Neapolitan Cephalopods

Neapolitan Cephalopods:

I Cefalopodi!

"Adolf Naef (1883-1949) was a Swiss zoologist and palaeontologist, famous for his work on cephalopods and systematics.



[He] studied at the University of Zurich, under the guidance of Arnold Lang, a former Professor of Jena University and close friend of Ernst Haeckel*. Naef visited and worked in Anton Dorn’s Zoological Station in Naples, Italy in 1908, studying the squid Loligo vulgaris, the subject of his dissertation.



Naef returned to the Naples Zoological Station in the mid 1920s to study cephalopods, publishing a two-part monograph in the Station’s 'Fauna und Flora des Golfes von Neapel und der Angrenzenden Meers-Abschitte' ('Fauna e Flora del Golfo di Napoli') series, which formed the basis for his two short but significant monographs on systematic theory. In 1922 he became Professor at the University of Zagreb, and in 1927 was Professor of Zoology at the University of Cairo."

'I Cefalopodi' is hosted by the Biodiversity Heritage Library on behalf of the Smithsonian Institution.



The overall series from Naples is dated 1896 (presumably when it began) and this mid-1920s monograph (Vol. 35) on cephalopods features about thirty lithographs, most in black & white. (The digital book consists of only illustration plates)



Perhaps via; I don't quite recall. Click through on the images above to see them the right way up!

Reconsidering The Moon

Reconsidering The Moon:

Throughout the ages, man has tried to better understand our closest celestial neighbor through myths and science. Our knowledge of the moon has changed over and over again as we learn more and more about the crater-covered satellite. And research is still changing what we believe.

Earlier this month, a report was released, showing that the moon may be 200 million years younger than researchers previously believed, dating at about 4.36 billion years old. This information came from the detailed inspection of a moon rock that was brought back to Earth by the Apollo 16 astronauts back in 1972. The discovery only applies if the moon was in fact created when a Mars-sized rock crashed into the still molten Earth and shot debris into orbit around us. Since this is the current theory most scientists believe, it means that either the collision occurred much earlier than they thought, or that the moon was created some other way entirely.

Of course, since the dawn of time, children have looked up at the moon and fantasized about being able to pluck it from the sky if only they had ladder tall enough. That’s why I love this playful series of images by photographer Laurent Lavender showing people interacting with the moon in all kinds of ways. We’ve featured some of her images before and while they may not be the strongest illusions featured here, they are stunning photos that truly capture the childhood feeling of being able to reach out to the moon and turn it in to a new toy!

Check the below gallery for rest of the shots:

Work in Progress

(title unknown):

“Work In Progress“, 2010 by Gareth Long.

Ingrid Dabringer Puts the "Art" in Cartography

Ingrid Dabringer Puts the "Art" in Cartography:

Canadian artist Ingrid Dabringer has recently come to our attention for her map paintings, in which she reinterprets the vagaries of plate tectonics as portraits and dancers with a vaguely fauvist flavor.

She recently shared her creative process with the Huffington Post (their Travel section, no less): "I'm constantly pulling focus with my eyes. Sometimes I focus on the color, other times topography, other times black lines or colored lines or the landmass. I also let my eyes go blurry and focus sort of behind or in front of the map. Once I sift out a contour I don't lose it. In the end, I see all of the separate elements all together."

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