2007.10.15
Science News:
Invasive, Indeed. One species -- Homo sapiens -- consumes nearly a
quarter of Earth's natural productivity.
"Today, croplands and pastures are among the
largest ecosystems on the planet. People farm about
12 percent of the land outside of Antarctica and
Greenland and use about 23 percent for grazing,
says [Jonathan A. Foley, an environmental scientist
at the University of Wisconsin - Madison]. Together,
land devoted to these uses equals the 35 percent of
Earth's surface that natural forests occupy, he
notes." ...
"In the stampede to replace fossil fuels, some
scientists have proposed the large-scale
cultivation of crops that can be transformed into
supposedly eco-friendly biofuels. That, too, might
be ecologically unwise." ...
"‘At what point does human activity begin to
compromise a lot of our environmental
systems?’ Foley continues. ‘At what
point does this get to be scary?’"
2007.10.12
NYT:
Gore and U.N. Panel Win Peace Prize for Climate Work.
"Mr. Gore ‘is probably the single individual
who has done most to create greater worldwide
understanding of the measures that need to be
adopted,’ the Nobel citation said. The United
Nations committee, a network of 2,000 scientists,
has produced two decades of scientific reports that
have ‘created an ever-broader informed
consensus about the connection between human
activities and global warming,’ the citation
said."
Oh, no, not again! --
Daily Kos:
Nobel Peace Prize Winner.
"The United States Supreme Court in a surprise vote of 5 to 4 have declared George W. Bush the winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize."
USA Today:
Tourists return [to New Orleans] as city mends.
"About 6 million people are projected to visit New
Orleans by the end of the year, up from 3.7 million
last year, said Stephen Perry, president of the New
Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors
Bureau.... This year's numbers fall short of the 10
million who visited in 2004, before the devastating
floods of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 virtually
halted tourism."
2007.10.07
AP:
Bird Brain Dies After Years of Research.
"Alex, a parrot that could count to six, identify
colors and even express frustration with repetitive
scientific trials, has died after 30 years of
helping researchers better understand the avian
brain."
AP:
Scientists recover T. rex soft tissue.
AP:
Scientists may have found appendix's purpose. Seemingly useless organ may produce, protect good
germs for your gut.
"There are more bacteria than human cells in the
typical body. Most of it is good and helps digest
food."
NYT:
Charge It to My Kids.
"Excuse me, Ms. Perino [White House press
secretary], but I wish Republicans would revert to
type. I thought they were, well, conservatives --
the kind of people who saved for rainy days, who
invested in tomorrow for their kids, folks who
didn't believe in free lunches or free wars."
