University of California Press Blog

How the Dinosaurs Lived

As a dinosaur paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, author, and educator, Scott Sampson's work reaches into the past, present, and future. While holding a dual position at the University of Utah and the university's Utah Museum of Natural History, he began a major project in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, one of the country's last frontiers for dinosaur paleontology. The site proved to be a window back in time, to a region populated by many never-before-seen dinosaur varieties, including a giant duck-billed dinosaur, a new type of feathered dinosaur, and others. In this video, Sampson and others from the Utah Museum of Natural History trace a dinosaur fossil from the earth to the museum.

In his book Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in a Web of Life, Sampson places dinosaurs in the context of the entire natural world, from the origins of life to the present. Illustrating how dinosaurs lived and what we can learn from them, Sampson imparts a sense of wonder about paleontology and the scientific revelations that still wait to be unearthed. 

Sampson now lives in California, and continues his research while taking on new projects related to education. He is the paleontologist and host of the Discovery Channel series Dinosaur Planet, and of the PBS Kids series Dinosaur Train, produced by the Jim Henson Company. In the video below, from PBS's coverage of the of the TV Critics Press Tour, Sampson talks to Zadi Diaz about Dinosaur Train, and how learning about dinosaurs is a great way to start learning about science and the natural world.

Africa's Botanical Legacy: New UC Press Podcast with Judith Carney

We are pleased to announce that Episode 26 of the UC Press podcast series is now available. In this episode, Chris Gondek of Heron and Crane Productions speaks with Judith Carney about the enduring contributions African slaves made to worldwide botanical and agricultural history, that she and Richard Nicholas Rosomoff explore in their book In the Shadow of Slavery: Africa's Botanical Legacy in the Atlantic World.

You may subscribe to the monthly podcast feed that contains the individual episodes using your RSS aggregator or directly via the iTunes store. You can listen to individual author interviews from the episodes at our podcast page. Listen to an interview with Judith Carney, co-author of In the Shadow of Slavery.

Beetles and Books with Dr. Art Evans, Sept. 17

Throughout history, humans have used beetles as medicinal remedies, eaten them roasted or skewered, made them into brilliantly patterned jewelry, kept them as pets, and much more. As the largest, and one of the most successful and enduring groups of animals in the world, beetles have many lessons to offer. To learn more about these fascinating creatures, join Dr. Art Evans for a talk and signing for his book An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles, this Thursday, September 17 at 7PM, at The Bone Room in Berkeley.

Evans is also co-author, with James N. Hogue, of Introduction to California Beetles and Field Guide to Beetles of California. 

The Bone Room is located at 1573 Solano Ave., Berkeley, CA, 94707.

Eugenie Scott Honored for Leadership in Science Education

Eugenie C. Scott has been named one of the Scientific American 10, a select group of leaders in science, politics, business, and philanthropy, who are building a better future with their ingenious approaches to solving global problems.

Scott, the author of Evolution vs. Creationism, is the executive director of the National Center for Science Education (NCSE), a nonprofit organization that seeks to keep evolution in the school curriculum, and to provide resources and accurate information about the evolution / creationism controversy. Scientific American praised Scott's longstanding advocacy for this cause, noting that she calls herself "Darwin's golden retriever" for her enthusiastic and committed defense of evolutionary science. Under her leadership, the NCSE has been instrumental to to promoting public understanding of science, and in the struggle to keep evolution in the classroom. This year, Scott also received the first annual Stephen Jay Gould prize from the Society for the Study of Evolution. 

Read more about Eugenie Scott, and learn how the other Scientific American 10, including stem cell biologist Andras Nagy, Intel environmental manager Todd Brady, physician Wafaa El-Sadr, anti-smoking activists Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg, President Barack Obama, and other innovators, are changing the world.

Ocean Energy

Peter Asmus, President of Pathfinder Communications, is a journalist, consultant, and author of Reaping the Wind: how Mechanical Wizards and Profiteers Helped Shape Our Energy Future, among other books. He is also the author of Introduction to Energy in California, which was published by UC Press in June 2009. To learn more about the author and renewable energy, please visit his blog, Finding the Responsible Path.

