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How did the Brazil nut tree get its name?

Suggested Reading—>Click here.

Assorted Killer Savings Garden Links—>Click here.

Killer Picks: Wollemi Pine, greatest living fossils discovered in the 20th century—>Click here.

Atlas of the World, Traveler Magazine, U.S. National Parks, Country Guidebooks—>Click here.

Deep Ancestry: Inside the Genographic Project—>Click here.

Alexander von Humboldt was a geologist. In 1796, when he was 27 his mother died leaving him the family fortune. He promptly quit his position as a mine inspector and sought a companion to explore the world.

Baron Alexander Von Humboldt in His Study
Eduard Hildebrandt
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Aimé Bonpland, a French medical doctor, was just such a companion. His first love, botany, could now be more than a hobby. In 1797, Humboldt and Bonpland went to Madrid to obtain passports and permission from King Charles II to explore South America.

Humboldt and Bonpland spent five years in South America. They were the first to see how curare was made. (See Plants that Changed History, April 23, 2002) Humboldt illustrated the geology of the Andes and described the Peruvian (Humboldt) Current off the west coast of the continent.

They climbed the first 18,000 feet of the volcano, Mt. Chimborazo and mapped most of the Orinoco River. They collected more than 60,000 plant species. And they saw the giant Brazil nut trees (Bertholletia excelsa), they named for a friend, French chemist, Claude-Louis Berthollet.

Count Claude Louis Berthollet
Julien Leopold Boilly
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Berthollet is not a well-known name to most. He earned his medical degree in 1768 and began researching chemicals in 1776. Berthollet determined the chemical formula of ammonia, prussic acid, and hydrogen sulfide. He discovered the highly unstable potassium chlorate and convinced it could be substituted for potassium nitrate, inadvertently caused the explosion of a gunpowder plant in Essones, France.

Berthollet and Antoine Lavoisier collaborated on chemical nomenclature and the properties of acids. Berthollet traveled with Napoleon to Egypt as chemist for the French army. He directed the national mint of France and founded the salon, Société d'Arcueil where scientists could work undisturbed.

In a way, Berthollet is still with us. His research on chlorine for the textile industry is responsible for the six percent solution of sodium hypochlorite--chlorine bleach found in most laundry rooms.

Ecuador Travel has beautiful photographs of Mt. Chimborazo. To view the photographs, click on the link:

http://www.ecuador-images.net/mountain.chimborazo.htm

The Sheridan Libraries at The John Hopkins University have a special display of some of the illustrations by Alexander von Humboldt. To view this work of South America, click on the link:

http://naturalhistory.mse.jhu.edu/ChronologicalTour/ChT_Humboldt.html

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Unique Professionally Designed Gardens

Springhill Nursery®

Spring Hill Nursery has unique gardens professionally designed by experts to take the guesswork out of gardening. Whether you are looking for a three season garden, foundation garden, or a garden to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, Spring Hill Nursery has created a step-by-step design just for you. Click here - $20 off your first order at Spring Hill Nursery!

National Geographic 8th Edition Atlas of the World

National Geographic®

Combining state-of-the-art cartographic technology with dynamic and diverse cultural content, our award-winning atlas was more than a year in the making. It was developed using advanced Geographic Information Systems (GIS), satellite imagery, and shuttle radar mapping. This is the first time that a fully global data set was available to our cartographers, enabling them to put together the most technologically advanced and precise atlas we've ever created. Our Eighth Edition Atlas of the World is published with the highest production quality and is the most accurate—and most thorough—volume of its kind.

Softcover and Hardcover

Hardcover edition has an elegant slipcase that can be personalized. Call 800 437 5521 to order a personalized atlas.

416 pages, More than 400 full-color maps and charts, 12 1/2'' x 18 1/2''

© 2005 Click here for price and to view more National Geographic products.

National Geographic Traveler Magazine

National Geographic®

Great vacations start with National Geographic Traveler Magazine! In response to members who wanted to personally experience some of the places they read about in National Geographic, the Society launched National Geographic Traveler in 1984.

