882 BOOKS IN BRIEF OPINION theory ofeverything. of science anditsquesttoattaina such asmissiledefence andthefuture sensitive andwitty, heassesses topics war andreligion. Always rational, often topics from cosmology andpolitics to offers pragmatic musingsondiverse from hisdesk,theNobellaureate Austin, Texas, over whichhegazes 2010). Inspired by thescenery ofLake Views Lake complement theskillsofpilots. bird strikes andhow flightcomputers how jetenginesare builttowithstand Looking intoairlinerdesign,heexplains from theforesight ofengineers. Sullenberger, andhow muchcame experience ofcelebrated pilotChelsey on theHudson’was aresult ofthe asking how muchof the‘miracle the scenes ofaviation research, Langewiesche takes alookbehind Fly by Wire York’s HudsonRiver ayear ago. In land ontheMoon? thought 150years ago thatwe would that itwas ever thus:whowould have seem daunting,butPetroski pointsout change. Today’s challenges might nuclear power andmitigating climate biofuels andelectriccars toproducing into reality, from implementing turn theabstract ideasofscientists problems, hediscusseshow engineers the disciplinecansolve theplanet’s (Harvard University Press, (Penguin, 2010),William collection ofessays, travel inhislatest form ofmental take amore sedate energy physics to leaves behindhigh- Steven Weinberg Theoretical physicist Engineering needs landing on New landing onNew emergency that madean Airways plane crew ofthe US passengers and the lives ofthe Technology saved Explaining how (Knopf, 2010). Essential Engineer Petroski in delivered by Henry — onethatis an image boost The The

from Papua New Guinea, madefrom a1-metre animals. When swung on abullroarer astring, fantastic with adorned or shapes strange into gongs, ukuleles and many ocarinas, carved are jaw flutes, didjeridoos, nose harps, slit design,” explains curator Kjellgren. Eric “It of afirst isboth its and type arevolutionary bird from instrument the which its took name. ofrising series tones of local the similar to cry the across lunet’s the four tongues carved to create a A musician would hismoistened run palm Turbo petholatus eight eye-like opercula, ‘lids’ the with which oblong the larva, instrument with isinset honour Resembling dead. the agiant insect New during Guinea rites —wasrubbed to invented on island the of New Ireland inPapua sacred to the prosaic. resonated sound for diverse from uses, the instrument builders created local andwhich Pacific the Sounding Museum of Running Art. until September, tic exhibition at New York’s Metropolitan AsiaSoutheast —ishighlighted inan eclec- Polynesia, Micronesia, Australia and Island region— the that encompasses Melanesia, ofThe unique Oceania musical technology Oceania’s musicaltechnology Until 6September2010 Metropolitan New MuseumofArt, York of Oceania Sounding thePacific: MusicalInstruments © Alongside familiar percussion instruments drumThe lunet friction —awooden

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A l l r i g h t s r e s e r v e d e-mail: [email protected] Josie Glausiusz ing nature of human life”. cal songs that meditate “upon fate and fleet- the explains, isoften accompanied by philosophi- instrument, music the of sesando, the Kjellgren cimer-like asacred sound. Considered tobe palm frond. Plucking strings the creates a dul- by aresonating chamber madefrom apleated stem fitted with metal strings and surrounded century-old tube zither consists of abamboo from Timor Island inIndonesia. Thisgraceful, but one example fine on show isasesando 1879 by Portuguese settlers from Madeira. braguinha, probably introduced to Hawai’i in from asmallguitar— wasmodified calleda ukuleletrast, the —meaning ‘jumping flea’ but popular hasbecome worldwide. By con- by termites, originated Australia innorthern trumpet made from atree limb hollowed out around world. the Thedidjeridoo, of atype have others ments travelled local, remained natural spirits. months at atimeto evoke voices the of super- catfish werecarved heads, beaten inrelays for from logsand ornamented with elongated regionSepik of Papua New Guinea, hollowed some 4-metre-long slit gongs from Middle the accompanied courtship rituals. Apair of fear- Fiji, tooted by exhaling through asingle nostril, Anetchedbee. flute bamboo nose from 1830s creates like an adeepwhirr oversized bumble- slat with of ahole bored wood inone end, Stringed instruments are rare Pacific, inthe Although many of these specialized instru- NATURE isajournalistbasedinNew York. | Vol 463 | 18 February 2010 ■

E. KJELLGREN