We are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made

That's for sure, Bravus. And medicine is learning how to cure blindness in those who have Age-related Macular Degeneration. First they have done it transplanting cells from the patients own eye; now they are going to use stem cells grown in a laboratory to repair the retina.

Read about at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6721685.stm

The largest flower in the world grows in Indonesia, being up to 3 feet across and weighing up to 15 pounds! It has no visible leaves roots or stem.

read more about the : Rafflesia arnoldii

There is a beautiful picture of the Rafflesia arnoldii at:

http://www.lostworldarts.com/asia/rafflesia_2.htm

Bizarre. Reminds me of something from a sci-fi movie.

Ethnomathematics...

... the study of math as used in various cultures. Ubiratan D'Ambrosio, a Brazilian mathematician, was using the word in the 1960's.

He says,(quoted in The Chronicle of Higher Education, 6 October 2000):

"Mathematics is absolutely integrated with Western civilization, which conquered and dominated the entire world. The only possibility of building up a planetary civilization depends on restoring the dignity of the losers and, together, winners and losers, moving into the new. [Ethnomathematics, then, is] a step towards peace."

Some say that it reduces science to social-studies, some make fun of it saying it is of no use 'unless you want to balance your checkbook the ancient Navajo way.

Maybe it belongs with the history of math. Is that science?

A good article is at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnomathematics

An example of "non-western" mathematics is that of the Mayans. They used a system of only three symbols: lines, dots and a shell-like symbol in a number system based on 5 and 20 (our system is based on 10). Lines represent 5 units, dots 1 unit. Can anyone explain the shell?

Here is a page from the Dresden Codex, which escaped destruction somehow when the Spanish destroyed so much of Mayan writings around 1500 A.D. Notice the lines and dots.

http://www.tu-dresden.de/slub/proj/maya/folio16.html

Are you sure that's math? Looks like part of their alphabet to me.

Yes, it's math. The lines and dots.


...
____

equals 8.

...
===
equals ? 13 or 28? ask an ethnomathematian :)

Mayan scripts have shown them working with numbers up in the 100's of millions.

At http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_civilization#Mathematics I found this chart: