In another not-so-shocking proof that pollution can really mess up a species, scientists have shown DNA damage and mutation in mice can be caused by polluted air. This is one of those experiments that just didn’t need to happen, much as it may be nice to confirm the point from time to time.
See the scoop here.
The latest in “the oil’s REALLY running out and there’s nothing we can really do about it since we’re jackasses and let it get this bad and now emerging economies are tipping the balance towards destruction” news here.
Extra! Extra! The oil business is full of greedy, morally vacuous weasels who are going to destroy us all. What? You already knew? Well then, how about an account of all of the back room deals, willful and criminal ignorance of environmental consequences and the insane lengths to which people are willing to go in order not to give up the hydrocarbon dream. If that sounds like something that tickles your fancy, I highly recommend reading William Marsden’s Stupid to the Last Drop: How Alberta is Bringing Environmental Armageddon to Canada (and Doesn’t Seem to Care)
The most common type of gorilla is on the verge of extinction. This is only partly because of massive amounts of poaching. The main culprit? Ebola. Remember Ebola? In its peak, it was the trendiest pandemic threat in town. Endearing phrases like “plague monkey” and “flesh-eating disease” were really coined for the first time. Then Outbreak went from the New Release section to the regular movie section, and we forgot all about it. Maybe witnessing our closest biological relative self-eaten into inexistence will remind us. Don’t try to wash your hands: it’s airborne!
Check out the original article.
There are the one-shot doozies that annihilate us overnight (like a comet), and there are the slow movers, the turtles of the apocalyptic world. The melting of icecaps is one of the latter. Bit by bit, ice melts, sea levels rise, and eventually tangible problems develop, magnify, and cascade into other catastrophes, and we all die. The problem with the apocalyptic turtles is that once the problem is noted in the (relatively) early stages, it’s hard to turn into a fresh headline, however pertinent the call to action may still be.
“In other news, ice caps are, well, still melting.” And? The same news, however bad or important, is no news. That’s why people jump all over occasions when something actually does change.
Recently, some satellite photos were taken across northern Canada, Alaska, and Greenland. Apparently, enough ice has melted that a new waterway has opened up, although it may not be fully operational as a shipping lane for quite some time.
See? There’s a reason for a headline if I ever saw one. What an opportunity! I love global catastrophes with a positive spin. A melting country and rising sea levels… a new waterway! Seafarers rejoice.
The original article can be found here.
