Wednesday 15 December 2010

Climate Change in Comic Form

 This is really cool. But read the comments, too. Basically it's great until the last section, where he over-simplifies and over-sensationalises a bit. Still, it's a really nice, easy to follow, explanation of why not to necessarily listen to the headline on climate change.

EDIT:
Okay, having read the comments I'm annoyed enough by some of them to add this: I don't know all the facts. I don't have the expertise to understand them all, I suspect, nor the time, currently, to read all the evidence. However, I trust the 97.5% of the top 200 climate scientists (although how on Earth they measured that I don't know). In any case, fossil fuels will run out eventually (and so will fuel for nuclear power). The Sun, winds, tides - these won't run out until the human race is long gone. Renewable or green energy sources are worth investing into because they are sustainable, unlike current practices.

I also kinda agree with Drew when he says "The ideas of conservation and renewable resources should not be seen as the only way to save us from global warming. Instead these ideas should be supported because they are the morally responsible thing to do for our planet."  I'm not usually one for bringing morals into scientific debate, but we are doing things to the planet that we don't know the long term effects of, and I for one don't think the risks of continuing unchecked are worth it.

Holidays?

Ahhh, holidays. Or should I say "vacation", because that's what it is >_>

"Vacation". You vacate your room, your college, the city... but not your work! *insert evil laughter from Captain Tripos here* ...sorry, Cambridge reference.

So, my department this year sets us a 3000-5000 word essay to do over the Christmas holidays, which is supposed to be essentially a week of full time work. Woo.  Actually, though, it's almost enjoyable.

Tuesday 7 December 2010

Aliens in California! ...or not.


You’ve probably heard about it by now. In fact I’m probably late to the party, so to speak, in terms of blogging about this... but never mind. Here it goes... NASA discovers arsenic-loving life! 

But wait, what? It’s from California? Not Mars? And it’s a bacterium? That’s not as exciting as it sounded...