NatureVolve issue 9

Special theme:

Our Planet Discovering..

FOSSIL findings Preserving PEAT for the planet Bio-illustrations

Jurassic

paleoart coins & much more

Explore...

Graphic directly above: Plesiosaurus 50p coin from the Mary Anning Collection. © The Royal Mint. All rights reserved.

Science Science © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Conservation Conservation

Scicomm Scicomm

Art

Written Word

p1

NatureVolve.com Communicating science Combining art

Find NatureVolve on

Twitter Facebook Instagram

@naturevolve

Thank you to the following contributors to this issue: Léa Leuzinger Josefina Bodnar Federica Landi Andrew Kadykalo Roderick “Erick” Gagne RE-PEAT and Bethany Copsey Eirini Poulaki Leonora Martinez-Nunez Amanda Durkin Sarah D’Angelo Chona Camille Abele Kelly Stanford, Daniel Parsons, Kostya Novoselov, Louise Arnal Thomas Brasch Silja Selonen Bree Tait Guillermo Galindo, Beacon Gallery.

Arianna Dagnino Sarah Clark Gaelle Chassery Michael J. Leach Andy Emery, Emma Theresa Jude A special thanks to STEM Advocacy Institute (SAi) and The Royal Mint

Copyright notice

© NatureVolve digital magazine - all original content providers retain the copyright to their work.

No materials may be reused without permission.

Editorial note Welcome to NatureVolve issue 9 At NatureVolve, we are a community commited to bridging science and art together through a common appreciation of nature. It is now more important than ever before to protect the natural world as we fight global environmental problems, including climate change and plastic pollution.

Here, we are pleased to present issue 9 with you which has the special theme - Our Planet.

Sharing diverse topics from science to conservation and art, we specially emphasize the earth sciences and environment in this edition. Meanwhile, this does not leave out interesting discoveries and illustrations in the life sciences. We begin the Science section by looking at geoscience discoveries, and then take a look at 3D visualizations of the human skull.

In the Conservation section we take a glance at some interesting conservation points, such as the gap that can exist between fields of research and practice, and how parasites can aid conservation.

Then, the group RE-PEAT share their story on how their plight for peat protection began. We have beautiful geological artwork in the Scicomm section, showing microscopic thin section views and rock outcrops in the landscape.

Going into biology once again, bio-illustrations show microbiological worlds, including the spike protein structure of Covid-19, plus anatomical pin badges and an animated neuron showing electrical activity. The section then goes deeper into Scicomm community causes and events including the EGU’s Art-Science event at Europe’s largest geosciences conference which NatureVolve took part in.

In the Art section we have mesmerizing photography as well as bio-art, fine art and experimental pieces by a range of talented artists inspired by nature. In Written Word, we finish off with a look at memorable book releases across the science-art boundary, as well as conservation and science inspired poems and guest articles sharing personal thoughts and reflections.

Our digital magazine continually shares the ideas of both scientists and creatives with worldwide communities as we all unite to celebrate nature. Being open and inclusive, contributions in many forms are welcome. If interested to be featured, please go to naturevolve.com and navigate to ‘Register Interest’. If you enjoy this issue please feel free to share the subscription link for free issues with others: naturevolve.com/subscribe

Enjoy the issue!

NatureVolve team © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p2

Contents SCIENCE

Art

Micro-computed tomography reveal a new kind of tooth replacement in vertebrates

5

Petrified Triassic tree trunk Visualizing the human skull in 3D

Thomas Brasch photography peers into the divine

37

9

Finnish nature inspires bioart and sound-art

41

10

Artist shows the magic of nature

45

Genomic musical art

47

conservation Conservation genomics gap

12

How can parasites help conservation? 13 RE-PEAT collective fight for planetary peat protection

14

scicomm Paintings unearth essence of geoscience

19

Royal Mint celebrates Mary Anning with paleo-art 50p coins

23

Bio-illustrations unveil hidden worlds

25

Amanda Durkin

29

Animation shows electrical activity in neuron

31

STEMotivation

32

Exploring the Art-Science interface at Europe’s biggest geosciences conference

33

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Written Word The Afrikaner novel

49

Naked Mole Rat

50

Why Kindness and Self-Care Could Save the Planet

52

In Memory of an Island Species

54

Through these ancient pores: an autobiography of a sandstone reservoir

55

extra NatureVolve note and invite for entries 57 STEM Advocacy Institute (SAi)

58

p3

Science

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p4

SCIENCE

paleontology

Micro-computed tomography reveal a new kind of tooth replacement in vertebrates The internal structure of fossils can be explored through the non-

destructive technique of X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT). Tissues of different densities (e.g. bone, tooth enamel, tooth dentine) or cavities left by nerves or blood vessels are translated into different levels of gray on the computer, which allows the paleontologist to select (“segment”) similar tissues through all the sections of a 3D object.

The segmented specimen can then be visualized as a 3D model and the scientist can “navigate” through it, rotating the object, hiding certain tissues or cutting off the fossil at a given point to see its internal structure in section. A recent study on a prehistoric fish made some discoveries new to science. A contributor to the study, Lea Léuzinger, shares more about the techniques used and the findings here.

Above: Fig. 1) Photograph of a lower hemimandible of the Jurassic bony fish Scheenstia sp. (MJSN TCH005-353) uncovered by the Paléontologie A16 team in the Swiss Jura. Lingual view. Source: Figure derives from open-access publication LEUZINGER, L., CAVIN, L., LÓPEZ-ARBARELLO, A. and BILLON-BRUYAT, J.-P. 2019. Peculiar tooth renewal in a Jurassic ray-finned fish (Lepisosteiformes, Scheenstia sp.). Palaeontology, 1–13. Creative Commons license applies. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p5

SCIENCE

paleontology

Q & A - Léa Leuzinger Have you always had an interest in the geological sciences as well as the arts?

As a paleontologist, I am actually more into plants and animals than into earth processes, rocks and minerals. Since I was a child, I have always loved animals and especially bugs, although I was also very fond of documentaries about natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanoes.

As for arts, I have always been in contact with dancing, music and visual arts, especially through my mother. She took me and my sisters to dance classes since we were 6 years old, and dancing is still a necessary part of my balance. As for the music, I play the piano since I am a child and I am now exploring drums. I was also much into drawing as a teenager and liked sketching during practical classes of biology and paleontology.

Arts are an indispensable part of my life, and during my studies, I have worked in both natural history and art museums, namely the HG Giger museum. The aesthetics of fossils, especially teeth and microfossils

are one the aspects of paleontology that attract me most, although I can be quite distanced from it through my specialization in stable isotope analyses.

I like the hidden beauty of tiny fossils that can only be appreciated under a binocular or microscope.

When I decided to study paleontology, I was actually hesitating with a school of arts and multimedia where I was wanting to study videogame design.

A paleontology teacher told me that many of his geologist colleagues had a side activity in arts, if this could help me decide. To this day, there are still moments when I wonder what my life would have been like as an illustrator, graphic or videogame designer.

“...I like the hidden beauty of tiny fossils that can be appreciated under a binocular or microscope.”

Above: Fig. 1) Photograph of a lower hemimandible of the Jurassic bony fish Scheenstia sp. (MJSN TCH005-353) uncovered by the Paléontologie A16 team in the Swiss Jura. Lingual view.Fig. 2) 3D reconstruction of the same remains based on micro-computed x-ray tomography. On the left, the entire specimen. White = dentary bone, turquoise blue = prearticular-coronoid bone, other colors = enameloid of single tooth pairs; On the right, internal structure of the remain that reveals, under every functional tooth, a replacement tooth in the same color, developing in an upside-down position, as well as the main nervous canals.

Credit: Figure derives from open-access publication LEUZINGER, L., CAVIN, L., LÓPEZ-ARBARELLO, A. and BILLON-BRUYAT, J.-P. 2019.

Peculiar tooth renewal in a Jurassic ray-finned fish (Lepisosteiformes, Scheenstia sp.). Palaeontology, 1–13. Creative Commons license applies. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p6

SCIENCE

paleontology

In your main research, how do you use stable isotope analyses to investigate fossil specimens?

As presented in your 2019 Wiley publication, please explain how you discovered a unique mode of tooth replacement in vertebrates?

I use carbon and oxygen stable isotopes on fossils to get information on their ecology and environment.

Contrary to radioactive isotopes, stable isotopes do not decay and, consequently, cannot be used for dating.

Among the fossils uncovered during the construction of a highway in the Swiss Jura, there was a hemimandible of a bony fish, emblematic of the Mesozoic era (Scheenstia, formerly referred to Lepidotes), preserved in 3D and with the teeth still in place.

The oxygen and carbon present in biological tissues mainly come from the ingested water and diet, respectively. They are thus intimately linked to the water and carbon cycle and consequently good indicators of environmental parameters at play during these cycles, such as aridity, temperature, habitat and food source.

Although the stable isotope composition of fossil remains can suffer alteration, some biomineralized tissues are especially resistant and their stable isotope composition has shown to be close to original values. This is the case of teeth (especially enamel) or eggshells. I have focused on Mesozoic (the era comprized between 245 and 65 million years ago) vertebrate remains and especially teeth of diverse taxa and titanosaur dinosaur eggshells.

The first fossils I analyzed during my Master’s were cartilaginous fish (rays, sharks and chimaeras) and bony fish teeth and scales. During the PhD, I moved to terrestrial realms and focused on dinosaur eggs, as well as archosauromorph teeth (the lineage of crocodiles, dinosaurs, plus other extinct taxa).

It was quite unique for this site, since most teeth were found isolated. On the lower part of the mandible, teeth that were apparently developing replacement teeth, were poking out of the bone and seemed to be upside down. Lionel Cavin, a paleoichthyologist and co-author of the publication was surprised by this feature that he had never seen in bony fish, and suggested to dig further into it using micro computed tomography (µCT-scanning).

This non-destructive method allows to explore the fossil in 3 dimensions and differentiate the tissues by density (bone, dentine, enamel, cavities left by nerves or vessels).

