Envisioning Community Recap #09
Hi :)
This week, we're sharing stories about how technology is helping us to unravel mysteries in nature, in the past, and in crowds.
News
#feed-urban-innovation
What can we learn from ancient civilization's urbanism?
Researchers are using Lidar, a technology for 3D scanning of environments, to reveal the urban structures of ancient Maya and Khmer cities. The technology is uncovering extensive tropical megacities, some larger than Paris today! One interesting difference from what we see in contemporary cities was the use of low-density urbanism. Instead of having fields outside and political institutions inside, fields were located within, and throughout the urban infrastructure and residences.
Shared by Rodrigo.
#feed-psychotechnology
Further evidence of the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.
Monica shared research about the use of DMT for treating ischemic strokes.
Conversations
#study-pattern
Do we have any physicists in the community?
Catherine wants help finding the name of the following theory:
"There's a theory that explains why our universe has certain properties but not others (eg. oxygen existing naturally as o2 but somehow not o6 or something). Theory goes that the first time in the whole universe when a bunch of oxygen atoms stuck together and produced o2, that chemical reaction/bond became a law that our universe will follow forever and ever.”
If this sounds familiar to you, please head to #study-pattern and help us out.
Links
#feed-urban-innovation
Disaster Map produces real-time, crowdsourced maps of emerging disasters.
Developers in Indonesia presented an ingenious way of mapping natural disasters with the help of a Twitter bot.
#feed-living-machines
Scientists cracked the mathematical code used by bees to create spiral honeycombs. The same algorithm is seen in the molecular structure of some crystals and on the shells of mother-of-pearl mollusks.
#feed-realities
The new issue of the Next Nature Network magazine is out.
Its cover story "Are we living in a superorganism?" investigates the rise of virtual influencers on social media.
Events
July 7–11 - PRIMER21 Global: Now What?
July 12–13 - Communicating Climate Science Through the Arts Training
Bye, see you around,
Caroline