Welcome to The Sciku Project – the latest scientific and mathematical discoveries, thoughts and ideas as scientific haiku.
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Cherry Blossom by Sarah Das Gupta
Blossom in the wind
by Sarah Das Gupta
an elfin candyfloss drifting
in a Japanese garden
| Botanical name: | Wild cherry – Prunus avium |
| Popular names: | Cherry Blossom, Sakura (Japan) |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Origin: | Widely distributed in Northern Hemisphere and Eastern Asia, especially Japan |
| Habitat: | Grows best in full sunlight and fertile soil. Will not tolerate being waterlogged. |
The national flower of Japan is the cherry blossom. Trees in parks and gardens, are bred from wild cultivars such as Prunus speciosa (Oshima Cherry) which is native to Japan and can produce double flowers and grows rapidly. In the modern era trees are generally propagated by grafting. Classifying cherry trees is difficult as they have a tendency to mutate. Prunus itosakura is a wild, species which grows slowly but has the longest life among cherry trees. Jindai—sakura is over 2,000 years old and believed to be the oldest surviving cherry. Often such ancient trees are seen as sacred and mark Shinto shrines. The flowers of ornamental cherries have a characteristic scent, like vanilla.
The term ‘hanami’ refers to the practice of ‘flower viewing’ which was originally popular with the Imperial Court but with the planting of cherry trees in urban areas in the modern era, it has spread to all classes.
Modern cultivars are being developed with a resistance to disease, especially to an invasive longhorn beetle. Traditionally the cherry blossom begins blooming in Okinawa in January and reaches Kyoto and Tokyo by the beginning of April. As a result of global warming, the date in Tokyo has moved to early March.
In Japan, the blossom is a symbol of the ephemeral nature of life. The blossom is short-lived and fragile.
Further reading:
‘‘Cherry’ Ingram: The Englishman Who Saved Japan’s Blossoms’, 2020, Abe, N., Vintage, ISBN: 978-1784706920
Author bio:
Sarah Das Gupta is a young 81 year old. Loves writing haiku and most forms of poetry. Is learning to walk after an accident. Main outside interests include equine sports. Lives near Cambridge, UK. Read other sciku by Sarah here.
World in motion by Tony Williams
knowing nothing
by Tony Williams
of Brownian motion…
pollen dancing on a pond
You may have heard of Brownian Motion already, or even recollect an enthusiastic science teacher demonstrating it and then trying to impart its significance? Brownian Motion was first observed and named, unsurprisingly, after botanist Robert Brown in 1827 and then explained by Albert Einstein in 1905. It provides crucial evidence for the existence of atoms and molecular movement in a medium (liquid or gas). The movement of observed suspended particles is continuous, irregular and influenced by temperature.
Further reading:
‘Brownian Motion’, Wikipedia article, available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownian_motion
‘What is Brownian Motion?’, 2023, Vanstone, E., Science Sparks, available: https://www.science-sparks.com/what-is-brownian-motion/
Author bio:
Tony Williams from Scotland, UK, started writing haiku and senryu in 2020. Since then he has been published widely in many fine journals and picked up some awards. Tony takes inspiration from spending time in nature. He is not unhappily retired.
Read other sciku by Tony here: ‘Spooky Action’, ‘ToE…’ and ‘Tuning in…’.
Librocubicularist by James Penha
no, I’m not surprised—
by James Penha
it takes forever to digest
the horrors of war
In the ancient Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus, archaeologists have discovered a 1,600-year-old tomb with several mummies inside including one with, unprecedentedly, a papyrus fragment from Homer’s Iliad under the wrappings on the mummy’s abdomen.
The scientists say, “We are currently studying and proposing various hypotheses.”
My sciku offers an explanation of this remarkable find.
Further reading:
‘A passage from Homer’s Iliad has been discovered inside the abdomen of a Roman-era Egyptian mummy’, 2026, Kova, A., Scientific American, available: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/passage-from-homers-iliad-discovered-in-the-abdomen-of-a-roman-era-egyptian-mummy/
‘Archaeologists Unearth a Papyrus Fragment From the ‘Iliad’ Tucked Inside the Wrappings of a 1,600-Year-Old Egyptian Mummy’, 2026, Wexler, E., Smithsonian Magazine, available: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-a-papyrus-fragment-from-the-iliad-tucked-inside-the-wrappings-of-a-1600-year-old-egyptian-mummy-180988603/
Author bio:
Expat New Yorker James Penha (he/him 🌈) has lived for the past three decades in Indonesia. His story collection Queer As Folk Tales was published by Deep Desires Press in October 2025. His chapbook of poems American Daguerreotypes is available for Kindle.
Penha edits TheNewVerse.News, an online journal of current-events poetry. You can find out more about his poetry on his website https://jamespenha.com and catch up with him on BlueSky @jamespenha.bsky.social
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