Researchers analyze 125 compounds from oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico to determine their longevity
The Deepwater Horizon Aftermath | The UCSB Current
Aghhhhh!
(toldyouso, toldyouso, toldyouso!)
Category: Science and Stuff,
How Vera Rubin discovered dark matter
In the late 1970s, Vera Rubin and Kent Ford of the Carnegie Institution of Washington stared, confused, at the punch-card readouts from their observations of the Andromeda Galaxy. The vast spiral seemed to be rotating all wrong. The stuff at the edges was moving just as fast as the stuff near the center, apparently violating Newton’s Laws of Motion (which also govern how the planets move around our Sun). While the explanation for that strange behavior didn’t become clear to Rubin until two years later, these printouts represented the first direct evidence of dark matter.
How Vera Rubin discovered dark matter | Astronomy.com
hmmm
The Arctic is showing stunning winter warmth, and these scientists think they know why
It is all looking rather consistent with an outlook that has been dubbed “Warm Arctic, Cold Continents” — a notion that, …if accurate, is deeply consequential for how climate change could unfold in the Northern Hemisphere winter.
hmmm
Artificial leaf captures light to power drug production
Drug production is generally a matter of big factories churning out millions of aspirin or ibuprofen tablets a day, but there’s a lot to be said for manufacturing common drugs on a small scale, close to where they’re used.
…We now have a powerful tool at our disposal that enables the sustainable, sunlight-based production of valuable chemical products like drugs or crop protection agents,” said Noël in a TUE news release. “Using a reactor like this means you can make drugs anywhere, in principle, whether malaria drugs in the jungle or paracetamol on Mars. All you need is sunlight and this mini-factory.”
Artificial leaf captures light to power drug production | TechCrunch
hmmmm
The Deepwater Horizon aftermath
Researchers have analyzed 125 compounds from oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico to determine their longevity at different contamination.
The Deepwater Horizon aftermath | Coastal Care
Deepwater Horizon is turning out to have been a much more toxic event with lasting ramifications than any of our leaders had the spine or the brains to admit at the time? Shocking!
Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Obama Designates Atlantic, Arctic Areas Off-Limits To Offshore Drilling
“These actions, and Canada’s parallel actions, protect a sensitive and unique ecosystem that is unlike any other region on earth,” the White House said in a statement.
Obama Designates Atlantic, Arctic Areas Off-Limits To Offshore Drilling : The Two-Way : NPR
hmmm
House Republicans shut down investigation into Flint water crisis, blame EPA instead
…On Friday just hours after the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Maryland’s Rep. Elijah Cummings, called for a subpoena of the Republican governor of Michigan responsible for appointing the emergency manager who had switched Flint’s water supply, Chaffetz announced he was ending the congressional investigation. Chaffetz said he had concluded that “a series of failures at all levels of government caused, and then exacerbated, the water crisis.”
…Arguing that “the federal regulatory framework is so outdated that it sets up states to fail,” Chaffetz called for EPA funds designated for use for studying and combatting climate change be redirected to water pipe improvement projects across the nation. Chaffetz also called for removing the requirement that federally funded drinking-water construction projects pay prevailing wages under the Davis Bacon Act.
…Democrats, however, have pushed back on the Committee’s rushed assessment, criticizing Chaffetz’s sudden lack of interest in thorough investigations. (Under Chaffetz’ chairmanship, the Republican-led House Oversight Committee has chased the Planned Parenthood hoax, sought to impeach the IRS commissioner over the agency’s scrutiny of Tea Party-affiliated groups that sought tax-exempt status and vowed to continue investigating Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server even after the election.)
Cummings refused to sign Chaffetz’s letters closing the Flint investigation and a spokeswoman for the committee’s Democratic staff noted that Gov. Synder had “defied” requests to provide documents for the investigation.
House Republicans shut down investigation into Flint water crisis, blame EPA instead – Salon.com
Sigh….
Pope Francis declares evolution and Big Bang theory are real and God is not ‘a magician with a magic wand’
The theories of evolution and the Big Bang are real and God is not “a magician with a magic wand”, Pope Francis has declared. Speaking at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Pope made comments which experts said put an end to the “pseudo theories” of creationism and intelligent design that some argue were encouraged by his predecessor, Benedict XVI.
hmmm
Pipeline rupture spews oil into creek 150 miles from Standing Rock
Breach of Belle Fourche pipeline highlights the potential for spills that could taint drinking water, an issue at the core of the Dakota Access pipeline protest
Pipeline rupture spews oil into creek 150 miles from Standing Rock | US news | The Guardian
Jeezus….
Being denied an abortion could be more traumatic than getting one
Women who receive abortions experience less short-term anxiety and low self-esteem than women who are denied them, according to a new study. This is consistent with previous findings that the vast majority of women who receive abortions feel relief.
In the United States, 35 states require a waiting period and counseling before a woman can terminate her pregnancy. In nine of those states, women are required to receive information about the supposed long-term psychological consequences of getting an abortion, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. But a new study published today in the journal JAMA Psychiatry reveals that those warnings aren’t actually based on scientific evidence.
…Plus, carrying a pregnancy to term and giving birth can have health consequences — having a legal abortion is actually statistically safer for a woman.
