Welcome to the eighteenth Daily Field Note! Here you find the top post of the day, one covering each scientific field that is included by Geopolis. Since these authors put a lot of effort in writing a good post they surely deserve the extra exposure.
Geopolis is a project to promote and connect authors who write in the fields of global sciences. Upvotes are currently worth more than $1,50 so don't hesitate to get involved or become a member for higher rewards! You can read more about the project and how to join here:
https://steemit.com/geopolis/@geopolis/geopolis-the-community-for-global-sciences-update-3
Subjects curated by Geopolis are Geography, Anthropology, Ecology, Geology, Archeology and certain branches of History.
Geology: The Geological Time
Have you ever thought about the age of the earth and the insignificance of the time span in which humans roam the earth? If you are following @geopolis the chances are that you actually have. @the-geekiest-one goes even deeper in the different concepts of time scales and it is very interesting.
The Earth is just over 4.5 billion years old. It is difficult to appreciate exactly the scale of this number. If the entire history of the Earth were compressed into 1 year then the Earth was formed on Jan 1. During January the layers of the Earth developed into core, mantle and early crust. During February much of the oceans had been formed and toward the end of February life evolved in the form of simple organisms. In April the atmosphere gained free oxygen and by early May modern plate tectonic processes were operating. In late October organisms with hard shells had evolved. On December 7 reptiles were roaming the land and on December 25th the dinosaurs became extinct. Homo Sapiens made their appearance at 11pm on New Years Eve and Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon just a microsecond before the stroke of midnight.
Geography: Historical Cultural Geography: From Here to Timbuktu
There are so many stories about ancient Africa and it is a real shame that they remain unknown for most people. Timbuktu for instance, is a city that has such a long history which can easily be forgotten. Therefor I think it is really valuable that @keephy dug deeper into the matter and presented us his story.
Once considered the most important commercial hub in West Africa during the 15th and 16th centuries, Timbuktu became a city of fabled stories for centuries to come. At the peak of its prominence it was not only a center for culture in the region, but also a place where people from all over the world came to seek hopes of fortune. One historical account of this was noted by diplomat and author Leo Africanus. He was well known for his in-depth descriptions of the region during a time when little was actually known about West Africa elsewhere in the world. As a consequence, this gave historians and cultural geographers a broader perspective of how influential Timbuktu truly was.
Anthropology: Some weird rituals and festivals in India - part 3
We read about the weird festivals in India before thanks to @pratique007, and now we have some more, rather odd rituals practiced in India. I personally would not be able to keep up with all the festivities, but the more occasions to dress up, the better!
India is known for its multiple cultures and rituals. History shows the origins of these cultures and rituals. Some events happened in history are tragic while some are weird. Let's take a short introduction to some of these rituals and festivals.
Ecology: Community Ecology and Life History
@cocobrooks wrote about ecology and how science tries to characterize the history of life. Quite interesting and you should definitely give it a try if you like the matter.
Let's talk about what makes up the life history of a population. How and when do species reproduce? What factors influence their lifespans? How does this impact community succession? SO MANY QUESTIONS!
And now some answers...
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