We built a tridimensional model of the fossil that helped us understand much of the dental renewal in Scheenstia: we now know that each functional tooth has its own replacement tooth, the replacement teeth first mineralize upside-down, then rotate and erupt in a synchronous fashion, and each replacement tooth forms in a separate cavity within the bone called crypt, implying an individual blood and nervous supply.

“...we realized that this type of dental renewal was not observed in any other vertebrate and was thus new to science.”

In a side project, I have also worked with teeth of marine reptiles (mosasaurs and plesiosaurs), and I am now studying an association of crocodyliforms, dinosaurs, sharks and bony fish teeth from Uruguay, including coelacanth and lungfish. Tooth plates of lungfish are among the most beautiful fossils I have sampled. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

During the writing of the manuscript, we realized that this type of dental renewal was not observed in any other vertebrate and was thus new to science, although several authors had mentioned the presence of upside-down replacement teeth in mandibles of this genus in the 19th and early 20th century already.

Back then however, they did not have the technology to explore the internal structure of the fossils and explain the replacement mechanism.

p7

SCIENCE

paleontology

What plans do you have next for your research and projects in the near future?

I am planning to explore physiological aspects of egg formation and their influence on the stable isotope composition in fossil eggs. I am also interested to add stable isotope data of Mesozoic fossils to my database, to interpret the data at a larger scale.

Data of marine invertebrates would also be very useful, since they can be good indicators of water temperature at a more global scale.

With my colleagues and co-authors of the study on tooth replacement, we are planning to explore the dental renewal of other fish related to Scheenstia

with µCT-scanning to understand the frequency and phylogenic repartition of this peculiar “upsidedown” replacement that we described. In parallel, I will collaborate in the elaboration of an inventory of Mesozoic fish teeth for a museum in Switzerland.

For the future, I would like to keep on working with aquatic animals which I find more attractive than terrestrial ones. It is also important to me to keep a foot in the world of Swiss fossils.

I also miss sharks quite a lot and would like to work again on the identification of a fish assemblage, go back to descriptions and drawing, to compensate for numbers and Excel sheets...!

Final thoughts Beside this work on fish tooth replacement based on microcomputer tomography, Léa’s main research topic actually refers to paleoenvironmental and paleoecological reconstructions based on carbon and oxygen stable isotope analyses.

With this technique, she has analyzed teeth of fossil bony fish, sharks, rays, mosasaurs, as well as dinosaur eggs and teeth to get information on the aridity conditions, the air and water temperature, and the food source and foraging ground of the studied animals.

Léa next aims to focus on aquatic animals, and further explore the effects of dinosaur egg formation on their stable isotopic composition.

Bio

Links

Léa Leuzinger is a Swiss paleontologist based in Argentina.

She specialized in stable isotope analyses on fossils and their application in paleoenvironmental reconstruction during her Master’s degree in Earth Sciences at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, and her PhD in Geological Sciences at the University of Cordoba, Argentina. She is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Buenos Aires.

Researchgate: www.researchgate.net/ profile/Lea_Leuzinger Email: leuzinger.lea@gmail.com

Her main field of interest is in the stable isotope composition of Mesozoic vertebrates, although she also works on fish dental renewal based on micro-computed tomography. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p8

SCIENCE

snapshot

Petrified Triassic tree trunk Petrified trunk of a Triassic tree (below) Image taken by Josefina Bodnar. © Josefina Bodnar. All rights reserved.

The petrified trunk is preserved in a rock stratum from Barreal locality, at the San Juan Province, central-western Argentina. It corresponds to a tree which lived during the Triassic Period of the Mesozoic Era, about 245 million years ago.

The petrified stem anatomy can be studied as in extant trees, because minerals filled the cavities of plant tissues preserving cellular details.

The peculiar lobed and fragmented anatomy of this Triassic trunk allowed to interpret that it was a tree of a totally extinct seed plant group called “corystoperms” which was adapted to seasonal and dry climates.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

About

Josefina Bodnar, PhD, is a paleontologist dedicated to the study of morphology and evolution of fossil plants during the Mesozoic Era. She is particularly interested in the origin and extinction of plant groups, and their relationship with the past climatic changes. Josefina works at the Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo of the Universidad Nacional de La Plata (Argentina) since 2003, where she performs research, teaching and extension tasks.

Contact

Researchgate: https://www.researchgate. net/profile/Josefina-Bodnar

p9

SCIENCE

snapshot

Visualizing the human skull in 3D 3D human skull reconstructions (right)

Image taken by Federica Landi. © Federica Landi. All rights reserved.

The author is showing two 3D reconstructions of human skulls from CT-scans. The virtual acquisition and manipulation of specimens through different techniques such as photogrammetry and CT-scans allow us to readily visualise, explore, alter, repair and study digital objects. This set of digital skills, combined with statistical methods, allow archaeologists, paleoanthropologists and biologists to analyse virtually the bones and muscles of modern humans and their ancestors.

These tools for digital acquisition and analysis of biological specimens have led to new insights into human anatomy and its changes during growth and development. These findings have relevant medical applications, including the pre-surgical planning of facial reconstruction.

About

Federica Landi works as Anatomy Lecturer at St George’s University, London, where she currently teaches musculoskeletal anatomy.

Her passions include human anatomy, fossil hominins and primate behaviour.

She completed a PhD at the Hull York Medical School, focussing on the analysis of humans and Neanderthals using 3D-reconstructed digital models. She then went on to work at the Peninsula Medical School, where she became a strong believer of the active-learning methodologies. She collaborates in international projects to research human ancestry.

Contact

Twitter: @Fede_anatomy Email: flandi@sgul.ac.uk © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p10

Conservation

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p11

conservation

in focus

Conservation genomics gap Managers of wildlife are faced with decisions

and issues that are increasingly complex. A strong evidence base is needed to support these complex decisions. Genomics research – a relatively new field of scientific knowledge – uses genome-wide information (complete systematic mapping of DNA) that can be applied to conserve biodiversity and manage species and populations.

Conservation genomics is often promoted as a beneficial management tool for management.

However, we found that in the case of managed Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fisheries in the Canadian province of British Columbia a “conservation genomics gap” persists between fundamental research and applicable solutions for conservation practitioners.

Below: Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) © Andrew Kadykalo. All rights reserved.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Bio

Andrew Kadykalo is a PhD Candidate in the department of Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.

He is an interdisciplinary conservation scientist who applies natural and social science tools to address conservation problems. His research interests focus on regulating ecosystem services (e.g. pollination, flood regulation), and the use of evidence in wildlife management and conservation.

Contact

Twitter: @andykadykalo Email: andriy.kadykalo@gmail.com

p12

conservation

in focus

How can parasites help conservation?

Parasites can be indicators of major threats to animal conservation.

Parasite prevalence and assemblages have been used to determine the natal origin or stock of an animal which is an important aspect of managing harvest.

The relatively high evolutionary rate of parasite genomes can be used to infer contact among animals and movement across landscapes to infer connectivity in fragmented habitats as well as to indicate the origin of invasive species.

Parasites can also be biological control agents to reduce or eliminate invasive species. Parasite sensitivity to environmental conditions can be assessed as an early indication of climate change.

Right: Fishing boat and forest logging, representing key focuses of conservation management.

Bio Roderick “Erick” Gagne is an Assistant Professor of Wildlife Disease Ecology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Erick is a part of the Wildlife Futures Program, a joint venture between Penn Vet and the Pennsylvania Game Commission that provides a sciencebased approach to wildlife health.

Erick’s work uses molecular and ecological techniques to study infectious disease in wildlife. He is working on projects involving viral discovery, disease spread across landscapes, and pathogen host switching. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Links Twitter: @ErickGagne1 Wildlife Futures: https://www. vet.upenn.edu/research/centerslaboratories/research-initiatives/ wildlife-futures-program/wildlifefutures-team Study publication: https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13719 p13

conservation

cause

RE-PEAT collective fight for planetary peat protection Peatlands cover a small proportion of land area on the planet, but are

monumental in reducing the release of greenhouse gases that would otherwise be released and contribute to climate change. Yet, not enough is being done to restore and protect these fragile environments, which host a diversity of unique vegetation and wildlife.

RE-PEAT are a worldwide collective of students, researchers, artists and activists who are raising awareness of what peatlands offer, and the importance of protecting them. They communicate key facts, figures and insights through creative media, from digital materials to events.

Above: One of the co-founders, Carolina Maienza in the peatland. © RE-PEAT. All rights reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p14

conservation

cause

Q & A - Bethany Copsey & team (RE-PEAT) Please share some the most interesting and important facts you know about peat: Peat is really slow to form - at the rate of about 1mm per year. This is a really interesting timescale to think on, forcing us to think beyond our own human lifespans. If you’re standing on a peatland that is forming at 1mm per year, you can be standing on thousands of years of layered history.

That is really a special feeling!

Peatlands only cover about 3% of the world’s land and freshwater surface area, yet they are the largest terrestrial carbon store on earth, storing about 25% of global soil carbon. That is twice as much as forests!

“Peatlands are the largest terrestrial carbon store on earth, storing about 25% of global soil carbon.

That is twice as much as forests!”

Peatlands are really a global phenomenon - every continent has peatlands, even Antarctica!

Recently, a study done by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research showed that for Earth’s land area to become a global net carbon sink by 2100 - something mitigation pathways studies say should happen - 60% of the currently degraded peatlands need to be rewetted alongside the protection of currently intact peatlands.

How did RE-PEAT begin and become the established youth-led collective it is today?

RE-PEAT began almost accidentally really - it’s quite a delightful surprise to find ourselves where we are today! A few members of the team were on an excursion to a peatland in Germany during an action camp. We were led through a peatland - both literally and statistically so to say. We were told about the truly incredible carbon capture potential of peatlands, the varied ecosystem services, the current agricultural model that supports drainage-based agriculture, and the lack of awareness of all of these elements.

It sort-of crashed into us and we really felt a deep need to do something about it. We began by telling friends about it and the idea gathered momentum that way. This is something that is strongly reflected in our workings as a group - ultimately we are also just friends working on a project that © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Above: A conceptualisation of Amsterdam floating on a stilts in a peatland. © RE-PEAT. All rights reserved.

p15

conservation

cause

we are all passionate about and connected through.

