Climate Change from the Biotic to the Exotic
Last week I talked about the effect of climate change on hallucinogens in the Solanacea family and their link to American colonial history. In the post, I commented on how living in New England, American colonial history is everywhere you walk, sit and breathe, and for some living in the area, it can end up … Read more
Growing up in New England, you are living, breathing and eating American history. The place where you picnicked with your grandparents as a kid? That was the birthplace of the American Revolution. That graveyard you snuck into as a teenager on Halloween? That’s where Mother Goose is buried. That naked sex beach you “stumbled upon” … Read more
Last week in the blog, I wrote about the effect of climate change on coca plants. In it, I related a story of a high elevation trip to Peru which had my friend passing out in a hotel lobby and me barely able to walk up the front steps due to altitude sickness – both … Read more
When I was in my mid-20’s I traveled to Peru to visit my roommate from college who was working in Lima. She insisted that we travel into the Andes mountains to see one of the greatest works of mankind, Machu Picchu. To get there under 30 hours, we had to take a plane to Cuzco … Read more
Here is the reason not to go to India: Eat, Pray, Love. These are not my words. These are the words of the three delightful embassy workers I had dinner with on my second night in New Delhi. When I asked them what the most common problem Americans had when coming to India (I thought … Read more
I rarely claim to have any supernatural abilities. Yes, I did have a great aunt who was a self-reported psychic, and yes, when she told my grandfather that she saw “water” in his future, he did return home to find a broken pipe leaking water everywhere. But let’s just say that most of those supernatural … Read more
Minda’s note: While I am hiking the Himalayan mountains this week, my friend and fellow scientist, Olivia Yu from UC Davis agreed to fill in for me. She asks the paradoxical question: can ecologists also be environmentalists? See below for her thoughts on the topic…. The paradox of scientific research by Olivia Yu [The purpose … Read more
Moving to California, I learned quickly that everyone smokes pot here. Everywhere. All the time. People smoke openly on their porches, walking down the street, even pulling their cars onto the highway (a little scary). Our favorite bar doesn’t have a reserved area for cigarette smokers outside (cigarettes are so bad for you!!), they have … Read more
If I had to sum up living in Northern California in only a couple words, it would be sun, sun, sun, warm, sun and wine. I have to admit that I live in the most beautiful part of the world. The temperature is between 65 and 85 every day. It is sunny and clear, complimented … Read more
Living in Berkeley California exposes you to enthusiasts of all types; we have yoga gurus, herbal devotees and wine connoisseurs galore. At a party last week, a man from Georgia wearing wool knit socks as shoes and Mexican beaded jewelry showed up with a suit case filled with tea. He was a tea obsessive, which … Read more