition of Reck’s A Lincoln: His Last 24 Hours and a book on the lost whaling fleet (which had battled the confederate navy and the Arctic during the Civil War). Perhaps the most unique acquisition is a book called Villainous Compounds: Chemical Weapons & The American Civil War by Guy R. Hasegawa. With my scientific background it would almost be blasphemous if I hadn’t bought it (he tells himself, in a rationalizing sort of way).

Just and Generous NationHaving already bought it beforehand, I took advantage of the conference to bring my copy of Harold Holzer’s new book A Just and Generous Nation and had him inscribe it for me. As always, Harold was gracious and generous with his time and expertise. He noted that he wrote the first section of the book (seven chapters) and his co-author, economist Norton Garfinkle, wrote the second section (five chapters) on Lincoln’s economic improvement focus and influence on modern America. I’ll have a review of the book as soon as I finish reading it.

At the end of the year I’ll update on new Lincoln book acquisitions for 2015. And now…it’s on to 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.

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Science Traveling Abraham Lincoln

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Abraham LincolnIt’s been a busy 48 hours with respect to Abraham Lincoln traveling. And it’s about to get even busier.

On Saturday I attended the monthly book discussion group of the Lincoln Group of DC (where last month I gave a talk on Lincoln and Technology). Our book this year is Michael Burlingame’s “green monster,” the name stemming both as an homage to the famous left field wall at Fenway Park in Boston and the color and size of his two-volume, 2000+ page tome Abraham Lincoln: A Life. As always, the discussions were lively and informative.

That night about a dozen current and past Lincoln Group members gathered for dinner and conversation at a beautiful Victorian-style home not far from George Washington’s famed Mount Vernon. Thank you John and Linda for a wonderful event and unbeatable hospitality.

And now it’s on to Gettysburg for 2-1/12 days of immersion at the historical Civil War battlefield site. The Abraham Lincoln Forum meets each year on the anniversary week of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Some of the most well-known Lincoln historians in the U.S. will be there for lectures, discussions, and roundtables. Both old and new Lincoln books will be on sale thanks to the appearances of Daniel Weinberg of the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop and many current authors. This is the 20th anniversary of the Forum, which from the beginning has been chaired by retired Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice Frank Williams and vice-chaired by renowned Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer. You can read more about last year’s Forum here.

Jim Getty

This year will also serve as a transition. Jim Getty (above) has been the go-to Abraham Lincoln interpreter in the Gettysburg region for many years. People travel from miles around to hear him present the Gettysburg Address on Dedication Day of the battlefield (November 19th). Last year he received the Forum’s prestigious Richard Nelson Current Award. Jim had retired from Lincoln interpretation work this year, then unexpected passed away this summer. He will be dearly missed. A remembrance is planned at this year’s event.

Abe and Me

Taking over the Dedication Day duties is interpreter George Buss, whom I met last year here at the Forum (see above; he’s the one with the hat). George has been a long-standing Forum member and has interpreted Lincoln for many years. He resides in the Springfield, Illinois area, which makes another upcoming event even more special. George will give a press conference in Washington, D.C. on December 3rd, taking questions from the public and the national press. In addition, the Lincoln Group of DC has arranged for George to bring Lincoln to our monthly dinner meeting on December 2nd, where he’ll engage in an intimate informal conversation with Lincoln Group members. Sign up on the Lincoln Group website.

The Forum runs through Wednesday night and is followed by the dedication ceremonies on the battlefield on Thursday. I’ll have more to report, plus photos, during and after the conference.

David J. Kent is 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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Book Review – Fire in the Turtle House: The Green Sea Turtle and the Fate of the Ocean by Osha Gray Davidson

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Fire in the Turtle HouseClimate change has already shown impacts not only on the world’s temperatures but on ocean acidification, sea level rise, and effects on plant and animal migration behaviors, among others. The Dake Page periodically reviews science-related books.It isn’t clear whether the impacts noted in Fire in the Turtle House are related to climate change or some other cause, but it reflects how quickly disruptions can result in catastrophic impacts on wildlife. What follows is a short review of Fire in the Turtle House: The Green Sea Turtle and the Fate of the Ocean by Osha Gray Davidson.

The Turtle House is an area in the narrow channel separating Maui from the neighboring island of Moloka’i. Not surprisingly it is a haven for sea turtles, especially the green sea turtle that the locals call honu. And the honu are dying.

The book follows the search for the cause of rampant spread of the disease called FP, most notably characterized by the growth of tumors on the soft tissues of turtles. First noticed in the 1960s, proliferating in the 70s, and clearly epidemic by the 80s, FP has decimated green turtle populations in Hawai’i as well as in Florida. Davidson visits with the key researchers, examines the different investigations into the cause, and personalizes the scientific struggle to understand. In the end the answers are still uncertain, though viruses are clearly implicated, and dinoflagellate biotoxins, human-caused stresses from pollution and nutrient enrichment, and other factors also may be part of the complex genesis that spreads the disease.

Overall this book is well written. It does seem to veer off on tangents, such as stories about Stellar sea cows from a century before, Pfeisteria-based fish diseases, and other sidetracks that eventually are laced back into the turtle narrative with varying success. On a personal note, it was interesting to see mention of names like Archie Carr and Joanne Burkholder and others familiar to my own marine biology days.

One drawback to the book is that it was published in 2001 and thus is somewhat dated. It would be nice to know where the status of the investigation, and hopefully treatment, of FP stands now. Still, I would recommend this book for those who are interested in learning how science works in the complex real world, and how human factors can surreptitiously drive what appear to be nature impacts.

More science-related book reviews can be read here.

[Cross-posted from The Dake Page]

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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