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Short-sighted Cuts to U.S. Ocean Energy Budgets

By Peter Asmus

The earth is the water planet, so it should come as no great surprise that forms of water power have been one of the world’s most popular “renewable” energy sources. Yet the largest water power source of all – the ocean that covers three-quarters of earth – has yet to be tapped in any major way for power generation. There are three primary reasons for this:

•    The first is the nature of the ocean itself, a powerful resource that cannot be privately owned like land that typically serves as the foundation for site control for terrestrial power plants of all kinds;

•    The second is funding. Hydropower was heavily subsidized during the Great Depression, but little public investment has since been steered toward marine renewables with the exception of ocean thermal technologies, which were perceived to be a failure.

•    The third reason why the ocean has not yet been industrialized on behalf of energy production is that the technologies, materials and construction techniques did not exist until now to harness this renewable energy resource in any meaningful and cost effective way.

As ocean energy advocates gather this week in Maine for a conference designed to raise the profile of this potential clean energy source, they face a daunting task in the light of recent proposed cuts in federal government support. With the best ocean current resource in the world in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Florida, excellent tidal sites in California, Maine, Washington and Alaska and prime wave resources off the coasts of California and Oregon, the U.S. is well positioned to be a global leader.

With good tidal power sites in the San Francisco Bay, and the nation’s most viable wave resource all along the North Coast, there is much at stake here for the Golden State.

Consider these simple facts: waves, tides and ocean currents are 800 times more powerful than the thin air that is wind. Tides can be predicted decades in advance, while the wind resource shifts so suddenly, forecasts are good for only a few hours at a time. The sun never shines at night.

Despite these inherent advantages, the total installed capacity of these hydrokinetic resources – a category that includes wave, tidal stream, ocean current, and ocean thermal– was less than 10 megwatts (MW) at the end of 2008 (enough power for about 10,000 homes). It is expected that within the next five to eight years, these emerging technologies will become commercialized to the point that they can begin competing for a share of the burgeoning market for carbon-free and non-polluting renewable resources. By 2015, almost 3,000 MW could be on-line around the world. That figure could jump to 200,000 MW by 2025.

A recent surge in interest in these new renewable options has generated a buzz, particularly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand…and the U.S.

So far, President Obama wins high marks for shifting priorities on energy policy in the U.S. But his recent proposal to trim R&D funding for the emerging sector of “marine renewables” -- also often referred to as ocean power or hydrokinetic technologies – is extremely short-sighted and misses the boat. Trimming the $40 million proposed for marine renewables in 2009 by 25 percent will likely allow the U.K. and Europe to take a commanding lead in the development of a potential “game changing” clean power that is much more powerful and predictable than either solar or wind, both big winners in Obama’s proposed R&D budgets for the federal Dept. of Energy.

Europe, particularly the U.K., Ireland and Portugal, are the currently the best places to develop wave and tidal projects. Subsidy schemes there, as well as government funded test facilities, and streamlined permitting processes, will likely allow Europe to be the focal point of commercialization efforts in the near-term.

The U.S. has taken some promising steps recently resolving permitting issues for marine renewable technologies. But without more R&D, entrepreneurs already hit by the global economic meltdown may flounder and seek to do business on friendlier shores in Europe. While wave and tidal developers are offered lavish subsidies amounting to about 30 cents per kilowatt hour in Europe, the U.S. currently offers a measly 1 cent/kWh, half of the subsidy currently being offered to wind power projects, a fully commercialized technology.

The ocean is a huge global resource that will ultimately have to be tapped to meet the energy needs of the world’s growing populations – without contributing to global climate change. If the U.S. wants to be part of the solution, and help economic development in regions decimated by the collapse of native fishing stocks, then strategic investments need to be made today. We need wind, we need solar, but we should also be smart and be in a good position to tap the immense power of our oceans.

