This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
You can still enter the naming contest and now this week cabinet of curiosities - links for a lazy afternoon...
This Week Geohistory:
November 9, 1934: Birthday of a collection of organic molecules called Carl E. Sagan
November 8, 1895: Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovers X-rays, not only useful to see bones, but also to identify the structure of crystals
November 7, 1492: The “thunderstone of Ensisheim” is the oldest documented (and preserved) European meteorite
November 6, 1910: Birthday of American zoologist, paleontologist, and geologist Everett C. Olson
November 5, 1955: Doc Brown invents the Flux-Capacitator, essential part of every DeLorean time machine
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
On November 7, we celebrated naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace´s contributions to science, from biology to geology:
Just wonderful - The Animated Life of A. R. Wallace
The Man Who Wasn't Darwin: Alfred Russel Wallace on the Centenary of His Death, one podcast with Wallace biographer Peter Raby, and another one and even one from Australia
A.R. Wallace on Geology, Great Glaciers and the Speed of Evolution
Wallaceana! The Great Link Collection
This Week Geonews:
Ancient engineering skills: Using ice to drag heavy building stones (open access paper) and antiseismic castles
Thomas Burnet's world map, with the oceans dried up, published in 1694
In 1969 Niagara river was diverted from Niagara Falls for the first time in 12.000 years
Geologist - maybe Italian naturalist Lazzaro Spallanzani (1729-1799) himself - investigating the inner workings of a volcano at the Italian island of "Vulcano", from Spallanzani´s book "Viaggi alle due Sicilie e in alcune parti dell’Appennino"
Finally ! Non GMO, Non Chemical Salt (also known by chemists as Sodium-chloride)
This Week Geopapers:
Open access paper "Identifying global zoogeographical regions: lessons from Wallace" by M. RUEDA et al.
Open access paper "Charles Robert Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace: their dispute over the units of selection" by M. RUSE
This Week Geobooks:
Book Review "EarthART" (2013) by B. Edmaier
Book Review "Coal: A Human History" (2004) by B. Freese
Book Review "Darwins´Sacred Cause" (2011) by J. Moore
"James Hutton and the History of Geology" (1992) by D.R.Dean