We value the opportunity to learn as we go - and understand this as what our whole human experience is supposed to be: a great learning adventure that we can approach with wonder and imagination. This idea seems to have resonated well with people both in and outside of the peat sphere.

Your Peat Anthology (2020 EU Edition) available digitally is incredibly well presented. How did you create this and how many contributors were involved?

From the beginning of RE-PEAT, we were aware of the Common Agricultural Policy and how it was in no terms designed to incentivise peatland protection and restoration. Indeed, the policy actually subsidises and effectively bakes drainage-based agriculture into the system. Farmers and landowners are not given financial assistance to shift even if they would like to.

What we also came to realise was that there were many policy-advisors, scientists and activists engaging in this and working towards a more environmentally proactive agricultural policy. The question then became about what we could contribute

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

to the conversation. We chose a storytelling, emotive way of interacting with the topic; through which we hoped to influence policy-makers.

We created the Peat Anthology which compiled 45 stories, poems and artistic responses to peatlands.

We wanted to demonstrate the varied perspectives and experiences people have, and use that to demonstrate to policy-makers that these ecosystems need to be part of their discourse.

The Anthology included accounts from people we’d previously collaborated with as well as those who we got to know through this project - which was a really great way to connect with new people involved with peatlands.

Of course, this was also a learning experience and we’ve taken a number of lessons from this project. This includes incorporating and centering underrepresented voices to a greater degree in other projects. We’re excited to bring this into upcoming events, such as a collaboration with In Situ in May check out social media for more on this shortly!

Below: Peatscape meets cityscape: Ilperveld, Amsterdam. © RE-PEAT. All rights reserved.

p16

conservation

cause

What are your plans next and how can others support you to fight for the conservation of peatlands?

Following on from the Peat Anthology, we decided to organise events that focus on the UK. With Brexit, the UK has to create new policies in a number of areas, which ends up being an interesting opportunity to have more ambitious peatland policies. Hosting the COP26 and the World Congress of Soil Science, it is also a critical couple of years for the UK. To explore the various topics, we’ve launched our “UK Anthology Series.” This is a 10-month long series with each edition exploring peatlands and a different intersecting topic, such as local social justice issues, environmental issues and/or a specific UK or international policy.

We’re also busily working on Peat-Fest 2021.

The 2020 edition was our first major event - it was a 24-hour long, global and online festival celebrating peatlands from many different perspectives. There was a packed schedule with over 50 sessions throughout the day.

Above: Behind-the-scenes peek of our UK Anthology Series. © RE-PEAT. All rights reserved.

Final thoughts

When an action camp went to a peatland in Germany, they were exposed to the carbon capture potential of these settings. They felt compelled to spread the word, and started We’re delighted to be hosting it again this year! speaking out to others about it. From there, Last year our primary audience were people with a collective grew across the world to raise previous experience with peatlands - this year awareness of peatland conservation, known as we’re working on appealing to those with little knowledge of peatlands to get them excited about RE-PEAT. This collaborative group is made up of students, scientists, artists and more, expressing this wonderful ecosystem. the advantages of peatland conservation in We also intend to better amplify voices from the diverse mediums: from digital publications, Global South and other underrepresented voices. artwork, photography, digital events, festivals and We recommend that people check out our website more. We wish RE-PEAT the best for hosting the & projects to find out more about peatlands and online festival Peat-Fest 2021 as they break out what RE-PEAT is doing. A lot of our work is also focused on collaboration so it’s a great way to find to let even more diverse audiences know about out about other projects as well! the potential of peat to protect our planet.

Bio

Links

RE-PEAT is an international youth-led group that works to bring about a peatland paradigm shift. They work in three main directions: education, collaboration and reimagination. As such they organise a variety of different events and activities with a youthful & creative approach. They also use peatlands as a lens through which to analyse other societal phenomena - such as time and memory. The team is full of peat experts and enthusiasts who are all passionate and curious about peatlands!

Twitter: @repeatearth

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Instagram: @repeat.earth Linkedin: https://www.linkedin. com/company/re-peat Email: info@re-peat.earth p17

Scicomm (Science communication)

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p18

scicomm

illustration

Paintings unearth essence of geoscience with geo-artist Eirini Poulaki

Geology is a very visual subject, as a

geologist’s eye can classify rocks and unearth their million-year histories based on intricate details. While Eirini Poulaki actively pursues a geoscience PhD, she simultaneously creates geo-art. Many of her paintings are based on what is observed under the microscope in rock thin sections where mosaics of minerals light up the view.

Different types of rocks have their own distinct group of minerals to be found, which can therefore be used as indicators of different rock types - such as the garnet mica schist seen to the right. Context is important too, Eirini shows rock outcrops in their surrounding landscape as well, presenting not only mineralogy and petrography on the micro-scale, but structural geology and the environment on the meso-scale.

Above: Garnet mica schist from Sikinos (painting 2). © Eirini Poulaki.

All rights reserved.

Left: Meteora landscape painting (painting 5). © Eirini Poulaki.

All rights reserved.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p19

scicomm

illustration

Q & A - Eirini Poulaki Please tell us about your PhD topic and how your studies are going at Jackson School of Geosciences.

My PhD research combines geochronology, metamorphic petrology, and structural geology to investigate subduction zone processes from exhumed rocks in Spain and Greece. With various analyses of these rocks we can gain insights into their journey from deposition to subduction down to 60-70 km depth and finally their exhumation back to the surface. I feel very fortunate that every year I get to do field work, collect my own samples, and then head back to Austin to conduct laboratory work.

A significant part of my research is placing age constraints on the rocks by analyzing the concentration of radiogenic isotopes in various minerals (zircon, apatite etc). My work has shown how and when rocks are deformed at various stages as they are subducted deep into the earth, something that cannot be actively imaged or otherwise detected. It is always fascinating to me how these tiny minerals can give us so much information about the large tectonic picture and help us understand how our planet has evolved through time but also the processes taking place today and the implications they have for geohazards and shaping our environment.

What inspired you to study geology and create art as well?

I grew up in Greece which has fascinating geology with earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains next to the ocean and among other geologic phenomena that intrigued me. I did not know that I could study all these complex systems, but I was curious and wanted to understand them. A huge moment that solidified my love for geology was when I studied Andros Island– the island that my family is from – for my undergraduate thesis (Painting 1). The blue and green rocks and complicated geology were both inspiring and challenging to try and understand how these rocks were formed. By examining micro and meso structures I set relative timing constraints on the history of the rocks that were subducted down to 60km depth and then exhumed back to the surface.

Growing up, I always loved traveling to different destinations in Europe with my family. My dad loves the outdoors which enhanced my love for geology and mom is passionate about art and photography; hence we were always visiting museums and art galleries. I have always enjoyed art and creating it in different ways, including drawing, making jewelry, and other crafts. However, I did not start painting until I was in graduate school. I got into painting because it was a daily activity to look forward to, where I could think creatively and look at geology

In addition, Jackson School of Geosciences has a wonderful community and outside of research there are many other activities to get involved in. I enjoy participating in outreach events, science communication workshops, and conferences to maintain an exciting schedule.

Of course, due to COVID-19, things have changed a lot here but hopefully things will turn back to some normality during the fall semester.

Right: Quartz mica garnet schist thin sections from S. Spain (painting 3). © Eirini Poulaki. All rights reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p20

scicomm

illustration

from a new perspective while escaping from the everyday monotony. Painting reminds me to focus on the importance of details in observation.

What aspects of mineralogy do you enjoy representing in your thin section paintings?

Some of the minerals that I look at for my research are microscopic. In order to identify these minerals and understand their structures, I need to look at them under a microscope. This process involves creating a thin section, which is a thin slice of the rock (about the width of a hair). Looking at the thin section through a microscope allows me to observe all the minerals and the structures in the rock. For each thin section painting, I try to capture different aspects depending on the focus of my study and what is particularly interesting in each case. The inspiration from my first thin section painting came while I was working on a paper for the first chapter of my PhD. This painting (2) shows how the mineral garnet breaks down during metamorphism. In this study, we show that garnets are breaking down due to fluids generated by the dehydration of sediments, which results in the generation of zirconium and crystallization of zircon overgrowths. Painting 3 was just a fun approach to illustrate this beautiful garnet mica schist from Spain.

Above: Quartz structures on quartz mica schists thin sections from S.Spain (painting 4). © Eirini Poulaki. All rights reserved.

Left: Light house on Andros, with rocks exposed (painting 1). © Eirini Poulaki.

All rights reserved.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p21

scicomm

illustration

In my recent thin section paintings (painting 4), I tried to illustrate the structures observed in quartz crystals. Quartz and feldspar are two common minerals and can show us the temperatures that the rocks with these minerals have experienced in the past. These thin sections are from rocks in Southern Spain that I use for my PhD research and have experienced high temperature metamorphism due to subduction and exhumation.

We can see you create other forms of geo-inspired art too, such as landscape paintings. Are these influenced by field work or other aspects of geology?

Landscape paintings make me think about the ways different aspects of geology are reflected in natural settings and they are mostly inspired by the environment and places I have visited. People might not know how geology impacts everything and carves our world and this is a big challenge for me; I want to express science in a clear and simple manner that can be easily understood by people without a background in the geosciences. Painting

4 is of Meteora, Greece, an area mostly known for the Orthodox monasteries built on top of the rock pillars, and people visit them for religious purposes.

However, I believe the spectacular geology at this site is a major contributing factor to the natural beauty, which is mainly comprised by conglomeratic alluvial fans that were later uplifted, faulted, and eroded into pillars. My Andros painting is especially emotional for me since my family is from there and it is where my love for geology began. It shows a lighthouse built in 1897 on top of beautiful blueschist and greenschist rocks related to subduction metamorphism. In the local village, you can find incredible cobbles with folds and blueschist boudins that were picked without thought and used to build fences and other structures.

Although Greek people care deeply about the environment and history, they often overlook the geologic aspects of nature beneath their feet. I hope with my research and art that I can convey this connection and create greater awareness and gratitude for the geosciences.

Final thoughts Eirini has shared paintings inspired by thin section views of rocks under the microscope, with examples of the garnet mica schist and quartz mica schists.

