Exploring Nature in 1914 [Slide Show]
A short trip down the natural history corridor of the Scientific American Archives from a century ago
Exploring Nature in 1914 [Slide Show]
- Terror Bird: Leg-bone fragments collected in Wyoming were described by the prolific (and apparently reprehensible) Robert Shufeldt. His recreation of the species now called Gastornis ajax was based on an African ostrich but we have a different reconstruction these days... Scientific American, March 21, 1914
- Passenger Pigeons Extinct: On September 1, 1914, at 1 A.M., the species Ectopistes migratorius became extinct when the last known member died at the Cincinatti Zoo. The body of the bird was photographed (the eye was added to the photograph here) and sent to the Smithsonian Institution to be mounted for display... Scientific American Supplement, October 17, 1914
- Tar-Pit Treasure: The La Brea asphalt pools in California have been yielding exquisitely preserved fossils since 1874. In this drawing recreating a scene from up to 40,000 years ago, a ground sloth has sunk into the asphalt, its death throes attracting a saber-toothed tiger, which is itself about to sink into the gluey substance... Scientific American, March 28, 1914
- Fish Stability: A professor at the Sorbonne in France made a series of models in an attempt to study fluid dynamics and how fish swim. Here, a model of a carp from 1914. In 2014 work like this is mostly done with computers, but you can still learn a lot from a robotic tuna made of aluminum and lycra... Scientific American Supplement, December 12, 1914
- Butterfly Farmer, 1914: The interest in butterflies became the basis for a steady income for an early and celebrated entrepreneur from Truckee, California. Ximena McGlashen caught, raised and sold butterflies; she later earned an entomology degree from Stanford University... Scientific American, June 20, 1914