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Poems and Thoughts by Frank Maurer

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Science

Our Sun opus 31

Up early this morning.
Past by the easterly-facing window
And was flooded by that orange ball
Which has warmed me for 81 years.

My thoughts flowed back through history
To all the controversies which this
Golden Ball, our source of life, has created.

"Our Earth was created by our loving god
And there is no doubt that it must be
The center of the masses of spinning celestial bodies."
Any who opposed such a holy concept
Were condemned, or excommunicated,
Or threatened with death (or worse);
Horrible results for a gregarious creature.

Back to the present, still viewing the yet ever-rising sun,
I realized how fortunate I was
To live in a time when such thoughts are now absurd.
But the human skepticism continues
For many new scientific discoveries
Which severely challenge our belief systems.

When will tolerance and thoughtful evaluation
Oust the tenacious myths, plaguing our human minds?

Who's Really in Charge? opus 40

Oh, we humans are so clever
With our ability to precisely measure
Altitude or depth (anywhere)
Distance (down the road or the distance to Mars)
Time (sundials, a pocket watch, or a precise atomic clock)
Temperature (of the body or of a physical location)
Speed (of a Tesla or of a space station)
Ballots cast (hmm, well perhaps not this one!)
And so many more, but the question is

Why is there only a good but limited ten day weather forecast?

Who's really in charge?

The Labyrinth opus 136

Fish have gills, Silly: How else would they breathe?
Well, because of evolution through natural selection,
A group of fish (there are many other examples)
Inhabiting the Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia area are the Bettas.
Bettas were originally found in Thailand.
They are among the oldest domesticated fish species in the world,
Having been owned as pets for more than 4000 years!
They survive in small puddles of water, in rice fields, and ditches.
Because of the uncertain fluctuating oxygen supply,
They have evolved a structure at the bony base of the gill,
Called a labyrinth, which allows not only gill breathing,
But also the intake of air, by gulping, this interacting within the labyrinth,
Supplementing the often low oxygen content in the surrounding water.
The labyrinth contains plates with a myriad of oxygen absorbing blood vessels
Which gather inhaled air now trapped inside a group of folds
And then absorbed into the main bloodstream.

Bettas are obligate air breathers in that they occasionally must take in oxygen from the air.
The other group of labyrinth fish are facultative air breathers,
Which only breathe at the surface when running low on oxygen.
Bettas breathe using their labyrinth organ, day and night,
So they prefer sleeping under large plants near the water's surface
And thus do not need to exert extra energy to rise to the top for a quick gulp.

Interestingly, they use this organ to create 'bubble nests' at the surface.
The males blow bubbles to form one of these nests as part of their reproductive process,
But even single males will make a bubble nest, if content in their space!

Just another fascinating creature to get to know and this is why
Natural history study makes one an ever-more interesting person.

Try it!

The Question opus 206

How many innocent human lives in conflict are worth losing,
To preserve a political ideology, a religious system,
A so-called sacred or holy area on our planet,
A scientific hypothesis or theory, or an accurate understanding
Of human biology?

Perhaps to answer this, one must consider
Who is asking, where it is asked,
And just when, considering all accompanying implications,
A questioner dares to raise such often-sensitive queries.

Just Wondering opus 209

I have always wondered
Why the Latin Roman Mass
Commences with Kyrie Elyison,
Followed by Kriste Elyison--
Both introductory phrases are in Greek!
    Benedictus.  Ahmen.

I have also wondered why our moon
Seems to never rotate,
Always facing the earth.
On this one I finally learned
That the actual rotation of the moon
Is timed to be in sync
With its orbit in the monthly/yearly
Rotation around our earth!

Realizing the horrible waste and destruction
Which war results from human conflict,
Why have humans generally never learned
From wars' actual consequences throughout history?
Think of the many countries once in conflict,
Which, when all was finalized,
Became allies and staunch trading partners!--
A strange, meaningless enigma.

Lastly, in so many social situations,
Where tasty food, social communication,
And live, musical entertainment commingle,
One of these three often unfairly dominates.
I performed jazz in social situations decades previously--
Always attempting to comfortably 'fit in'.
These days, when I rarely attend such social events,
I am mostly overwhelmed by the horrid volume of music.
It appears that musicians care less about a 'good' performance,
But rather value volume as the means to gain praise and attention.
Of course the result is that the masticating, imbibing conversationalists
Can barely hear each other because of the selfish volume producers,
Oblivious in their own self centeredness.
I compare this present sound pollution,
Literally causing (future) hearing problems of all sorts,
Including tinnitus and, in extreme cases, deafness--
Much as smokers selfishly created in years past,
Resulting in asthma, lung cancer, or even death.

Our Sun-Star opus 224

It is November at 11 AM in Davis, California.
The thermometer on the north side of the house registered 55 F,
While the south side directly in the sun measured 90 F.
Such a huge difference! (Even though not read correctly.)
What would we do without our Sun-Star!
If one's mind wanders from the past into the future,
The horrible thought of a Nuclear Winter without the sun
Would freeze one's mind into a possible chaos.

Climate Panic opus 230

Will science be lost in the abyss of ignorance?
Denial of our climate future
Has led to death threats of meteorologists,
Who are just attempting to warn the population
That the world climate is indeed changing,
Implying that local weather patterns are moderating.

The old Romans would kill the messenger carrying bad news.
Have we actually resorted now, even with science,
To threatening those merely voicing
The pending challenges to which
We must all eventually need to adjust?

What is Beauty? opus 239

Humans have wondered for centuries as to what beauty truly is.
Why is it that often after a stroke or brain damage,
That artistic ability often manifests itself or that existing abilities improve?
What goes with our brains and aesthetics--it is not sex nor food!
It is clear humans make aesthetic judgements of faces;
Perhaps described as charming, stunning, or gorgeous.
Even infants (at six months!) gaze longer at an attractive face.

Innately, our brain seems to be evolutionarily organized.
There may be an adaptation for better survival;
Symmetry may be interpreted for better infant health and survival,
An epiphenomenon which depicts a longer, better life.
Faces and natural landscapes elicit these choices--types,
As opposed to architecture and then human art,
Which yield less response.