With her geo-art, she captures different aspects of the rocks studied, with a focus on mineral structures which can indicate to geoscientists the temperatures the rocks experienced in the past, particularly when they were buried at great depth. Being immersed in geoscience as a PhD candidate, she uses the paint brush to artistically share the geological world around, not only on the microscale, but the meso-scale, as seen in the examples of her landscape paintings, where geological outcrops are exposed in the context of the environment.

Bio

Links

Eirini Poulaki is a PhD candidate at the University of Texas at Austin. Having grown up in Athens, Greece, Eirini completed a B.S in Geology from the University of Athens in 2015, having studied the evolution of subduction zone metamorphism using microstructural analyses. Eirini finished her MS in geosciences in UT Austin in 2018. Her current PhD research investigates the evolution of Mediterranean-style subduction zones by analyzing the exhumed geologic record of subduction complexes.

Website: http://eirini-poulaki.squarespace.com/

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Twitter: @Eirini_Poulaki Email: eirini_poulaki@utexas.edu

p22

scicomm

paleoart

Royal Mint celebrates Mary Anning with paleo-art 50p coins The Royal Mint, the original maker of UK coins

launched a new commemorative coin collection celebrating Mary Anning - historic fossil collector and paleontologist. This is the second coin collection in The Royal Mint’s series ‘Tales of the Earth’.

The first coin released shows Temnodontosaurus, one of the largest of the ichthyosaurs. This apex predator once roamed the ocean that covered much of southern Britain.

The other coins show more of Anning’s discoveries - Plesiosaurus and Dimorphodon.

We can see Plesiosaurus to the bottom right - a genus of large marine reptiles from the early Jurassic, known to be found in the Lias rocks exposed along the ‘Jurassic coast’ of England.

Many have long associated the Plesiosaurus with the mythical ‘Loch Ness Monster’.

Plesiosaurus is a genus of extinct, large marine sauropterygian reptiles that lived during the early part of the Jurassic period, commonly observed in the Lias rock formations of England with nearcomplete fossil skeletons.

These paleoart coin designs were created by paleoartist Robert Nicholls along with the help of Sandra Chapman of the Earth Sciences Department at the Natural History Museum. They achieved a scientifically accurate reconstruction of the species and their surrounding environments of the past. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

All images above. © The Royal Mint. All rights reserved. p23

scicomm

paleoart

Editor’s comment

Looking closely at the Limited Edition (50,000) commemorative coins issued by the Royal Mint, titled The Mary Anning Collection 2021 UK Brilliant Uncirculated Colour Three-Coin Series, I was impressed by the details and use of colors seen in the illustrations of Temnodontosaurus, Plesiosaurus and Dimorphodon, which look almost like tiny paintings. The coins also come presented along with their own eye-catching displays.

The most recently released coin from this collection is that of Dimorphodon. We can see Dimorphodon beautifully illusrtated in the coin to the right - which is a type of mediumsized pterosaur from the early Jurassic.

With the assistance of a paleoartist and expert input, we can see the accurate details of these Plesiosaurus, Temnodontosaurus and Dimorphodon renditions.

About

The Royal Mint has an unbroken history of minting British coinage dating back over 1,100 years. Based in the Tower of London for over 500 years, by 1812 The Royal Mint had moved out of the Tower to premises on London’s Tower Hill. In 1967 the building of a new Royal Mint began on its current site in South Wales, UK, to accommodate the minting of UK decimal coinage.

Today, The Royal Mint is the world’s largest export mint, supplying coins to the UK and overseas countries. The Royal Mint has also diversified into a number of other complementary businesses, building on the values that have been at the heart of the organization throughout its history - authenticity, security, precious metals, craftsmanship and design.

Links

Mary Anning collection coins: https://www.royalmint. com/our-coins/events/the-mary-anning-collection/ Robert Nicholls Twitter: @Paleocreations All images above. © The Royal Mint. Rights reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p24

scicomm

illustration

Bio-illustrations unveil hidden worlds with science illustrator Leonora Martinez-Nunez

Mexican science illustrator and researcher Leonora Martinez-Nunez creates 2D and

3D visuals that tell a story about hidden biological processes around us. Leonora was inspired by the desire to combat human diseases growing up, having later pursued life sciences studies at university with a focus on microbiology. Now a postdoctoral researcher, Leonora Martinez-Nunez focuses on membrane trafficking and structural biology in the US. Driven by a curiosity around cells and micro-organisms, she illustrates key microbiological processes by using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. As a scientific illustrator, we can see here how she artistically captures the hidden beauty of the microbiological world. Leonora shares some of her works with us here and tells us about these fascinating tiny worlds.

Image above: Birth of a new planet inside a black hole. © Isha Parlikar 2020.

All rights reserved.

Above: Adenovirus. © 2020 Leonora Martinez-Nunez. All rights reserved

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p25

scicomm

illustration

Q & A - Leonora Martinez-Nunez What sparked your interest in the life sciences?

I grew up in Mexico in the ‘90s, and I remember watching the news, and the host was talking about a spreading virus that was affecting the population. He spoke about HIV, and I thought, maybe I can discover a cure if I study chemistry or something like this. I was always interested in something scientific or naturerelated, dinosaurs, dolphins, bugs, or chromosomes.

So I studied biology in the local state university and started a journey to become a scientist. Then I went to grad school, where I got a master’s and PhD in Life Sciences with an emphasis in Microbiology.

My interest in finding the cure to HIV changed within the years, and I ended up studying filamentous fungi. How they grow, and all about their cells. After that, I moved from Mexico to the USA, where I got a postdoctoral position to study molecular machines vital cells. Nowadays, I explore the structure of a multiprotein complex required for cells to grow normally and maintain their homeostasis.

Below: Prelude to Exocytosis. Submission for the VizBi art & biology conference. © 2021 Leonora Martinez-Nunez. All rights reserved.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Why did you particularly focus on microbiology and fungal cell biology during your PhD? I wanted to learn more about cells. Microorganisms are some of the most successful cellular systems out there, and I think they are fascinating. I believed this was the right field for me. I was lucky to meet a principal investigator interested in understanding how fungal cells (hyphae) grow and acquire their characteristic tubular shape. She transmitted this interest to me, and she took me in as part of her lab.

I felt grateful to find an excellent place to learn some cool science. Fungi have a characteristic cell wall, the outermost layer surrounding fungal cells.

It is composed of carbohydrates mainly and protects the fungus. It allows the organism to interact with the environment, and it also determines how the fungus grows and its tubular shape. What is impressive is that this outer layer is built from within and secreted to the exterior. I was interested in understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which the fungus assembled its cell wall.

My work focused on determining the localization of some of the molecular machines (enzymes) involved in this process. I conveyed a cell wall growth model for the filamentous fungus called Neurospora crassa.

p26

scicomm

illustration

As a post doctoral associate at UMASS medical school, what is it like studying membrane trafficking and exocytosis?

The words that come to my mind are challenging but thrilling. These concepts have been in biology textbooks for many years. Yet, as scientists, we do not fully understand every detail of the molecular mechanisms involved in these vital processes.

Membrane trafficking is the mechanism in eukaryotic cells by which small molecules, like fats (lipids) and enzymes (proteins), are transported throughout the cell to maintain equilibrium (homeostasis) and grow, divide and be successful. The small molecules travel inside spherical compartments called vesicles, mainly composed of lipids.

Transporting vesicles can move from the inside out to deliver their content to the environment following the exocytic pathway. These vesicles fuse with the plasma membrane (outer cell membrane); this process is called exocytosis, and it necessary to rebuild the plasma membrane, signal neighboring cells, and secrete waste.

I study the structure of a big protein complex called the exocyst, required for the last step in exocytosis; lack of the exocyst complex associates with various human diseases. We believe that by knowing the architecture of the proteins involved, we can comprehend better the chronological order of the steps in exocytosis.

If we understand what triggers the protein complex to go from position A to position B, we will better comprehend the whole process. The aim is to create a better, more explicit model of exocytosis.

Left: Clathrin-coated vesicles. © 2021 Leonora Martinez-Nunez.

All rights reserved.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p27

scicomm

illustration

How do you create your bio-illustrations in 2D and 3D? I became proficient in using Illustrator and Photoshop programs to create 2D illustrations to explain scientific concepts better. For example, I illustrated the Spike protein on the SARS-CoV-2 virus at the beginning of Covid times. In the lab, we discussed an article describing the structure of the Spike protein characteristic of the viral surface. The Spike protein goes from closed to open to gain access into human cells. I used the structure from the protein databank (PDB 6vyb) derived from the original article and traced the Spike protein outline with one of the “arms” in the up conformation. With illustrator, I got a simple representation of the structure.

I think the bright colors highlight the protein structure’s beauty and helped me forget a bit of the virus’s negative aspects.

I have also learned 3D modeling and illustration using the free software Blender. To make the image of clathrin-coated vesicles (shown on the previous page), a virtual seminar I attended inspired me.

In membrane trafficking, a protein called clathrin assembles as a cage-like structure to help form vesicles by surrounding it as a coat. I used the PDB 1XI4 from the protein databank, further process the model in chimera (software for protein visualization), and did the final space-looking illustration in Blender.

I wanted to highlight how beautiful this microscopic structure is.

Final thoughts We have seen how Leonora creates detailed and eye-catching 2D and 3D visuals to help convey biological concepts, such as the stage before exocytosis, and the structure of the spike protein observed on the Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. We can notice how the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein illustration above appears aesthetic with bright colors, though this is a contrast to the devastating impacts the virus has brought to humanity since that start of the pandemic. By combining her skills in both science and art, Leonora presents the hidden structures in the microbiological world in a new light.

Above: Spike protein on SARSCoV-2. © 2021 LeonoraMartinez-Nunez.

All rights reserved.

Bio Leonora Martinez-Núñez is a Mexican postdoctoral researcher with a PhD in Microbiology working in the field of membrane trafficking and structural biology in the US. Leonora considers herself a scientific illustrator and scientific visualization enthusiast.

She combines her passion for art and illustration with her science expertise to create scientific visuals, or bio-illustrations, to better understand and explain scientific concepts.

Her goal is to celebrate science by highlighting the beauty in microscopic, almost invisible things and showing their complexity to the world.