Exploring the Treetops with Nalini Nadkarni

In her book Between Earth and Sky, forest canopy biologist Nalini Nadkarni introduces us to a man named Emil, who has traveled from the tundra of northern Canada to experience trees for the first time. At the end of the two-week excursion, he describes his impression of the forest: “You must learn to treat these big trees the way we treat the elders in our village—with great care and respect. Trees are as important to you as our grandparents are to us because they teach you things.” As Nadkarni shows, trees are indeed wise teachers, providers, healers, and friends. They are the common thread between chewing gum, turpentine, allspice, maple syrup, vitamin packets, charcoal, toothpaste, and Chanel No. 5, and they are present throughout our lives, from birth and childhood (cradles, building blocks, tree houses) to death and beyond (memorial trees, coffins, gallows), and everything in between. Nadkarni illustrates how trees support every human need, from food and shelter to health, creativity, a sense of history, spirituality and religion, and mindfulness.

The relationship between people and trees, particularly the forest canopy, is at the center of Nadkarni’s book. She shares her personal story of how trees shaped her life: her childhood in the treetops, her life's work as a canopy researcher, her marriage in a tree, and her wish to ultimately become part of the canopy itself. Nadkarni has transcended the borders of academic science to become a forest ambassador and teacher, connecting people with nature in creative ways. In her talk at the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference, above, she describes some of these projects and partnerships, including music, dance, and art collaborations, and a program where incarcerated men and women learn to cultivate endangered canopy moss. Her Forest Canopy Lab also created the Treetop Barbie, to inspire the next generation of adventurous tree climbers. But the ultimate partnership is the one between humans and trees: "There are trees in our hearts. There are trees in your hearts. When we come to understand nature, we are touching the most deep, the most important parts of our self," she says. Nadkarni's story illuminates the path toward mindfulness, and a rediscovery of our relationship with nature.

New Yorker on Biology and the Mother of Invention

In last week’s New Yorker Adam Gopnik wrote and incredibly wide-ranging and ultimately soothing article that, crudely, goes something like this: Don’t worry if these hard times haven’t stimulated your imagination. Necessity is not the mother of invention; leisure is. In fatter times we have the excess energy and resources to sit around inventing. In lean times, it’s enough just to get by.

It’s a win-win situation as he sets it up. The expectations for our salad days are lessened (comforting for those of us disappointed that all that paucity failed to produce the requisite bursts of genius), and the fear of lethargy in our more abundant middle age dispelled. Personally, it works out beautifully. When Gopnik veers scientifically, things get shaky.

Among a handful of evolutionary biologists, Gopnik sites Joan Roughgarden’s new book, The Genial Gene, as his musings turn scientific.  He mentions in passing Roughgarden’s main thesis that some sexual selection is social, not selfish; mates don’t necessarily prefer the most exotic looking lover, but eye-catching traits may make an animal well respected among a clique of peers, and mates do like their partners to have friends. But he doesn’t make much of it, dismissing it as a kind of west coast communalism. It’s just a step on the way to one the other findings in Roughgarden’s book: that beautiful and outlandish traits in animals may not have evolved from homeliness, as commonly thought. Quite the opposite, some animals, like peacocks and peahens, have evolved to be more drab. Or, more specifically, the peahens have become drabber, a trait that seems to serve them as camouflage from predators when they are in the tough times of raising their young. Bright feathers might win friends when times are good, but when survival is on the line basic colorlessness is the best way to stay alive.

Gopnik uses this, a little snidely, to support his idea that hard times bring out the drab in us. They are the times we should, naturally, get back to basics. The leap he makes here is a funny one. He assumes what is true for the genome is true for the imagination. If feathers get drabber in hard times, so must ideas. This goes far beyond the mind/body connections, all the way to the mind/bird connection. It’s an especially risky leap of logic since Roughgarden herself states that evolutionary biology does not now, and may never, explain human behavior (for a great synopsis of her position, scroll down a bit to the podcast interview with her). Just because the peacocks are doing it, doesn’t mean we have to follow.