Now contemplate games--soccer is rated as 'a beautiful game'--
The choreography and elegance of players' movements.
Also consider the beauty of science--E=mc2, mathematics or chess.
An infant's face lights up, having just understood some manipulation.
The satisfaction of knowing beauty can adaptively accomplish usefulness.
There is a satisfaction of taking something apart and then, back together.
What a wonder to contemplate why protons in a nucleus
Remain together and do not repel one another
And to then discover the function of quarks and gluons which help do such:
This results in weak forces when close together
And strong forces when further apart.

Even efficiency is a beautiful thing!
Biological reproduction yields mutated variability,
All of which is selected for survival.
Beauty is not only functional, but useful--
Consider a bee's hexagonal wax cell.
Why can most incomprehensible things in the world,
Be at the same time comprehensible?

But why?
To paraphrase Keats--'Beauty is Truth and Truth is Beauty. That is all'.

Variation on a Theme opus 264

Limits
    Even on a calm day
    if you remain quiet
    and hold your breath

    you still will not
    be able to hear
    the singing of the clouds.

So wrote Billy Collins
And I added:

Yes, even the cumulonimbus is silent--
It is the accompanying thunder,
Caused by the piercing lightening
That cries out with the opening theme
Of the Fifth Symphony.

(Billy Collins, Musical Tables, 2022.)

Yet Another Biological Team opus 290

Because of our ravaging, 'convenient' technology,
Our planet is warming faster than any past 'naturally' documented process.
As a result, oceans are rising and, by the way, are becoming more acidic.
Long before large human invasions, most predator/prey duos were stable.
Then came the Russians, French and others as fur trappers.
The Sea Otter was one victim because of its lush fur.
This species, now threatened, no longer has the numbers
To control the Asian Striped Shore Crab which burrows in the creekbank edges,
Which weakens the soil, causing whole chunks of marsh to calve off.
Specifically, the Elkhorn Slough, a coastal wetland,
Connected to the Monterey Bay area, once lost all its Sea Otters.
But now, with their return, they are ravagingly consuming the crabs,
Resulting in stronger marshland soundness and reduced erosion.
The otter's recolonization controls the crab population
And strengthens our shoreline to battle with the new impending threat.

As a footnote: Sea Otters control sea urchins, which destroy the kelp beds.
Concerning top predators, reintroduced wolves into YellowStone National Park
Are controlling elk and moose populations which consume tree saplings,
Thus alleviating the erosion-effect along riverbanks.

Each time we inadvertently destroy another creature,
We are weakening our own existence.

Intraspecific Conflict opus 298

Charles Darwin in his 'On the Origin of Species' (1859),
Observed that speciation and subspeciation result from geographic isolation.
All organisms on earth appear to follow this hypothesis.
Of course this mainly pertains to adaptation to a varying environment
And reduction of competition for food and needed territory.
With humans, we have varied superficial morphology,
Resulting in varying skin color, nose shape, eye color, height, etc.
But humans, more than other species, have culture and religion,
Which results, to the human mind, in a huge differentiation of the 'other'.
As a result, the human intraspecific or population competition
And conflict forms a new dimension,
Compared to other specific life on our planet.
Evaluating these differences, humans have a more complex level
Of Darwin's concept of isolation and adaptation to a new environment.
Culture, ideology, and religion result in greater potential 'intraspecific' conflict,
Which we are all observing and living through every single day!
With humans, geographic isolation seems not to reduce competition,
But because of other factors mentioned, may increase that population conflict.
Might our wonderful minds actually lead us to our own
Potentially peaceable intraspecific downfall?

Eleven Primaries Allow Flight opus 303

For many decades I have taught children (and some adults)
That the first flight feathers (primaries) on the wing of a bird
Number eleven in most birds, with another eleven or so,
Comprising the secondaries on the rear of the wing.
Could there be a tertiary? Yes, rarely, but they exist.
The Mandarin Duck of Asia has such a feather
Poking up towards the rear of the wing!
Our Wood Duck, the only member of the genus, Aix,
And 'cousin' to the Mandarin, is devoid of this extra ornament.

Studies of dinosaurs and the phenomenon of flight
Has been studied by paleontologists,
And nine to eleven feathers appear crucial for flight,
Enabling those later dinosaurs which evolved to birds.
The full story is more complex, but there is no doubt
That some dinosaurs really were able to fly.
So, as you observe a bird flying past you,
Take a moment to pause and realize the special sight before you,
Which binds our present time with the wondrous history
Of the ever-evolving life on our Blue Planet.

Some General 'Rules' to Ponder. (Written With B. Franklin in Mind.) opus 307

A large monoculture is a dangerous thing.

Tolerance ultimately leads to peace.

Trial and error in biological systems
leads to continual, ultimate successes.

Following only one philosophy
can lead to the loss of unknown experience.

One must always be aware
of the limitations of the living system.

Happiness is not contentment
and joy cannot be continually experienced.

Restricted standards in biology
can often destroy the required variation for survival.

With only one, DNA based system of earthly life,
how could there ever be one ultimately 'special' life?

Humanism is the understanding and reverence for all life,
without an interfering supreme being.

By destroying your environment,
you are destroying yourself.

Without sex, life would be just a bunch of independent clones.

Without religion, early rulers could not
have well-controlled large groups of 'subjects'.
Perhaps such is still the same today?

A moderated, ritualized competition 'for the girl',
Might lead to a safer conclusion, as with many other life forms,
just as a good parasite should never kill its host.

No matter under what circumstances--
testerone, belief, and a resulting conflict
always lead to human tragedy.

Throughout the universe,
water may be the ultimate limiting factor.

Liquid, steam, and ice are the three forms of water.
How fortunate for many earthly forms of life
that the solid state is less dense than the liquid!

For every action, there is a reaction;
that includes chemistry, physics, and human emotion!

Without language, human emotion
would be expressed without a rainbow.

If heat did not rise, our first modes of flight
would have been impossible.

Without evolution, most niches for life
would have been unutilized.

Oh, Dear Southern Alabama opus 310

Our Southern states maintain their infectious friendly cuisine and manners.
Sadly, they hold onto 19th century-thinking concerning several subjects.
Specifically, here, is the question, when is a human, really a human?
The Alabama Supreme Court has now ruled
That a frozen embryo (a fertilized egg) is a child!
Since when could we ever freeze a child?
Since when is a frozen, unattached embryo, (an 'extra uterine child'),
And not within a female uterus, ever be considered a human child?
One of the repercussions, of course, is that 'childless parents'
May no longer be enabled to have a child!
Blind religious edicts lead to human tragedy,
When juxtaposed with the present, technological world.