Links Website: https://www.leonoramartinez.com/contact Instagram: @radiant_molecules © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p28

scicomm

sciart

Amanda Durkin Amanda Durkin is an immunology scientist and artist. She is a PhD candidate in Biomolecular Sciences at Laurentian University, performing immunology-based research at Health Sciences North Research Institute. She is also the artist and maker behind Amandatomical Art, where she combines her passion for science and art by creating anatomical depictions to educate others about science.

She uses charcoal to draw or digitally illustrates anatomical organs to create art prints, stickers, enamel pins, notebooks, and greeting cards.

She is constantly inspired by the science and beauty behind anatomy and the various ways it can be visualized. After spending many years in school studying the scientific details of the human body, she wanted to be able to illustrate this information through art. She works to ensure that each body of work she creates can demonstrate the interconnectedness of science and art, whiles making science accessible and understandable to everyone.

Artwork

Anatomical uterus and heart pins © Amanda Durkin. All rights reserved.

(above)

Enamel pins of the anatomical uterus (left) and open anatomical heart (right). Each pin is 1” in size. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p29

scicomm

sciart Anatomy Alphabet

© Amanda Durkin. All rights reserved.

(below)

This 12”x12” art print shown below was created through instagram story voting and participants’ suggestions.

The back of the print has the legend, describing what each letter stands for, representing different anatomical parts.

Links Etsy shop: Amandatomical Art https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/ AmandatomicalArt Email: amandatomicalart@gmail.com Instagram: @amandatomicalart Twitter: @amandatomical

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p30

scicomm

awareness

Animation shows electrical activity in neuron Bio

Sarah D’Angelo is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biology, minoring in psychology this May 2021 from Rutgers University, Camden.

She is also doing independent research in Dr. Nathan Fried’s neuroscience of chronic pain lab at Rutgers, where she is conducting a meta-analysis of ethically approved rodent pain studies to identify how the way we talk about and study pain as scientists impacts translational success rates of new pain therapeutics.

Sarah is currently in the application process to start a neuroscience PhD program to study the biopsychosocial aspects of pain.

As a pain patient herself, she enjoys using art to communicate science to the public.

Links

View the animation on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahSynapses/ status/1339336181922795528 Twitter: @SarahSynapses Email: sarahadangelo@gmail.com

Artwork Neuron electrical impulses (right) © Sarah Synpases. All rights reserved.

This piece demonstrates the electrical impulses coursing through a neuron.

To create it, Sarah first sketched out the design with pencil and paper.

She then edited it using a digital drawing software to add color and detail. Lastly, she added the animations digitally using Adobe software. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p31

scicomm

awareness

STEMotivation SHE-ensya is a site and channel dedicated to sharing fun information about research in the Philippines and all over the world.

It is a platform used to encourage critical thinking about current events that affect and are affected by science so pretty much everything!. It discusses art, literature and popular media within the sci-fan genre. It is also an advocacy that seeks to empower women in science, and to encourage more young women all over the world to join the field of STEM. It’s creator, Dr. Chona Camille VinceCruz-Abeledo, is a Filipina scientist and educator. She loves science so much, and hopes more people would love it too.

Artwork Why STEM

(top, right)

© Chona Camille Abele. All rights reserved.

Why STEM? - Why STEM? is a photo series that features women and girls in science in various stages of their studies and careers. They highlight the reasons why these wonderful women chose the field of STEM (or how STEM chose them) to hopefully serve as guideposts to other young individuals looking for signs that STEM is also for them. And most importantly, it shows that women in science come in all shapes and sizes, that we can become STEMinists at any age, and that STEM can be and should be an inclusive field.

STEMotivation

(directly right)

© Chona Camille Abele. All rights reserved.

STEMotivation pieces are created to use scientific principles - from Biology, Chemistry, Math, and even Science History - to help inspire STEMinists at the start of the week. They could be funny (or perhaps punny?), practical, or jaw-dropping, but always combines the beauty of STEM with the needed Website: https://www.she-ensya.com motivation for us to push through with our daily lives. Instagram: @she_ensya

Find out more

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p32

scicomm

events

Exploring the Art-Science interface at Europe’s biggest geosciences conference By event curators

Kelly Stanford, Daniel Parsons, Kostya Novoselov, Louise Arnal.

The European Geosciences Union hosted a virtual annual general

assembly from 19 to 30 April 2021. As part of the many scientific sessions organized, Kelly, Daniel, Konstantin and Louise convened one of the largest yet science-art sessions at this event: “Exploring the Art-Science Interface” on 28 April. This session aimed to give a voice to science-art collaborations that play a pivotal role in raising awareness of the fragile stability of our planet.

Above: Poster created by Kelly Stanford for the EGU 2021 session ‘Exploring the Art-Science Interface’. Copyright applies. All rights reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p33

scicomm

events

EGU’s science-art events

The highlight presentations

The European Geosciences Union (EGU) is an interdisciplinary association of geoscientists. It has been hosting a yearly general assembly for the last two decades. The sessions organized cover a range of topics, including space, atmospheric and water sciences. In the last few years, science-art initiatives have been increasing at these events. These include the artist in residence programme, where selected artists, such as Kelly this year, are invited to the event to create art inspired by the geoscientific presentations. Another successful initiative has been science-art sessions. We have bought together the geoscientific and artistic communities again this year. Due to the ongoing pandemic, this event was held virtually again this year. But we saw this as an opportunity to connect with and hear perspectives from people all around the world.

This session showcased interdisciplinary research exploring the dialogues between the geosciences and the arts. The session was organized in two sub-sessions, with presentations on a range of scientific themes and artistic media.

While the first session was more general, the second sub-session focussed exclusively on art for sustainability. Below is a list of the highlight presentations:

Bridging the divide Interdisciplinary collaboration between artists and geoscientists are becoming increasingly invaluable in communicating complex geoscience subjects to non-experts. Topics such as climate change can be contradictory and confusing to the general public, particularly in terms of uncertainty and impact. It is therefore vital that STEM communicators work to find alternative methods to enable dialogue between experts and the wider public on how to face and respond to these increasingly prevalent topics. It is becoming increasingly evident that both the scientific and the artist communities have a shared interest and responsibility in raising awareness of the limits to our planetary boundaries and the fragile stability and resilience of our Earth-System. In the past, this issue has been addressed mostly through traditional educational methods. However, there is mounting evidence that science-art collaborations can play a pivotal and vital role in this context by co-creating new ways of research and by stimulating the discussion by providing emotional and human context through the arts. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Stargazing at the ‘Invisible’: Photography and the Power of Obscured Light – A Research Partnership with Kielder Observatory.

Helen McGhie The story of a tree and what its tells us about our life John Bruun Disaster Passed: a singing, flashing and sobering glimpse into coping with volcanic eruptions Jenni Barclay, Karen Pascal, OutPut Arts, Martin Mangler, James Christie, Teresa Armijos, Wendy Mcmahon, Richie Robertson, Stacey Edwards, and Kathleen Retourne Artful-Geoscience: Co-Creating Urban Subsurface Futures? A discussion and an invitation.

Harriet Hawkins, Stephanie Bricker, Carol Cotteril, Eilidh Dunnet, Anna Hicks, and Hazel Napier The carbon story: A textile-geoscience collaboration to represent changing atmospheric CO2 concentrations through time Fiona Gill and Naomi Bailey-Cooper INtergenerational Stories of Erosion and Coastal community Understanding of REsilience ‘INSECURE’ Katie Parsons, Florence Halstead, and Lisa Jones Uniting science and art to appreciate the Earth with NatureVolve magazine Clarissa Wright and Robert James Wright

Fore more information about this year’s session, have a look at the session programme.

Also, keep an eye out for next year’s edition! p34

scicomm

events

Take home messages We live in a world of rapid environmental changes. In this context, it is becoming evident that to take actions towards a sustainable future, diverse voices need to be heard and come together.

Through the science-art session we co-organized at the European Geosciences Union virtual general assembly 2021, we hope to have helped advance discussions on how to use science and art to co-explore and communicate the social, economic, political and environmental factors facing society and drive improved communication.

About the team

Find out more

Kelly Stanford is a science communicator, artist and researcher at the University of Hull Energy and Environment Institute embarking on a PhD looking at how art and games can be used as effective science outreach tools. Kelly is an EGU Artist in Residence this year.

You can connect with Kelly on Twitter (@TheLabArtist) where she posts about her recent collaborations and sciencethemed artwork.

Daniel Parsons is the director of the Energy and Environment Institute at University of Hull and chair of Geomorphology at EGU. He is a researcher in fluvial, estuarine, coastal and deep marine sedimentary environments, exploring their responses to climate and environmental change.

Kostya Novoselov is a physicist, best known for his pioneering experiments on graphene. He also received a formal education in Chinese art and combines his passion for physics and for Chinese painting in his art works.

Louise Arnal is a scientist with a lifelong love of art. She is a postdoctoral fellow with the Canadian Global Water Futures programme and leads the Virtual Water Gallery project.

Louise enjoys exploring water using scientific tools and artistic media.

Kelly, Daniel, Kostya and Louise are all conveners of the EGU 2021 ‘Exploring the Art-Science Interface’ session. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

An archive of her current and past projects can be found on her website: https://www.kellystanford.co.uk You can connect with Louise on Twitter and Instagram @ArnalLouise. Have a look at Louise’s website to see some of her previous science and art projects: https://sciartfloods. wordpress.com If you’re curious about her ongoing science and art project, you can find out more about the Virtual Water Gallery here: https://www.virtualwatergallery.ca p35

Art

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p36

Art

Artist interview

Thomas Brasch photography peers into the divine Thomas Brasch is a dedicated teacher and

photographer who is completely self-taught.

This has not stopped him from showcasing his works at exhibits in North America. Seeing photography as being both an art and a science, he blends his multidisciplinary background across the sciences and arts in his photographic pursuits. Taking a look at his pieces here, mandala-like geometric visuals are common themes, but with deep, symbolic meanings.

