The Primate Anthology: Essays on Primate Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation from Natural History

The Primate Anthology: Essays on Primate Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation from Natural History. Russell L. Ciochon and Richard A. Nisbett. eds. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998. 246 pp.     

On Fertile Ground: A Natural History of Human Reproduction

On Fertile Ground:. Natural History of Human Reproduction. Peter T. Ellison. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2001. 358 pp.     

The Natural History of Oxygen

The nuclear reactions occurring in the cores of stars which are believed to produce the element oxygen are first described. Evidence for the absence of free oxygen in the early atmosphere of the earth is reviewed. Mechanisms of creation of atmospheric oxygen by photochemical processes are then discussed in detail. Uncertainty regarding the rate of diffusion of water vapor through the cold trap at 70 km altitude in calculating the rate of the photochemical production of oxygen is avoided by using data for the concentration of hydrogen atoms at 90 km obtained from the Meinel OH absorption bands. It is estimated that the present atmospheric oxygen content could have been produced five to ten times during the earth's history. It is shown that the isotopic composition of atmospheric oxygen is not that of photosynthetic oxygen. The fractionation of oxygen isotopes by organic respiration and oxidation occurs in a direction to enhance the O¹⁸ content of the atmosphere and compensates for the O¹⁸ dilution resulting from photosynthetic oxygen. Thus, an oxygen isotope cycle exists in nature.     

A Natural History of You

High school biology is typically taught with an emphasis on human biology. The human body is broken down into distinct systems without regard to the origins of its parts. As a result, students are left with the impression that our biology is incredibly unique as opposed to a consequence of conservative replication and the retention of traits over millions of years. Here, I present a brief example of how the practice of phylogenetic systematics affects how we identify ourselves, and I pay homage to a particular section of our evolutionary legacy that joins all animals great and small with an interactive laboratory exercise.     

美国自然历史博物馆之旅——哺乳动物展

在美国纽约曼哈顿区有一座博物馆,它独占中央公园西侧,用22座建筑物组成了一个自然历史殿堂,这就是有口皆碑的纽约自然历史博物馆。该博物馆建立于1869年,有50多个展厅,收藏着人类有史以来的各种植物、动物和矿物标本3600万件之多,现陈列有天文、矿物、人类、古动物和现代动物5个方面12个学部。就收藏标本之富,涵盖学科面之广,都无愧为世界最大的博物馆之一。