Science has been developed to yield a life more 'disease free',
As well as a life with reduced mindless toil.
Here, science has allowed human couples, unable to conceive,
To be able to have a possible and healthy pregnancy.
This certainly is a clash of modern technology and continual archaic thinking.

Why Do We Have a Leap Year? opus 314

Why do we have a Leap Year every four years?
The Romans in 45 BC had this figured out!
(Julius Caesar borrowed this idea from the Egyptians.)
They realized that to maintain the calendar (Julian),
In sync with the rotation of the planet,
They needed an extra day every fourth year! --
A perfect year is actually, more accurately, 365.242190 days.
Thus the added day in February every fourth year.
But, Caesar overestimated the solar year by about eleven minutes,
Leading to an overcorrection by about eight days each millenium.
Pope Gregory XIII later addressed this by adding leap days in years divided by four,
UNLESS the year is ALSO divisible by 100. Fine tuning further,
A leap day is STILL ADDED in years divisible by 400!

So you now know perhaps more clearly than most other citizens,
The precise formula as to how the calendar maintains winter in winter!

Wish to have a More Exact Calendar? opus 316

Many people have wished to have a more permanent calendar,
Where the dates would be on the same day, forever!
Holiday dates and scheduling problems
Would be fixed in an organized manner.
Christmas and New Year's Day would always be on a Monday,
While the Fourth of July would always be on a Thursday.
One feature would be having every six years,
A leap week, rather than a leap day.
The extra seven days would occur at the end of that December,
Which, as leap day attempts to do, would 'eliminate calendar drift'.
In addition, the year would be divided into four three-month quarters.
The first two months of each quarter would be comprised of 30 days,
While the third month of that quarter would have 31 days.
And again, it is claimed this would regularize things
To be easier and less costly.
The name of the calendar to accomplish all this
Is the Hanke-Henry Permanent Calendar.

In reality, though, our present-day calendar may be the one,
Into which we are locked.

Why are Men Deciding These Things? opus 334

New abortion anti woman laws--
Politicians versus medical doctors.
What are we doing to ourselves?
To abandon good science
For antiquated religious myths?
In spite of all empirical edification,
We are returning to our reptilian brain.

Our Sun opus 343

Suns (stars) are formed in clusters.
They are identified by similar 'DNA'--
Their similar chemical makeup.
Why is our sun, then, so alone?
Suns shun each other
And gravitationally spread out.
As time passes, suns' DNA then mutate,
Making the ID of our sun's sibs difficult.
Why continue to look?
Because if our sun nurtures our living earth,
Perhaps a sister sun
May also protect a sister living earth!

'The Seasons of Man' opus 345

Humans have various important times during their lives--
The so-called 'Seasons of Man'.
While observing my seed-laden bird feeder,
I have noticed that the myriad of sparrows
During the winter months have declined drastically,
Now that it is almost May. Why?
Contemplating the seasonal food intake of sparrows,
I realized that not only are the natural seed sources now extant,
But that the new voracious nest-bound offspring
Demonstrate the need in their young lives
To have huge amounts of pure protein for growth.
The adult need for seed intake now requires protein-laden insects!
The behaviour of seed gathering
Is dominated by insect hunting for the young.

There are several examples of specific food needs throughout life.
One is the vegetarian frog tadpole
Metamorphosing to the insectivorous-carnivore adult.
Mammals also switch from high nourishment milk
To a carnivorous, vegetarian or omnivorous life.
But, through natural selection, most European humans, especially,
Have managed to continue consuming milk in their 'adult stage'.
We are all familiar with the lactose intolerant individuals
Who, because of the adult, milk consuming culture,
Must have a lactose-free 'milk' to continue imbibing with their fellows!

Are We Really Following the Correct Philosophy? opus 366

We are privileged with a star, we call the sun,
Which maintains light and temperature to evolve and sustain life.
As a result, we inhabit a 'blue planet', rare in our solar system.
As thinking beings who have developed competing, elevated philosophies,
To attempt to explain our sojourn on our special planet,
Why is it that these elevated thought processes
Have at times done nothing but create conflict and competition?
We need 'reverence', enabling a phylogenetic long-term
Peaceful coexistence of our species.

They 'Otter' get it Right - Another Dentition Story opus 367

Dentition in mammals is not only important for survival,
But also used to determine the relatedness of the various mammalian groups.
Sea Otters in the Monterey Bay area have been studied for many decades.
The interest in mammalian tool users is now more focussed research.
Abalone and softer shelled creatures are first choices for otter food,
But with more than 200 otters feasting in a concentrated area,
The use of rocks, bottles, and other harder scavenged materials
Are needed to crack snail shells and other more difficultly-opened armaments.
Using tools have allowed smaller individuals as well as females to successfully compete.
In addition, tool use has enhanced better tooth condition,
Which also has increased the successful survivability of otherwise vulnerable individuals.
Contrast this with how tool use in humans
Has caused the hominids to maintain otherwise larger hominoid canines!

See Dig Your Canines into this One!

Flying XIII. Emergency Landings opus 370

As my flight lessons progressed, the complexity of emergency test landings unfolded.
As we took off over the runway, the instructor would suddenly pull the throttle,
Which caused the loss of power and the immediate need to land.
The idea was to turn, while not stalling, and quickly land back or beside the runway.
Quick thinking is needed to determine if a plane next in line is taking off,
Making it necessary to land 'on the grass' next to the runway.
Of course, with the change of direction, one is further challenged by landing with the wind.

Another instance, important to learn, is finding a landing spot from a higher altitude.
At three to five thousand feet and the artificial loss of power,
The challenge is to locate a field or beach or highway,
And spiral down, attempting to figure wind direction, terrain,
As well as judging the advantageous spot on which the wheels must touch.
The instructor waits until the last 'perfect' moment
And immediately pushes in the throttle to restore life to the malfunctioning flying machine.
With much relief, one listens for the evaluation of the attempted landing.
Even though these lessons are abrupt and cause elevated blood pressure,
It is all in the game and the higher level of challenge
Becomes more 'normal' and acceptable and a part of one's 'new reality'.

