Walking through nature with John Palka, a neuroscientist who loves plants and ponders big questions
By John Palka — Posted November 4, 2018
“Autumn is a season of great beauty, but it is also a season of decline: the days grow shorter, the light is suffused, and summer’s abundance decays toward winter’s death. Faced with this inevitable winter, what does nature do in autumn? She scatters the seeds that will bring new growth in the spring—she scatters them with amazing abandon.”
By John Palka — Posted June 3, 2018
Nature’s Depths is dedicated to exploring the natural world, seeking to understand it to an ever greater degree, and cultivating a sense of being an integral part of it. In this post, however, I will explore not so much ways of understanding but rather ways of valuing. As we’ll see, understanding and valuing are closely intertwined.
By John Palka — Posted December 31, 2017
Today is the last day of 2017. As we look toward the future, it is a good time to contemplate what we have explored during the year just past and how it helps us grasp the place of our lives in the grand scheme of things.
By John Palka — Posted October 1, 2017
Many neuroscientists ponder big questions because, after all, most of us believe that the nervous system is the seat of human experience and emotions and thus of what is most meaningful in our lives. It is less common to find neuroscientists who also love and study plants. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you how this dual affinity came about for me.
By John Palka — Posted March 5, 2017
People across the ages have asked, what is life? How is it different from non-life? How are the two related? We have asked this question too, and now return to it in another framework.
By John Palka — Posted November 20, 2016
The first posts on Nature’s Depths appeared on November 15th, 2015, almost exactly one year ago. It seems appropriate at this anniversary time to step back and take stock of the journey we have traveled on together.
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