Above, from top to bottom: Espiritus,2020, from the series Enlightenment. Limited edition archival pigment print at 40x40 and 24x24 inches. Illuminoso, 2020, from the series Enlightenment. Limited edition archival pigment print at 40x40 and 24x24 inches. © Thomas Brasch. All rights reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p37

Art

Artist interview

Q & A - Thomas Brasch Out of your diverse background spanning science, languages, education and business, what led you to pursue photography?

Photography has always been an influential part of my life. My father, my paternal grandmother, as well as my maternal great uncle, were all photographers. They documented by taking pictures of events and places.

Naturally, my curiosity started at a young age and my first camera was a Diana which is now used commonly for Lomography.

After starting my full-time job as a teacher, I picked up photography as an outlet for relaxation. This gave me the ability to explore the world and capture images. My interest was so strong that I was able to teach photography and darkroom techniques to my students, without any formal study or credentials. Unlike my relatives, even though there is a documentation component to my work, I wanted to pursue art photography.

The heart and soul of photography is a fusion of art and science. There is the art of creating or capturing the final image.

There is also now an art form in extracting the final image in producing analogue images.

Right, above: Untitled 41, 2021, from the series Oculus Limited edition archival pigment print at 40x40 and 24x24 inches. © Thomas Brasch. All rights reserved © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

“The heart and soul of photography is a fusion of art and science. There is the art of creating or capturing the final image.”

Nevertheless, science is at the base of this art.

Physics is needed for optics. Mathematics is required to quantify the right amount of light in conjunction with depth of field. Chemistry in the darkroom or computer applications in the virtual darkroom help to create the printed image.

Languages and business background have helped me to communicate about my work (in more than one language) as well as promote my work to find my niche audience.

Through the lens of your camera, how do you successfully turn the real into the surreal?

When and where does the creative process begin? A good question. At what point do you start measuring working time? I believe that the creative process begins with daily observation and awareness of the world around us and the personal history we have experienced.

My interests seem eclectic but are perfectly harmonious and all play a part in the creative process. I’m drawn to textures and patterns. Language, as well as mathematics, are patterns. Biology is replete with textures starting at the sub-cellular letter and moving up to biomes.

I am constantly scouting for potential images, capturing and cataloguing. For my current seven bodies of work, my image library p38

Art

Artist interview

consists of 88,000 files. After editing and curating, looking for the correct source image, I spend hours and sometimes days on the computer experimenting, playing and tweaking. Often, I may go back days or weeks later to tweak the image.

have learned, we improve the human condition.

Illuminoso, an image of a portico from Europe’s oldest universities in Bologna, symbolizes a repository of centuries of exploration and learning.

The eye motif is indicative of insight.

During a computer session, the basic process involves making multiple copies of the base image from front to back and then subsequently wrapping it into a circle to create the kaleidoscopic or mandala effect. My Oculus series images are representational and do not require extensive layering and manipulations. Enlightenment involves much more work. I need to develop a concept that often involves a sketch on paper. The final image is composed of many components which need to be strategically placed to express the concept in an aesthetic lens-based graphic. Regardless, the final image must truly project a glowing iridescence.

Espiritus from Seville exemplifies a time when Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures and sciences presumably united in harmony, during the Convivencia (8th - 15th Centuries). Moudrost (Wisdom) is taken from the Spanish Synagogue in Prague, a reform temple built in the Moorish Revival style. Now as a museum, it stores highlights of notable advancements in arts and sciences attributed to middle-European Jews from Freud to Mahler.

Additional information can be found in a blog I just published on my site: But is it photography? You can access it at https://thomasbrasch.com/narratives

The concentric circles represent the multiple layers in the Judaic experience: faith, advancement in knowledge, and individual contributions.

What were the inspirations behind your Oculus and Enlightenment Series?

Most of my photography is a visceral reaction to my internal and external environment. In all my works, the basic mandala structure and geometry provide a therapeutic component. Emotions, through visual aesthetics, help us to interpret the world we live in.

Oculus and Enlightenment are opposites in the spectrum of my work.

The Oculus images are representational. The motif is nature. In Untitled 02, the wreath of magnolia branches floating in a pale blue sky defy gravity and represent freedom from earthly concerns.

The natural fractals in plant growth and symmetry in Untitled 41 draw the viewer into a comforting meditative state.

Enlightenment has an ambitious goal. It speaks to the metaphysics of consciousness, discovery and invention.

As we seek knowledge and put into practice what we © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Above: Untitled 02, 2014, from the series Oculus. Limited edition archival pigment print at 40x40 and 24x24 inches. © Thomas Brasch. All rights reserved. p39

Art

Artist interview

Please tell us about your recent and upcoming exhibitions and whether the pandemic has affected these events.

The pandemic has been a blessing and a curse.

Naturally, the art world ground to a halt. Museums and galleries and art shows were closed. There were few opportunities to exhibit. However, with this hard-reset, I’ve been able to create a lot of new work in all five of my current series.

The pandemic has also given me more time to reflect and redirect. In this new situation, we expect to have gallery viewings by invitation only and virtual galleries.

From May 15 to June 28, 2021, I will have my second CONTACT Photography Festival solo show here in Toronto. I am including a virtual component where viewers can attend the gallery from the comfort and

safety of their own homes. This also allows me to invite many people overseas who wouldn’t normally be able to attend due to distance.

Furthermore, I can use this tool to find my niche with audiences worldwide.

The name of the show is Post Tenebras Lux (Latin for “After darkness, there is light”) and it will contain new work from both Out of the Darkness and Enlightenment. The themes from the latter are a reaction to those in the former.

Out of the Darkness is a commemorative series that documents and explores how humanity heals from acts of senseless violence. Enlightenment documents humanity’s achievements and progression from ignorance to awareness and civility.

Final thoughts Thomas Brasch takes an experimental approach in his photography, producing vibrant visuals that are symbolic in meaning and reminiscent of styles seen in historical examples of sacred geometry.

Additionally, the running theme of concentric circles reflect knowledge, contribution and faith. These same themes are echoed in his educational efforts in which he shares his broad knowledge of photography skills.

Artist Bio

Links

Thomas Brasch has devoted thirty years to education.

Completely self-taught in photography, he is able to showcase his perceptions of beauty, turning the real into surreal.

Website: https://thomasbrasch.com/

He has had several solo shows in Toronto and a number of group shows in North America.

With a background in sciences, languages, education, and business, he is able to blend the skills he acquired and apply them to his career as an art photographer.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Instagram: @thomasbrasch Linktr: https://linktr.ee/thomasbrasch Email: brasch.photo.art@gmail.com

p40

Art

Artist interview

Finnish nature inspires bioart and sound-art From the heart of the forest in Finland, Silja Selonen

creates artworks inspired by the natural environment around her. Having studied sculpting at university previously, she currently makes bioart by using cyanobacteria and portrays the visual side of the hidden world of sound. Silja also creates sound-art where genetic sequences, frequencies and amplitudes are translated to abstract visuals.

While she creates digi-works, she exposes to us the invisible world of waves by using materials found in nature. Uniquely, she sources her biochar based art materials in a sustainable way. Here, she discusses her unique creative processes and natural inspirations.

Top right: ‘Biochar in art’ (vertical). © Silja Selonen. All rights reserved.

Directly above: ‘Visualizations’. © Silja Selonen. All rights reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p41

Art

Artist interview

Q & A - Silja Selonen Describe the creation process behind your mathematical visualizations of frequencies, harmonies and interferences.

Interest to these concepts hit me when I was doing bioart with cyanobacteria. I was introduced to one of the oldest genetic codes on earth and knowing that -“Any molecule, if You look at it at the nanoscale, has continious vibrations” (MIT / Buehler) - I transformed it to notes by using BIO2MIDI audio-software. Audio structure of an ancient molecule was then composed for organs by my nephew and tiny molecyle filled the hole church with its unique intonation of life.

When studying sound-art I made frequencies and amplitudes of it to visible graphic. I transformed symmetric soundwaves and separate tones to vector images, edited them by rotating, dublicating etc.

Furthermore, I created a QR-code from this genemusic and edited it to hexaconal “rose window”. It was laser-cutted on an iron-plate and afterwards welded to be a part of a sculpture named “Genesis”. By scanning the cutted code with mobile-app, it is possible to listen the melody of early earth.

Besides these digi-works I try to find a way to express the world of waves and resonance by using matter and energy from nearby nature. Now I am carving © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Above: Genesis - iron, sound. © Silja Selonen. All rights reserved.

and striking clay-plaster and this earthy, ruff, 3-dimensional and mushy thing is fascinating.

I think the energy is visually like ellipse, circle, spring or wave. The matter is more like geometric, balancing platonic solid. And together with time they make a vibrating space of an endless Moire´.

How do you sustainably produce biochar and use it in your art?

I make biochar by burning waste wood on selfmade cone model stove. Burning in low oxygen pyrolysis makes all non-carbon material gasify and burn away – only carbon remains. Besides a good oldfashion fertilizer biochar is also a true carbon sink. When used in art, the artwork itself sincerely underlines the issue of climate change.

I use it in my clay-plaster works. Every ingredient of this natural plaster comes from nearby - clay and sand from neighboring village, biochar and seeds of bullrush from our own preserve. Biochar is grinded to fine powder and it makes the clay-plaster the darker the more you add it. I like this darkness of elemental carbon, and the fact that it is one of the main building block of life. I make interference and moire´-effects on fresh plaster mostly by carving and pressuring. Then on dry surface I apply some p42

Art

Artist interview

linseed oil and self-made egg-tempera. I paint figures, that represents life and existence. They are painted as in blurred motion because life really is so temporary and fragile. On the contrary the carbon in biochar, aluminium and silica in clay & sand are more permanent elements, plus athematical lines represent never-ending energy. The dialoque between abstract and realism is something that always seems to appear in my art of paintings.

While working with a scientist, how did you successfully create cyanobacteria BioArt? I had opportunity to work in laboratory of University of Turku, department of biochemistry/ molecular plant biology. Dr. Paula Mulo guided me as needed and students of her research group grew cyanobacteria-plates and pure agar-agar plates for me. I moved first the bacteria from dish to dish with laboratory tools, but disinfected artist pencils seemed to be better to achieve more even strikes.

The agar is a soft ground and stands no pressure, also the bacteria is quite invisible in this point.