Butterfly Massacre opus 400

I reside in the Central Valley of California.
I have lived on my smallish (37 acre) farm since 1978--46 years!
At my age one contemplates one's death more than when a teenager.
Being a biologist, I also think about the death of other creatures.
Chatting with my wonderful farm helper,
I asked him why all the butterflies were moving en masse,
Being pulverized (as he also drove) by the speeding autos?
He wasn't sure, but finally, together, we came up with 'migration'.
Yes, many species of lepidoptera migrate besides Monarchs.
The predominant shifting species at present is the lovely Sulphur--
Moving to new local feeding grounds to ensure more future caterpillars!
The beautiful yellow (Sulphur), black-tipped flyers
Move across the more open roads for easier flight
And are sadly meeting their own holocaust.
We think of the roadkill of larger creatures: deer, rabbits, raccoons,
But insects such as butterflies and Honey Bees
Are slaughtered every year--
The butterflies as they migrate
And the foraging Honey Bees,
Innocently traversing from their human-made hives.
1925 was the beginning of road ecology science
And we humans, because of our vehicles,
Have invested millions in the prevention of creature annihilation--
Tunnels, wildlife bridges, speed limits, warning signs--
But the Class Insecta individuals remain ever in peril.

How Our Eye has Fared in the Jump from Sea to Land opus 401

Did you know we blink 15 times a minute,
Or in a 16 hour day, a fantastic 14,000 times?
Why? Well we evolved from our fish cousins!
In a watery habitat, then shifting to terrestrial open air,
It demanded many compromises which needed to be 'fanangled'.
The optics of water, the protection and nurturing of water--
To move to land was an incredible move.
Because of this, humans have inherited many terrestrial challenges.
Remodeling an aquatic eye to a terrestrial one,
Resulted in no small set of needed adaptations--
Blinking, eyelids acting as windshield wipers,
Nictitating membranes to facilitate flight and hunting,
The evolution of nocturnal living to evade hunting dinosaurs,
Then reversing to a diurnal lifestyle for many, after their demise,
Our ability to see color (cones) vs sensing day and night (rods),
Our inability to see UV in which so many other fellow creatures revel,
And now, more--myopia--perhaps due to increasing screen time,
Plus the fact our children do not get out enough in natural light
Which seems to make an important difference for this condition!

Technology May be Our Salvation (At Least for a While) opus 421

We are working towards human habitation on the Moon and even Mars.
Without technology, there is no possibility of such an occurrence.
Here on Earth, will some life at least, be 'salvaged'
Through our future innovative technological climate change inventions?
Ironically, soon, survival on our Earth,
May be synonymous in methodology,
With our inventive exploits for outer space!

A Leaden History opus 438

Most of us are aware of the silent death and quiet ailments
Due to the Romans' elaborate plumbing systems, using lead pipes
To shift water throughout their civilizations.
They did not know, but lead is one of the most toxic elements in the
Periodic Table--
A great idea, using an easily malleable metal to connect their water labyrinths.
Today, an equivalently brilliant idea using exciting color
To make a spice more attractive for increasing sales,
Has lead (led, no pun) many into a horrible health problem similar to
that of the ancients.

Bangladeshi women and their children in Flint, Michigan, and in NY City,
All had relatively higher levels of lead in their blood,
Causing lead-related health problems and death.
Why, these people from this part of the world?
Much sleuthing and research, but no clues at all.
Finally, a female Californian researcher decided to actually go to Bangladesh--
No lead paint on their tin houses, no lead-painted toys,
No lead in molded pots, no food with direct lead poisoning.
What then?

Wholesalers of turmeric began using (1980's) lead chromate powder
To brighten the color of the yellow spice.
Then later, when floods blackened the turmeric roots,
Even more lead chromate was freely used on the harvest.
This boosted sales of the artificially yellowed product,
But it was literally poisoning the people of Bangladesh--
Who, sadly, were also privately importing this product to the US.
Studies were done; miraculously the Bangladashi government stepped in,
And this poisoning dropped to almost 0%.

Today, more research follows looking at other spices, cosmetics, and
painted toys.
There is much to be done to ferret out this lead terror--
It pervades our societies, utilizing 7 percent of our US gross national product,
With a global cost of $6 trillion, all coping with lead.

Who would have known? What else lies out there undiscovered?

Time Slowed to Almost a Standstill opus 445

The Greenland shark may reach an age of up to 500 years,
Now recognized as the longest living vertebrate animal.
They grow as little as a few centimeters per year, up to five meters,
Reaching four meters and sexual maturity at 150 years old.
Because of the excessive fishing before WWII,
There appears to be no sexually active adults living.
The sampling so far has found only sub-adults,
Implying that it will be another 100 years
Before the population might start reproducing once again!
This is a severe example of how human activity
Can negatively affect another creature's well being
And a reminder of the delicate balance required
To sustain such incredible life forms.

There was Chicxulub and now Nadir? opus 446

Why can't freakin' science just leave things be!?
We are aware of the 'Chicxulub' meteor, 66 million years ago,
Leaving a 124 mile-wide crater under the Gulf of Mexico's
Yucatan Peninsula, and basically wiping out the dinosaurs.
(But, of course, birds are still around!)
As has been assumed, this asteroid acted alone.
But wait--another 5 mile-wide crater, formed at around the same time,
Has been found off the coast of West Africa and named the Nadir Crater.
The rim of the crater itself is about 9,200 meters wide,
With 22,000 meters of concentric circles called the brim.
The approaching 450-500 meter-wide asteroid became a fireball,
Hitting the Earth at about 72,000 km per hour.
Along with this was a 70 magnitude earthquake.
Of course, it is unusual to have two large impacts so close in time,
Both occurring at the end of the Cretaceous period,
The period when the dinosaurs became extinct.

Today Bennu, about the same size as the Nadir asteroid,
Is currently the most hazardous object orbiting near Earth.
With a probability of 1 in 2,700, Bennu could hit Earth about September 2182.
By that time the art of nudging asteroids out of orbit may be totally
perfected!?!

