Environment
illconsidered | February 16, 2009 Sipping from the internet firehose...
This weekly posting is brought to you courtesy of H.E.Taylor. Happy reading, I hope you enjoy this week's Global Warming news roundup
skip to bottom Another week of Climate Disruption News Information overload is pattern recognition February 15, 2009 Top Stories:AAAS, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Nicholas Stern, Open Access, YD Impact The Australian inferno Melting Arctic, Geopolitics, Antarctica Food Crisis, Food vs. Biofuel, Food Production Hurricanes, GHGs,Carbon Cycle, Temperatures, Aerosols, Paleoclimate, Glaciers, Sea Levels,…
tqa | February 12, 2009
Updated - The archived video is now available on the committee website, so I've been able to go back and fill in the details I missed due to earlier technical problems.
Due to technical problems, this liveblog of the Confirmation hearings for Jane Lubchenco and John Holdren begins in progress. Dr. Lubchenco is giving her opening statement.
.......
Opening Statements:
Dr. Holdren:
Honor and privilege to appear as Office of Science and Technology Policy nominee. Office has two areas of responsibility. One is input into policy, education and training, and fostering innovation. Other is…
illconsidered | February 10, 2009Here are this week's climate related podcasts (and some on only tangentially relevant subjects!).
NOTE: Presentation of content in this list does not imply endorsement of the views expressed within and I may or may not have listened to it myself! Please highlight good, bad or interesting aspects in the comments. You can email suggestions for specific items to include next time or additional sites to keep an eye on to a.few.things.illconsidered@gmail.com
Happy listening!
Quirks and Quarks:
Fruitless Fall (source page here) - "It's been a rough couple years for honeybees. Two years ago, hives…
illconsidered | February 9, 2009 Sipping from the internet firehose...
This weekly posting is brought to you courtesy of H.E.Taylor. Happy reading, I hope you enjoy this week's Global Warming news roundup
skip to bottom Another week of Climate Disruption News Sipping from the internet firehose... February 8, 2009 Top Stories:Australian Firestorm, Indian Ocean Dipole, Chinese Drought Emergency Melting Arctic, Arctic Geopolitics, Fishing Ban, Antarctica, Grumbine, National Teachin, Dyer, Late Comments Food Crisis, Food Production Hurricanes, GHGs, Temperatures, Ozone, Paleoclimate, ENSO, Glaciers, Sea Levels, Satellites…
purepedantry | February 7, 2009Over at SEA they have a point-by-point description of the Senate economic stimulus bill. Obviously what is actually passed will be sorted out in conference committee but here is what is included about science:
Science:
National Science Foundation (NSF) Research: $1.2 billion total for NSF including: $1 billion to help America compete globally; $150 million for scientific infrastructure; and $50 million for competitive grants to improve the quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): $1.3 billion total…
jwhitfield | February 6, 2009Back when I started this, I remarked that one of the reasons I hadn't read the Origin was that I couldn't imagine it being essential to a grasp of contemporary science. Regarding evolution, I think you could still make a case for this. But in other ways, that statement shows that you really shouldn't opine on topics you know nothing about.
Specifically, I'm talking about ecology (by which, just to be clear, I mean the study of the interactions of living things with each other and their environment, rather than 'nature' or 'environmentalism'). It's been said that all European philosophy is a…
illconsidered | February 2, 2009 Sipping from the internet firehose...
This weekly posting is brought to you courtesy of H.E.Taylor. Happy reading, I hope you enjoy this week's Global Warming news roundup
skip to bottom Another week of Climate Disruption News Sipping from the internet firehose... February 1, 2009 Top Stories:WGMS, Monaco Declaration, Solomon et al., Dead Zones, Y-D Impact, CO2 Warming, WEF, McKinsey Report Melting Arctic, Geopolitics, Antarctica, Late Comments -- Irena, WFES, Polls, Survey, TVA, Particulates Food Crisis, Food vs. Biofuel, Food Production, Liberia's Armyworm Plague Hurricanes, GHGs,…
grrlscientist | February 2, 2009tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Nonggang Babbler, Stachyris nonggangensis, a newly discovered bird species, is found only in southwestern Guangxi province, part of the south-east Chinese Mountains Endemic Bird Area.
Image: James Eaton; Birdtour Asia.
Birds in Science
For many decades, the white-eyes (Family: Zosteropidae) were known as the "Great Speciators" in honor of their apparent ability to rapidly give rise to new species while other birds in the same areas showed little or no diversification. But the Great Speciator hypothesis could only…
hrynyshyn | February 2, 2009The dominant subject among climate change campaigners these days is economics. One could consider this good news, insofar as we've moved on from debating the science of global warming to the debate over how to deal with it. The bad news is most of what passes for debate in economics makes little sense, even to many an economist. For example, I certainly don't feel competent to pass judgment the relative merits of a carbon tax and cap-and-trade. But we can't ignore the issues, can we? So it is with some trepidation that I turn your attention to the U.S. economic stimulus package now making its…
grrlscientist | January 27, 2009tags: evolution, speciation, diversification rate, Zosterops, White-eyes, ornithology, birds, molecular phylogeny, South Pacific Islands
The Splendid (Ranongga) White-eye, Zosterops splendidus,
endemic to Ranongga Island in the Solomon Islands archipelago.
This species' home range is smaller than Manhattan Island.
Image: Chris Filardi [larger view].