Everything needed to be done with remarkably hygienically in fume hood. I made pictures of DNAstructures, notations and letters to place them under the plates to quide drawing.

Afterwards, the plates were sealed and carried to lightning-room to get some good frequencies of lightwaves for a few days. Some bacteria grew nicely, some failed. When I got the plates home I opened them and drying and dying began.

Additionally, since both bacteria and algae are living materials - mold, shrinking, cracking etc. can happen.

After drying there lies a thin layer of green drawing on the bottom of the dish. It is fragile and vanishes in daylight, so I cover it with UV-resin on the upper side and with UV- film underneath. Cyanobacteria can sometimes change its color or fade still. I have though successfully maintained the bright color for 3 years now on most of the plates.

What exhibitions do you have lined up this year? Any other plans ahead?

Lahti Art and Design Museum curated a public art exhibition for summer 2021, featuring the themes of the “European Green Capital” year of Lahti-town.

My gene-music “Ode in Code” (composed to churchorgans/Arttu Selonen) will chime there in the urban environment through loudspeakers. Later in the summer it can be listened also on a bridge in the beautiful chunnel in Vääksy.

Below: ‘Bioart’. © Silja Selonen. All rights reserved.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p43

Art

Artist interview

By August, my bioart-project should be ready. The Hospital of Kainua has ordered from me an installation of 10 cyanobacteria-drawings. I am working on it, but this Covidtime has complicated the possibility to use laboratory of Turku University.

Also there is coming a mural-project, where I will paint some fragile living thing balancing on lifeless solid.

Furthermore my home-municipality is planning an environment art project, and I shall be a part of it as an artist and a consultant.

Besides these projects I shall continue with biochar. I want to spend days by collecting branches and burning them, damping the fire and collecting the blackest black coal to be used in both gardening- and art-projects.

Feeling the heat and the wind, listening the fire, seeing tones of shadows, sensing the gravity under my feet as living creature in endless vibrating space of energy and time.

Above: Bioart ‘To be’. © Silja Selonen. All rights reserved.

Final thoughts Silja started creating bioart with cyanobacteria based on the premise that any molecule a the nano-scale has continuous vibrations - therefore it can be transformed to music and visual art.

The artist takes on a diversity of mediums, even sourcing her own biochar using a sustainable method. As she has explained here, while this material is a good fertilizer it is also a carbon sink, giving art and additional depth of meaning when used as a medium, particularly on the theme of climate change.

Bio

Being a creative artist who is not afraid to experiment with paint, bio-art, sound and more, we can see in her artworks the inspirations taken from the nature experienced in the Finnish forest landscape around her.

Silja Selonen is a painter, bio-artist and sound-seeker.

She graduated as a sculptor BA year 2009 and has since taken sound-art, light-art, astrobiology and physics classes at local universities. Her works embodies the resonation between frigid physics and improbaple warmth of life.

She lives and works in Northern Europe in the middle of a Finnish forest, where ecological materials play an important role in all of her works. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Links Website: www.selonen.fi Instagram: @sselonen

p44

Art

art gallery

Artist shows the magic of nature Artist Bree Tait is a 5th

generation Washingtonian, living in the central region of the Pacific Northwest state.

Growing up on a small hobby farm with room to run around in a garden was instrumental in fostering her interest in the natural world and igniting her imagination.

She grew up being encouraged to draw and explore her curiosity in the arts which led to her pursuing a degree in New Media and Graphic Design from Western Washington University.

Since then, Bree has worked as a freelance artist while simultaneously working in other professions.

Artwork Golden Asteroid Moths © Bree Tait. All rights reserved.

(right)

This piece, Golden Asteroid Moths, shows two Automeris io moths lighting up their surroundings as they take an epic galaxy tour.

Medium: Watercolor with sepia ink.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p45

Art

art gallery A Secret Life of the Octopus

© Bree Tait. All rights reserved.

(below)

This piece, titled Secret life of the Octopus, shows an octopus adventuring through magnolias, peonies and cosmos to mingle with the bees.

Medium: Watercolor with ink.

Links Website: www.breetait.myportfolio.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/breeltait © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p46

Art

art gallery

Genomic musical art Sonic Biogenesis: Genomics and Mutant Jungles is a solo show at Beacon Gallery in

Boston, Massachusetts on view through May 2, 2021. It features Galindo’s “genome scores” which consist of graphic representations of his musical compositions and artwork merging textures of plants, animals and microbes.

Guillermo Galindo is an experimental composer, sonic architect, performance artist and visual media artist. His work focuses on redefining the conventional limits between music, the art of music composition and the intersections between art disciplines, politics, humanitarian issues, spirituality and social awareness. Beacon Gallery, located in SoWa, Boston’s art and design district, focuses on curating shows with an eye towards activism and social justice.

Artwork PS 13 (pretiscarida carnosa),

Links (above) © Guillermo Galindo.

PS 13 (pretiscarida carnosa) is made up of printed aluminum with a superimposed pigmented acrylic layer and was created with the assistance of Magnolia Editions in Oakland, California. This work and the others in the Sonic Biogenesis: Genomics and Mutant Jungles series are meant to simulate a window into a post-biogenetic future and comment on the colonization of the microscopic world by corporations.

Details: PS 13 (pretiscarida carnosa), 2017, Pigmented acrylic ink on aluminum and acrylic, 39 x 78 inches, Specimen documented in 2067, Skaftaros, Iceland © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Gallery website: https://beacongallery.com Instagram: @beacongallery Facebook: beacongalleryboston Artist website: https://www.galindog.com Instagram: @galin_dog p47

Written Word

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p48

Written Word Book flash

The Afrikaner novel

By Arianna Dagnino

When a car-jacking in Johannesburg leads

to the death of her colleague and lover, Zoe du Plessis, a paleontologist of Afrikaner origin, is confronted with her family’s secret.

As she heads for the Kalahari Desert in search of early human fossils, Zoe embarks on an inner journey into the sense of guilt haunting her people.

Meaningful encounters with a San Bushman shaman, a legendary but troubled writer, a Zulu Border War veteran, and her ancestors’ diaries will reshape Zoe’s sense of identity.

“Insightfully and authentically crafted and beautifully written, a timely story of memory, destiny and self-will in the world of post-apartheid South Africa and its origins.” — Dr Iain Edwards, South African contemporary historian.

Top: Front cover of The Afrikaner. © Arianna Dagnino. All rights reserved.

Right: Excerpt from The Afrikaner postcard. © Arianna Dagnino.

Below: Portrait of the author, Arianna.

Photo credit: Stefano Gulmanelli. All rights reserved.

About the author

As a reporter, translator and academic lecturer Arianna Dagnino has crossed many borders and lived in many countries, including a five-year stint in South Africa. The author of books on the impact of globalization and digital technologies, Dagnino holds a PhD from the University of South Australia and currently teaches at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

The audiobook of her post-apartheid novel The Afrikaner (Guernica Eds., Toronto), superbly narrated by Los Angeles-based voice actor Dennis Kleinman, has just been released (here is a sample: https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCZT8yaBVKk_ZP-UcaSte9LA. In April, the German translation has also been launched by Berlin-based international publisher PalmArt Press under the title Die Afrikaanerin. Find out more at www.ariannadagnino.com © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p49

Written Word poetry

Naked Mole Rat

By Sarah Clark

Naked mole rat colonies

Are like a hive that’s full of bees, Or termites in a mound addressed Or ants that live inside their nest.

One queen, she’s boss, she’s large and mean, A male or three for her harem, The other mole rats do not breed Soldiers, workers, roles decreed, Sterile unless the queen shows weakness Then they start to shed their meekness: Girls fight to death to be queen regnant And be the one who can get pregnant.

Patiently prepped to bide their time, The winner gets to stretch her spine!

The new queen grows to twice her size, Fertile once the old queen dies, Which might have taken thirty years These mole rats have such long careers!

The longest living rodent by far And still more reasons they’re bizarre...

They live in tunnels underground, There’s not much air to go around Most creatures die in such conditions But they don’t need to call morticians.

In low oxygen they just get colder And have a trick so they get older, (They get older but they do not age, We study them to try and gauge If we can learn from them the answer To curing a disease they don’t get – cancer.)

Back to coldness – oh, did you know?

Mammals are warm-blooded, right?

No! They break this mammal norm And do not keep their own blood warm, Using surrounding heat in the same style As pure cold-blooded reptiles.

When oxygen is low or non-existent They remain remarkably resistant, © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p50

Written Word poetry Like plants, but like no other beast They change the sugar they burn, at least Eighteen minutes with air unbreathable By this sugar switch becomes achievable.

A naked mole rat is no beauty, Lifelong donning her birthday suit She’s furless, nearly deaf and blind In warmth and darkness live her kind She can’t feel acid on her skin And other pain does not begin To touch her when most would really hurt, Useful when living under dirt, In tunnels that are hot, acidic It would not help to feel too sick.

They part-eat tubers, to let regrow Drink no water, light forgo, They like to roll in their own poo Not only that - it feeds them too!

They like to eat their own poo twice The queen’s poo makes them extra nice.

The queen-poo-eating babysitters Are better nurses to the littlest critters.

Though nice perhaps is a word to save – They kidnap pups to make their slaves When naked mole rats go to war Against the colonies next door.

Little ninjas, with loose skin That they can really wriggle in, Huge teeth protrude before their lips Which they can use just like chopsticks To get a grip, or dig, or gnaw, A quarter their muscle in their jaw To scoop out soil their lips stayed sealed So their mouths don’t get all mud-congealed, Stiff hairs on feet that act like brooms That they can use to sweep their rooms.

Running forwards, backwards just as fast, Digging a tunnel network vast, Their tunnel homes can stretch for miles Naked mole rats have weird lifestyles Little, long-lived, mammalian, But like insect, reptile, plant - quite alien!

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Above: Portrait of the author, aka Odious Ologist. © Sarah Clark. All rights reserved

About the author Despite being 40, Sarah Clark hasn’t grown up yet. She revels in the gloriously ghastly bits of biology and writes poetry for children about these subjects.

She hopes her poems of parasites, poo and peculiar animals will nurture a sense of wonder at the natural world.