Published eight times a year, the magazine combines practical travel information with premier photography and engaging features that entice readers to experience the world. In every issue you'll find ideas for vacations in the United States, Canada, and abroad; suggestions for weekend getaways, handy maps, a calendar highlighting regional special events, tips on taking better vacation photographs, and more. Traveler also offers practical trip-planning advice on where to eat and stay, what to see and do, and how to get there.

For four years in a row National Geographic Traveler has won the ''best travel magazine'' citation from Folio magazine. Click here for price and to view more National Geographic products.

Regional Guides to U.S. National Parks

National Geographic®

This series of regional guides features in-depth coverage and breathtaking images of all the major parks in each region, as well as information about national wildlife refuges, national seashores, forests, preserves, and other scenic areas. Full of suggestions on when to go and what to see and do, the guides also include guided driving tours and hikes, and special features and sidebars on not-to-be-missed flora and fauna, historical sites, and spectacular landscapes. With these beautifully illustrated and completely reliable National Geographic regional guides in hand, visitors are guaranteed unforgettable national park vacations.

352 pages; 100 color photographs; 20 color map

5 1/4'' x 8 7/16'', Softcover

© 2005 Click here for price and to view more National Geographic products.

National Geographic Country Guidebooks

National Geographic®

National Geographic brings over a century of incomparable travel expertise to today's sophisticated globe-trotters. Each National Geographic Traveler features:

Detailed background and site descriptions

Mapped walking and driving tours

Fascinating vignettes on history, culture, and contemporary life

A 60-page directory of visitor information, including notable hotels and restaurants, entertainment, and shopping

Foldout end flaps, printed with maps and quick reference information that serve as handy bookmarks

Practical, portable, and filled with superior photography and artwork Click here for price and to view more National Geographic products.

Deep Ancestry: Inside the Genographic Project

National Geographic®

In Deep Ancestry, scientist and explorer Spencer Wells shows how tiny genetic changes add up over time into a fascinating story. Using scores of real-life examples, helpful analogies, and detailed diagrams and illustrations, he translates complicated concepts into accessible language and explains exactly how each and every individual's DNA contributes another piece to the jigsaw puzzle of human history. The book takes readers inside the Genographic Project, the landmark study now assembling the world's largest collection of DNA samples and employing the latest in testing technology and computer analysis to examine hundreds of thousands of genetic profiles from all over the globe.

256 pages with 40 photographs; 5'' x 8''; Hardcover © 2006 Click here for price and to learn more about the Genographic Project.

Join a real-time, landmark research project! Learn something about your deep ancestry while contributing to the overall success of the Project. Genographic Project Public Participation Kit U.S. and Canada Delivery.

Wollemi Pine

National Geographic®

Exclusively from National Geographic, this survivor from the age of the dinosaurs is one of the greatest living fossils discovered in the 20th century. The Wollemi pine is one of the world's oldest and rarest tree species, belonging to a 200-million-year-old plant family thought to have been extinct for more than two million years.

Previously known only from fossil records, it was presumed extinct until a single tree was found in the Wollemi National Park, Australia, in 1994. Subsequent research discovered 100 adult trees that have survived in a single canyon in this wild and rugged area. Click here to view canyon, trees and fossil record.

You can assist in the conservation effort and enjoy the unique opportunity to ensure the continued survival of this rare species by giving the tree as a gift or growing your own. Suitable for indoor container gardening or as a landscape tree in certain areas of the U.S.

Comes with a care manual with the full story about the discovery and fascinating history of the Wollemi pine. Comes in a copper-colored container and will be approximately 10''H when shipped. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these plants will fund ongoing conservation research. Click here to get your Wollemi Pine and assist in the conservation effort.

National Geographic Magazine

National Geographic®

You are invited to roam the world in the pages of National Geographic magazine. Explore the diversity of our planet's lands and inhabitants in compelling stories covering topics such as animals, nature, science, technology, culture, history, travel, adventure, exploration, and geography. The monthly National Geographic magazine is your key benefit of membership.

Additional benefits include:

As many as five wall map supplements throughout the year in issues of the magazine
A personalized Membership Certificate
Special discounts on selected products
The opportunity to examine special Society products free in your home before deciding to purchase
The privilege of traveling the world with the Society's educational travel tour programs
The satisfaction of supporting important research, conservation, education, and exploration projects

Join the Society and bring the adventure of National Geographic into your home! Click here for price and more info...