I’ve always wanted to set up a nice science shelf in my room that depicts a lot of the wonderful aspect of the world in which we live, and the study of it. For example, to represent physics I already have a Newton’s cradle and one of those plasma balls, and to represent the study of astronomy, I wanted to try and get a “lunar land certificate,” a jar filled with mini replicas of the planets, a replica newspaper of the moon landing and a merits fragment. Of course, I would like the astronomy portion (and others) to be a bit more robust. Naturally, I went to my good friend ChatGPT, who has a the ability to search the entirety of the internet and all its home decor ideas and search in ways I cannot fathom going. Unfortunately, ChatGPT sucks at home decor ideas, often suggesting ideas that aren’t very practical to procure or even do (like labels that describe different phenomena). So, I come to you, fellow lovers of science, for any unique things you have to represent your favorite fields of study (because AI ain’t getting any better at having good taste).
Collecting leaves and flowers to press and place into picture frames. Different twigs with buds types. They can be roped together. Shells. I don’t support catching live insects to pin. Not very loving to do so.
As I look around my desk, I see a few things that may give you inspiration. I have a few concretions from the limestone rubble creek behind my house, picked up when someone here suggested that the rounded stones David used were probably these, as limestone makes lousy sling projectiles ( I also have a sling that I am learning to use, which is fun to play with but also could be considered decor). Elsewhere on my desk is a Petosky stone, a polished bit of fossilized coral from about 400 million years ago, its shadow persisting in a rock whose meaning transcends the geology in that it was gift given a sweet couple from Michigan 30 or so years ago. In the window of office space is a stainless steel urinal that my wife has permitted me to keep, with ivy growing it, a tongue in cheek award that I received for having the best answer in med school on an acid-base question in physiology. Of course, in the bottom of the urinal is pea gravel.
In short, as you live life, collect a few items that have meaning to you, and you will find yourself reminded of the glory of God not only in what those objects are, but what they represent.
You absolutely MUST have a chart of the periodic table!!! By itself that represents a significant portion of scientific understanding touching all areas of science.
I have a good deal of “choice gravel” from the shores of Lakes Huron, Superior and Michigan “decorating” my back porch. Along with some gorgeous slabs of slate. I gifted one of my palm-sized rocks to @Klax at Christmas as an idenitification and formation challenge. And because I thought it’s beautiful enough to be a gift.
I also have my not-valuable “collection” of insulators functioning as finiales on my back porch posts.
So, natural and technical detritus can be aesthetically pleasing, I find.
House plants are a fun active nod to science, particularly, when you use them to experiment with things like forcing bulbs in the winter and disection. I’m currently collecting avocado skins to use for dyestoff either with some wool or just paper.
Technical drawings of all kinds are art. Period. Start swarming your library’s used book sales for cheap old hand-illustrated books on botany and steam-powered machinery, buy some, razor blade the best images out, and frame them.
And, as Mitchell suggested, the Periodic Table.
I have a cool mug that shows the geologic history of the earth. I don’t decorate with it, but it would make a great pencil holder. Or bulb-forcing vessel with the proper support for the bulb above it.
One thing I once bought was a set of fossiles - trilobites, fossilized fish, petrified wood, etc. I bought these for practical purposes but suitable stones with fossils might serve even as decoration.
What gives value and interest for these fossils is if you know the assumed age and the site from which the fossil was found. It is quite different to read from the fossils than see those with your own eyes. For example, the fish fossil was very detailed although it was >100 million years old. No question that it had been a real fish.
The numbers of ‘ordinary’ fossiles found from some sites are so huge that stones with these fossiles are sold legally, without a risk of losing valuable scientific data.
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