Alongside each poem the Odious Ologist website has “discover more” links, videos and ideas for investigation, like how to catch and view local tardigrades or your own face mites.

Links Website: https://odiousologist.co.uk/ Instagram: @odiousologist Twitter: @esperapasero p51

Written Word thought-notes

Why Kindness and Self-Care Could Save the Planet

By Gaelle Chassery guest writer

© Gaelle Chassery 2020

I am in love with everyday simplicity: the ordinary miracles of crocuses poking through the grass, tender veils of green leaves in the sparkling sun, bees in the heather and the crab apple tree, copper leaves swirling over gold fields, trees roaring in a fierce gale… The natural world’s simple but vital events hold me in constant wonder. Observing them is my greatest act of self-care. Being in tune with the seasons is a golden key to being in tune with ourselves and our beautiful planet. As humans, we are never

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

separate from nature, even though our lifestyles may lead us to forget it. Creating space in our day for connection to our natural essence and environment is life-changing in a very ordinary way. It brings a renewed appreciation for what we might have lost touch with, but has been here all along: the plants, the stars, the sky, the seasons, ourselves. Too often perceived as selfish overindulgence and a waste of time, self-care can take many forms, but is first and foremost a profound state of connection, where selfp52

Written Word thought-notes respect, self-knowledge and discernment lead to deep respect, knowledge and discernment for what matters most. With self-care we affirm that we matter, that we flourish when we are nurtured, like a garden. In my indoor garden of many houseplants, I am always amazed to see how plants respond to the tiniest kindness with immediate growth and thriving. Humans are no different.

At its core, self-care is simply supporting ourselves to thrive: we give ourselves what we need to function as well as possible. Self-care is allowing ourselves to know our preferences, how we work, our passions, what makes us feel excited each day, but also knowing our limits, what triggers us into feeling small, misaligned and unhappy, so that we can learn how to respond to ourselves like a parent responds to their child—with compassion and guidance.

In essence, self-care is parenting ourselves.

Giving ourselves permission to be our better self, eager and ready to contribute to the world, while allowing times of incubation, rest, play and contemplation. We have the best example in nature: the seasons tell us everything we need to know.

Like many others, I had to go through regrettable extremes of self-neglect before gravitating towards a much more harmonious, manageable and kind approach to self-care. When we bring ourselves in alignment with what is most important to us, we reach natural, discerning self-care. We just know what to do for ourselves.

We become kinder to all beings because we

are naturally kinder to ourselves. We learn to give ourselves the space and time needed to be our best self, we learn the wonderful art of boundaries, we discover our core values, we are ready to thrive.

Within this perspective it is much harder to cause harm, because we understand ourselves so well that we can better respect everyone else.

We prefer peace instead of ups and downs, maturity instead of drama, curiosity instead of judgement… not jumping to conclusions, more balanced focus, more discernment on how to spend our precious energy and resources.

We take things less personally, there is no compulsion to strike back in anger or pride. But we also become clearer, firm, no longer peoplepleasing, creating the space we need for what is meaningful to us, in turn making sure we are available for those who need us.

True self-care brings poise, increased compassion, a wider perspective. From selfcare we can allow ourselves to do more of what makes us feel whole and joyful, peaceful and inspired, we find our true unique path and purpose. By allowing ourselves to pause regularly in acts of real self-care, we nurture a mind and body that naturally regenerate, we create supportive neural pathways that allow us to act from balanced understanding, where we genuinely care for ourselves and one another. Quite simply, with self-care, we make a sustainable, long term investment in ourselves so that we can give our best to the world—and our best is surely what the world deserves.

About the image on first page: “The Promise” - Gaelle loves painting trees alone, reminding us we can stand strong and tall, but never separate from our surroundings, always nourished in interdependence and interconnectedness. © Gaelle Chassery 2020. All rights reserved.

About the author

Links

I’m a French artist, maker and designer living on the West Coast of Scotland. I believe that kindness will save the world and that self-care is a superpower. My passion and mission is to enhance quality of life with a gentle but practical approach to the everyday, and I love writing about that in my cosy slow living blog: https://www.gaellechassery. com/blog

Website: www.gaellechassery.com

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Instagram: @gaellechassery_soothing_art p53

Written Word poetry

In Memory of an Island Species She had a given name —Gump— & a secluded home— Christmas Island.

She was the last known member of her species: an individual

known to scientists & keepers as both a friend & an endling.

She received close attention & affection from humans after losing her reptilian kin.

She was a lone Christmas Island Forest Skink (Emoia nativitatis).

It was January 2014 when scientists put her on a list of Australian threatened species, classifying her kind as critically endangered.

Humans combed the rainforests coating Christmas Island’s 135 km² area

Bio Michael J. Leach is an Australian academic and poet who lives on Dja Dja Wurrung country and acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land.

He teaches and conducts research at the Monash University School of Rural Health.

Michael’s poems have appeared in Jalmurra, Plumwood Mountain, Rabbit, Meniscus, FIVE:2:ONE, Cordite Poetry Review, the Medical Journal of Australia, the Antarctic Poetry Exhibition, and elsewhere.

His debut poetry collection is the chapbook Chronicity (Melbourne Poets Union, 2020).

in search of a candidate mate who was nowhere to be found.

Gump was found lifeless on the eve of winter 2014, mere months after her kind was belatedly

Links Twitter: @m_jleach Instagram: @m_jleach

listed as critically endangered that past summer.

She left us a legacy & a lasting lesson.

Note: This poem first appeared in Jalmurra © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p54

Written Word thought-notes

Through these ancient pores: an autobiography of a sandstone reservoir By Andy Emery guest writer

Artwork above: I still have energy to give: untitled reservoir by artist Emma Theresa Jude, 2021. © Emma Theresa Jude.

It is hard to say when I was born exactly, whether in a spinning mass of superheated gas, or in the kernel of a sprouting-seed earth, or when I was thrust up to the surface during continental collision. Births and rebirths, but in my current form I know I became myself in deep abyss, a hadal firth where sunlight cannot penetrate.

I formed in mass flows, guided by deep-sea channels, a trillion shimmering fragments of quartz tumbling irresistible to gravity’s lure, pulled from the continental shelf to fan out on abyssal plain. In Lower Cretaceous sea, I became me.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

As time crept on, my languor sealed me in stifling shales. A growing heat, fluid flow from above and below changed my silica bones, altered my very pores, overgrowths, sealed inside of me a porosity and permeability.

That same heat affected my forebears differently, Kimmeridge kerogen cracking and degassing, charging my veins with -thanes, natural gas.

Trapped inside of me, mixing with my blood waters, until it rose to impenetrable, impermeable barrier above my highest curves. p55

Written Word thought-notes The pressure inside of me grew and grew.

Release did not come until I found my faults, and through them my pore waters could escape, hydrodynamic flow. But my gas remained trapped, tilted contact pushed by buoyancy and flow, until my most recent history, when from above I was tapped by a multitude of drinkingstraw wells. The called me Captain, Kopervik, Britannia. They had many names for me, the humans, and I felt good to share my energy with them. Over timescales they can barely grasp, I did little with my life. Now on their timescale, I became important, my gases providing power to growing populations.

My energy is not without its drawbacks though, the humans realized. Their thirst to extract my power came with a planetary warning, an impending climate crisis. We are worried, the humans and I. What can I do to help? I am merely a sandstone reservoir, formed aeons ago, an antique collection of mountain shards. The answer lies in the very qualities that gave me my energy in the first place. I am a container, a tank for storage. So the gas I give off, combustionconverted carbon, I offer to take back in to store in my pore spaces. I still have energy to give, carbon dioxide and my gas can mix inside of me until humans can go through their energy transition. Once my gas is no longer needed, displace the water in my pores with captured

carbon, sequester it. I can give my deep heat as power, too, geothermal, boiling water coursing through my underground river, brought to surface as steam, then down again to circulate endlessly.

The humans have all the skills they need to work with me, to turn me from a waning giant into a resource, sustainable, a good future for me and our planet.

The things humans learned when they first worked with me, when they first injected me to see how my blood flows, are vital to my continued importance. I must not be forgotten, a relic of a bygone era, a legacy asset that nobody knows how to use any more. A future is possible for me, and we.

The Captain/Kopervik/Britannia Sandstone is a Lower Cretaceous mass-flow sandstone reservoir in the Outer Moray Firth Basin, off the Scottish coast. It contains many gas and gas condensate fields, and is still an important gasproducing body. Thanks to its high porosity and permeability, combined with a hydrodynamic flow, it also makes for an excellent reservoir for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), or storage of blue or green hydrogen. Planned CCS/H2 projects look to take advantage of the knowledge and infrastructure from the days of oil and gas exploration, skills which remain vital in the future.

About the author

Links

Andy Emery is a geologist, using marine geophysics to recreate past landscapes for offshore renewables infrastructure, and has worked with subsurface fluids and geomechanics in his past. He writes about landscapes, geology and climbing in his spare time.

Andy’s Twitter: @AndyDoggerBank

About the artist Emma Theresa Jude is a geologist in the energy industry, working on both traditional and CCS projects in support of the energy transition.

She is also an exhibiting landscape artist and interdisciplinary art teacher, drawing and painting in oils on geological themes.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Andy’s writing: http://doggerbankartcollective. wordpress.com Emma’s twitter: @EmmaTheresaJ Emma’s website: http://www.emmatheresajude.com p56

announcement

Thank you for reading NatureVolve magazine!

We hope you enjyoed issue 9! You can get free copies of issues and stay updated by joining the mailing list at naturevolve.com/subscribe if you haven’t already.

Want to get in touch?

If interested in sending in your feedback or being featured, you can contact register interest at naturevolve.com/ submission-form You can also find us on social media with the handle @naturevolve or the #naturevolve hashtag.

Another big thank you to all contributors to our issues, joining us in our mission to bridge the sciences and arts for our planet.

This includes our dedicated readers, members, contributors and followers.

© NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p57

naturevolve community

connecting science & society About Us We are an incubator that provides support to accelerate the building of new tools and programs that strengthen the networks of access between science and society.

Find out what you can do >>

www.stemadvocacy.org © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p58