Life Adaptable! opus 452

We live on a planet that rotates and is tilted in relation to its star (sun).
This, of course, creates day and night, climate, seasons,
And incidental weather.
Basically, then, we survive in a world of circadian rhythms.
'Circadian' means daily cycles within our 24 hours.
Our planet originally had a four hour cycle,
Until slowed down by the newly formed moon.
There appear to be many 'Goldilocks' planets which are 'tidally locked'--
In other words, have no rotation--
Rotationally frozen by the near proximity to their sun.
The conundrum created is a planet with eternal night and day.
Can life survive with continual darkness or absolute light?
Could there be a migration from dark to light, allowing rest and regeneration,
Creating a 'circadian' clock in space instead of in time?
Is sleep or rest actually needed for life to survive?
On our own planet, life occurs in complete darkness
In caves, in the sea depths, and within our own bodies!
Additionally, sea life thrives here in complete darkness
Next to boiling, chemical vents.
There are a myriad other ways that cycles could be created,
But the main point is that relentless life may be found
In almost any type of unpredictable situation.
We must be ready for the most bizarre of things to be,
And also to have our very comfortable theologies be shattered.

Time Revisited opus 453

Humans have created an illusion with the measurement of time.
Today, Daylight Savings Time (DST) ended at 0200 Hours, pushing the clock back.
Announcers and others cried out joyfully, "We have gained an hour!"
Likewise at autumn-time an opposite lamentation is heard.
Are we really so completely brainwashed?
Humans, as well as other Earthly life,
Are locked into a circadian rhythm coordinated with the sun.
Before the invention of clocks, no conflict occurred.
With clocks, humans could just coordinate more precisely,
But still not challenging their circadian rhythms.
Standard Time (ST) is basically coordinated with the sun and our bodies.
And it must be emphasized that light exposure is vital
For the health of our circadian rhythm and its proper functioning.
Most, including farmers, worked from sunup to sundown.
The clock often extended the work day from dawn to darkness,
But the circadian rhythm was not challenged or shifted.
Then, because of the rationales of war, farming,
And school children walking in the dark,
The subtle biological conflict of the sun vs clocks began.
With the artificial creation of Daylight Saving Time;
Nice for many now 'having' long summer evenings,
But, as warned by many psychologists, detrimental
To our cryptic, but very real circadian rhythm.

Now politics enters to raise its uninformed head;
Always considering votes, business, and a feeling of control.
Two years ago, I sent an email to all 50 senators,
Warning them of the pending chaos, if a free-for-all were allowed.
Only two states have thus far legislated for only Standard Time--AZ and HI.
If future states choose just what they desire, permanent DST or ST,
Our country will be a chaotic mosaic of time changes,
And, we do this not fully understanding the detriment to ourselves
Which manifests our normal circadian rhythms
Grinding against a seasonally changing time,
Part of the cycle being unhealthy for our very well being.

Zebra Stripes opus 460

Zebras have stripes not for 'normal' camouflage,
But to be more invisible to biting flies!
How do we know? It has been researched.
To jump to an 'obvious conclusion' only
Is not fulfilling the needed human empirical conclusions,
We must all need to study and follow--
In all things.

The Beaching Enigma opus 474

Recently a pod of 30 Pilot whales beached themselves on a coast of Australia.
Many human volunteers rushed to the crisis with sheets,
Rolled each cetacean into the makeshift hammock
And floated them back into deeper surf to once again be free.
It is still a mystery as to why whales make this fatal mistake.

As a result of an educated, understanding human population,
Creatures who were hunted almost to extinction,
Now are rescued, with great effort, to continue to live.

The moral may be that an enemy or prey species,
Through education and understanding,
Can become an ally or a non-hunted one.
Compassion and realization and edification can make a difference
As to how we humans might at least relate to the rest of our world.

Are the Statue of Liberty's Words Now a Cliche? opus 553

With the harsh reductions of the US government,
Orchestrated by the returning executive,
Among so many issues concerning so many departments,
What will now occur concerning our scientific research in all fields?
This tragic move has already been taken advantage of
By several European universities which are
Offering (luring) positions in their still progressive
And edified research programs.
Is this a clear adumbration of the end of the US magnificence
In being the epitome and 'hope' of the human world?
Will we be shunned, avoided, left to rot in our own misery?
Will the French politician be correct to demand
For the return of the Statue of Liberty?

The White-crowned Sparrow--A Biannual Reminder in my Calendar (Dedicated to Melissa) opus 561

In my life of 83 years, I have always remarked about Spring and Autumn.
Tucked into that is another Spring-Fall phenomenon
And that is the annual movements of the White-crowned Sparrow.
For 47 years, I have lived with this wonderful bird in California,
Witnessing its East-West seasonal shifts, in and out of the Valley.
Today, we are still in April, and the marvelous companionship
With this species will be ending--it will make its return to the hills.
I must now wait until October to listen for
Its wondrous, teasing, raspy 'zwee-zwee-zwee' vocalization.
With its October return, its call will hit me from the ear to the heart.
I coexist and breathe the same juxtaposed air with my companion,
The White-crowned Sparrow.

Elizabeth Vrba (1942 - 2025) opus 565

These are some thoughts of Elizabeth Vrba,
A great, but lesser known evolutionary biologist:
'Evolution is not always slow with incremental changes,
But, rather, evolution moves in bursts,
Or abrupt waves of extinction and speciation'--
According to her 'Turnover Pulse' hypothesis,--
'As a result of great climate upheavals.'
She also worked on 'exaptation', the process where traits evolve
For one function, and later are co-opted for another.
She studied 'stimulated paleontology' for a better predictive precision.
'The fossil record is not a static archive,
But a dynamic record of nature's upheavals.'
'Species are shaped by external forces,
Not by internal biological pressures:
Thus, as a result of environmental changes from shifts in climate--
Not always random, nor by gradual competition.'
'The survival of the generalist is greater than that of the specialist.'
Her advocacy of her thoughts and hypotheses will be missed,
But as time and knowledge increases,
More of her thoughts may be actually demonstrated.

Heaven And Earth opus 572

With the pope's serious illness,
It is perplexing to observe and contemplate
Terrestrial, empirical medical procedure,
Mingled with heavenly outreach-supplications.

