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Guppies Ossified
Maddy Pfaff
Illustrates the similar, basic skeleton transitioning into a
variety of slightly different guppies of the same species (the
beginning of speciation).
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| 2 |
Protection without defense –
White Rhino (Ceratotherium
simum)
Protection without defense – African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta
cyclotis)
Renee E. Hazen
Both pieces represent the way we may see (or hope to see) these
species evolve in the future, having smaller or absent tusks and
horns. In fact, the reduction in size or loss of tusks has
already been noted in the African elephant. This may be due
to poachers selecting individuals with larger tusks and allowing
other elephants with smaller weaponry to live and reproduce,
thereby spreading their genetic material.
Despite the positive development in elephant
evolution, this has not been the case with the rhino.
Instead, these species have their horns poisoned, dyed or removed
by wildlife managers in order to deter poachers. And these
efforts have only raised the rhino’s chance of survival by
slightly less than 30%. Sadly, poachers are still able to
bring about a profit from the stubs left after dehorning.
After learning about these stories, I was curious to
what these species may look like without their natural defenses,
their tusks and horns. I hope I was able to preserve their
character while adding a calm sort of beauty. Nevertheless,
it seems there is a sort of symbolic message in this hoped-for
form of evolution: By laying down our weapons, we are able to
prevent violence and the loss of innocent lives.
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| 3 |
Una raíz
Janesse S. Colón-Ruiz
Red mangrove have evolved certain morphological and physiological
adaptations that allows them to thrive in waterlogged soils with
high salinity. This piece illustrates root adaptations of Red
mangrove (Rhizophora mangle)
growing in the coast of Puerto Rico. |
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| 4 |
âme
Mary Crylen
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| 5 |
Turquoise Cocoon Necklace
Robin Gordon
Materials: Silk, Steel, plastic, silver plate. Piece: Necklace
made from dyed silk cocoons
Cocoons symbolize the metamorphosis between different stages of
life. A cocoon provides protection and security from harsh or
unfriendly environments.
The practice of breeding silkworms for the production of raw silk
has been underway for a minimum of 5,000 years in China. This
process is called Sericulture and is being practiced around the
world. The domestication of silkworm from the wild silk moth,
Bombyx mandarina, has lead to some interesting aspects of the
moth. Coaxing the moths generation after generation to produce
more bountiful cocoons to be turned into silk has produced an
animal that is no longer capable of living in the wild. Adult silk
moths have reduced mouthparts and do not feed, they also have very
limited flying capabilities. The silk that we are able to harvest
from the silk moth can be turned into textiles and transformed
into numerous products. Beautiful silk garments and historical
tapestries all start off as a small silkworm making a cocoon in
the hopes to transform itself into something different. |
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| 6 |
Ecuadorian Nightlife
David Burkart
Under the cover of darkness, nocturnal animals can avoid
sweltering temperatures and diurnal hunters. But nothing’s
perfect. Some predators have also adopted a nocturnal lifestyle to
take advantage of these late-night snacks. As an example of
convergent evolution, being nocturnal has evolved as a trait in
many different branches of the phylogenetic tree, and tropical
rainforests really come alive when the sun goes down. On a
nighttime venture in the rainforests of Ecuador one can discover a
diversity of insects (long horned beetle - bottom left, malachite
butterfly - middle right, unknown caterpillar - middle left),
arachnids (wolf spider – top left), frogs (unknown rain frog – top
middle, Demerara Falls tree frog – top right, Fleischmann’s glass
frog – bottom right), and snakes (cat-eyed snake – middle) active
on the vegetation. Each have unique adaptations to the lives they
live, such as the glass frog’s transparent skin or the
caterpillar’s thorny defenses, but they all have a nocturnal
lifestyle in common (except butterflies, which are diurnal but are
commonly encountered sleeping on vegetation during nighttime
rainforest treks).
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| 7 |
Entranced
Beth Martell
The tiger purrs when he sees me. He is stretching out in the
sun and feeling retrospective. Curling up next to him is
second nature. With my head resting against his warm belly,
he explains how his whole existence has been about exploring power
and powerlessness up until now.
I close my eyes. How intoxicating it is to have
a conversation with him. I am enamored with his voice.
Who wouldn't be? The unheard, low-pitched infrasound of his
roar can travel long distances – permeating buildings, cutting
through dense forests, and even passing through mountains.
It doesn't matter that I can't hear frequencies that low. I
can still feel them. He speaks softly, giving me a chance to
overcome my natural response.
I know he can paralyze even the most experienced
tiger trainer with a roar, but I'm trying not anticipate that
outcome because some stress hormones don't know when to quit
pulling. They remain active in the brain for too long – injuring
and even killing cells in the hippocampus, the area of your brain
needed for memory and learning. That's why it requires
conscious effort to initiate a relaxation response and reestablish
metabolic equilibrium. I gain enough power to meet him where
he is by not allowing my attention to fragment. That's
a skill I learned by meditating.
Humans don't reach deeper understandings by avoiding
deep connections. Taking on problems that seem too heavy to
hold, much less change, are the key to transformation. Their
density is what gives them power. For instance, knowing that
tigers are facing extinction isn't enough to get my attention, but
witnessing story after story about how they are treated in the
wild gives me the energy to strive and stretch further than I
think I can. Being willing to see a tiger's point of view is
the price I pay to take this trip, but here's the payoff.
That openness to change is what empowers a person. It
provides a raison d'etre.
Imagination is the alchemy that turns intensity into
opportunity. Seeing how far I am willing to follow him opens
many doors between us. He rewards me with a taste of real
power as we sit together. See that look in his eye?
That's timelessness. He's daydreaming alright, but it's more
than a conscious trance. He's uses it to re-write his story
re-member his body. That is, to release the muscle memory
and change the body's chemistry. Relaxation alters the
mind. Playing provides insight and inspiration.
However, it's the way we actually invest our attention that alters
what we believe is possible, and that, my tiger tells me, is how
we gain the highest power.
Dreaming is the most important thing we do.
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| 8 |
Legacy Across Time
Natalie Nash
A Grosbeak Finch perches on the skull of a young Tyrannosaurus
showing two very different forms from different times during the
evolution of the Dinosauria clade. |
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| 9 |
Please Elaborate on this Thing
You Call a Sporophyte
Bryan Piatkowski
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| 10 |
A Landscape of Evolution
Heather Osborne
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