R

E

A

D

T

H

I

N

K

C

R

E

A

T

E

Wait, watch and listen to. For a while, you only hear voices, insects, small birds alarm calls and leaves in the breeze; no action, in addition to leaves and clouds. But 10 years later, or 15 minutes of a change. Birds live and feed. Have shiny beetles sidle down the trunk and above the ground. Dart bushy body to pass through. Around the world, you come alive.           Science: The Art of Observation         On a fine day in late spring or early summer, preferably around sunrise or sunset, go to a patch of uncultivated or wooded land as far as possible from people and traffic. Find a comfortable place where you can remain quiet and still for half an hour. Wait, watch and listen. For a while you hear only the sounds of insects, the alarm calls of small birds and the breeze among foliage; nothing moves except leaves and clouds. But after ten or fifteen minutes there is a transformation. Birds settle and feed. Shiny beetles sidle down tree trunks and over the ground. Furry bodies dart to and fro. The world around you has come alive.   Such experiences bring us into contact with other species and seem to satisfy a deep human hunger. "Communing with Nature" is sometimes said to refresh the spirit. The sights and sounds and smells of non-human life in its natural setting arouse our curiosity. They fascinate and enchant. They are the source of much poetry, music and visual art — and of science.   Science — in this case the science of life, biology — has its roots in curiosity. What we see raises questions. These might be simple questions, such as the names of the trees and the shiny beetles and the owners of the furry bodies. Or they might be more complicated ones, such as how birds and flowers are made, how they do the things they do, why they do them; and why they exist at all. Science is a way of framing such questions and trying to answer them. It is not the only way, but it is a very informative and productive one. It works by considering things in themselves, taking no account of whether they are beautiful or ugly or good or bad.   ... Science is a way of satisfying our curiosity by formulating questions about what we observe and answering them dispassionately — that is, without making value judgements.           — Paul Agutter, About Life - Concepts in Modern Biology               Indexes/02