To Coal or not to Coal? opus 576

Coal mining is a dirty, dangerous business.
Many leaders have attempted to shift to other safer energy sources.
Now, the new returning US leadership, to maintain certain votes,
Wishes, once again, increased coal production and use--
BUT, at the same moment, this 'new enlightened' leadership
Has ironically disbanded all research and medical testing,
For those workers who continue to harvest this killer product!

A New Stab at Creating Abiogenesis-Life opus 600

The 1953 Miller-Urey experiment utilized an abiogenesis method
To create life (or at least some amino acids),
From non-living molecules which included
Ammonia, methane, hydrogen, and water all subjected
To an electric bolt to simulate lightning.

A new parallel experiment included electrical exchange between
Charged water droplets in a mist with a diameter of 1 to 20 microns.
Large droplets were positively charged and small, negatively charged.
Also present in that mist was ammonia, CO2, methane, and nitrogen.
During this process carbon-nitrogen molecular bonds were formed.
The charged water droplets emitted light and spark,
Yielding a chemical transformation.
The idea is that lightning may have been too infrequent to 'create' life,
But water spray might have been a more likely scenario--
The mist-generated microlightning, giving rise to amino acids and life!

An alternative hypothesis is still ever-present:

Hydrothermal ocean vents produce amino acids
With the combination of seawater, hydrogen-rich fluids
And the extreme pressure, deep below the sea.

Still another hypothesis is that organic molecules are formed in space
And carried (panspermia) by comets or fragments of asteroids

Whatever turns out to be correct on our 'Blue Marble',
We realize that water is the important, crucial element for life--
More important in the life-producing process than formerly acknowledged.

The Intriguing Trilobite opus 601

Six hundred million years ago a modest-sized sea creature
Evolutionarily emerged onto earth's oceanic stage.
This creature was first 'discovered' in the 17th century,
By an Englishman, who noticed a body divided into three segments.
He designated this group improperly, but named them TRIlobites,
Because of the three basic portions of the shelled body.
That name has stuck for this generally well-known fossil group.
Over the 270 million years' reign, 25,000 various species evolved.
Those who are familiar with the wonderful morphology of these Arthropods,
The majority would not be able to describe the ventral side of this creature,
As the lower portion of soft parts almost never were fossilized.
After studying this group for a while,
Curiosity overcame me and I had to investigate.
No wonder only a very few ventral fossilizations have been observed--
There are a mass of legs, two antennae, mouth parts--
Mostly soft structures which normally do not fossilize.
Being a biologist, 'discovering' a new view on life,
I experienced here one of those 'highs of discovery'.
These are the things that can give discerning and inquisitive humans
A feeling of worth and joy by being a thinking and discovering person.

Mimicry opus 610

As a child, I was always fascinated with mimicry in nature.
Flies that evolved to depict bees and butterflies to mimic each other.
There are scores of examples--just get a good book!
As a New England boy, I was fixed on the Monarch/Viceroy phenomenon.
The Monarch caterpillar feeds and survives on milkweed with all its toxins.
The adult emerges crystalis-wise as a toxic adult, flashing warnings of red.
Young birds, et al, soon learn of this terrible taste,
And are severely dissuaded from preying on this deceptively delicious morsel.
Somehow, along comes a similarly red tidbit, but delicious--the Viceroy.
Over time the Viceroy butterfly evolved ever-closer to better mimic the Monarch.
The Viceroy is tasty--the Monarch is not.
Selection and adaptation finally favored both these species.
As my thinking progressed, and just for fun, I looked at human 'mimicry'.
This was not genetic, but rather behavioral mimicry.
Consider the Romans invading the Celtic world with a plethora of red-haired women.
The warriors brought the tales of these exotic-looking females
Back to their dark-haired women.
Soon, red hair dyes were concocted to be equal to that of the attractive Celts,
Thus confirming my thoughts concerning the notion of behavioural mimicry.
Who knows, in addition, what genetic mutations might have resulted from such?
Just a Thought!

(Because of increased scientific knowledge a portion
of this poem is incorrect. See 'Mimicry Refined' opus 619).

Codfish Are Becoming Greatly Reduced in Size. An Additional Thought opus 617

Is it possible for humans to 'cause' an evolutionary process?
Nonsense! Impossible! But wait.
Three foot Eastern Baltic Codfish have been harvested for centuries.
But in the last few decades, reduced size of fish have been continually reported.
In 1996 their size was 3 feet; in 2019, half that size; now one fits in two hands.
Is this due to climate change or to fishing activity?
Using larger nets, the smaller fish escaped easily; an advantage being small.
After a fishing ban in 2019, the genetics of the fish maintained their small size.
Upon examining otoliths (from the inner ear) collected between 1996 and 2019,
They demonstrated that the growth rings showed slower size increase.
In addition, the DNA corroborated that same conclusion.
Ever-smaller parent fish are generating ever-smaller offspring.
This indicates that the cods' evolution is pressured externally.
The scientists conclude that this evolutionary process is driven by human activity.
They conclude that, "This is scientifically fascinating, but ecologically deeply concerning."

A Radioactive Wasp Nest? opus 619

A radioactive wasp nest was discovered
In a South Carolina site which formerly made parts for nuclear bombs.
There are routine radiation checks and the nest was found
Near where tanks of liquid nuclear waste is stored.
The radiation level was 10 times allowed by federal regulations.
The nest was sprayed with insecticide and disposed of.
No leak appeared from the waste tanks.
The nest seemed to be radioactive from residual radioactivity.
There is yet no conclusion from where the actual radioactivity came.
Of course, there is the possibility of another such contaminated nest,
If there is a positive leak somewhere.
Some wasps use dirt and others use other materials to construct their nests.
It therefore may be crucial to know the type of wasp nest. (Yes, absolutely!)
There may be no public danger, as wasps fly near their nests.
It is assumed that the wasps' radioactive level would have been lower than the nest.
This is a wrinkle in the radioactive 'danger story'.

