Book of the Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices

al-Jazari lived in the late 12th and early 13th century, near modern-day Iraq, and was a marvelous mechanical engineer and scientist who built some amazing machines, which you have to see to believe:

Image: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Lest you think these are merely fanciful illustrations, al-Jazari wrote complete instructions on how to build the machines in his, "Book of the Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (Kitáb fí ma'rifat al-hiyal al-handasiyya)" in 1206 at the request of the sultan.

Donald Hill, translated the text into English in 1974, and a book review of the translation from New Scientist magazine is available online.

The science of automata, as such devices are called, is felt to be the precursor to the modern science of robotics.  al-Jazari's book was written centuries before the famous sketches of Leonardo Da Vinci, and clearly establish al-Jazari as the father of robotics.

Furthing reading:
1. Research by Malaysian scientists on al-Jazari's water supply system
2. Listing of books, via Google Books, showing al-Jazari's importance
3. YouTube videos showing how al-Jazari's inventions would have worked

Residents, Supreme Court says you're not students (8-0)

Mayo Clinic lost a law suit against the government in which Mayo tried to argue that housestaff, or physicians completing residency training, are students under the law rather than employees, or workers.

The case wended its way through the legal system, all the way up to the Supreme Court, which made a 8-0 ruling on January 11th, against Mayo Clinic, firmly establishing housestaff as employees rather than students.  An interesting editorial on the events leading to the decision is available at the New England Journal of Medicine.

Myosin dancing on actin

Those of you who remember biochemistry, however vaguely, may recall learning about the sliding dance of myosin over actin filaments, a funky sequence of molecular machinations that allow for cells to move.

Turns out, some scientists have caught this sequence on camera:



Original citation from: N. Kodera et al., Nature, 468:72-6, 2010 via The Scientist.

Tughra of Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent

Another beautiful piece from the Islamic exhibit at the Met:

This is the official signature of Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent, ruler of the Ottoman Empire.  Sulayman was truly remarkable, a poet, a warrior-king who remains known to this day as the Lawgiver. 

His system of law endured for centuries after his death and a sculpture of him actually hangs in the United States House of Representatives, as one of 23 famous lawmakers in history.

Suleymaniye Masjid restoration completed

Image via Sunday's Zaman newspaper

The Suleymaniye Masjid in Istanbul completed a three-year restoration process in November 2010 and will be open to the public again for prayers and tourism.  The masjid was commissioned by Suleyman the Magnificent and was built between 1551-1558 by the renowned architect Mimar Sinan.

Awe-inspiring from its opening, the Suleymaniye Masjid was a center of learning, service, as well as worship, and continues to play an active role in the lives of Turks today.

Many new discoveries were made during the restoration process, both artistic and scientific, such as new panels of calligraphy and an understanding of how the masjid achieved its amazing acoustics.

If you can't quite make it to Istanbul, there is a beautiful, online virtual tour of the grounds via the Aramco World website that dates back to 2006 (the latest restoration project started in 2007).  

Full story via the Sunday's Zaman website.