Jacob Burckhardt's interpretation of the renaissance was a prototype of the modern world. Scholars think he overlooked the continuity between the middle ages and the renaissance. Also other renaissances had revived ancient things like Greek science, the Latin language, and a liking of the worth and creativity of individuals. To fifteenth-sixteenth century Italy the term meant a time of growth.
A kelp forest off of the coast of Anacapa Island, California. Giant kelp uses gas filled floats to keep the plant suspended, allowing the kelp blades near the ocean surface to capture light for photosynthesis.
In southern California, giant kelp beds were common until the 1950s. Changes in water conditions and the near extinction of the southern sea otter, which resulted in a population explosion of the purple sea urchin, severely reduced the size and number of local kelp beds for several years.