Mimicry Refined opus 620

(See previous thought 'Mimicry' opus 608)

Well, there are advantages and disadvantages to living so long.
For me, the subject of mimicry appears to be one.
A wonderful naturalist friend caught this in my last Mimicry prose-poem,
Namely, that I grew up learning the Monarch butterfly was toxic
And that the Viceroy mimic was 'spared', while still being a tasty morsel.
This type of mimicry is called Batesian mimicry.
In the 1990's, it was discovered that the Viceroy was also toxic.
I had not caught up with this new knowledge,
Thus erroneously so wrote in the previous 'Mimicry'.
This other classification is called Muellerian co-mimicry,
Where, in this case, both species are mimics and both are toxic.
This results in an even stronger defence for the two species.
To make things more complicated,
The Viceroy is mimicked by the Queen and Soldier butterflies,
Both of which are also toxic! In this region, Monarchs are rare.
Will wonders never cease?

Is the Sky Really Blue? opus 625

Most every day we are living under a 'deceptively-covering dome'.
It is the sky. Is the sky really the blue we all see?
Well, actually, no.
Simply explained, blue light in our atmosphere
Is scattered more than red light, thus the blue sky.
Remember how light is skewed through a prism.
If this is so, then why is it that we don't see a violet sky?
Think of photons bouncing off molecules of air.
But there is a difference between photons and air molecules.
One difference is that the amount of scattering
Depends on the wavelengths (color) of the light.
Shorter wavelengths of light scatter more.
Starting with red to violet (ROY G. BIV),
The wavelengths go from long to short--
So the shorter blue wavelengths are scattered more.
Thus our sky appears blue from all the scattered blue light.

Also sunsets can appear red because blue light is scattered away,
Resulting in a reddish looking sunset.
But still, why doesn't the sky appear violet?
Violet has an even shorter wavelength than blue,
Therefore violet should be scattered more than blue.
So why does the sky not appear violet, or even a violet-blue?
Actually the sky is violet, but appears blue
Because of how our eyes function!
But that is another story.

Sulphur Butterfly Migration opus 641

Well, it's that time. Small yellow butterflies massacred on the roads.
Here, west of Davis, they seem to be migrating southwest.
It is not only the Monarch that migrates (north and south)--
Other species including the aforementioned Yellow Sulphurs do the same,
Although their migration pattern is much more local.
Dispersal of species assures new feeding grounds,
New opportunities to mate, and more favorable 
Overwintering of adults, larvae, or eggs.

Just think of the massive human migrations--
New territory, new hunting, new interaction with potential mates.
All life is quite similar in its quest for survival.
New territory depicts new opportunities.
Will we really inhabit the moon or mars?
To some, seems foolish, but there are always those dreamers.

True Death or Nature's 'Coverup'? opus 695

'The death of summer's life is manifested
In autumn's final magnificence.'

What I recently composed, poetically,
Sounds nice and superficially accurate,
But those trees with all their autumnal colors
Have not died--just the leaves--
The trees are resting for another season.
Perennial grasses still live beneath the soil's surface.
Although the Annuals' form which dies from crown to root--
Their broods of summer-seed offspring lie tucked in the duff,
Waiting for the catalyst of the Spring-sun's rays of warmth.  
The Conifer remains green, but with reduced life-activity,
Thus, deceptively alive, but resting, 
As its deciduous cousins openly exhibit.
So, as so explained, to the novice and uninformed,
What appears dead is just survival during an adverse time period,
As we also must rest to compose ourselves during a time of stress.

The Fulgurite Sitting Before Me opus 718

Having recently 'discovered' Libyan Desert Glass,
I am concentrating on another phenomenon caused by great desert heat.
Of course, the Glass is most likely caused by a hot meteor-like object,
Striking a desert area and melting the sand to glass.
Another object being turned now in my hand is a fulgurite--
A long tube of melted, fused sand, caused by a lightning strike.
Both are thought-provoking and amazing to handle.
King Tutankhamen supposedly utilized pieces of the Glass,
But I wonder if any human group used the fulgurites
For any purpose--decorative or utilitarian?
Surely a thought for one in our modern times to contemplate,
Transporting one's mind back to our human early past
And our present-day consideration of their insight towards such objects. 

The Metric Conversion Act opus 720

I arrived to live near Davis, California, in 1979.
I shall always remember the State sign on I-80.
The sign indicated the distance to Sacramento and the East Coast,
But not in a usual manner--there were two systems used!
One was the normal 'mileage', the other, the metric.
What was going on?  Metric in the US?  Yes indeed.
The US was the last country to attempt to go metric. 
In the 1970's, President Ford put forward the Metric Conversion Act.
This was an attempt to at last convert this country to the metric system.
Of the many entities needing conversion, road 'mileage' signs were one.
This, as we know, did not succeed.
However, to match the rest of the metric world,
Much of our food and drink, automobile and aircraft dimensions,
And our medications are also measured  metrically.
But our children are stuck with the British System.
How many feet in a mile?  (5280).  How many meters in a kilometer?  (1000).
How many inches in a yard?  (36).  How many centimeters in a meter?  (100).
I won't even ask how many feet in a rod?  (16.5 feet or 5.5 yards)!
Ok, a Chain is 66 feet or 22 yards.  Ten Chains in a Furlong!
Oh, and there are 100 Links in a Chain.  (0.66 feet or 7.877892 inches equals one Link).
Do you see my point?  The metric system is built on base 10.
For a child to thoroughly (which they don't) learn the British System,
It takes about three years of school time to perhaps learn this system.
Can you imagine how many other important things could be learned instead?
The metric system uses basic names (centi, milli, deci, kilo)--no Furlongs!
And conversions are accomplished by merely moving a decimal point!
Need I say more, considering the precious learning time available?
We, as a people, are absolutely stuck in our ways.
(Just as our British cousins were for so long!) 

The Frightening New Adolescent Brain opus 721

The human brain silently rewires itself 
At ages 9, 32, 66, and 83, as seen from MRI data.
The first stage of early brain development
Is as one would think, the childhood stage, coming first,
And which transitions to the adolescent phase,
Lasting until the age of about 32 (not 20!).
This age shows neural efficiency rising and peaking at 32.
This age also marks the strongest rewiring shift of a lifespan.
The brain, then, does not change steadily over time,
But shifts through distinct eras, 
Which influence learning, vulnerability and resilience.
It is adulthood from 32, (becoming a 'true adult'),
To 66 that is the long period of structural stability.
At 66, early aging starts, with the weakening of white matter.
The changes in 'white matter' (nerve fiber bundles),
Are the communication network.
Late aging occurs at 83, 
When long-distance neural connections weaken.
The startling point here, at least for me is, are we marrying,
Starting our professions, making career decisions and so on,
While we are still in the newly defined adolescent stage?
Does this imply that criminal prosecutions, for instance, must be modified,
To consider the still-maturing brain, later than we suspected at 20?
As this knowledge becomes more commonly understood,
Our society might view criminal punishment in a whole new light--
As well, perhaps, of other implications for our maturing and aging brain.