…All these laws shows how little lawmakers consider the science and women’s well being, Dossett says. Foster agrees: “I would like the debate about abortions to take into account women’s experiences more,” she says. “For there to be data, and for women who’ve had abortions to be able to have a role.”
Being denied an abortion could be more traumatic than getting one – The Verge
hmmmm
Oil change? Fossil fuel advocate to run State department
What’s behind Donald Trump’s appointment of Rex Tillerson as his choice for US Secretary of State?
Oil change? Fossil fuel advocate to run State department – BBC News
Good Lawd….
Scientists are frantically copying U.S. climate data, fearing it might vanish under Trump
“People have felt a call to arms. We need to be outspoken.”
Scientists are frantically copying U.S. climate data, fearing it might vanish under Trump
sigh…
The Glass Universe: Harvard’s Women Who Revolutionized Astronomy
At the turn of the 20th-century, assistants at Harvard’s observatory took to mapping the stars and paved the way for women in science.
The Glass Universe: Harvard’s Women Who Revolutionized Astronomy – The Atlantic
hmmmm
Five African countries ban ‘dirty fuels’ from Europe
Five countries in West Africa say they will no longer import “dirty fuels” from Europe, according to the UN.
Five African countries ban ‘dirty fuels’ from Europe – BBC News
hmmm
Veterans arriving to support Dakota pipeline protesters
Throngs of veterans from the group “Veterans Stand for Standing Rock” were arriving at the freezing Dakota Access Pipeline protest site on Sunday — one day before authorities are expected to remove protesters.
With a Monday showdown looming, the veterans will add a new dimension to the protest, which up to now has pitted members of the Sioux tribe and their supporters against local law enforcement officers.
The veterans Facebook page also said US Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, will arrive to show support.
Veterans arriving to support Dakota pipeline protesters – CNN.com
Yay, Veterans!
Yay, first peoples!
Yay!
Army will deny easement, halting work on Dakota Access Pipeline
Rhea Suh, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the outcome was a reminder of the power of individuals to “demand environmental justice.” She said, “Today, the voices of indigenous people were heard.”
In the Dakota language, the word “oahe” signifies “a place to stand on.”The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and its allies in the environmental and activist movements had said they were doing just that: using Lake Oahe in North Dakota as a place to take a stand by setting up camps and obstructing roads to block the $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline.
Army will deny easement, halting work on Dakota Access Pipeline – The Washington Post
hmmm
Army Blocks Drilling of Dakota Access Oil Pipeline
Though the Army’s decision calls for an environmental study of alternative routes, the Trump administration could ultimately decide to allow the original, contested route. Representatives for Mr. Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Mr. Trump owns stock in the company building the pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners, but he has said that his support has nothing to do with his investment.
Army Blocks Drilling of Dakota Access Oil Pipeline – The New York Times
hmmm
Stnading Rock: AG Lynch: Department will still monitor protest
The Latest on the Dakota Access pipeline protest (all times local):
The Latest: AG Lynch: Department will still monitor protest – The Washington Post
Go, go gadget veterans.
Dakota Access pipeline: Protesters claim major victory
“Today the Army Corp of Engineers announced its decision not to grant the easement to the Dakota Access Pipeline crossing the Missouri immediately above the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, and to study alternate routes,” the statement said. The U.S. Army confirmed in a statement Sunday afternoon that it will not grant an easement for the pipeline.“The Department of the Army will not approve an easement that would allow the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline to cross under Lake Oahe in North Dakota,” the Army said.
Dakota Access pipeline: Protesters claim major victory – CBS News
Goodness.
Literally.
Egypt ancient city unearthed by archaeologists
Archaeologists in Egypt unearth what they describe as a city that dates back more than 5,000 years.
Egypt ancient city unearthed by archaeologists – BBC News
Wild.
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef suffers worst ever coral bleaching
In just nine months, bleaching caused by warmer water has killed around 67 percent of the coral in a previously pristine part of the reef, one of the natural wonders of the world.
…Threats to the reef have become so severe that in recent years UNESCO has suggested it could be placed on list of World Heritage sites “in danger.”
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef suffers worst ever coral bleaching | FOX 61
Sigh…
Great Barrier Reef Hit by Worst Coral Die-Off on Record, Scientists Say – The New York Times
About two-thirds of the shallow-water coral on the reef’s previously pristine, 430-mile northern stretch was dead, researchers reported.
….Some scientists and environmental advocates have criticized the government’s efforts to protect the reef, saying they have fallen far short. They have also pointed to a seeming contradiction in the wishes of the Queensland government to protect the reef even as it pushes ahead with plans to develop the Carmichael coal mine, the country’s biggest, which lies less than 200 miles inland in the Galilee Basin.
…As custodian of the reef, the government has an obligation to manage one of the world’s greatest natural wonders, Dr. Steffen said. “It is nonsense to think we can open up a new coal mine and think we are going to save coral reefs.”
…Coral in the north was “cooked” as water temperatures rose about two degrees, Professor Hughes of James Cook University said. “That coral did not bleach and die slowly.”
Great Barrier Reef Hit by Worst Coral Die-Off on Record, Scientists Say – The New York Times
Sigh….
Comments From The Peanut Gallery 