David Bressan
Scientific American
Alps, GA, United States
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Past articles by David:
Earth’s Age and the Cosmic Calendar
During the 19th century geologists realized that earth was quite older than previously believed, however this discovery posed an even greater question: what about the universe? ... → Read More
Medieval Witch Hunts Influenced by Climate Change
August 3, 1562 a devastating thunderstorm hit central Europe, damaging buildings, killing animals and destroying crops and vineyards. The havoc caused by this natural disaster was so great, so unprecedented, that soon an unnatural origin for the storm was proposed. → Read More
The mythical Fire-Mountains of the Cascades
The west coast of the U.S. is not only characterized by earthquakes and related myths, but also by volcanoes and also these natural phenomena became incorporated ... → Read More
Thomas Jefferson’s Patriotic Monsters
In the late 18th century earth-sciences experienced a revolution. The principles of modern rock classification were introduced and sediments subdivided by the content of embedded fossils. ... → Read More
Baron Cuvier and the Question How Mummies Could Evolve
“Every one has heard of the Ibis, the bird to which the ancient Egyptians paid religious worship; which they brought up in the interior of their temples, which they allowed to stray unharmed trough their cities, and whose murderer, even though involuntary, was pnished by death; which they embalmed with as much care as their own parents.” “Description of the bird called the Ibis by the ancient Egyptians“,… → Read More
The Expanding Earth
The prevailing geological model of the early 19th century was characterized by an almost static earth, maybe slowly cooling and shrinking, until the molten interior would ... → Read More
Cryptozoon – In Search of the “Hidden Life”
In the first edition of “On the Origin of Species” (1859) Darwin only briefly addresses the earliest known fossils, or better the lack thereof: “If the theory [of evolution] be true, it is indisputable that before the lowest Cambrian stratum was deposited, long periods elapsed . . . and the world swarmed with living creatures. [Yet] to the question why we do not find rich fossiliferous deposits belonging… → Read More
It’s life, Charlie, but not as we know it – Charles Darwin and the search of early (Extraterrestrial) Life
In August 1881 the journal “Science” published an article with a letter exchange by two amateur geologist – British Charles R. Darwin and the German Otto Hahn- discussing the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Just some years earlier Darwin had published a book “On Origin of Species” proposing that complex life forms descended slowly over time from simple ones, however as earth seemed to be too… → Read More
Hydrochemistry on the Rocks
It is considered one of the oldest foods and most appreciated beverages of the world - chemical remains were found on fragments of a more than ... → Read More
Happy Easter with a (fake) Dozen Dinosaur Eggs
Roy Chapman Andrews was not only an intrepid explorer and palaeontologist, but also a gifted promoter. The Central Asiatic Expeditions were accompanied by cameras to document ... → Read More
Vitruvian Geology – Leonardo da Vinci and the Realistic Depiction of the Earth’s Surface
In the Renaissance (1450-1600) architecture and pictorial arts, but also scientific disciplines like astronomy, physics and medicine, experienced a rebirth and important improvements - but what ... → Read More
On the Track of Ichnology
“We can do nothing . . . that does not leave its impress behind, for good or for evil, for a blessing or a curse,..[] Our footprints are left in whatever we do. . . . The traces of our actions, good or bad, have life, and they will testify for or against us.” Adam Gifford, prosecutor in a murder case in 1864 Sherlock Holmes was a gifted reader of tracks and surely he would be delighted by the achievements… → Read More
A Concise History of Geological Maps: The Harmony of Colors
The first maps used symbols to characterize single outcrops; later maps introduced shaded areas to display the distribution of specific rock-types, but due the high printing-costs ... → Read More
A Concise History of Geological Maps: Mapping Noah’s Flood
Sometimes a geological map supports an intriguing idea not by showing the rocks that are there, but by showing the rocks that aren't there anymore, eroded ... → Read More
Can Animals Sense Earthquakes?
“Highly unlikely, but not outside the realm of extreme possibilities.” Mulder, F.W. in the “The Jersey Devil” (1993) The earliest documented case of unusual animal behaviour prior to an earthquake is recorded by the Roman historian Aelian in 373 B.C.; five days before an earthquake destroyed the city of Helike (once located at the coast of the Corinthian Gulf) various animals, like rats, weasels,… → Read More
A Concise History of Geological Maps: From Outcrop to the first Map
March 23, 1769 marks the birthday of pioneering stratigrapher William Smith, who is also credited with creating the first useful geological map, however like many other ... → Read More
William Buckland & The Noble Art of Coprology
Buckland’s interest in animal faeces arose from his studies on cave deposits and intermixed organic remains. In various caves that he visited he noted scattered bones and white deposits, which he interpreted to be droppings of carnivores preserved on the cave floor. To verify this hypothesis, Buckland actually fed a spotted hyena from a travelling menagerie with ox bones and on the next day compared… → Read More
Pompeii – a Geological Movie-Review
The new movie “Pompeii” reconstructs one of the most famous volcanic eruptions in history with unprecedented “3D” special effects – but even the best visuals can’t help if the science is wrong – so how geological accurate is the movie? 1.Dramatis Persona Fig.1. Mount Vesuvius as reconstructed in the new film “Pompeii” (from the movie trailer – copyright for it is most likely owned by either the… → Read More
Coming Next: Pompeii – a Geological Movie-Review
A new disaster movie, retelling the fate of the ancient town of Pompeii, will be released soon. The filmmakers spent six years researching the volcanic disaster ... → Read More
For Valentine’s Day: Love can move Mountains (sort of…)
January 11, 1996 a single seismograph of the Geological Survey of Canada buried in a quiet wooded area on central Vancouver Island started to record an ... → Read More