For many decades, the white-eyes (Family: Zosteropidae) were known as the "Great Speciators" in honor of their apparent ability to rapidly give rise to new species while other birds in the same areas showed little or no diversification. But…
illconsidered | January 26, 2009 Sipping from the internet firehose...
This weekly posting is brought to you courtesy of H.E.Taylor. Happy reading, I hope you enjoy this week's Global Warming news roundup
skip to bottom Another week of Climate Disruption News January 25, 2009 Top Stories:US Forests, Antarctic Warming, Survey of Climatologists, IRENA, WFES, CBC Melting Arctic, Arctic Geopolitics, Wilkins Ice Sheet, Particulates, Late Comments Food Crisis, Food vs. Biofuel, Food Production Hurricanes, GHGs, Carbon Cycle, Temperatures, Paleoclimate, ENSO, Glaciers, Sea Levels, Satellites Impacts, Forests, Climate Refugees…
hrynyshyn | January 26, 2009Last week, I wrote to John Tomlinson, "a local conservative columnist" for The Flint (Michigan) Journal to ask him for the sources he used for a recent column on the scientific evidence against global warming. He indulged me, and "thousands" of others" who expressed interest by supply those sources in a mass email. In return, I have a few thoughts that I have put in the form of an open letter.
Dear John,
Thank you for taking the time to share the sources you used in your Flint Journal essay of 19 January 2009, "It's time to pray for global warming," which attracted considerable attention this…
clock | January 23, 2009New Sperm Shaker Set To Improve IVF Success Rates:
Scientists have developed a ground-breaking method for testing the quality of a sperm before it is used in IVF and increase the chances of conception.
Racial Bias Can Be Reduced By Teaching People To Differentiate Facial Features Better In Individuals Of A Different Race:
There may be a simple way to address racial bias: Help people improve their ability to distinguish between faces of individuals of a different race. Brown University and University of Victoria researchers learned this through a new measurement system and protocol they…
nisbetmc | January 22, 2009
Call it a case of extreme optimistic bias: Many climate advocates point to polls that show when the public is asked directly, a majority say they are "concerned" about global warming and favor action. But what's missing from this poll assessment is where global warming sits relative to other political priorities. When you examine this comparison, public support for action turns up as soft, even among Dems and Independents, suggesting that it will be very difficult for Obama to rally the needed public input to pass meaningful legislation through Congress.
One way to assess the strength of…
tfk | January 21, 2009You can listen along with me at: http://at1.tea.state.tx.us/sboeaudio
As before, board comments are in blue.
Rose Banzhas, speaking for herself but also an environmental educator: Environmental education matters. As an outdoor educator, I know this matters.
McLeroy keeps asking people if they're here on their own dime or on business. Dunno why.
Loresa Loftin, Science Teachers Association of Texas: More space science. "Man has walked on the sun"?
Various chatter, nothing very exciting, mostly with Cargill. McLeroy is trying to keep things moving.
Helen Holdsworth, Texas Wildlife…
illconsidered | January 19, 2009 Sipping from the internet firehose...
This weekly posting is brought to you courtesy of H.E.Taylor. Happy reading, I hope you enjoy this week's Global Warming news roundup
skip to bottom Another Week of Climate Disruption News Information overload is pattern recognition January 18, 2009 Top Stories:Gwynne Dyer, WWI on Emissions, Plant Methane, Google Emissions, Coal Sludge, Aerosols, Magnetic Fields Melting Arctic, Arctic Geopolitics, Antarctica Food Crisis, Food vs. Biofuel, Food Production Hurricanes, GHGs, Carbon Cycle, Temperatures, Paleoclimate, ENSO, Glaciers, Sea Levels,…
sheril | January 18, 2009From the New York Times:
Sea level rise fueled by global warming threatens the barrier islands and coastal wetlands of the Middle Atlantic States, a federal report warned on Friday.
The report, issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Geological Survey and other agencies, is one of a series examining the potential effects of a rising sea level on the nation's coasts.
The rise in sea level is accelerating, the report said, because warmer water occupies more space and because of runoff from melting inland glaciers and ice sheets. The Middle Atlantic States are…
sb admin | January 16, 2009There were lots of good posts this week about health challenges around the world:
Marjan Siadat at Detroit Receiving provides a grim look at the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe.Â
 Amie Newman at RH Reality Check reminds us that having a child remains one of the biggest health risks for women worldwide.
Michael Clemens at Global Health Policy applauds the World Health Organization for its new code of practice for health worker recruitment, which is important as countries like the US seek overseas candidates to fill our large number of healthcare position vacancies.
Maryn McKenna at Superbug…
pharyngula | January 14, 2009
The intelligent design creationists are jubilant — a paper has been published that shows that organisms were front-loaded with genes for future function! It describes "'latent' or 'preexistent' evolutionary potential" in our history, they say.
One small problem. The paper says nothing of the kind. It does mention latent potential, but it means something entirely different from something that is 'front-loaded', which is a sneaky little elision on the part of the creationists. There isn't even the faintest whiff of a teleological proposal in the paper at all, which makes me wonder if they even…
hrynyshyn | January 14, 2009The German government has at least temporarily suspended an experiment that would see 20 tonnes of iron dust dumped into the ocean between Argentina and Antarctica in hopes of inducing plankton bloom that sucks up atmospheric CO2, according to Nature. First, says the government, you have to do an environmental impact study. But the very experiment itself is a study in environmental consequences. After all, if it works, then we might have at our disposal a simple way to draw down as much as 10% of the atmospheric carbon that's heating the planet. But wait.
There's this international…