Charles Mann, Amherst MA, U.S.A
Charles Mann, Amherst MA, VS, schrijver van 1491, De ontdekking van pre-Columbiaans Amerika, en Gertjan Becx, Joep van den Broek en Guido van Hofwegen (Resilience Foundation, Wageningen)
What was the Western Hemisphere like before Europeans arrived? Most of us have a few impressions from school long ago, or from movies and the popular culture: Columbus, the conquistadores, and the first Thanksgiving. Most of those ideas are wrong, says author Charles Mann in his book: 1491 - New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. The bestseller book combines research of the past decades on the pre-Columbian Americas.
Mann argues that the Americas had a far larger population than was previously assumed. The Americas inhabited multiple cultures, languages and large cities. Mann claims that the idea of a pristine, natural environment in the Americas before 1491 is untrue. The ecological conditions there were shaped by human activity far before European colonization.
One of the greatest achievements of the native population of the Amazon, and main topic of the presentation, is the creation of Terra Preta. Terra Preta is a very stable soil type with a very high fertility. Researchers conclude that this soil type is able to produce 4-10 times as much food as other tropical soils. The creation of this soil was crucial for sustaining large populations. `
Terra Preta are probably a product of indigenous soil management involving a labor intensive technique of slash-and-char. In addition, the presence of fish bones and special bacteria and fungi play a role. Until now some of the questions on the miraculous fertility of Terra Preta have been answered, but many questions with respect to the origin, distribution, and properties remain. Currently, Wageningen researchers attempt to unravel some of the remaining mysteries surrounding Terra Preta and they even attempt to recreate Terra Preta. After the presentation of Charles Mann some of the Terra Preta research conducted at Wageningen University will be discussed.
The 1491 book introduced Terra Preta to a broader audience. It received very positive reviews, was on several bestseller lists, and was on a number lists for best book of the year. For samples of critical responses to the book, click here.
Charles C. Mann is a science journalist and writer. He has co-authored several books: @Large: The Strange Case of the World’s Biggest Internet Invasion (1998); Noah’s Choice: The Future of Endangered Species (1995); The Aspirin Wars: Money, Medicine and 100 Years of Rampant Competition (1991); and The Second Creation: Makers of the Revolution in Twentieth-Century Physics (1986, rev. ed. 1995). His articles have appeared in Science, Technology Review, The Atlantic Monthly, and Wired.
This is the first presentation in the pilot “Studium Generale Wageningen TV” in real-time on-line via Internet.
De link is http://wurtv.wur.nl/presentations/roadkit3/