Albert Einstein,Physicist (1879–1955)

Abstract

Einstein's ideas changed man's thoughts about the totality of physics. These ideas were so fundamental for human thought that Einstein belongs to all the sciences and to all cultures. If ever there was a scientist whose centenary ought to be commemorated in an interdisciplinary journal, Einstein would be that one. This is because of the all-pervading influence of the revolution in physics in which Einstein played so paramount a part. Here we look back to what one man was able to contribute to transforming everyman's thought about the physical world. For the most part the lasting consequences are evident and well-known. Nevertheless, we have to observe that in some respect – not necessarily those emphasized by Einstein – the implications are still scarcely apprehended.     

Eine buddhistische Apokalypse. Die Höllenkapitel (20–25) und die Schlusskapitel (26–27) der Hami-Handschrift der alttürkischen Maitrisimit

Indo-Iranian Journal -     

Rethinking the dynamics of woody vegetation in Uruguayan campos, 1800–2000

Simplistic interpretations of the impact of newcomers on South American ecosystems retain currency in the environmental history of the subcontinent. European settlement is almost invariably seen to produce a continuous and linear destruction of the environment. On the basis of several crisis narratives contained in historical documents, it is widely accepted that there was a severe decrease in the extent of woody vegetal formations in the Río de la Plata area during the 19th and 20th centuries. To test this perception, and to develop a more accurate and more complex analysis of the environmental consequences of European occupation, this article focuses on Uruguayan territory from c. 1800 to 2000. Changes in the shape and extent of forest lands in this broad area were assessed by comparing 251 land-survey charts, drawn between 1830 and 1860, with modern-day forest maps. Changes in shrubland abundance were assessed by comparing current distributions with those inferred from the accounts of five travellers who passed through this territory in the first half of the 19th century. Over 200 years, there is no evidence of major changes in forest distribution, extent or shape, and shrublands appear to be much more abundant today than in the early 19th century. These observations, although based on limited data, contradict the most common interpretation of regional environmental evolution. They confirm other claims that the idea of forest destruction in the early 19th century was created and manipulated by actors involved in land conflicts. Close examination of such socially-constructed crisis narratives, through the use of new archives, leads to a better understanding of recent changes in the South American environment.