Professor Roughgarden has a great quote in the interview about scientific theories: “The logic is sound, but that doesn’t mean that it’s true.” What’s true, scientifically, is the world as it is, not as we imagine it to be, no matter how soothing or logical our imaginings. Gopnik’s piece, however, underscored another kind of truth: that which feels true. Perhaps we don’t need evolutionary biology just yet to explain our complicated human motivations. Perhaps ornately imagined writing, streams of consciousness, free association, and the poetry of a rambling New Yorker article are perfectly good modes of exploring ourselves, in good times or bad.

UC Press Podcast Featuring Jonathan Marks

We are pleased to announce that Episode 17 of the UC Press podcast series is now available. In this episode, Chris Gondek of Heron and Crane Productions interviews Jonathan Marks as he talks about the authority of anthropology in science in his new book, Why I Am Not a Scientist: Anthropology and Modern Knowledge.

You may subscribe to the monthly podcast feed that contains the individual episodes using your RSS aggregator or directly via the iTunes store.  You can listen to individual author interviews from the episodes at our podcast page.

Listen to an interview with Jonathan Marks, author of Why I Am Not a Scientist.

David Meltzer, Melvyn Goldstein, and Anne Salmond Elected to National Academy of Sciences

UC Press authors David Meltzer, Melvyn Goldstein, and Anne Salmond were elected to the National Academy of Sciences on April 28. Meltzer and Goldstein were elected as members, and Salmond was elected as a foreign associate. They join a distinguished group of scholars who advise the government on scientific and technological issues, and advance knowledge in these areas as a public service. Members of the Academy are selected on the basis of exceptional, consistent achievement in original research, and election is one of the highest honors in any area of science or engineering.

David Meltzer is Henderson-Morrison Professor of Prehistory and director of the QUEST archaeological research program at Southern Methodist University. In Folsom, Meltzer tells the story of the famous archaeological site in New Mexico, and the pivotal discovery that proved humans lived in Ice Age America. His most recent book, First Peoples in a New World, follows  North America's first inhabitants as they trekked across the icy continent more than 12,000 years ago. Tracking their elusive footprints with archaeological  and scientific tools, he reconstructs the landscapes and experiences of the first North Americans. 

Melvyn Goldstein is co-director of the Center for Research on Tibet, John Reynolds Harkness Professor of Anthropology at Case Western Reserve University, and the author of many books on Tibet. He is noted for his balanced approach to controversial issues, and Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times called his book The Snow Lion and the Dragon "the best introduction to Tibet". In the first and second volumes of A History of Modern Tibet, he presents a detailed account of Tibet from 1913 to the present. Most recently, Goldstein co-authored (with Ben Jiao and Tanzen Lhundrup) On the Cultural Revolution in Tibet, which reexamines the Nyemo Incident of 1969.

Anne Salmond is Distinguished Professor of Maori Studies and Anthropology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her forthcoming book Aphrodite's Island returns to the day the first European ships landed at Tahiti. Exploring both Tahitian and European perspectives, Salmond chronicles how these early encounters shaped the future of the island and its visitors. Aphrodite's Island will be available in January 2010.

Jonathan Marks Wins 2009 J.I. Staley Prize from the School for Advanced Research

The School for Advanced Research (SAR) has awarded its 2009 J.I. Staley Prize to Jonathan Marks, for his book What It Means to be 98% Chimpanzee. The annual prize honors authors who expand the realm of anthropology through outstanding scholarship and writing. Past UC Press winners have included Charles L. Briggs and Carla Mantini-Briggs, for Stories in the Time of Cholera, and Paul Farmer, for Pathologies of Power.
    What It Means to be 98% Chimpanzee is scientific, witty, provocative, and enthusiastically critical of scientific fallacies. Examining genetic data through the dual lens of molecular anthropology, Marks clarifies the scientific and cultural implications of our genetic similarity to apes. 
    Marks will receive his award  at the American Anthropological Association annual meeting in December. His forthcoming book, Why I Am Not a Scientist: Anthropology and Modern Knowledge, will be published in June.