Journal and Proceedings of
The Royal Society of New South Wales
Volume 129 Parts 1 and 2 [Issued June, 1996]
CONTENTS
| AUTHORS & TITLES | PAGES |
| Branagan, D. F. Bricks, Brawn and Brains-Two centuries of Geology & Engineering in the Sydney Region (Presidential Address 1996) |
1-32 |
| Taylor, S.R. Recent Developments in Planetary Research. (48th Clarke Memorial Lecture, 1995) |
33-44 |
| Mills, David R. Full Circle: The Resurgence of the Solar Economy. (Pollock Memorial Lecture, 1996) | 45-68 |
| Bennett, Max R. Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics | 69-79 |
| Theses Abstracts [Not presented on this page, but available here] | |
| Bishop, Andrew C. Towards a Crop Growth, Development and Yield Model for Lupinus angustifo1ius (Narrow leafed lupin) in Tasmania | 80 | Borer, Philippe. The Twenty-Four Caprices of Niccolo Paganini: Their Significance for the History of Violin playing and the Music of the Romantic Era | 81 |
| Leung Sai-Wing. The Making of an Alienated Generation | 82 |
| Clements, Mark Alwin. Reproductive Biology in Relation to Phylogeny of the Orchidaceae, especially the Tribe Diurideae | 83-84 |
| Hayati, A. Majid. A Contrastive Analysis of English and Persian intonation Patterns | 85-86 |
vol 129 pts 1-2, pp.1-32
Bricks, Brawn and Brains - Two Centuries of Geology & Engineering in the Sydney Region
D.F. Branagan
Abstract. Since the beginning of European settlement both geology and engineering have played important roles in the development of the "made" environment. Contributions by the likes of John Busby, George Barney and Thomas Mitchell (each broadly trained and experienced) prior to 1850 saw an essentially unified approach to problems of road construction, harbour reclamation and water supply and their solutions. The rise of the civil engineering profession in the latter portion of the nineteenth century coincided with virtual neglect of geological aspects of projects such as bridge and dam construction. Perhaps more by good luck than good planning there were no major disasters. However, during the same period, applied geologists, with few exceptions, devoted their attention to mining rather than to the relevant aspects of civil engineering, and perhaps saw no need to make useful contributions. By the 1920s the scale of projects, introduction of new methods and equipment, and some failures, began to bring tbe two professions together. The major project which heralded the present period of co-operation was the Warragamba Dam, built between 1939 and 1960. From the l970s there was more co-operation and geologists contributed with the mapping of significant fracture systems and dyke intrusions which affected planning and construction. From 1970 there was also greater combined study of the significance and measurement of horizontal stress in the Sydney rocks. Nevertheless there are still failures of fact and communication, and Sydney still lacks a central scheme for the gathering and dissemination of geological data for the civil engineering profession, for town planners and concerned citizens.
vol 129 pts 1-2, pp.33-44
Recent Developments in Planetary Research
(The 48th Clarke Memorial Lecture in Geology, delivered before the Royal Society of New South Wales, 11th October 1995)
Stuart Ross Taylor
Abstract. Our ideas about the origin and evolution of the solar system have advanced significantly as a result of the past 25 years of space exploration. The paper begins with an assessment of the problems of building the giant gaseous planets. The role of meteoritic, asteroidal and planetesimal impacts, and of the importance of random events is emphasised. Other topics include the reasons for the existence of the asteroid belt, and the small sizes of Mars and Mercury. A discussion is given of the Moon and Mars, including the problems in forming our unique satellite, the Moon. The geology of Venus, once thought to be a twin of the Earth, has revealed startling differences in tectonic and igneous activity, now revealed by the Magellan Mission. Since it is so difficult to form a clone of the Earth in our own solar system, the chances finding one in another planetary system seems highly improbable because of the large number of chance events involved. The importance of asteroidal impacts is emphasised by a discussion of the massive impact on the Earth at the end of the Cretaceous Period, that has provided a possible new explanation for the extinction of at least 70% of species living at that time, including all of the dinosaurs and the giant marine reptiles. The dominance of the mammals and the emergence of Homo sapiens is due to such a chance event.
"Since one of the most wondrous and noble questions in Nature is whether there is one world or many, a question that the human mind desires to understand per se, it seems desirable for us to inquire about it." (Albertus Magnus, 1200-1280 A.D.)
vol 129 pts 1-2, pp.45-65
Full Circle: The Resurgence of the Solar Economy
(Pollock Memorial Lecture delivered before the Royal Society of New South Wales, 13th February 1996)
David R. Mills
Abstract. Solar Energy is our most ancient fuel and remains by far the most important energy foundation for activity on this planet. The intelligent use of solar energy was well understood by many ancient civilisations, but commercial use has suffered numerous collapses throughout history. This is because the economic foundations upon which it was based failed to account fully for the environmental benefits offered by this remarkable fuel. However, a fuller cost/benefit accounting of solar energy is beginning to enter the marketplace at the same time as numerous solar technologies are dropping rapidly in cost due to technical improvement, The alliance of these two factors is powerful, and should allow us to return to a solar economy over the next few decades. The process has already begun.
vol 129 pts 1-2, pp.69-79
Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics
Max.R. Bennett - with illustrations by Gillian Bennett
Initial Paragraph. Two Great Mysteries: Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics.
Quantum mechanics provides a theory for the behaviour of elementary particles and atoms. Even though it has been enormously successful in this task, the conceptual foundations of the theory are still a matter of hot debate. Mysterious dilemmas emerge as one probes deeper into the meaning of quantum mechanical ideas. Given that consciousness is itself such a mystery, some pundits have suggested that the spate of publications over the last decade on the possibility that quantum mechanical principles are needed to explain consciousness arise from the conviction that two such fundamental mysteries must be related! Perhaps the foremost exponent of the idea that quantum mechanical effects are involved in consciousness is the great mathematical physicist Roger Penrose. However Francis Crick, perhaps the greatest biologist of this century, dismisses the idea entirely. This article sets out the arguments so far developed for a role of quantum mechanical effects in consciousness. Suffice it to say that no quantum principles have yet been needed to explain any neuroscientific phenomenon observed in the laboratory, with the possible exception of the interaction of photons with the photoreceptors of the eye. But then, of course, is consciousness a laboratory phenomenon?