We Live in a ‘Material’ World: Cluster 2 Themes & Applications

1. We Live in a ‘Material’ World:Cluster 2 Themes & Applications EDUB 2130

2. Cluster 2: Material World Topics

3. Central Themes • 1. Properties of Materials – characteristics – descriptive or behavioral. What is this material like? • 2. Uses of the material based upon its properties. Knowing this, what is this material used for? • 3. How the material changes – permanent or temporary, chemical or physical. How & Why does this material change? • 4. Issues associated with the material - environmental, social, technological. What are the issues associated with his material? Gold is unreactive, aesthetically appealing, malleable and lustrous and for these reasons, it is used for capping teeth. It is quite useful and rare, thus its economic status and associated issues with mining, currency, and social conflict and exploitation.

4. Some Historical Themes and Applications • Early Greeks – again white males- first reference to the ‘particle’ – atomus/atoma – indivisible • 400 BC (2400 years ago)! • In Early Greek society there were several ‘schools of thought’. • One school being the ‘materialists’ – primary figure was the mentor of the school - Leucippus – but given little recognition for his contributions • Materialists believed that things (phenomena) could be explained based upon evidence • From this school, the earliest thoughts about the atom as a particle originated • Reasoned explanation for natural phenomena based upon evidence • Had the potential to strongly influence the development of early science

5. Three Levels of Materialist (Scientist) Activity The relationship between theory, evidence, and reasoning: THEORY Development - Resolution ________________________________________ Processing of Evidence Evidence Collected – Experiential Level _______________________________________ Reasoning – Cognitive – Psychological Level

8. Where’s Leuicippus? • The banknotes and historical recognition are given to another guy, Democritus, rather than Leuicippus • The ‘materialist’ school was based in Athens • Democritus was from northern Greece, like Aristotle • Had a privileged life – extrovert – the ‘laughing Philosopher’ – favor because of Aristotle lnk • Leuicippus although Democritus’ mentor, largely overlooked – referred to as ‘shady’ – ‘shadowed’. • Public recognition of science contributions of one over the other primarily because of status and perception rather than sound credibility – not to discredit Ds efforts as he did systematize understanding of the ‘particle’

9. Fast Forward to the 1600s • The time of alchemy – making ‘kimia’ (gold) out of something that does not possess gold • Search for the ‘philosopher’s stone’ that would make this process a reality – what a diversion! • No significant exploration into the nature of the particle until the 1600s • Robert Boyle – another European! • Controlled investigations focusing upon the collection of evidence to support scientific reasoning • Worked primarily with air in confined containers – examples • Strong mathematical basis to his work – evidence to support theory

10. His Model for Explaining Pressure- Volume!

12. Materialists in Other Cultures?

15. Hallway of Aklavik School

16. Rangifer tarandus

17. Inuvialuit & Gwichin of Northern NWT &Yukon • Recognized that the migration route of caribou was along corridors through the mountain valleys. • Observations of migratory assisted in preparing for the spring and autumn hunts. • Migration influenced by lichen abundance. One lichen today is called caribou ‘moss’ – Cladinarangiferina

18. Scores of lichens but not all consumed by caribou Hard to distinguish between them by appearance

20. Evidence-Reasoning-Theory • Lichens are very acidic – not consumable • Cladina rangiferina not as acidic as other lichens • Palatable for caribou • Stomach contents eaten by Gwichin - dependent on lichen contents – for good health – especially in ill health • Stomach contents of caribou with lichen used to alter colours of plants for dyes – dark to light colours • “soapberries” used to alter colour of plants - especially flowers - for dyes- light to dark colours • Also used as a soup thickener & mild fermenting agent • Note uses of the lichen based upon its properties

22. A variety of bioactive compounds have been isolated and identified from C. rangiferina, including abietane, labdane, isopimarane, the abietane hanagokenols A and B, ontuanhydride, sugiol, 5,6- dehydrosugiol, montbretol, cis-communic acid, imbricatolic acid, 15- acetylimbricatoloic acid, junicedric acid, 7α-hydroxysandaracopimaric acid, β-resorylic acid, atronol, barbatic acid, homosekikaic acid, didymic acid and condidymic acid. …Some of these compounds have mild inhibitory activities against microbial action and are mildly depressant in fermented state. Nybakken L, Julkunen-Tiito R. (2006). UV-B induces usnic acid in reindeer lichens. Lichenologist38(5): 477-485.

23. Closing Thoughts Our students learn science from one perspective only, not realizing that the evidence-theory connection of all science is evident in the thoughtful and purposeful thinking of all cultures. Science must be presented in a manner that honors the thoughtful reasoning evident in all peoples. This is just not affirming the cultural diversity of the marginalized, but also helping the dominant culture to realize that other cultures are equally able to reason. Adapted from Prof. Elizabeth McKinley University of Auckland