I'm not really sure what we are supposed to write about this but I do remember talking about diatoms in biology. It's pretty neat how tiny and intricate their structures are and how much variety there is. That links back to all of the blog posts that we have had that have talked about biodiversity and how much of it there is. The photographs of diatoms that people have been able to capture are also pretty impressive; if nothing else the technology required to do that is pretty cool.
I did a little bit of research on diatoms and found that they are everywhere on Earth that is adequately lit since they rely on light for photosynthesis. It seems that these are the opposite of fungus, since fungus thrive in the dark and these thrive in the light. Again, the earth demonstrates just how vital light is for the proper and sustained functioning of the world. Just a tangent thought, I also think it is interesting that the only way to tell that the diatoms are emitting light is to put them in darkness where they will die due to lack of light.
Wow, Natasha, great work and research! The fact that you could make the link between diatoms and light is awesome. I would like to comment on your tangent thought. In quantum physics, we believe that the actual act of observation causes changes in physics. It makes things collapse and destroy. For example, measuring the energy of two superposed waves will actually collapse one of the waves. It is the act of observing that causes destruction, which is very similar to the diatoms. By observing whether or not the diatoms are emitting light (a wave!!!), the diatoms themselves must be destroyed.
This reminds me a lot about fractals and, once again, about the concept of recursion. These diatoms appear to essentially be configurations of smaller geometries, but for which the patterns are dependent upon initial selections. This means that the whole is defined on itself by its smallest units, as illustrated in the concept of recursion. This also points to the sameness and replication of outcome, which are only slightly altered from an earlier by combination with other concepts.
I wasn't really sure what to write about either.... But since everyone else seemed to write about the biology and such around diatoms, I'm going to go a different direction! I looked at all of the pictures on the google search and the diatoms were so varied! There were many different colors and shapes and sizes of diatoms! SO many of them were beautiful. That's what I took away from this particular post. There is beauty in everything.
I researched zooplankton last year so I know a bit about diatoms as they are some of their food source. What I found in my research last year and in these photos was really amazing- I could spend hours at the microscope just marveling over the complexity of the microscopic organisms. I find it fascinating- they are so small yet when looked at through the microscope they are truly nature's own artwork, and almost perfectionist with their fractals and recursion as Pedro pointed out. I find this to be true to one of the overall themes of the class- training ourselves to look at the world in a different way. By using a tool such as a microscope (or in our case, a camera) we are able to see far beyond what the brain tells us is there and find true natural beauty.
What strikes me most about these organisms is their symmetrical nature. Many of the images on Google showed organisms that were displaying several different forms of symmetry. Connecting these creatures to the class, that would be how these thrive in lighted environments.
I'm not really sure what we are supposed to write about this but I do remember talking about diatoms in biology. It's pretty neat how tiny and intricate their structures are and how much variety there is. That links back to all of the blog posts that we have had that have talked about biodiversity and how much of it there is. The photographs of diatoms that people have been able to capture are also pretty impressive; if nothing else the technology required to do that is pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteI did a little bit of research on diatoms and found that they are everywhere on Earth that is adequately lit since they rely on light for photosynthesis. It seems that these are the opposite of fungus, since fungus thrive in the dark and these thrive in the light. Again, the earth demonstrates just how vital light is for the proper and sustained functioning of the world. Just a tangent thought, I also think it is interesting that the only way to tell that the diatoms are emitting light is to put them in darkness where they will die due to lack of light.
DeleteWow, Natasha, great work and research! The fact that you could make the link between diatoms and light is awesome. I would like to comment on your tangent thought. In quantum physics, we believe that the actual act of observation causes changes in physics. It makes things collapse and destroy. For example, measuring the energy of two superposed waves will actually collapse one of the waves. It is the act of observing that causes destruction, which is very similar to the diatoms. By observing whether or not the diatoms are emitting light (a wave!!!), the diatoms themselves must be destroyed.
DeleteThis reminds me a lot about fractals and, once again, about the concept of recursion. These diatoms appear to essentially be configurations of smaller geometries, but for which the patterns are dependent upon initial selections. This means that the whole is defined on itself by its smallest units, as illustrated in the concept of recursion. This also points to the sameness and replication of outcome, which are only slightly altered from an earlier by combination with other concepts.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't really sure what to write about either.... But since everyone else seemed to write about the biology and such around diatoms, I'm going to go a different direction! I looked at all of the pictures on the google search and the diatoms were so varied! There were many different colors and shapes and sizes of diatoms! SO many of them were beautiful. That's what I took away from this particular post. There is beauty in everything.
ReplyDeleteI researched zooplankton last year so I know a bit about diatoms as they are some of their food source. What I found in my research last year and in these photos was really amazing- I could spend hours at the microscope just marveling over the complexity of the microscopic organisms. I find it fascinating- they are so small yet when looked at through the microscope they are truly nature's own artwork, and almost perfectionist with their fractals and recursion as Pedro pointed out. I find this to be true to one of the overall themes of the class- training ourselves to look at the world in a different way. By using a tool such as a microscope (or in our case, a camera) we are able to see far beyond what the brain tells us is there and find true natural beauty.
ReplyDeleteWhat strikes me most about these organisms is their symmetrical nature. Many of the images on Google showed organisms that were displaying several different forms of symmetry. Connecting these creatures to the class, that would be how these thrive in lighted environments.
ReplyDelete