Watermelon Snow opus 722

Generally when we see or hear of the environment turning a false color,
A panic might start, realizing that something has gone awry.
Think of seashores gone red, or a pond choked with green.
Well, there is a phenomenon, about which one does not need alarm.
High in the mountains of the Rockies or during a cold Montana winter,
There are places where the snow turns red--a watermelon snow!
Not only red, but sometimes orange or green.
This is not caused by pollution, but rather by algae!
Studies result showing the colors are caused by different species,
Which are all cohabiting in the exact same place.
Of all the colors, the red species causes the snow to melt the fastest.
The algae are melting the snow to produce life-giving liquid water,
And, again, the red variety appears to melt the snow faster than the others.
One concern is how much the algae will speed up the melt time of our glaciers.
So, in spite of what will transpire with this new discovery,
To behold such bizarre and beautifully colored snow,
Gives one a feeling of awe and wonder for the world around us.

The Mystery of Why Domestic Cats Have Vertical Pupils opus 729

Have you ever wondered why domestic cats have vertical pupils,
And in big cats like lions, tigers, jaguars, and pumas, the pupils are round?
The summary is this in the evolutionary story of various life cycles--

----Round pupils (humans, birds) give even focus across the entire
     depth of field during the day.
----Vertical pupils (cat, gecko) optimize depth perception, day and night.
----Horizontal pupils (goat, frog) optimize and give a panoramic
     field of view to detect predators.

These various pupil shapes are adaptations to their lifestyle.
Specifically, domestic cats are ambush predators 
And have a superior depth of field.
This allows them to better judge distance to their prey.
This pupil shape also helps cats to see side-to-side motions,
Making their small rodent prey easier to spot with their movements.
Unlike small domestic cats which are crepuscular actors,
Big cats which hunt diurnally and with round pupils,
Are capable of a clear focus across the entire long distance field of view.
Having vertical pupils, also gives its bearer camouflage,
As it breaks up the round shape of the eye,
And thus makes it harder for its prey to see the hidden predator.
There too, are geckos with vertical slits, having tiny round openings,
Cuttlefish with distinctive 'W'-shaped pupils,
And rays possessing crescent-shaped pupils.
Such aquatic species are benefitted by both round and horizontal pupils.
The other factors determining how an animal sees,
Are the number and distribution of rods and cones, 
Working in concert with pupil shape;
The shape of the lens is also important, for instance, 
In correcting chromatic aberration, resulting in excellent color vision.
So, wonder less about the different pupil shapes, because you now know!

Dinosaur Footprint Hunting opus 731

While teaching in Lesotho, Africa,
I had my first child, Pierre,
Who at two, 'followed' me around the countryside,
Collecting bees at night 
And finding dinosaur footprints in daylight.
This, all between my biology classes at the University.
One spectacular trip was to a large valley,
Where there were myriads of tumbled sandstone blocks,
Strewn randomly throughout the area.
I slowly walked amongst these boulders,
When suddenly I found my first prints.
A large, three-toed series of impressions,
Spread across the flat surface.
I carried with me plaster of paris, a water container,
Strips of cardboard and a clutch of paperclips.
I made a cardboard border around the print,
Tied together at the ends, with the necessary clips.
Water and plaster were mixed to a soft-solid consistency;
Then poured into the void, the print primed with vaseline.
Several prints were cast and then the waiting time.
Each was pulled up and removed, now in a solid state.
These prints were made in the seventies
And many remain today (2026) on my farm to our delight.
The five decades of preservation here on the farm,
Equals nothing to the 60 million years of waiting in the sandstone,
To be admired by humans today--
They, nowhere to be found during this creature's long past reign.

Meditations opus 736

A young couple stopped in Istanbul from India about 1972.
They had studied with the Maharishi,
Learning Transcendental Meditation.
They taught, giving us a mantra; each.

Meditation stayed with me, I reaching into it now and then.
The next real moment was in Egypt.
I was in the Great Pyramid with its long corridors of stone.
Being in a pyramid, I found a corner 
And produced my alpha waves
(Remember 'pyramid power' in the 70's?)
The moment of exultation was great,
Augmented by the largest of all pyramids.

Then a sojourn through Belize 
And its modest Maya pyramid structures.
Quietly returning to the area after dark,
I climbed the high, narrow steps of one to its summit.
I sat there with the moon, looking over the dense jungle,
And my mind, catalyzed by my mantras,
Sent alphas through me and the surrounding forest. 
I was at one, blending with encompassing Nature.

My alpha waves have given me balance through time.
How fortunate to have been on the path so long ago,
With those two tarrying teachers travelling home from India.
They have given me a levitation of my mind
And an aura which joins me with my world and my existence.

Veronika, the Tool User opus 753

Jane Goodall, astounded the world by showing
That chimpanzees hunted termites with stick-tools.
More data among birds showed that crows and ravens were tool-users.
We must also consider the overlooked ability of rocks used by sea otters.
Incredibly, a new aspect concerning a cow has been observed!
Veronika, a 13-year-old Swiss Brown cow in Austria,
Living as a pet on a family farm, was observed
By researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna.
Veronika, with her tongue, picks up sticks, rakes, and deck brushes,
Manipulating these tools to scratch unreachable parts of her body.
She uses the bristled end of a deck brush for her thick-skinned back,
And switches to a smooth handle for her sensitive underbelly.
This cow does not make tools, but neither, always, does a chimp.
(There are similar undocumented accounts of goats also using sticks.)
Humans had to slowly learn technology and the use of tools;
Are the creatures around us, picking this up for their own benefit as well?
If Veronika were given a couple of 'pasture-mates',
Would she teach them how to do such manipulations?
The passing on of such behavior to others could also be really crucial.