This post discusses plot details of Ammonite which is based on the life of Mary Anning while admittedly also employing significant creative license. To the extent such a film can be spoiled, this post contains spoilers. We haven't talked about a movie in a while, and since I've written before about Mary Anning, it seemed appropriate to discuss the recent film Ammonite based on her life. I knew very little about the film beyond the fact that Anning was its subject, but I was expecting something akin to The Dig, a … [Read more...] about Science Corner: What Remains of a Life?
paleontology
Science Corner: Digging into Natural History
This week's exploration of Christians' history in the sciences brings us to Mary Anning. Anning was a 19th century fossil collector whose work would form the foundation of paleontology. She found some of the first ichthyosaur, plesiosaur and pterosaur skeletons. Most striking to me is that she did so largely as an outsider. She had a passion for science and pursued her investigations without the kind of institutional support we associate with modern science. We may need more Mary Annings going forward as that kind of … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Digging into Natural History
Science Corner: Objects in Poster May Be Further Away Than They Appear
In the week when nerds make their annual pilgrimage to San Diego Comic-Con, I couldn't resist this little tidbit on science fiction meets science fact. Last week, a poster was revealed for the upcoming Star Wars movie Rogue One. As you can see, the Death Star looms large over a surface-bound skirmish. While fully acknowledging that the Death Star doesn't exist as such and so obviously computer graphics and Photoshop were involved in rendering this image for our galaxy, one might wonder if it would be physically possible … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Objects in Poster May Be Further Away Than They Appear